ACT Tips and Tricks!

Lily Hughes, Writer
March 9, 2020

With the school sponsored ACT quickly approaching, students across the school are scrambling to do some last minute studying before March 10 arrives. As a last resort, a few dozen of us have gathered together our survival guide for the day of our nightmares in hopes that one of you will be able to use some of these tips and tricks to overcome the horror that lies ahead.

ENGLISH:

  • Trust the rules, not your ear! Sometimes repeating the sentence too many times can lead to overthinking and confusion. 
  • Don’t be afraid to pick “NO CHANGE.”
  • Select the clearest answer. 
  • Read the full question AND answer! 

 

MATH:

  • Memorize important equations and formulas!
  • If you’re more of a visual learner, write out your problem solving systems.
  • Use a calculator and check your work!
  • The last ten problems are the most difficult, so focus your energy on the others before moving forward. 
  • Plug back in the answers provided, if it works out, you’ve got a bingo!

 

READING:

  • Know the different passages / questions types!
  • Skip the first passage, it’s almost always a story that causes you to lose time! Jump back to it in the end when you know you have time to spare.
  • Mark out completely incorrect answers.
  • Use the line references supplied by the question. 
  • Understand the structure of the section. 

 

SCIENCE:

  • Take a deep breath, the science portion is mostly reading and rereading charts!
  • Understand commonly used terms.
  • Look for trends in the questions / answer choices.
  • Always refer back to the passage!
  • Mark on anything and everything.

 

NIGHT BEFORE:

  • DON’T CRAM! There is absolutely no way for your brain to memorize all that at once, so do it a favor and relax. 
  • Go to bed early!
  • Eat a filling breakfast.
  • Set your alarm, and check it twice!
  • Pack your test day bag with a calculator, water bottle, a snack, and identifying information. 

 

Don’t be afraid to take advantage of the On To College program, either! They offer amazing explanations and sample problems, including highly educated instructors with fantastic teaching skills.