ACT Prep: 6 Practice Tests + Content Review + Strategies (2021)

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DownloadedfromStudyXY.com[=Ww+StudyXYoias.Za\Rr'BE\StudyAnythingThisContentHasbeenPostedOnStudyXY.comassupplementarylearningmaterial.StudyXYdoesnotendroseanyuniversity,collegeorpublisher.Allmaterialspostedareundertheliabilityofthecontributors.|8)www.studyxy.com

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EditorialRobFranek,Editor-in-ChiefDeborahWeber,DirectorofProductionGabrielBerlin,ProductionDesignManagerDavidSoto,DirectorofContentDevelopmentStephenKoch,StudentSurveyManagerSelenaCoppock,ManagingEditorAaronRiccio,SeniorEditorMeaveShelton,SeniorEditorChrisChimera,EditorOrionMcBean,EditorAnnaGoodlett,EditorEleanorGreen,EditorPatriciaMurphy,EditorialAssistantPenguinRandomHousePublishingTeamTomRussell,VP,PublisherAlisonStoltzfus,PublishingDirectorAmandaYee,AssociateManagingEditorEllenReed,ProductionManagerSuzanneLee,DesignerThePrincetonReview110E.42ndStreetNewYork,NY10017E-mail:editorialsupport@review.comCopyright©2020byTPREducationIPHoldings,LLC.Allrightsreserved.PublishedintheUnitedStatesbyPenguinRandomHouseLLC,NewYorkandinCanadabyRandomHouseofCanada,adivisionofPenguinRandomHouseLtd.,Toronto.TermsofService:ThePrincetonReviewOnlineCompanionTools(“StudentTools”)forretailbooksareavailableforonlythetwomostrecenteditionsofthatbook.StudentToolsmaybeactivatedonlyoncepereligiblebookpurchased,foratotalof24monthsofaccess.ActivationofStudentToolsmorethanonceperbookisindirectviolationoftheseTermsofServiceandmayresultindiscontinuationofaccesstoStudentToolsServices.

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ISBN9780525570110EbookISBN9780525570219ACTisaregisteredtrademarkofACT,Inc.ThePrincetonReviewisnotaffiliatedwithPrincetonUniversity.Editor:OrionMcBeanProductionEditors:KathyCarterandSarahLittProductionArtist:KrisOgilvieCoverartbyDennisMacDonald/AlamyStockPhotoCoverdesignbySuzanneLeea_prh_5.6.0_c0_r0+StudyXxy

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AcknowledgmentsThecompletionofthisbookwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthehelpanddedicationofseveralindividuals.Inparticular,wewouldliketothankAaronLindh,HighSchoolContentDirectorforThePrincetonReview.SpecialthankstoAmyMinster,CatHealey,SaraKuperstein,andCynthiaWardfortheirexpertreviewandcontributionstothecontentofthebook.ThanksalsotoAlekseiAlferiev,KevinBaldwin,EmilyBaumbach,GabbyBudzon,NicoleCosme,StaceyCowap,LoriDesRochers,ElizabethEvangelista,AnneGoldberg-Baldwin,BradKelly,JomilLondon,ScottO’Neal,DaniellePerrini,SaraSoriano,JessThomas,andJimmyWilliamsfortheircontributionstothisbook.AlsothankstoKrisOglivie,KathyCarter,andSarahLittfortheirworkontheproductionofthisbook.SpecialthankstoAdamRobinson,whoconceivedofandperfectedtheJoeBloggsapproachtostandardizedtestsandmanyothersuccessfultechniquesusedbyThePrincetonReview.

