Test Prep Strategies and Introduction to the ACT

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Test Prep Strategies and Introduction to the ACT
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Wisdom

• Wisdom means knowing a lot about something.
• We are not born wise. Wisdom takes time to
  develop.
• Wisdom is achieved through observation and
  learning.
• Wisdom is achieved through doing and living.
• A person can be wise in one way, unwise in
  another.
• Some kinds of wisdom are extremely difficult to
  achieve, others are not quite so difficult.
• Wisdom is precious because it serves as a proper
  guide to conduct our lives.
• When we act wisely when we use our wisdom we
  benefit in many ways.
• Wisdom in one field of endeavor often may be
  applied to another field.

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Introduction to the ACT

• Test Day is Tuesday, March 11th.

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What is on the test?

• The ACT has four subtests and one optional
  subtest
• English
• Math
• Reading
• Science Reasoning
• Essay (optional)

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ACT English Subtest

• 75 questions, 45 minutes
• Approximately 0.5 minutes per question
• This section consists of 5 essays that contain
  underlined words or phrases
• Multiple-choice questions cover

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ACT Math Subtest

• 60 questions, 60 minutes
• Approximately 1 minute per question
• Multiple choice questions with five answer
  choices
• The math subtest covers a variety of mathematical
  topics, including the following
• Pre-algebra, elementary algebra (approx. 20
  questions)
• Algebra and coordinate geometry (approx. 20
  questions)
• Regular geometry (approx. 15 questions)
• Trigonometry (approx. 4 questions)

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ACT Reading Subtest

• 40 questions based on 4 passages, 35 minutes
• Approximately 9 minutes per passage and 10
  related questions
• Passages are about 750 words long and appear in
  the following order of topics

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ACT Science Reasoning Subtest

• 40 questions, 35 minutes
• Approximately 50 seconds per question
• No specific scientific knowledge needed
• Questions will be based on the following
• Scientific data presented in graphs, charts,
  tables, or research summaries
• Information regarding a disagreement between two
  or more scientists

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ACT Essay Subtest (optional)

• 1 essay, 30 minutes
• The test will provide you with a prompt that will
  define an issue and describe differing points of
  view
• Your essay will adopt and defend a point of view
  on the issue (your score is not affected by which
  point of view you select)

The ACT administered by the state of Kentucky
does NOT include the essay portion.
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ACT Scoring the Test

• Each subtest, except the essay, is scored on a
  scale of 1-36 (36 being the highest possible)
• You will also receive a percentile rank, which
  allows you to compare yourself to everyone else
  who took the test
• Ex Your percentile rank is 87. This means that
  86 scored lower than you and 13 scored higher

If no answers are given in a section, the scale
score will be 0.
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ACT Scoring the Test

• Some subtests, such as English, have subheadings
  and you will receive a score for those
• Ex The English test is divided into two
  subheadings Usage/Mechanics and Rhetorical
  Skills. Each subheading will have a score on a
  scale of 1-18 (18 being the highest)
• The essay subtest, if you take it, will be
  reported as a score of 2-12

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ACT Should you guess?

• Consider two scenarios
• 1st Scenario
• You go into the testing room, put your name on
  the test, and take a 3.5-hour nap. What would be
  your composite score?

You guessed it 0. Zip. Nada. A big goose egg.
Now, consider the second scenario . . .
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ACT Should you guess?

• Consider two scenarios
• 2nd Scenario
• You go into the testing room, put your name on
  the test, answer B for all 215 questions, and
  then take a 3-hour nap. What would be your score?

12! Now, this is not the method that we
recommend for taking the ACT, but guessing, and
not leaving any question blank, is to your
advantage, since the ACT does NOT penalize you
for wrong answers.
P.S. On tests in class, you should NEVER leave an
answer blank, for the same reason!
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To recap . . .

• How many subtests are on the ACT?
• What are the subtests of the ACT?
• What can you expect on each of these subtests?
• Should you guess on the ACT?

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Next week . . .

• Review test preparation strategies and ACT
  content and structure
• Practice mini-ACT