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When preparing for the ACT, it is important to study the correct materials.

According to act.org, the ACT test was named for the American College Testing organization, which has been offering testing services for students since 1959. Today, high school students take the ACT to examine their overall skill levels, which can then determine their eligibility to enter college. Scores for the ACT test range from 1 to 36, with 36 being considered a perfect score. Satteststudy.com states that less than 1 percent of test takers score 36 on the ACT test, while the average score is 20. A score of 30 or higher is considered desirable by many colleges, and can increase your chances of receiving scholarships as well as being accepted into some of the most prestigious universities.

Preparing for the Test

Step 1

Study the subject of English very carefully. You will be allowed 45 minutes to complete the English portion of your ACT test, which consists of 75 questions about punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, strategy, organization and style. Make sure you are proficient in these areas. Your spelling and vocabulary skills will not be tested, so don't spend too much time on these areas.

Step 2

Make sure your math skills are up to par. The ACT test includes 60 questions that must be answered in 60 minutes. Each question is based on 11th grade math. Actstudent.org suggests memorizing only basic formulas, since complex formulas will not be used on the test.

Step 3

Brush up on your skills in science, including your understanding of scientific interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning and problem solving. The test includes 35 questions, which must be answered in a 40 minute time frame.

Step 4

Practice your reading comprehension, including your referring and reasoning skills. The reading portion of the ACT test consists of 40 questions that must be answered in 35 minutes.

Step 5

Practice your writing skills if you choose to take this optional portion of the test. The writing portion consists of one question that prompts you to write about one side of a given issue. The test measures the basic writing and composition skills that should have been taught in your high school English classes. You will have 30 minutes to complete this portion of the test.

Test Day

Step 1

Pack all the supplies you will need to take to the testing center. These supplies usually include a photo ID, your test admission ticket, several number 2 pencils, erasers and a calculator.

Step 2

Get as much rest as you can the night before the test. Most people operate better when they are well-rested.

Step 3

Eat a satisfying breakfast. Because the test takes about four hours to complete, you are likely to become very hungry if you do not eat beforehand.

Step 4

Arrive to the testing center on time. You will not be allowed to take the test if you are late.

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How to Get a Score of 30 or Above on the ACT Test | Synonym

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When preparing for the ACT, it is important to study the correct materials. According to act.org, the ACT test was named for the American College Testing organization, which has been offering testing services for students since 1959. Today, high school students take the ACT to examine their overall skill levels, which can then determine their eligibility to enter college.

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It's funny isn't it? We know that SAT and ACT scores are important to help students get into college, but we often don't know to what degree are they important and rarely do we imagine that these scores will have any implication beyond the immediate future - but they do.

There are 3 reasons that higher scores are important to your student's future.

1. Test scores are critical to a student's college opportunities.

2. There is money in your test score.

3. Some employers require SAT & ACT scores well beyond graduation.

Let's dive in deeper, shall we?

1. Test scores are critical to a student's college opportunities.

In 2014, UCLA received over 80,000 applications for approximately 5,000 available seats in the freshman class.

Read that again. Those numbers are staggering.

Whether you believe that standardized tests are a proper measure of a student's ability or not is irrelevant. It's impossible for UCLA's admissions officers to read upwards of 160,000 essays and sift through every applicant's high school transcript.

The bottom line is this: the numerical measures matter.

While recording The College Checklist Podcast, Dale Callahan told me that test scores are the number 1 factor in admissions. Chuck Hughes, a former senior admissions officer at Harvard, said that test scores are the 3rd most important factor in a student's application.

Either way, test scores are very important. If your student is planning to go to college, he or she will need to take the SAT or ACT. Putting your very best possible score on your application is imperative.

2. There is money in your test score.

Would you invest $100 to make $800?

That's a silly question! Who wouldn't make that investment?

