WHY SKIP THE "TRIAL ACT"

Don't let the first ACT obscure your true potential to succeed in college.

Taking a "trial" ACT just to see "how I might do on the real test" is putting the cart before the horse.  The ACT and SAT are supposed to predict readiness for college, and although you might be intellectually prepared for everything a university curriculum might challenge you with, a "pop quiz" effort is not likely to present a realistic portrait of your talents.
  
Taking any test without knowing how to respond to the
unique parameters (content, format, structure, allotted time) is like  trying to take a typing test on a manual typewriter without ever having seen a QWERTY keyboard.  You will be slow.  You won't know how much pressure is needed to make those keys hit the paper. Your fingers will accidentally hit wrong keys.  Mistakes
generated by lack of practice will obscure your true ability to type.  Don't let your first ACT obscure your true potential for success in college.

According to the publishers of the ACT, the practice of retaking the exam has gained popularity over the years.  In 2009, 41% of the tested students took more than one administration; by 2015, the number had increased to 45%.  Although 57% of the multiple-testers improved the score, 27% went down!  Of the retesters, an average increase of only 2.9 points was earned and only by sitting up to 10 times!!  Based on statistical analysis, ACT predicts that simply taking the test a second time will earn an average of only 1.1 composite points. 

To achieve a noticeable elevation in score requires identifying
     -- a clear baseline of existing knowledge,
     -- gaps in comprehension AND application, and
     -- suggested alternative strategies.

The first ACT experience should be untimed and given over a period of days so that each section receives "fresh eyes."

Analysis of the results should differentiate between concepts the student already knows and can be exploited, as well as principles that require a revised approach or additional study.

The test, taken in a stress-free environment, should pinpoint the student's natural pace in order to predict the need for timing mitigations to be instituted after sufficient mastery of concepts has been proven.

And the results should be presented as input for the sole purpose of designing an efficient, effective study program, not an intimidating appraisal of the student's intelligence.

Sitting for the ACT or SAT (in either a national administration or a "mock" setting) without sufficient preparation doesn't give a fair reading of the student's true potential on the exam.  So skip those options and find a program that focuses on a workable analysis that will inform your personal study plan.

Work smarter, not just longer or harder.

The NEW ACT - SCIENCE SECTION HINTS

While the SAT has undergone massive revisions in the past few months, the ACT is also responding with a few tweaks to the Science section.  Nothing major is changing, but it's worth a look so June test takers are prepared.

In the old ACT version, you would rely on there being 3 raw data, 3 research summary, and one differing viewpoints data sets, with 5, 6, and 7 questions, respectively.  In the updated version, there are still the three TYPES of information presentations, but the number of data sets and the number of questions in each can vary.

Don't worry.  The strategies for finding, comparing, and extrapolating details won't change.  The only real difference is that with possibly 6 questions based on raw data, you may have to dig a little deeper to analyze the information given.  That could actually be a benefit to the test taker because there is less need to adjust to a new topic.  Once you're "into" a data set, you can stick with it longer, albeit in greater detail.

So here's the plan for tackling the Science section.

1) Answer the questions in the order presented.  More often than not, the easier ones come first and can give you an idea of what's being reported, without trying to understand nonessential minutiae.

2) Identify key words in the question stem and match them with labels from the data set.     

   



3)  Take personal notes.  The example here uses "T" for temperature and "RT" for reaction time, but this code is temporary and refers only to this particular question set.  The next group of questions may ask about Turtles, so "T" could stand for something entirely different.  

4)  Notice that I'm not concerned at this point with what is said about Experiment 1.  My assumption is that "Reaction Time" is the time it takes for "the purple color to disappear" since that's the only thing reported in the chart.  Strategy 4 is to NOT WASTE TIME with useless information like "a 3.2 mL sample of some chemical I don't recognize anyway is poured into a clean 4L cylinder by a graduate student at UWM on Tuesday before his mother's birthday..."  Focus on the details of the question.

5)  Use your personal note taking system to organize collected data.  "T up -- RT dn" is an example.  Another question type could give a comparison and ask for sentence completion.  Be careful to identify the SUBJECT of the sentence you're finishing.

               

6) Don't be afraid to write all over the test booklet.  Nobody will ever look at it, and nobody else will be reusing your booklet. 
         
                      

Even without the ability to actually read the axes in this smudged graph, I can pick out "boiling point," match the chemical, find 80%, and estimate the direction of the curve.  This is a lot of note taking, but with it, the answer pops out as a whole lot bigger than 115˚C.  Watch for those "smaller than" and "greater than" options.  Usually, if you are expected to extend a graph past it's domain or range, the answer will be one of those extremes.

7)  Use a system of ELIMINATION to discard answers that are obviously wrong.  A, C, and D in Tip 2 are easy examples.  For this one...
        
I'm looking at Experiments and 2, and if MnSO4 is not mentioned, I'm throwing F out.

For more discussion of ACT in general or specific sections, return to top and go to the upper left corner of the first page. Enter the topic you are researching.  Scroll past the index and see what tips will help you earn a top score on the ACT.