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ACT Boot Camp Notes

December 4, 2014

Websites Mentioned:

For every correct answer, rice is donated to the hungry.



General Tips

▪ There will be distractions that students need to learn to deal with during the test. The ACT is a test of perseverance.

▪ The test measures self-discipline, making the test environment confusing and boring to test ability to focus. The ACT is designed for a student to miss 50% of the questions which converts to a composite score of 20.

▪ Test covers material learned as early as sixth grade, review basic concepts from junior high.

▪ Instead of thinking of the ACT as one giant test, break it down into mini-tests to help you focus and pace yourself. You have 8 minutes to read the passages for English and Reading, and 5 minutes for Science. Break work into smaller tasks so they are easier to understand.

▪ Skim the material when you read- try reading the first and last sentences of each paragraph instead of every word.

▪ Think of the Science and Reading sessions as open book tests. All of the answers to the questions are found in the passage or charts.

▪ Try to keep your notes or scratch work in order and organized.

About the Test:

• 4 multiple-choice sections – test is given in alphabetical order of test subjects

o English – 75 questions, 45 minutes – 5 passages – tests ability to edit writing

o Math – 60 questions, 60 minutes – tests ability to solve word problems

o Reading – 40 questions, 35 minutes – 4 passages – tests ability to read and comprehend texts

o Science Reasoning – 40 questions, 35 minutes – 7 passages – tests ability to read scientific data and infographs

• You get 1 point for every correct answer, no penalty for wrong answers. Convert # of correct answers to conversion table to get scale scores for each section. Average your 4 scale scores to get your overall composite score. How many questions do you need to get correct in order to meet your target scores?

• ALL questions are 1 point. So, easy questions count the same as hard questions. Why is this important? It makes no sense for you to spend tons of time on difficult questions, then to guess on easy questions because you run out of time. Try the following strategy:

o As you take the test, answer the easy questions first.

o Before skipping a difficult or time-consuming question, fill in an answer and mark the question so you know to come back. Use symbols to help you know which ones to go back to and which ones you have finished. (Filling in an answer will keep you from messing up your answer sheet, and it gives you an answer in case you run out of time)

o Don’t leave any question blank!

o You should always be able to eliminate 2 answer choices. Then most of the time the correct answer is in the middle of the 3 possible correct choices.

Taking the Test:

• Beware ANT – Automatic Negative Thoughts

o There is scientific proof that negative thoughts prevent other parts of the brain from functioning at full capacity.

o Take a deep breath & hold it for 3-4 seconds. Repeat 3-4 times when you start to feel anxious or think ANT. This helps your brain “reset” so you can concentrate.

• Posture is important!

o Studies show that sitting up straight gives you confidence in your own thoughts.

• Bring a protein-based snack for the break such as nuts and fruit. Sugar and carbs will make you crash. Stick with protein to help you power through the rest of the test. Avoid caffeinated items. Water may be helpful.

• Pace yourself! Wear an ACT approved watch. Practice at home working problems while using a timer. Make sure you do not miss any pages by stopping too soon. Always work until you come to a stop sign at the bottom of the page. The ACT may include pages with only 1 or 2 questions on them to see if you continue working until the stop sign.

o English - 8 minutes/passage

o Math – 20 minutes/1st 30 questions, then 40 minutes for last 30 questions.

o Reading – 8 minutes/passage

o Science – 5 minutes/passage

• English-

o Semicolons

o The passages are designed to bore you.

o Author’s word choice

o If more than one answer is grammatically correct, look at composition. Which one makes the meaning of the sentence/paragraph clearer?

o Colons

o Commas, Commas, Commas

o Subject-Verb Agreement

o The Number in a Box Questions – Tests your ability to organize the passage. Choose the option that makes the passage flow the best.

o Most of the time if an answer has lots of commas or semi-colons then it is not the correct answer.

• Math-

o Mostly Algebra/Geometry problems:

▪ solve for x

▪ absolute value

▪ inequalities

▪ solving expressions

▪ functions

▪ plugging into functions

o Verify whether or not your calculator is approved on the ACT website before the test. Make sure you know how to use your calculator.

o When using your calculator for lengthy problems, write down the answers for each step as you go. You don’t have time to start over if you accidentally press the wrong button.

o When in doubt, eliminate 2 wrong answers, and then choose the answer that is the middle of the 3 remaining answers. This will help you get it right 9/10 times.

o When you see a triangle, think Pythagorean Theorem.

o The easiest questions are first and slowly it gets harder. Try to spend 20 minutes on the first 30 problems- these may be the freshest on your mind.

o Change word problems into equations and then solve the equations. Don’t spend too much time getting bogged down with word problems.

o If the questions don’t give you a picture to answer the questions, draw your own.

o Make sure that you know area formulas and triangle equations (tan= opp/adj)

• Reading-

o Passages are written at a junior/senior college level, long with more difficult vocabulary.

o The biggest help for boosting scores is for you to read more. This will improve your vocabulary and your reading speed.

o Skim the passage! Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph.

o Pay attention to WHERE things are in the passage. Think of each passage as a treasure map, and you are hunting for the answer to the question.

o What is the author’s TONE towards the subject?

o Who is the narrator?

o What is the main idea?

o Replace strange or confusing names with easy ones.

o All answers are found directly in the passage.

o You will be asked to infer. These are difficult, and can be time-traps because people try to find the answer. The answer can’t be found! It is asking you to make an educated guess. When in doubt, make your best guess and move on.

o Read between the line questions – they are there to punish people who skip straight to the questions. Always skim the passage first, or these types of questions will trick you into choosing the wrong answer.

• Science-

o Remember that the science section is NOT testing you on your science knowledge! It is testing you on your ability to READ scientific data & charts/graphs. Only 10% tests actual science knowledge.

o Skim passages before going to questions.

o Draw lines connecting descriptions to corresponding charts/graphs so you know where info is located.

o Don’t worry about confusing scientific names. If it helps, re-name the items into something easier to deal with. For example, if there are 2 types of birds with long names, just re-name them “bird1” and “bird2” to avoid confusion.

o Don’t over think it. Eliminate answers that describe things never mentioned in the passage.

o There is always one passage without any charts or graphs. Usually, it is asking you to compare/contrast 2 things/scientific opinions. Skim to understand the similarities and differences. Pay attention to how the 2 contradict each other.

o Know how to decipher the steps in the scientific method- understand the difference between hypothesis, variable and control.

o Science is the session that generally generates the lowest scores. You are tired, bored, and confused- stay focused. Science can be the easiest part if you persevere.

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