ACT Quick Advice
compiled by Stephen Womack, [email protected]
Code in groups. Write your answers in your test booklet and transfer them in groups to the answer sheet.
Fill in the oval from the center out. It takes longer to go from the outside in, stray marks are reduced, and the machine reads the center of the oval.
Answer every question. All questions are equal. Difficult questions and easier questions count the same on the
test. Do not get stuck working for too long on a difficult question. You have to find the balance between speed
and accuracy.
Use a watch with a dial to keep track of your time. Consider marking your watch.
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Develop a relaxation technique. Use it to calm yourself before a test or in tense moments.
8-8-8 Deep Breathing: Slowly breathe in for 8 seconds. Hold the breathe for 8 seconds.
Slowly breathe out for 8 seconds. Repeat.
Palming: Press your palms into your eyes for eights seconds and slowly breathe in. Release
your palms and slowly breathe out.
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Develop a stretching technique. This will be important for some students as their stamina is tested.
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Sit up straight.
Grab the bottom of your chair.
Pull down with your hands
While pushing up with your feet.
4. Hold for ten seconds and repeat.
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Sit up straight.
Place your palms on the seat of
your chair.
Lift your body off your chair for ten
seconds and repeat
When preparing for the test, rest is important. If you want your body to process information, you must give it
time to rejuvenate. It is not enough to get good rest on the day before the exam. You want to avoid fatigue
on your body.
Eat well: avoid sugar and caffeine. Excess sugar is bad for brain function in general. Too much sugar creates
biological stress that impacts your ability to learn. Caffeine can accentuate the problem. Work to cut these
habits out of your life.
Study and practice can help you, but it cannot replace the learning you should have acquired in high school.
There is not a magic class to make you do perfect on the test.
Read Daily. Reading daily will get you in the habit of preparing for test.
 Read stats, charts, and graphs to help on science.
 Discuss what you read.
Do not read the directions during the test. You should know the directions ahead of time. Taking the time to
read the directions generally lowers students’ score by one point.
PRACTICE: http://teachers2.wcs.edu/high/fhs/Lists/ACT%20Links/AllItems.aspx
ENGLISH
While the exam tests your knowledge of grammar and rhetoric, the test is not about reciting grammar rules or writing techniques. You won’t be asked to correct any misspelled words or name five ways to introduce an essay. But you will be asked
to identify the correct use of words and punctuation and to evaluate or employ writing strategies in context. That is, you will
apply your knowledge of grammar and rhetoric to written passages, correcting errors within sentences and choosing rhetorical techniques to make passages more effective. So while you don’t need to be able to recite grammar rules, you do need to
know how to apply those rules to write grammatically correct sentences. You also need to know some basic strategies for
effective writing.
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There are 75 questions divided into 5 passages of 15 questions each. You have nine minutes per passage. You need to
keep track of time. Set the minute hand of your watch on the 15 minute mark so that your time expires on the hour.
Mark your watch to keep track of time. If time passes for the passage on which you are working, you should guess on
the remaining questions in that passage and move to the next passage.
Practice reading. You need to read and comprehend at over 260 words a minute to be able to finish the ACT. If you
cannot read that quickly, then you need a testing strategy to finish the test.
If you are surrounded by individuals who speak standard English, the English test should be easier for you.
Listen to your brain. If it sounds right it probably is. You may not be able to recall a specific rule, but as a speaker of the
language you “know” how it is supposed to sound. Remember, you don’t have to know a specific rule; you only need to
apply it correctly.
If all else fails, lean towards the shortest answer. Wordiness and redundancy are never rewarded on the ACT.
Take “omit” and “change” seriously. Omit is a viable answer when it eliminates redundant or irrelevant statements.
When “omit” is given as an option, it is the correct choice about half the time.
 If you have to guess, choose D as the choice on English as D is always where “omit” is located.
Skip and mark difficult questions. Except for the math test, questions are not arranged according to a ladder of difficulty. Mark difficult questions to revisit if you have time.
Don’t look for spelling or capitalization errors. These are not on the test.
 Rhetorical skills (35 questions or 47%)
 Writing strategy (12 questions or 16%)
 Organization (11 questions or 15%)
 Style (12 questions or 16%)
 Usage and mechanics (40 Questions or 53%)
 Punctuation (10 questions or 13%)
 Grammar and usage (12 questions or 16%)
 Sentence structure (18 questions or 24%)
Rhetorical skills questions are generally marked by a number in a box.