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ContentsCoverTitlePageCopyrightAcknowledgmentsGetMore(Free)ContentPart|:Orientation1IntroductiontotheACT2ACTStrategy.3ScoreGoals4TakingtheACTPartIl:HowtoCracktheACTEnglishTest5IntroductiontotheACTEnglishTest6Complete7Consistent,Clear,andConcise8RhetoricalSkillsPartlll:HowtoCracktheACTMathematicsTest9IntroductiontotheACTMathematicsTest10Fundamentals11NoMoreAlgebra12PlaneGeometry,13WordProblems14GraphingandCoordinateGeometry.15Trigonometry,

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16AdvancedMathPartIV:HowtoCracktheACTReadingTest17IntroductiontotheACTReadingTest18The6-StepBasicApproach19AdvancedReadingSkillsPartV:HowtoCracktheACTScienceTest20IntroductiontotheACTScienceTest21ScientificReasoningSkills22TheBasicApproach23DualSciencePassagesPartVI:HowtoCracktheACTWritingTest24WritingPartVII:DrillAnswersandExplanations25DrillAnswersandExplanationsPartVIII:ThePrincetonReviewACTPracticeExams26PracticeExam127PracticeExam1:AnswersandExplanations28PracticeExam229PracticeExam2:AnswersandExplanations30PracticeExam331PracticeExam3:AnswersandExplanations32PracticeExam433PracticeExam4:AnswersandExplanations

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1GotoPrincetonReview.com/prepandenterthefollowingISBNforyourbook:97805255702192AnswerafewsimplequestionstosetupanexclusivePrincetonReviewaccount.(Ifyoualreadyhaveone,youcanjustlogin.)

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3EnjoyaccesstoyourFREEcontent!Needtoreportapotentialcontentissue?ContactEditorialSupport@review.comandinclude:«fulltitleofthebook

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*ISBN*pagenumberNeedtoreportatechnicalissue?ContactTPRStudentTech@review.comandprovide:«yourfullname+emailaddressusedtoregisterthebook«fullbooktitleandISBN»Operatingsystem(Mac/PC)andbrowser(Firefox,Safari,etc.)Onceyou’veregistered,youcan...»Accessfourmorefull-lengthpracticetestsFindanylate-breakinginformationreleasedabouttheACT«Readourspecial“CollegeAdmissionsInsider”andgetvaluableadviceaboutthecollegeapplicationprocess,includingtipsforwritingagreatessayandwheretoapplyforfinancialaid«Checktoseeiftherehavebeenanycorrectionsorupdatestothisedition»Sortcollegesbywhateveryou'relookingfor(suchasBestTheaterorDorm),learnmoreaboutyourtopchoices,andseehowtheyallrankaccordingtoTheBest386Colleges»CheckoutbonusfeaturesinyourStudentTools,includingcomprehensivestudyguidesandshortvideostohelpenhance

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yourtestprepThroughoutTheBookPROVENTECHNIQUESAPPLIEDSTRATEGIESWATCHOUTSTUDYBREAKOTHERREFERENCESONLINEARTICLES

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Part1Orientation1IntroductiontotheACT2ACTStrategy.3ScoreGoals4TakingtheACT

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Chapter1IntroductiontotheACTSoyou'retakingtheACT.Whatwillyouneedtodofirst?ThischapterpresentsanoverviewoftheACTasawholeanddiscussesregistrationrequirements,whentotakethetest,howtohaveyourscoresreportedtocolleges(orhownotto),andthewaysinwhichcollegesuseyourscores.

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THEACTWelcometoACTPrep,2021Edition.TheACTisastandardizedtestusedforcollegeadmissions.Butyouprobablyalreadyknewthat.Inthisbook,we'lltellyouallthethingsyoudidn’tknowabouttheACT,alltoshowyouhowtocrackthetestandgetyourbestscore.TheACThastraditionallybeenapencil-and-paperexambutisnowalsoavailableonthecomputer(whatACTcallsthe“ACTOnlineTest,”whichstillneedstobetakenatatestcenterandnotathome).Whilethepencil-and-papertestisusuallytakenonSaturdaymornings,somestatesofferaspecialstate-administrationduringtheschoolday.Non-Saturdaytestingisavailablebutonlyforstudentswholiveinremoteareasorwhocan’ttestonSaturdaysforreligiousreasons.WhereDoestheACTComeFrom?TheACTiswrittenbyanonprofitorganizationthatusedtocallitselfAmericanCollegeTestingbutnowjustcallsitselfACT.ThecompanyhasbeenproducingtheACTsinceitintroducedthetestin1959asanalternativetotheCollegeBoard'sSAT.ACTalsowritesACTAspireandPreACT,whicharetestsyoumayhavetakenearlierinyouracademiccareer.Theorganizationalsoprovidesabroadrangeofservicestoeducationalagenciesandbusinessinstitutions.WhatDoestheACTTest?ThenicepeoplewhowritetheACT—we’llrefertothemas“ACT”fromnowon—describeitasanassessmentofcollegereadiness,“acurriculum-andstandards-basededucationalandcareerplanningtoolthatassessesstudents’academicreadinessforcollege.”WeatThePrincetonReviewhavealwaysbeenskepticalwhenanystandardizedtestmakesbroadclaimsofwhatitcanmeasure.Inouropinion,astandardizedtestisjustameasureofhowwellyoutakethattest.Granted,ACThasspentanextraordinaryamountoftimeanalyzingdataandprovidingtheresultsoftheirresearchtovarious