Merit-based financial aid and many scholarships are based in large part upon a student's SAT or ACT score. The money that you spend on test prep can be returned to you eight-fold or ten-fold through financial aid and scholarships.
Any way you slice it, test prep is a great investment to make because of the future return.
Want to learn more about the ROI of test prep? Check out a guest post The College Money Man wrote for us: How Much is A Good SAT Score Worth? A Lot Actually

3. Some employers require SAT & ACT scores well beyond graduation.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that many companies require applicants to submit their test scores on their resume. The strangest part about this practice is that there have been no studies proving any correlation between higher scores and better performance in the workplace, but the perceived value of a higher score is priceless.

An extension of principle #2 - there is money in the test score well beyond the days of merit aid and scholarships because your student's SAT and ACT scores may affect her future employment.

There's a lot of debate around whether or not these exams are reasonable or valuable measures of a student's ability; however, knowing how important solid test scores currently are for your student's future, I'm curious to know - do you plan to have your student prepare for the exams?

Leave your thoughts as a comment below. I look forward to discussing this further with you!

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3 Reasons SAT & ACT Scores Matter (#3 Will Surprise You!)

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It's funny isn't it? We know that SAT and ACT scores are important to help students get into college, but we often don't know to what degree are they important and rarely do we imagine that these scores will have any implication beyond the immediate future - but they do.

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ACT Test Preparation | Test Prep Resources

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General tips for the ACT

Relax the night before the test

Don't cram. You are being tested on knowledge that you have accumulated over the course of the year. And over the past few months especially, you've been taking ACT prep. Studying at the last minute will only stress you out for very limited gain. Go to a movie or hang out with a friend - anything to get your mind off of the test!

Rely on the strategies you've learned through ACT test prep

The ACT help you've gotten over the past few months has included a number of specific strategies that are guaranteed to increase your score during ACT testing. Don't let them slip your mind. Follow the advice and strategies that you've picked up during preparation. If you need a quick refresher, try running through the free ACT practice test available here at Peterson's, keeping those strategies in mind as you go - but be sure not to stress yourself out by doing this (see the above tip)!

Test Specific tips for high ACT scores

English

When searching for sentence errors, start by reading the sentence or paragraph carefully, listening in your head; usually the word or phrase that contains an error will sound wrong. If no errors pop up, look for the four most common types of errors:

Errors in the relationship between the verb and its subject

Pronoun errors

Sentence structure errors

Awkwardness, verbosity, and incorrect use of idioms

Mathematics

As soon as you find the right answer, mark it and move on - there are no "degrees of rightness" to be considered. Marking up diagrams or sketching simple drawings when none are available can help you "see" the answers. The questions generally focus on mathematical reasoning, not your ability to perform calculations; if you find yourself spending too much time figuring the problem out, then you've probably overlooked a simple shortcut.

Math: Multiple-Choice Questions

As you work through the multiple-choice math questions, you'll be given reference information (formulas and facts), but you'll need to know how to use them. You're allowed to use a calculator, but, again, it won't help you unless you know how to approach the problems. If you're stuck, try substituting numbers for variables. You can also try plugging in numbers from the answer choices. Start with the middle number. That way, if it doesn't work, you can strategically choose one that's higher or lower.

Reading

Use the three-stage method (previewing, reading, and reviewing) to get the most out of each reading passage. Focus on the big ideas in each passage, not the small details. Look for connections among ideas in each passage. To help you find answers quickly, take notes as you read, marking the main ideas or connections with your pencil.

Science Reasoning

Use the same three-stage method (previewing, reading, reviewing) for each science reasoning passage. In data representation passages, focus on what is being measured, relationships among variables, and trends in data. Don't be confused by irrelevant information or technical terminology - most science reasoning passages have them, and they can almost always be ignored.

Writing (Optional)

Essays are scored holistically, which means that the final score is based on an overall impression. To make that overall impression a good one, be sure to organize your ideas into a standard essay format. A well-organized essay consists of four to five paragraphs, including an introduction, supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion. Aim to have at least two body paragraphs to develop and support your ideas.

