English Test
The English portion of the ACT
measures skills you presumably have acquired during the course of your
education. Your performance on the exam can be improved significantly by
careful review of the grammar and rhetorical overviews in Peterson's ACT
Success. The test consists of several prose passages. Each passage is accompanied
by a series of m multiple-choice questions. Often, the questions refer
to an underlined word or phrase in the passage. Sometimes, the questions
involve more general concepts (what is the main idea of the passage?).
Spelling, vocabulary, and rote recall of grammatical rules are not tested.
The ACT tests your knowledge
of standard written English (grammar and usage, sentence structure, and
punctuation) and of rhetorical skills (style, organization, and strategy).
Here is a brief description of the two basic categories of questions.
Mathematics Test
The Math section of the ACT
consists of a total of 60 questions. 40% of the test (24 questions) is
made up of questions from Pre-algebra and Elementary Algebra. 30% of the
test (18 questions) is drawn from Intermediate Algebra and Coordinate Geometry.
Finally, 30% of the test (18 questions) consists of Plane Geometry and
Trigonometry questions. All questions are in the multiple-choice format,
with 5 answer choices. Remember that on the ACT there is no penalty for
wrong answers, so you should answer every question, even if you have to
guess.
You will receive four scores
for the mathematics portion of the ACT: a total test score based on all
60 questions, and subscores for Pre-algebra/Elementary Algebra, Intermediate
Algebra/Coordinate Geometry, and Plane Geometry/Trigonometry.
Reading Comprehension Test
The Reading section of the ACT
is a 35-minute, 40-question test of your ability to read and comprehend
fiction, social science, natural science, and humanities reading passages.
The questions asked in the reading section can be broken down into two
main categories: (1) questions that ask you for information specifically
presented in the passage, and (2) questions that ask you to draw inferences
from the passage--that is, to answer questions based on what is implied
rather than stated in the passage.
You will receive an overall
reading score for this section of the test plus two subscores: one based
on your reading of the social science and physical science sections and
one based on your prose fiction and humanities scores.
In the Reading section, you
will read four passages, each of which is followed by ten multiple-choice
questions, The passages are selected to represent the level of reading
encountered by first-year college students. The reading passages are drawn
from the following subject areas:
Social Sciences: history, political science, economics,
anthropology, psychology, and sociology.
Natural Science: biology, chemistry, physics,
and physical sciences.
Humanities: art, music, philosophy, theater, architecture,
and dance.
Prose Fiction: intact short stories or excepts
from short stories or novels. |
Don't expect the passages to be
familiar to you; even the specific subjects may not be familiar to you,
but you may feel more comfortable with a natural science passage, for example--even
on an unfamiliar topic--if you have focused on science in your high school
studies.
Science Reasoning Test
The science reasoning test requires
you to have a basic knowledge of the subject areas. The overviews should
be helpful in refreshing your memory of the various subjects. However,
this part of the ACT exam is not designed to test your ability to recall
specific facts. Rather, it is designed to test your ability to recognize
and solve problems in a logical scientific manner. You may be asked to
produce results based on different experimental designs. or to draw conclusions
from information presented in seven different passages. Some of the information
will be presented as data in graphs and tables, while other passages contain
descriptive research summaries. You will also be asked to evaluate passages
that present opposing points of view. In all cases, the questions wills
be designed to determine whether you (1) understand the information as
it is presented, (2) can analyze and interpret the information presented,
and (3) can draw general conclusions from the information presented. The
questions testing understanding are often easier to answer than the questions
that fall into the other two categories. |
ACT Test Tips
Know How Much Time You Have
You can quickly determine how
much time you will allocated to answer each question and know why you will
have to be familiar with the material on the test.
English Test:About 1/2
minute per question.
Math Test:1 minute per
question
Reading Test:Less than
1 minute per question
Science Reasoning Test:Less
than 1 minute
This shouldn't intimidate you at all. Instead, it should
give you a goal toward which to aim. The more you practice, the faster
you will become, until you are able to breeze through the material that
you know even faster than the allotted time and give yourself a few extra
minutes to concentrate on the material you don't know.
Start with the Easy Questions, Then Try the Harder
Ones
As with most test, it makes
sense to answer the easiest questions first. These should take less time
to answer, thus giving you some extra time for those that are more difficult.
This is especially important for any test that is timed. If there is actually
time left over when you have filled in all of the blanks, try to review
your work. Answer Every Question This topic is highlighted because it is
vitally important. Your ACT score is based on the number of questions you
have answered correctly, and you are not penalized for wrong answers. Therefore,
it is worth your while to guess. One technique that is recommended is as
follows:
a. Answer the easy questions
first.
b. Check your time.
c. Then try the more difficult
ones.
d. Check your time.
e. Try those questions that
are most difficult.
f. Fill in the remaining blanks.
g. Check your time again and
review if you can.
Some test experts recommend
a different approach. They suggest filling in all of the answers consecutively,
just in case you run out of time. If you are not confident that you will
be able to get through the easier questions quickly and have enough time
left over to go back, fill in the answers as you come to them. Also, if
you are concerned that by skipping some of the answers you may forget to
leave the appropriate questions blank, then it is also better to work consecutively.
Practicing with the three full-length
tests in ACT Success will help you decide which technique is best for you.
Practice Under Simulated Situations
As you practice with the test
in this book, time yourself. Make believe you are in the room where you
are actually taking the test. Use a stopwatch if you can to time each section.
Since you are only practicing for the test, it is probably more realistic
to take one section at a time, and take them on separate days. It is often
difficult to set aside three full hours during a school week, or even on
a busy weekend, to take the entire test. After all, the purpose of practicing
with this book is to improve your speed on each test. Obviously, as you
improve the timing of each test, your total time will also decrease.
From ACT Success © 1996 by Peterson's.
All rights reserved.
|