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educationalinstitutionsandagencies.Infact,ACThascontributedtothedevelopmentoftheCommonCoreStandardsInitiative,aneducationalreformthatalignsdiversestatecurriculaintonationaluniformstandards.WithallduerespecttoACTandthevariousstateandfederalagenciesworkingontheCommonCore,westillthinktheACTisjustameasureofhowwellyoutaketheACT.Manyfactorsotherthanmasteryofthe“curriculum-based”contentdetermineyourperformanceonastandardizedtest.That’swhywe’llteachyouboththecontentyouneedaswellascrucialtest-takingstrategies.Focus!test,you'dstudyhistory.Ifyouwerepreparingforabasketballgame,you'dpracticebasketball.Soifyou'repreparingfortheACT,studytheACT!What'sontheACT?TheACTconsistsoffourmultiple-choice,timedtests:English,Math,Reading,andScience,alwaysgiveninthatorder.TheACTPlusWritingalsoincludesanessay,withtheWritingTestgivenaftertheScienceTest.(ACTcallsthemtests,butwemayalsousetheterm“sections”inthisbooktoavoidconfusion.)InPartsII-VI,we'llthoroughlyreviewthecontentandstrategiesyouneedforeachtest.1.EnglishTest(45minutes—75questions)Youwillbegiven5essaystotalwithsomewordsorphrasesunderlined.Theessayswillbesituatedontheleftsideofthepage,whileontherightsideofthepageyouwillbeaskedwhethereachunderlinedportioniscorrectaswrittenorwhetheroneofthethreealternativeslistedwouldbebetter.TheEnglishTestisatestofgrammar,punctuation,sentencestructure,andrhetoricalskills.Throughouteachessay,commonlyknownasapassage,therewill

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alsobequestionsaboutoverallorganizationandstyleorperhapsabouthowthewritingcouldberevisedorstrengthened.2.MathTest(60minutes—60questions)Thesearetheregular,multiple-choicemathquestionsyou'vebeendoingallyourlife.Theeasierquestions,whichtestbasicmathproficiency,tendtocomefirst,butthefolksatACTcanmixineasy,medium,anddifficultproblemsthroughouttheMathtest.Agoodthirdofthetestcoverspre-algebraandelementaryalgebra.Slightlylessthanathirdcoversintermediatealgebraandcoordinategeometry(graphing).Regulargeometryaccountsforlessthanaquarterofthequestions,andtherearetypicallyfourquestionsthatcovertrigonometry.3.ReadingTest(35minutes—40questions)Inthistest,therewillbefourreadingpassagesofabout800wordseach—theaveragelengthofamagazinearticlebutmaybenotasentertainingtoread.Thereisalwaysoneprosefiction(orliterarynarrative)passage,onesocialsciencepassage,onehumanitiespassage,andonenaturalsciencepassage,andtheyarealwaysinthatorder.Oneofthesepassageswillconsistofadualpassageinwhichthetotallengthofthetwopassageswillstillbeabout800words.Eachpassagewillbefollowedby10questions.4.ScienceTest(35minutes—40questions)NospecificscientificknowledgeisnecessarytodowellontheSciencetest.Youwon'tneedtoknowthechemicalmakeupofhydrochloricacidoranyformulas.Instead,youwillbeaskedtounderstandscientificinformationpresentedingraphs,charts,tables,andresearchsummaries,andyouwillhavetomakesenseofonedisagreementbetweentwotofourscientists.5.OptionalWritingTest(40minutes)TheACTPlusWritingcontainsan“optional”writingtestfeaturingasingleessay.Werecommendyoutakethe“ACTPlusWriting”versionofthetestbecausemanyschoolsrequireorrecommendit.