If there is a usage and mechanics question in the same passage as a rhetorical skills question, answer the rhetorical skills
question first.
You may skim the writing, but read the first paragraph carefully to determine stule.
The English test will sometimes have multiple answers that are correct, you are looking for the best answer.
 Pay attention to style as that often helps you choose the best answer. Be aware of the writing style used in the passages. Formal: An essay about the building of Hoover Dam. Informal: A story about a family trip to Hoover Dam.
Usage/Mechanics
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Punctuation (13%). Questions in this category test your knowledge of the conventions of internal and end-of
-sentence punctuation, with emphasis on the relationship of punctuation to meaning (for example, avoiding
ambiguity, indicating appositives).
Grammar and Usage (16%). Questions in this category test your understanding of agreement between subject and verb, between pronoun and antecedent, and between modifiers and the word modified; verb formation; pronoun case; formation of comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs; and idiomatic usage.
Sentence Structure (24%). Questions in this category test your understanding of relationships between and
among clauses, placement of modifiers, and shifts in construction.
 http://www.actstudent.org/testprep/descriptions/engcontent.html
THE SIX COMMA RULES
This section on commas is copied from Reedley College
AN OVERVIEW OF THE SIX COMMA RULES
1. Put a comma before and, but, for, or, nor, yet, so when they connect two independent clauses.
2. Put a comma between items in a series.
3. Put a comma after an introductory expression or before an afterthought.
4. Put commas around the name of a person spoken to.
5. Put commas around an interrupter, like however, moreover, etc.
Put commas around nonessential material.
Students often sprinkle commas through their papers as if they were shaking pepper out of a pepper shaker. Don’t use a comma
unless you know a rule of it. But commas are important. They help the reader. Without them, a reader would often have to go
back and reread a sentence to find out what the writer meant.
Master these six rules and your writing will be easier to read.
1. Put a comma before and, but, for, or, nor, yet, so when they connect two independent clauses.
They started to play Scrabble, and that ended their studying.
I may try out for the next play, or I may wait until the following one.
But be sure such words do connect two independent clauses. The following sentence is merely one independent clause with one
subject and two verbs. Therefore no comma should be used.
He wanted to try out for the play but didn’t have the time.
2. Put a comma between items in a series.
She ordered ice cream, cake, and an éclair.
He opened the letter, read it hastily, and gave a shout.
Some words “go together” and don’t need a comma between then even thought they do make up a series.
The tattered old plush album had belonged to her grandmother.
Large bright blue violets bordered the path in the woods.
The way to tell whether a comma is needed between two words in a series is to see whether and could be used naturally between
them. It would sound all right to say ice cream and cake and éclair. Therefore commas are used between items. But it would not
sound right to say tattered and old and plush album or Large and bright and blue violets. Therefore no commas are used. Simply
put a comma where an and would sound right.
It is permissible to omit the comma before the and connecting the last two members of a series, but more often it’s used.
If an address or date is used in a sentence, treat it as a series, putting a comma after every item, including the last.
He was born on May 17, 1966, in Madison, Wisconsin, and grew up there.
She lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for two years.
When only the month and year are used in a date, the commas are omitted.
In May 1984 he moved to Chester, Virginia.
3. Put a comma after an introductory expression that doesn’t flow smoothly into the sentence, or before an afterthought that
is tacked on. It may e a word, a group of words, or a dependent clause.
No, I’m not interested.
Well, that’s finished.
Racing to the finish line, she won the 100-meter dash.
When I entered, the house was in darkness.
It’s important, isn’t it?
A dependent clause at the beginning of a sentence needs a comma after it. In the fourth example above, you can see that a comma is necessary. Otherwise the reader would read When I entered the house…before realizing that that was not what the writer
meant. A comma prevents misreading.
4. Put commas around the name of a person spoken to.
I hope, Michelle, that you’re going with me.
David, you’re an hour late.
5. Put commas around an expression that interrupts the flow of the sentence (such as however, moreover, finally, therefore, of
course, by the way, on the other hand, I am sure, I think).
I hope, of course, that the rumor isn’t true.
We decided, therefore, to leave without him.