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High ACT Scores: Need-to-Know Tips and Strategies - Peterson's Blog

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General tips for the ACT Relax the night before the test Don't cram. You are being tested on knowledge that you have accumulated over the course of the year. And over the past few months especially, you've been taking ACT prep. Studying at the last minute will only stress you out for very limited gain.

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Looking for some quick fixes to improve your ACT scores? Look no further. In this article, we give you several tips and tricks for the ACT so that you can get your best possible scores on every section.

First, I'll go through specific tips for each of the five sections (English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing). Then, I'll provide you with overall tips you can use throughout the test. Note that these are all last-minute test-taking advice tidbits rather than in-depth study hacks. Therefore,it's best to view them as light icing on top of a delicious cake representing the ACT expertise you've developed over a longer period of time.

ACT English Tips

The first section you'll take on the ACT is the English section, which focuses on your knowledge of grammar as well as your editing skills.

#1: Choose the Most Concise Answer

ACT English questions look for answers that result in the most straightforward, logical sentence structure, so try to find the choice that provides all of the necessary information for the sentence to make grammatical sense-and nothing extra. The best writing says what it needs to say clearly and concisely!

#2: Read the Paragraph First

A good plan of attack for ACT English is to read the whole paragraph that has the sentence you must revise before you look at the answer choices. This will give you context for your choices and a better grasp on the structure of the sentence and how you might need to change it. With this strategy, you can reduce the number of errors you make caused by careless misreadings.

#3: Be Careful With "No Change" Answers

On ACT English questions that ask you to choose the answer that makes a sentence grammatically correct, you'll have the option to pick "No Change." This is a dangerous choice because if you aren't aware of more obscure grammar rules, you might be tempted to choose it on some questions for which the sentence actually can be improved. Thus, it's really important to double-check all other answers before settling on "No Change" as the correct choice.

That said, keep in mind that "No Change" really is the correct answer around 25-30% of the time it's an option, so don't second-guess yourself if you're relatively certain there isn't an error. Read the sentence through with each of the possible suggested changes before you bubble in "No Change" to ensure that you're ultimately making the right call.

ACT Math Tips

Up next is the ACT Math section. Here, we give you two key tips you'll need to know in order to get a high Math score on test day.

#4: Pay Attention to Diagrams

The ACT Math section will often provide you with diagrams of figures that describe the problem you're trying to answer. It's important to pay attention to these figures, as they will give you clues about which answer choices are the most logical.

If a problem asks you to figure out an angle, for example, and some of the choices are acute while others are obtuse, you'll be able to eliminate at least a couple of these answers just by looking at the diagram. If it doesn't seem like an answer is possible based on the visual aid alone, it's usually safe to cross it out.

#5: Plug In Answers and Numbers

Two of the most important strategies to help you confirm you've got the correct answer on a math problem are to plug in answers and plug in numbers.

Here's how to plug in answers: if a question asks you to solve for x, simply plug each answer choice back into the original equation and see which one works. This will tell you which answer choice is the correct one. You don't even need to really solve the problem!

Plugging in numbers is a little different. With this strategy, you'll choose random numbers to plug into algebraic variables. This strategy lets you analyze the problem using real numbers instead of unknowns, and works best for questions with multiple variables.

While helpful, these strategies can sometimes be more time consuming than just solving the equation directly, so only use them as a last resort if you're stumped.

All you gotta do is find the right answer cord.
ACT Reading Tips

With ACT Reading-the third section on the test-you'll need to know how to read and interpret passages both quickly and accurately.

#6: Start With Your Strengths

The ACT Reading section is always structured the same way with four topic areas in the same order. Each topic corresponds to a passage or pair of passages. These topics are as follows:

Prose fiction/literary narrative

Social science

Humanities

Natural science

To make sure you're getting the most out of this section, start by reading the passage(s) that correspond to the topic area in which you are most comfortable. This might simply mean starting with subject matter that is most interesting to you and will thus make for a quicker read. This way, you can get the questions that are easiest for you out of the way first and won't risk running out of time before you have a chance to answer others.

