Preparing for the ACT

1 Full-Length Practice ACT Information about the OptionalWriting Test Strategies to Prepare for the Tests What to Expect on Test DayIC 080192050 Preparing for the ACTWhat s Inside:This booklet is providedfree of General Preparation for the ACT .. 22. Strategies for Taking the ACT Tests .. 53. What to Expect on the Test Day .. 114. Taking the Practice Tests.. 12 Practice Multiple-Choice Tests .. 13 Practice Writing Test .. 575. Scoring Your Practice Tests.. 59 How to Score the Multiple-Choice Tests .. 59 How to Score the Writing Test .. 666. Sample Answer Documents.. 73 Multiple-Choice Tests .. 73 Writing Test .. 75A Message to StudentsThis booklet, which is provided free of charge,isintended to help you do your best on the ACT.

2 It summarizesgeneral test-taking strategies, describes the content of eachof the tests, provides specific tips for each, and lets youknow what you can expect on the test day. Included in thisbooklet are a complete practice test retired ACTquestions that were administered to students on a nationaltest date and a writing prompt sample answer documents,and scoring this booklet carefully and take the practice test wellbefore the test day so you will be familiar with the tests, whatthey measure, and the strategies you can use to do your is committed to representing the diversity of oursociety in all its aspects, including race, ethnicity, and gen-der.

3 Thus, test passages, questions, and writing prompts aredeliberately chosen to reflect the range of cultures in also are committed to ensuring that test questionsand writing prompts are fair that they do not disadvantageany particular group of examinees. Extensive reviews of thefairness of test materials are rigorously conducted by bothACT staff and external consultants. We also employ statisti-cal procedures to help ensure that our test materials do notunfairly affect the performance of any ACT Preparation Materials ACT Online Prep :The only online test preparation pro-gram designed by the ACT test development Online Prep has practice test questions, a practiceessay with real-time scoring, a diagnostic test, and person-alized Study Path.

4 You can access ACT Online Prep viathe Internet anywhere and at any time. The Real ACT Prep Guideis the official print guide to theACT. This book includes three practice ACTs previouslyused in actual test administrations each with an optionalWriting Test, with explanations for all right and wronganswer Online Prep, the Real ACT Prep Guide,and sam-ple test booklets are available at Preparationfor the ACTC hoosing a Test OptionStudents testing in the United States may register forone of two Test Options: the ACT, or the ACT Plus Writing,which includes a 30-minute Writing Test for an additional ACT Writing Test complements the ACT English combined results from both tests provide informationabout your understanding of the conventions of standardwritten English and your ability to produce a direct sample ofyour writing.

5 Taking the ACT Plus Writing will provide youwith two additional scores: a Writing Test subscore and aCombined English/Writing score. Taking the Writing Testdoes notaffect your subject area scores or your all institutions require or recommend taking the ACTW riting Test. Check directly with the institutions you are con-sidering to find out their requirements, or ask your highschool counselor which Test Option you should take. Youcan also check our website ( ) for a listof institutions that have provided information to us about theirpolicies whether they require, recommend, or do not needresults from the ACT Writing Test. Consult ACT s list beforeyou register so you will know which Test Option to ACT Plus Writing is available on national test datesand for Special and Arranged Testing within the UnitedStates during designated testing windows.

6 This Test Optionis notavailable through any other type of testing (for exam-ple, testing outside the ) during 2005 for the ACT6431A copy of the full Code may be obtained free of charge from ACT Customer Ser-vices, Box 1008, Iowa City, IA 52243-1008, 319/337-1429. 2005 by ACT, Inc. All rights : This booklet is covered by federal copyright laws that prohibit the reproduction of the test questions without the express, written permission of ACT, endorses the Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education,a statement ofguidelines for those who develop, administer, and use educational tests and Code sets forth criteria for fairness in four areas: developing and selectingappropriate tests, interpreting test scores, striving for fairness, and informing test takers.

7 ACT is committed to ensuring that each of its testing programsupholds the Code s standards for appropriate test development practice and a Test DateBefore you choose a test date, consider the applicationdeadlines of the colleges and scholarship agencies that areof interest to you. It will take four to seven weeks after a testdate for ACT to mail your score report to you and to your col-lege or agency college and scholarship agencies recommend thatstudents take the ACT during the spring of their junior this time, students typically have completed most of thecoursework covered by the ACT. There are a number ofadvantages in taking the ACT then: You will receive test scores and other information that willhelp you plan your senior year in high school.

8 Many colleges begin contacting prospective students dur-ing the summer before the senior year. If you do not score as well as you believe you can, therewill be opportunities to retake the ACT in the fall of yoursenior year and still have the new information available intime to meet admission and scholarship : You cannot plan on receiving your scores from onenational test date in time to register for the Test-Taking Strategiesfor the ACTThe ACT contains multiple-choice tests in four areas:English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. Each of thesetests contains questions that offer either four or five answerchoices from which you are to choose the correct, or best,answer.

9 The following suggestions apply to the tests in allfour areas:Pace time limits set for each test give nearly everyoneenough time to finish all the questions. However, becausethe English, Reading, and Science Tests contain a consider-able amount of text, it is important to pace yourself so youwill not spend too much time on one passage. Similarly, trynot to spend too much time puzzling over an answer to aspecific problem in the Mathematics Test. Go on to the otherquestions and come back if there is supervisor will announce when there are five min-utes remaining on each the directions for each test you begin taking one of the tests, read the direc-tions carefully.

10 The English, Reading, and Science Tests askfor the best answer. Do not respond as soon as you iden-tify a correct answer. Read and consider all of the answerchoices and choose the answer that bestresponds to Mathematics Test asks for the correct each question carefully to make sure you understandthe type of answer required. Then, you may want to work outthe answer you feel is correct and look for it among thechoices given. If your answer is not among the choices pro-vided, reread the question and consider all of the each question is important that you understand what each questionasks. Some questions will require you to go through severalsteps to find the correct or best answer, while others can beanswered more the easy questions best strategy for taking the tests is to answer theeasy questions and skip the questions you find difficult.