The entire trip, I think, will take only an hour.
Read the preceding sentences aloud, and you’ll hear how those expressions interrupt the flow of the sentence. Sometimes, however, such expressions flow smoothly into the sentence and don’t need commas around them. Whether an expression is an interrupter or not often depends on where it is in the sentence. If it’s in the middle of a sentence, it’s more likely to be an interrupter
than if it’s at the beginning or the end. The expressions that were interrupters in the preceding sentences are not interrupters in
the following sentences and therefore don’t require commas.
Of course I hope that the rumor isn’t true.
Therefore we decided to leave without him.
I think the entire trip will take only an hour.
Remember that when one of the above words like however comes between two independent clauses, that word always has a
semicolon before it. It may also have a comma after it, especially if there seems to be a pause between the word and the rest of
the sentence.
I wanted to go; however, I didn’t have the money.
Everyone liked the speaker; furthermore, they asked her to return.
I’m going out for track; therefore I’m spending hours running.
Thus a word like however or therefore may be used in three ways:
1. as an interrupter (commas around it)
2. as a word that flows into the sentence (no commas needed)
as a connecting word between two independent clauses (semicolon before it and often after it).
6. Put commas around nonessential material.
Such material may be interesting, but the main idea of the sentence would be clear without it. In the following sentence
Kay Carter, who edits the college paper, chaired the meeting.
The clause who edits the college paper is not essential to the main idea of the sentence. Without it, we still know exactly who the
sentence is about and what she did: Kay Carter chaired the meeting. Therefore, the nonessential material is set off from the rest
of the sentence by commas to show that it could be left out. But in the following sentence
The young woman who edits the college paper chaired the meeting.
The clause who edits the college paper is essential to the main idea of the sentence. Without it the sentence would read: The
young woman chaired the meeting. We would have no idea which young woman. The clause who edits the college paper is essential because it tells us which young woman. It couldn’t be left out. Therefore commas are not used around it. In this sentence
The suit I’m wearing, which I bought two years ago, is still my favorite.
The clause which I bought two year ago could be left out, and we would still know the main meaning of the sentence: The suit I’m
wearing is still my favorite. Therefore the nonessential material is set off by commas to show that it could be left out. But in this
sentence
The suit that I bought two years ago is still my favorite.
The clause that I bought two years ago is essential. Without it, the sentence would read: The suit is still my favorite. We’d have
no idea which suit. Therefore the clause couldn’t be left out, and commas are not used around it.
The trick in deciding whether material is essential is to say, “Interesting, but is it necessary?”
Dash
Colon
SemiColon
Apostrophe
Grammar
Possessive
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Pronoun Agreement
Parallel Phrasing
Transitions
READING
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You'll have 35 minutes to read 4 passages and answer 40 multiple-choice questions. That works out to about
about 8 1/2 minutes to read each passage and answer its 10 questions. Set your watch at 25 after so that the
test ends at the 12 mark.
If 8 1/2 minutes pass before you are finished with a passage, keep working on the passage but know you are
running short of time. It is better to guess at the end of the reading test on your weakest passage.
You need to read at about 260+ wpm to finish. If you cannot, then you need a testing strategy.
Spend about 5 minutes reading the passage. Spend the rest of the time answering the questions.
 There's one passage from each of four categories:
 Prose Fiction (including passages from short stories and novels)
 Humanities (including memoirs, personal essays, and nonfiction essays on architecture, art, dance,
ethics, film, language, literary criticism, music, philosophy, radio, television, and theater)
 Social Studies (including nonfiction essays on anthropology, archaeology, biography, business, economics, education, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology)
 Natural Sciences (including nonfiction essays on anatomy, astronomy, biology, botany, chemistry,
ecology, geology, medicine, meteorology, microbiology, natural history, physiology, physics, technology, and zoology)
Before the test, decide which type of passage is your strength. Take your strength first. Take the first few seconds to decide in what order you will complete the passages.
Every reader is different. For most it is best to go straight to the passage to read carefully. For a few advanced
readers, it could be beneficial to skim the questions first to determine key words. Do not spend time trying to
understand the questions before reading. As you read, mark an area that refers to the question.
After reading, only return to the passage when you are asked to refer to a particular line. Read the sentence
before and after that line.