#7: Skim Passages

There's a lot of time pressure on the ACT Reading section, so try to read the passages as efficiently as possible. For some students, it might be manageable to read passages normally and still have enough time to finish the section, but you have to be a really quick and thorough reader in order to pull this off.

The best strategy for most people is to skim the passages instead. In order to skim effectively, read the introduction and conclusion paragraphs as well as the first and last sentences of every body paragraph. This will give you a good overview of the main ideas and allow you to answer most main point questions. When you get to questions about details, you can then reread specific parts of the passage if necessary.

ACT Science Tips

For the Science section, you'll need to know how to interpret data and must answer questions dealing with graphs, tables, and scientific experiments. Here are our two best tips.

#8: Do the Conflicting Viewpoints Section Last

The conflicting viewpoints section on ACT Science is usually the most time consuming for students. In case you're not familiar with it, this part of the section asks you to read two or three passages that detail different viewpoints on a scientific issue. You'll then answer questions about these viewpoints and how they relate to one another.

Since this is more reading-intensive and can eat up a lot of time, it's best to save this part for last so that you don't end up missing other questions later on in the section that will be quicker and easier for you to answer.

#9: Rely On Visuals

If you can't read this graph, drink more coffee.
The ACT Science section hits you with a lot of complicated terminology and unfamiliar facts that make it seem overwhelming. The best policy when faced with all of this information is to ignore it and go straight for the graphs, which should provide enough information for you to answer the majority of the questions you're faced with.

Most of the information you're given is just extra stuff thrown in there to make this section seem more difficult than it really is. In reality, ACT Science is more about logical reasoning and data interpretation than it is about actually knowing any science. As long as you can read the graphs, you'll be fine!

ACT Essay Tips

The ACT Writing section, or Essay, is an optional section and the last one you'll take (if you signed up to take it). Below, we give you two expert tips to help you get the Essay score you deserve.

#10: Pre-plan Examples

Since ACT Essay prompts are relatively predictable, you can do some of your own essay planning before the test to save yourself time and stress. Choose concrete examples from art, history, literature, and/or personal experience; try not to use hypothetical or vague examples to support your points.

Keep in mind that all of the facts you use in your essay don't necessarily have to be true. Graders don't have time to fact-check, so they'll take everything you write at face value. This means you can make up statistics or historical facts to support your thesis, and you won't be penalized!

#11: Write a Great Intro and Conclusion

It's likely that the essay graders will read your introduction and conclusion more closely than they will the rest of your essay. If they can find your thesis easily, you're already on the right track to earning a great Essay score. As long as you have body paragraphs that make sense and support the points outlined in your thesis, graders will likely give you at least a 4 in the Organization and Ideas and Analysis domains.

You'll also need to write a conclusion paragraph that restates your thesis and shows a strong understanding of how all your points relate to one another. If you can demonstrate basic knowledge of how to logically structure an essay and stay on topic, you'll be good to go.

Overall ACT Tips

Now, let's wrap up with some general ACT tips to help you feel more confident for test day.

#12: Skip Hard Questions

On the ACT, time pressure is a very real problem for many students. To avoid losing points, you need to learn to skip questions that are giving you trouble before they eat up too much of your time. "Too much of your time" means something different for each section:

English: more than 30 seconds per question

Math: more than 60 seconds per question

Reading: more than 45 seconds per question

Science: more than 45 seconds per question

As a rule of thumb, if you feel like you're not any closer to figuring out a question after about 30 seconds, move on. Circle that question so that it's easier to spot later on when you want to go back to it. Then, make a quick pass through the whole section and answer all of the easy questions first so you don't miss points by running out of time before you're able to get through everything.

#13: Use the Process of Elimination

For every section of the ACT, use the process of elimination as your main strategy for attacking tough or confusing questions. This ties into the fundamental rule of ACT reading, which says that for every question there is only one completely correct answer-the rest can be eliminated based on evidence in the passage.

