ACT Test strategies

STart the morning right

• The test starts at 8:00 AM.
• Eat a balanced breakfast.
• There is no time to study or warm-up, so be ready.
• Make sure that you have all the materials you need ready.

Bring everything you need

• Take your calculator
• You should be comfortable using the calculator you take.
• Bring a sweater in case it gets cold in the room.

Have time to bubble in asnwers

• English: Complete one passage and then bubble in answers.
• Mathematics: Complete one page and then bubble in answers.
• Reading: Complete each passage and then bubble in answers. 
• Science: Complete each activity and then bubble in answers.

don't leave blank answers!!!

• There is no penalty for wrong answers.
• When you have about 2 minutes left, randomly bubble answers
• Make sure that you have almost all questions answered before time is up

Be comfortable with "no change"

• NO CHANGE (A or F) will be the correct answer approx. 16 times.
• If it looks right, it probably is right. 
• Answers may cause paranoia due to "repeated" answers.
• Do not worry if letter choices are repetiotive.

English section

Semicolon rules

• Semicolons are used to separate two related clauses.
• The use of semicolons allow you to omit coordinating conjunctions
• Ex. The baseball field is shaped like a diamond; it is huge.
• They are sometimes linked with a transitional phrase
• Ex. Everyone knows he is guilty; of course, it will never be proved.

Colons

• This is almost never used on the ACT.
• Its two primary purpose are to:
• begin a business letter
• OR to introduce a list or examples 
• Ex. My favorite colors are: blue, red, orange, and green.

commas

• Used most often to set off a parenthetical phrase.
• Ex. He said, "Why are you doing this."
• Also used to set off an appositive (renames subject)
• Ex. My friend, Bob, is friendly.

Dashes

• Dashes serve as super commas.
• are used to set off parenthetical phrases or appositives.
• Also used to indicate an interruption in thought or speech.
• Can also take the place of parenthesis.
• Ex. The fire truck - which is red - put out the fire.

Pronouns

• Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement:
• Does the pronoun agree with the noun it stands for?
• Consider gender and/or numbers/quantity

Who vs. whom

• "Who" is typically part of the subject and goes in the beginning
• Ex. Who did that?
• "Whom" is an objective pronoun, part of the direct/indirect object.
• Ex. To whom should should I write this check to?

That vs. which

• "That" and "Which" refer to objects - not people.
• "That" is used before clauses that can be deletd
• "Which" is used before clauses that cannot be deleted.

Mathematics

Contents

• Algebra - 33 Questions
• Geometry - 23 Questions
• Trigonometry - 4 Questions

Don't answer the wrong question

• Most math problems will have trick answers. 
• Do not just pick the first answer you see that is "Right".
• If you find an answer that is right, choose it.

Take advantage of answer choices

• If possible, plug in answer choices to the problem.
• This can turn out to be faster than solving the problem.

Angles

• Triangle Sum Theorem (all interior angles add up to 180)
• 360 degrees in a circle
• Supplementary angles = 180 degrees
• Complimentary angles = 90 degrees
• Vertical and Corresponding angles are congruent.

Area

• Area of a rectangle: Base * Height
• Area of a triangle: 1/2 * Base * Height
• Area of a circle: pi * Radius^2

Slopes

• Rise/Run
• Parallel lines have the same slopes
• Perpendicular lines have slopes that are the negative-inverse
• Ex. Slope 1: 2 -------> Slope 2: -1/2

x-intercept/y-intercept

• X-intercept: the value of X when Y equals 0
• Y-intercept: the value of Y when X equals 0

Pythagorean Theorem

• This is usually asked in about 3 questions
• It is good to know the following formula:
• a^2+b^2=c^2

Trigonometry

• Soh Cah Toa
• sin= Opposite/Hypotenuse
• cos= Adjacent/Hypotenuse
• tan= Opposite/Adjacent

Reading

type of Passages

• Prose Fiction
• Social Sciences
• Huamanists
• Natural Sciences

major question types

• Main Idea: Make sure you are able to determine main points of a passage.
• Specific Detail: Be able to skim passages quickly for a specific detail.
• Conclusion/Inference: Make connections between evidence and answers
• Extrapolation: say what is true based on author's tone and information.
• Vocabulary: Only asked in Context; Use context clues!!!

Extremes

• Watch for words that indicate Extremes:
• Ex. ALL, NEVER, and ALWAYS.
• These will always be on the test to trick you.
• Don't rush in analyzing the question being asked.

Science

Breakdown

• Experiment Passages (3)
• Charts/Graphs (3)
• FIghting Scientists (1)

Don't study

• Read the questions first and find the answer.
• The question usually tells you where to look for the answer.
• Don't get overwhelmed by the vocabulary.
• Don't use any prior knowledge... find evidence for answer.

You are ready!!!