10 Tips On Taking The ACT

So I took my ACT for the 3rd time earlier today. I took the first one in 7th grade for the Duke Talent Search and made a 17 and the second one, last year to get into my college class and sadly only got a 23. But this year I had ACT Prep, as well as the classes the test is centered around, so hopefully I did much better, I just don't test that well on Standardized things.

Anyway, I know that some of you may be coming around to take the ACT soon, so here are some strategies that I think are helpful! 

1. Get Enough Sleep

I know it sounds cliche, but really sleep is crucial. Personally, as many of you guys know, I am not a morning person by any means. So I need plenty and plenty of sleep. Especially if I know that I will be needing to get up the next morning and take a pretty important test. So relax and wind down before going to sleep.

2. Eat What Makes You Comfortable And Focused

Okay so I wouldn't recommend eating last night's BBQ steak but I also know that I hate breakfast food. So for me, when teachers and administrators suggest eating a nice, big, healthy breakfast, I feel ill because I despise almost all breakfast foods. I know plenty would say do not drink coffee as well, but if you're like me and not drinking coffee is not an option, then just drink some darn coffee. I mean, don't go drink an entire pot but drink a cup or two to calm your nerves, if that's what helps, and eat a good, filling breakfast that will keep you going.

3. Arrive Early Not On Time

Maybe this is just a me-thing but I HATE HATE HATE HATE being late. So I always arrive at the minimum 5-10 minutes early but I would suggest 15-20 early if possible in this instance. If you're unsure of where you're going, if parking is insane, or if you simply have to go the toilet by the time you get there, you want to make sure you're prepared for anything. 

4. Pace Yourself, Pace Yourself, Pace Yourself

I probably have the hardest time with this concept because I always like to finish one thing before going onto the next but really, if you don't know the answer, bubble in your choice of letter of the day, circle the question, move on and if you have time go back to it earlier. Like today, I almost did not finish the Reading section because I thought I had paced myself and had plenty of time but when the proctor said 5 minutes remaining,  still had 10 questions left so I had to rush through them to finish. Just be sure to pace yourself and if you don't know it just move on.

5. Fill In Every Question

For the ACT, every question you get right gets you points so you don't loose any points if you get it wrong, you just don't get any points. So for the sake of "points", fill in every bubble and hope that your letter of the day is the correct letter!

6. Skim Quickly, Answer Thoughtfully

This a quote from my English/ACT Prep teacher this year that I think makes total sense. Do not take 80 years to read one passage because that will eat up all your time. Skim the passage quickly, read the questions, return to the passage if you must and answer thoughtfully. A big tip that I think may be helpful, is reading. The more you read, the faster your speed reading will get. If you're a slow reader, this may be of great help.

7. Do Not Think The Calculator Is Always Right

Today I put in an equation 5 times before getting the (hopefully) correct answer and it was just because of how I entered it that I kept getting the wrong answer. Pay very close attention to the numbers you're entering and buttons you're pressing because that could lead to big mistakes.

8. Reading The Science Passages First, Does No Good

Okay, I know a lot of people that during the Science section will not get to finish and I think it's because they're applying the Reading skill of reading the passage and THEN answering the questions. Don't do that on the Science portion. You don't need to actually read the entire passage for most of the Science questions. It's mainly interpreting graphs and inferring, there is a very slim chance that any of the answers will be in the passages and even if they are, you can skim read to find them. Science was my highest subset score the past 2 times, I never ran out of time, and I felt pretty confident about it this time as well.

9. Don't Stress
It's easier said then done, but really stressing out will only make it harder and you'll cloud your mind with other things that will not help you on the test itself.

10. Be Confident

I know a lot of teachers, adults and colleges put a lot of emphasis on these test but really, it's just a test. Do not think that because you get a low score that you're dumb or that you're GPA means nothing. Personally, I think GPA shows your work ethic while these tests just show you can answer x-number of questions in x-amount of time. Don't get me wrong, you still need to take it seriously, but don't think that your whole life depends on it. You can take the darn thing up to like 12 times anyway, so worse case scenario, you just take it again...

Just be confident and relaxed and you'll do fine! 

Hope this helps!

Katya Podkovyroff