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General Test Taking Strategies

Mental Preparation

 

  • Get Organized                           Involves everything from assembling the materials you need to take the test to practing specific test-taking strategies that will help you do your best.

  • Refresh Your Knowledge and Skills in the Content Areas                         Review the content of the individual tests.

  • Plan Your Study Time            Set aside small amounts of time for studying over an extended period- days, weeks, or even months- so you won't have so much to do at the end that you feel swamped.

 

Physical Preparation

 

  • Diet                                            Be sure to eat a good breakfast before you take the test.

  • Rest                                            Get plenty of sleep the night before the test so you will be in good physical condition for taking it.

 

Test-Taking Strategies

 

  • Take a Practice Test                  The best way to anticipate what it will be like to take the ACT is to take a sample version of it.

  • Learn to Pace Yourself              Like many tests, the ACT must be completed within a specific and limited amount of time. One possiblity is to simply divide the amount of time available for the test by the number of questions you'll have to answer. Another option is to divide the total number of questions into smaller groups and figure out how much time you have for each group.  

                                                                On the English, Reading, and Science tests, you may want to pace yourself by figuring out a certain amount of time reading each passage and then determining how much time you have left to spend on the associated questions.

                                                                 For the Writing Test, pace yourself in the best way that suits your personal writing strategies. Taking a few minutes to plan your essay is a better strategy than writing a first draft with the intention of copying it over for your final essay.

                                                                  

  • Read Carefully and Thoroughly

  • Mark Your Answer Document Carefully

  • Decide on a Strategy for..

    • Answering Easier and Harder Questions

    • Guessing Multiple-Choice Questions

    • Changing Your Answer

    • Panic

  • Plan to Check Your Work

 

Test Format & Content

Interpreting Your ACT Scores

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