There are two basic catagories of questions: referring (find it in the text) reasoning (infer it from the text).
For those that are unable to read at 260 words a minute, you will need a skimming strategy.
For the Prose Fiction passages, look for a conflict in the left column of the page and a resolution on the right
side of the page
For Natural Science and Social Science, carefully read the first and last paragraph. The first sentence of each
paragraph will usually give a focus to that section.
SCIENCE
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The test is not a test of science knowledge. It is a test of reading scientific material. Think of it as an open book science test. So,
don’t get discouraged by scientific terms. You do not need to know what a certain symbol means (i.e.: µm). You need to be able to
recognize the symbols in the text.
Testers need to be able to read passages, interpret data, and make inferences and connections from the reading and data. There are
three basic question types on the science test:
 Understanding (Look it Up): Paraphrase a passage, tell what a passage is telling you, and draw conclusions.
 Analysis (What if…): Recognize relationships between information, predict what is going to happen, determine why
something happened.
 Generalization (Why…): Understand how events described might impact other events, predict results under different conditions, assess impact.
Simple math may be required, but calculators are NOT allowed on the science test.
There are 40 questions on the test divided into 3 types of passages: 3 Data Representation, 3 Research Summaries, 1 Conflicting
Viewpoints.
 You must count the number of questions to know the type of passage.
You have an average of 52 seconds per question. There will be some simple questions on the test (those that require fewer steps).
Get through those as quickly as possible so that you can use the remaining time on the more complex questions.
Before the exam, decide in which order you will approach the passages. Do your strengths first / Do the easiest passages first.
Use the process of elimination—POE—to eliminate answers. POE is perhaps more useful on the science test than any other section as it is the greatest test of logic.
Data Representation
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3 passages of 5 questions for each passage for a total of 15 questions which is 38% of the test with 4.5 minutes to complete.
The Data Representation format asks you to understand, evaluate, and interpret information presented in graphic or tabular form.
The answers will primarily be found in the data, the charts, graphs, and tables. It is usually not necessary to read the text in order to
answer the questions.
For these passages go straight to the questions.
It is imperative for most testers to write on the test. Mark the area at which you are looking. Many students miss questions by simply going too fast (slow down and guess at the end of the test if need be).
Use the edge of your paper as a straight edge for difficult tables.
Research Summaries
3 passages of 6 questions for each passage for a total of 18 questions which is 45% of the test with 5.5 minutes to complete.
The Research Summaries format asks you to understand, evaluate, analyze, and interpret the design, execution, and results of one
or more experiments.
Before going to the questions, read the introduction to the experiment. Circle key words (objective, variables, and results).
Do the easy questions first. There are usually several questions that require quick understanding. Do those and keep track of your
time so you do not feel flustered when you must spend more time on difficult questions.
Conflicting Viewpoints
1 passage of 7 questions which is 17% of the test with 6 minutes to complete.
The Conflicting Viewpoints format asks you to evaluate several alternative theories, hypotheses, or viewpoints on a specific observable phenomenon.
Read the passage first. Underline the main idea and number the points that each scientist makes.
Determine the conflict. Determine the conflict.
You may have to draw your own graph or table to answer some of the questions.
Insert ACT Science Vocabulary
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Go to this website for links to very useful practice sites!
http://teachers2.wcs.edu/high/fhs/Lists/ACT%20Links/AllItems.aspx
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Spend about twenty minutes a night practicing to accentuate your strengths so that they come more naturally
and quickly and to bolster your weaknesses so that you may improve.
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Read daily! Read daily! Read daily!
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Discuss what you read with someone else.
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Subscribe to several question of the day sites and complete the questions each day.
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For the science and reading tests, determine your strongest passages so you may complete them in order of
strongest to weakest.
Prose Fiction
Humanities
Social Science
Natural Science
ACTropolis Score
In Class Practice
In Class Practice
On Your Own
On Your Own
ACT
Data Representation
Research Summaries
Conflicting Viewpoints
(Charts and Graphs)
(Experiments)
(Fighting Scientists)
ACTropolis Score
In Class Practice
In Class Practice
On Your Own
On Your Own
ACT
Go to this website for links to very useful practice sites!
http://teachers2.wcs.edu/high/fhs/Lists/ACT%20Links/AllItems.aspx
Date
Activity / Skill
Time Spent