Just as you are legally obligated to pop all of the bubbles in a sheet of bubble wrap, so too must you fill in all bubbles on the ACT.
The process of elimination is more foolproof than trying to pick out the correct answer from the pack. Look for reasons to get rid of choices rather than reasons why they might work. This will help you be more picky about which answer you bubble in, and will also prevent you from thinking that more than one answer might be correct. If there's even one tiny thing out of place in an answer choice, get rid of it!

#14: Bubble at the End

You can save time on the ACT by waiting until the end of a section to bubble in your answers. This cuts down on your time per question by letting you avoid the process of going back and forth between your test booklet and answer sheet. It's more efficient to circle the answers you choose in your test booklet and then fill them in all at once later.

Before using this tip, though, make sure you can reliably finish the section with at least three to five minutes to spare! Don't risk running into a situation in which you don't have enough time to bubble in your answers even though you've gone through all of the questions.

#15: Answer Every Question

Since there is no penalty for guessingon the ACT, make sure you fill ineverybubble! An incorrect answer and an unanswered question both have the same impact on your raw score, so even if you have no idea how to answer something, it's best to go ahead and guess anyway.

#16: Get a Good Night's Sleep the Day Before the Test

It might sound cheesy, but you'll feel a lot more prepared (and awake) on test day if you get a solid amount of shuteye the night before the test. How many hours you need to feel well rested varies depending on the person, but generally it's good to aim for at least eight hours of sleep.

Heading into test day feeling sleepy and exhausted can dramatically affect your ability to focus and potentially lower your score. So get to bed early!

#17: Eat a Hearty Breakfast
ACT English Tips
In addition to the tip above, it's equally important to eat a healthy, satisfying breakfast before you take the ACT. This way you'll feel more awake and energized before taking the test. What's more, you won't have to worry about a growling stomach later on!
ACT Math Tips
#18: Stay Calm
ACT Reading Tips
The most important thing to remember during the ACT is to keep a cool head. Especially given the time pressure, students who suffer from test anxiety often freak out if they have to skip a few questions. Don't let this happen to you! Keep moving forward and answer what you can. You might find questions that initially seemed impossible are much easier when you come back to them.
ACT Science Tips
The nice thing about the ACT is that once you get through a section, you're completely done with that subject. So you won't have to worry about it until the next time you take the test (if that time even comes!).
ACT Essay Tips
Review: 18 Tips for Improving Your ACT Score
Overall ACT Tips
You can quickly improve your section scores on the ACT if you remember to use these 18 tips before and during the test. Let's recap:

Choose the Most Concise Answer

Read the Whole Paragraph First

Be Careful With "No Change" Answers

Pay Attention to Diagrams

Plug In Answers and Numbers

Start With Your Strengths

Skim Passages

Do the Conflicting Viewpoints Section Last

Rely On Visuals

Pre-plan Examples

Write a Great Intro and Conclusion

Skip Hard Questions

Use the Process of Elimination

Bubble at the End

Answer Every Question

Get a Good Night's Sleep the Day Before the Test

Eat a Hearty Breakfast

Stay Calm

Remember, these are quick fixes that aren't substitutes for studying content and gaining a deeper understanding of your mistakes. You should read some of our other articles, like this one on how to get a 36 on the ACT, to supplement your use of these tips and tricks!

What's Next?

If you're looking to do some more hardcore studying, take a look at this list of the top 10 books you should be using for ACT prep and this list of the best websites for ACT prep.

Are you taking the ACT soon and need some advice on last-minute strategies you can use? Here are the best guides to read for last-minute ACT prep.

Haven't scheduled your test date yet? Find out the best ACT date for you!

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18 ACT Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Score

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Looking for some quick fixes to improve your ACT scores? Look no further. In this article, we give you several tips and tricks for the ACT so that you can get your best possible scores on every section. First, I'll go through specific tips for each of the five sections (English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing).