Fortify Your Mental Arsenal With These ACT Tips!
For many highschoolers, taking the ACT is a daunting endeavor; however, with the right preparation and effective test-taking strategies, it is possible to surmount the challenges of the ACT!
From my own experience in preparing for and taking the ACT, I have collected three helpful tips that I keep in my arsenal of test-taking tools.
1. Don’t wait to bubble in your answers at the end. Bubble your answers straight on to the Scantron as you go.
Many test prep resources suggest circling your answers in the test booklet and bubbling in the answers after all the questions on a particular page have been completed. The idea is that this strategy will help you stay focused and minimize the risk of bubbling errors.
However, I have found that this test-taking tip does more harm than good. It is more beneficial to bubble in the answers as you go. This will save you more time since you won’t have to frantically go back and forth at the end. Additionally, if you end up running out of time, you can find reassurance in the fact that you have already bubbled in most of your answers. After all, it doesn’t matter how many questions you’ve answered in the test booklet if you haven’t bubbled in everything on your Scantron. Your score will ultimately come from the answers on the bubble sheet, not the test booklet.
2. When tackling the “conflicting viewpoints” passage of the Science section, categorize the questions based on the viewpoint it relates to.
To be more precise: read the first paragraph (viewpoint A), and answer all the questions pertaining to that particular viewpoint. Then, read the second paragraph (viewpoint B) and answer all the questions relating to the viewpoint expressed in that passage. Once those questions are complete, answer the questions that pertain to both of the passages.
By compartmentalizing the questions based on viewpoint, you will be able to streamline your thoughts instead of having to juggle multiple perspectives. As a result, you will be able to answer the questions faster.
3. In the English and Reading sections, always read a few lines before and after the underlined portion of the question.
If the question references a specific line or word in the passage, be sure to read a couple of lines before and after the target area. In doing so, you will gain a better idea of the surrounding context and/or grammatical structure. This tip will help you avoid making silly mistakes that are the product of overlooking elements like plurals, misplaced modifiers, and small details.
Bonus tip: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
From websites to workbooks, there are a plethora of practice ACT tests available. Take advantage of these resources! By doing so, not only will you be practicing content, but also you will become more familiar with the format of the test which will help you build valuable test muscle-memory and speed.
Good luck!
Gabriella Tandra