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Ontestdayyoumaythinkthatyoudon’tneedit,butyoumightlaterdecidetoapplytoaschoolthatrequiresawritingscore.ThelastthingyouwantistobeforcedintotakingthewholeACTalloveragain...thistimewiththeWritingtest.Theessayrequiresthatyouconsiderasociallyrelevantpromptandthreeperspectivesonthatprompt.Theessayisscoredbytwograderswhowilleachassignfourscoresof1-6thatarethenaveragedandcombinedforatotalscoreof2—12.ThisscorewillNOTfactorintoyourcompositescore.HowIstheACTScored?Scoresforeachofthefourmultiple-choicetestsarereportedonascaleof1to36(36beingthehighestscorepossible).Thefourscoresareaveragedtoyieldyourcompositescore,whichisthescorecollegesanduniversitiesusetohelpdetermineadmission.Anaverageendingin.5or.75isroundedup,whereasanaverageendingin.25isroundeddown.Nexttoeachscoreisapercentileranking.Percentilerankingreferstohowyouperformedonthetestrelativetootherpeoplewhotookitatthesametime.Forinstance,apercentilerankingof87indicatesthatyouscoredhigherthan87percentofthepeoplewhotookthetest,andtheother13percentscoredequaltoorhigherthanyou.Someofthescoreshavesubcategories.Forinstance,EnglishisbrokendownintoUsage/MechanicsandRhetoricalSkills.Inthesesubcategories,scoresarereportedonascaleof1to18(18beingthehighestscorepossible).Theyarealsoreportedaspercentiles.ACTwillalsogivetwocross-testscorescalled“STEM”(Science,Technology,Engineering,Mathematics)and“ELA”(English,LanguageArts).YourSTEMscoreissimplyanaverageofyourMathandSciencescores.YourELAscoreistakenfromyourEnglish,Reading,andWritingscores.(Ifyoudon’ttaketheWritingtest,youwon'treceiveanELAscore.)Neitherscorehasanyinfluenceonyourcomposite,nor,frankly,asfaraswecantell,onyourcollegeadmission.

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Onyourscorereport,ACTalsoindicatesifyoumettheir“CollegeReadinessBenchmarkScores”:18inEnglish,22inMath,22inReading,and23inScience.ACTmaintainsthatthesebenchmarkscanpredictcollege“success,”definedasa“50percentorhigherprobabilityofearningaBorhigherinthecorrespondingcollegecourseorcourses.”ThesescoresandtheirmeaninghavebeendeterminedbyACT’sownresearchanddata,notbyanystudiesdonebycollegesanduniversitiesthemselves.WhenShouldYouTaketheACT?Ifyouhaven'talready,gotoACTStudent.organdcreateyourfreeACTWebAccount.Youcanregisterfortests,viewyourscores,andrequestscorereportsforcollegesthroughthisaccount.Youcanalsoviewthespecifictestdatesandcentersfortheupcomingacademicyear.TheACTisgivenseventimesayear:September,October,December,February,April,June,andJuly.TheFebruaryandJulyadministrationsarenotavailableinNewYork.ManystatesalsoofferanadditionalACTaspartoftheirstatetesting.CheckwithyourhighschooltoseeifandwhenyourstateoffersaspecialACT.YourschoolwillregisteryouautomaticallyforastateACT.Youmustregisteryourselfforallotheradministrations.Traditionally,moststudentswaituntilthespringoftheirjunioryeartotaketheACT.ManyhighschoolsstillrecommendthespringofthejunioryearbecausethecontentoftheMathtestincludestopicssomecurriculadonotcoverbeforethen.However,thesetopicsappearinonlyahandfulofquestions,andmanyjuniorstaketheirfirstACTinthefallorwinter.Werecommendthatyouconsideryourownschedulewhenpickingyourtestdates.Doyouplayafallsportandcarryaheavierloadofextracurricularactivitiesinthefall?Iswinteraquiettimeinbetweensemesters?Doyouactinthespringmusicalandplantotakeseveral

