Taking the ACT on Saturday? Remember These Tips

Don’t forget to:

• Get enough sleep Friday night.
• On test day, dress up a little (you’ll feel more alert during the test)
• Eat breakfast (mostly protein, not mostly bread or cereal)
• Get to the testing site in plenty of time so you don’t feel rushed

 

Don’t forget to bring:

• Identification
• Registration printout from the internet
• Watch (you won’t be able to use your phone for timing)
• Calculator (and extra batteries unless you’ve just changed them)
• Pencils (#2 non-mechanical – and plenty of them)
• Separate eraser (unless your pencils have soft, new erasers)
• Lots of small snacks (my favorites are Tootsie Rolls because chocolate has caffeine,  they’ve got lots of sugar, and chewing helps you concentrate)
• Hot or iced tea for the long break (anything with caffeine and sugar is good, but tea is best)

And about the test, you should remember that the ACT isn’t a strategy test, but there are a few pointers to remember:

• Work quickly.  The ACT is a speed test.  Don’t let any one question slow you down.
• Answer every question as you see it.  Don’t leave a question out, hoping to return to it later.  Put something down, even if it’s a wild guess.  If you circle the question number, you’ll know which questions to return to IF you do happen to have time at the end of the section.
• In the English (grammar) section, don’t be afraid to put “No Change.”  It’s a more frequent answer than “No Error” is on the SATs.
• In the math section, remember that you can’t rely on the drawings.  Don’t presume that the figure that looks like a right triangle actually is one.  Figure it out for yourself.
• In the reading section, save passage 2/ Social Science for last.  Most kids don’t do particularly well on that section and it can suck up your time.  (If you have done practice tests and you are weak in a different section, save that one for last.)
• In the science section, save the “student 1/ student 2″ passage for last.  It usually is the most time consuming.
• For the essay, use the “Persuasive Essay” format we’ve discussed (“First sentence: Summarize the situation,.  Second sentence:  State your opinion.  Next paragraphs:  Here’s what they think, here’s where they’re wrong, here’s what I think, here are examples.”) Use lots of examples.  They like their essays long!

Don’t forget to tell me how you did when the scores come back!

Wendy Segal

http://www.wendysegaltutoring.com