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APexams?HaveyoubeendreamingofattendingBigStateUniversitysinceyouwereatoddlerandalreadyplantoapplyforearlydecision?Lettheanswerstothesequestionsdetermineyourtestdates.Butwerecommendtakingyourfirsttestafteryou'vedonesomeprepandfeelcomfortablethatyou'velearnedenoughinschooltoachieveyourgoalscore.Formoststudents,thisissometimeinjunioryear(grade11).HowManyTimesShouldYouTaketheACT?Forsecurityreasons,ACTwillnotletyoutaketheexammorethan12timesinyourlifetime.Butwecertainlyhopenooneisdismayedbythisrestriction.TherearecertainlybetterthingstodowithyourtimeonaSaturdaymorning,andwedon’tbelieveanycollegewillaccept“takingtheACT”asanextracurricularactivity!ThePrincetonReviewrecommendsthatyouplantotaketheACTtwotothreetimes.Ifyouachieveyourgoalscoreinyourfirstadministration,great.Takethemoneyandrun.Ontheotherhand,ifafterthreetestsyouhavereasonandmotivationtotaketheACTagain,doit.Onyourfirstdayofcollege,youwillneitherremembernorcarehowmanytimesyouhadtotaketheACT.Infact,atmanycolleges,themediannumberoftimesadmittedstudentstooktheACT(orSAT)is3.Inotherwords,it’sperfectlyfine(andnormal!)toretaketheACT.princetonreview.comforinformationonself-pacedcourses,livecourses,andtutoring!

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DoesACT“SuperScore”?StartinginSeptember2020,ACTwill“superscore”students’resultsuponrequest.What'sasuperscore?Asuperscoreisanewscorereport(includinganewcompositescore)thattakesthebestresultsineverysection(English,Math,Reading,Science,andWriting(ifyoutookit))overanynumberoftestdates.Inotherwords,ifyoudidbetteronReadingandScienceinFebruary,butbetteronEnglishandMathinApril,ACTwilltakeyourFebruaryReadingandSciencescoresandcombinethemwithyourAprilEnglishandMathscorestocreateanew,highersuperscore.Thisisalsohowsingle-sectiontests(seethefollowingpage)willbeincorporatedintoyourscores.Inaddition,manyschools(andtheCommonApplication)willaskyoutolistthescoreandtestdateofyourEnglish,Math,Reading,andScienceandthencalculateasuperscorebasedonthesescores,separatefromACT.Therefore,ifyouworrythatsomescoreswillriseasothersfallwhenyoutaketheACTagain,thesuperscorewillreflectyourbestresults.However,noteverycollegewillacceptACTsuperscores.Therefore,ThePrincetonReviewstronglyrecommendsthatyouresearcheachschoolyou'reapplyingto.WhileACTwillsendtheresultsonlyfromthetestdatesyourequestorACT'sgeneratedsuperscore,youshoulddecidewhichandhowmanydatestosendbasedonyourscoresandtheschool’sguidelinesaboutsuperscoring.Moreover,someschoolsrequirethatyousubmitalltestscoresfromeveryadministration,andyoushouldabidebyanysuchrequirements.WHATISTHEACTONLINETEST?TheACTOnlineTestistheACTthatyoutakeonacomputer,ratherthanwithpencilandpaper.Despitethename,youcan’ttaketheACTfromthecomfortofyourownhome;rather,you'llhavetogotoatestingcenter(possiblyyourhighschool)andtakethetestonthecenter’scomputer.

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TheACTOnlineTesthasthesameoverallstructure,timing,andnumberofquestionsasthepencil-and-paperACT.Thescoring,scorerange,andscoringmethodarealsothesame.IftheACTOnlineTestisbasicallythesameasthepencil-and-paperACT,whowouldtaketheACTOnlineTest?WHOTAKESTHEACTONLINETEST?ACThasbeenofferingversionsoftheACTonthecomputersinceabout2016.ThefirstgroupofstudentstotaketheACTonthecomputerwerestudentstakingthetestatschool.Schoolsandschooldistrictsdecidedwhethertogivethetestonthecomputer.AsofSeptember2018,allstudentstakingtheACToutsideoftheUnitedStatestakethetestonacomputer(exceptforthosestudentswithaccommodationsrequiringtheuseofatraditionalpencil-and-papertest).Startingsometimein2021,studentsintheUnitedStateswillhavetheoptiontotaketheACTOnlineTestinsteadofthetraditionalpencil-and-paperversion.Studentschoosingthisoptionwillgettheirscoresinabouttwotothreebusinessdays(e.g.,takethetestonSaturday,haveyourscorethenextWednesday).Inaddition,anystudentstakingadvantageoftheSingle-SectionRetestingmustdosoonthecomputer.Single-SectionRetestingStudentswhohavealreadytakenthefullACTmaychoosetotakeone,two,orthreesectionsagainusingSingle-SectionRetesting.ACTwillthenproduceasuperscoreconsistingofyourbestresultsinalltests(English,Math,Reading,Science,andWritingtookit)).NotethatnotallcollegesacceptasuperscoredACT,sodoyourresearchbeforetakingadvantageofthisoption.ACThadoriginallyplannedtorolloutthisoptionalongwiththeACTOnlineTestandSuperscoring;however,Single-SectionRetestinghasbeendelayed

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until2021toallowmorestudentstotakethefull-lengthACTinthefallof2020.optionforstudentsin2021.However,collegesstillhavethetheoptionastowhethertoacceptthesenewscores.Researchyourtargetschoolsearlysoyouknowyouroptions!ACTONLINETESTFEATURESSo,then,besidestheobvious“it’sonthecomputer,”whatarethedifferencesbetweentakingtheACTonthecomputerandtakingitonpaper?Let’sstartwithwhatyoucan’tdoontheACTOnlineTest.Youcan’t“write”onthescreeninafreehandway.You'relimitedinhowyoureabletomarktheanswerchoices,andeachquestionappearsonitsownscreen(soyoucan’tseemultiplequestionsatoneglance).Youwillalsobegivenasmall“whiteboard”anddryerasepenwithwhichtomakenotesanddowork.TheACTOnlineTestwillhavesomeusefulfeaturesandsomeyoumayneveruse.Youcanflagquestionstocomebacktothemlater,eliminateanswersonthescreen,orevenhidetheanswersuntilyouarereadyforthem.Youwillalsobeabletohighlightthetext,magnifyit,orcoverpartofthescreentofocusononerelevantwindow.Toseeallthesefeaturesinaction,gotoACT’swebsiteathttp://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act-non-us/test-preparation.html.IfyouareregisteredforaPrincetonReviewcourseortutorial,youwillalsohaveaccesstomoreACTOnlineTestsonourwebsite,http://www.princetonreview.com.

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HOWTOPREPAREFORTHEACTONLINETESTIfyouaregoingtotaketheACTOnlineTest,youwillwanttoincorporatesomecomputer-basedpracticeintoyourprepplan.ACT’swebsitehaspracticesectionsforeachofthefourmultiple-choicepartsofthetestandfortheessay.Werecommendthatyoudothosesectionstowardtheendofyourpreparation(andclosetoyourtestdate)togiveyouanopportunitytopracticewhatyou'velearnedonaplatformsimilartotheoneyou'llbeusingonthedayofthetest.Remember!theACT.ACT'sgoalistoassignanumbertoyouthat(supposedly)meanssomethingtocolleges.Focusonyourgoal!IfyouareplanningtotaketheACTonline,youshouldpracticeasifyouredoingallyourworkonthecomputer,evenwhenyou'reworkinginaphysicalbook.Useahighlighter,butdon’tusethehighlighteronanyfigures(astheACTOnlineTestwon'tletyoudoso).Useyourpenciltoeliminateanswerchoicesandhaveaseparatesheetofpaperorawhiteboardtodoanyworkyouneedtodo,insteadofwritingontheproblemitself.Also,rememberthatourapproacheswork.Don’tgetmisledbyACT’sinstructionsonthedayofthetest—theirwayofapproachingthetestwon'tgiveyouthebestresults!HowDoYouRegisterfortheACT?Thefastestwaytoregisterisonline,throughyourACTWebAccount.Youcanalsoobtainaregistrationpacketatyourhighschoolguidanceoffice,onlineatACTStudent.org/forms/studreq,orbywritingorcallingACTattheaddressandphonenumberbelow.

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ACTStudentServices2727ScottBlvdPOBox414TowaCity,IA52243-0414319.337.1270RegistrationTip#1yourgradesandinterests,butyouarenotrequiredtoanswerthesequestions.Tosavetime,youcanprovideonlytherequiredinformation,markedbyanasterisk.BookmarkACTStudent.org.Youwillstartatthisportaltoviewtestdates,fees,andregistrationdeadlines.Youcanalsoresearchtherequirementsandprocessestoapplyforextendedtimeorotheraccommodations.YouwillalsostartatACTStudent.orgtoaccessyouraccounttoregister,viewyourscores,andorderscorereports.Checkthesiteforthelatestinformationaboutfees.TheACTPlusWritingcostsmorethantheACT(NoWriting),butACTalsooffersafeewaiverservice.Whileyoucanchoosefourschoolstosendascorereporttoatnocharge,therearefeesforscorereportssenttoadditionalschools.AsofJuly2019,studentswithACTwaiversareabletosendscorestoupto20schools.

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RegistrationTip#2IfyoutaketheDecember,April,orJunetest,signupfortheTestInformationRelease.Sixtoeightweeksafterthetest,you'llreceiveacopyofthetest,theanswerkey,andyouranswers.Thisservicecostsanadditionalfeeandisavailableonlyonthesetestdates.YoucanordertheTestInformationReleaseupto3monthsafterthetestdate,butit'seasiertoorderitatthetimeyouregister.It’sagreattooltohelpyouprepareforyournextACT.TestSecurityChangesAspartoftheregistrationprocess,youhavetouploadormailaphotographthatwillbeprintedonyouradmissionsticket.Ontestday,youhavetotaketheticketandacceptablephotoidentificationwithyou.Standbytestingisavailable,butyouhavetoregisterinadvance,usuallybeforethepriorMonday.CheckACTStudent.orgformoreinformation.ThePrincetonReviewmaterialsandtest-takingtechniquescontainedinthisbookshouldgiveyoualltheinformationyouneedtoimproveyourscoreontheACT.Formorepracticematerials,ThePrincetonReviewalsopublishes1,523PracticeACTQuestions,whichincludesmorethansixtests’worthofmaterial.OtherpopularcoachingbookscontainseveralcompletepracticeACTexams.Westronglyadviseyounottowasteyourtimetakingthesetests.Insomecases,thequestionsinthesebooksarenotmodeledonrealACTquestions.SomeofthemcovermaterialthatisnotevenontherealACT.OthersgivetheimpressionthattheACTismucheasierormoredifficultthanitreallyis.Takingthepracticetestsofferedinthesebookscouldactuallyhurtyourscore.

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CynicsmightsuggestthatnooneelsecanlicenseACTexamsbecauseACTsellsitsownreviewbookcalledTheOfficialACTPrepGuide.WethinkTheOfficialACTPrepGuideiswellworththepriceforthethreerealtestsitcontains(makesureyoubuythemostrecentedition).WerecommendthatyoueitherbuythebookoraskyourhighschooltosendawaytoACTforactualACTtests.YoushouldgetacopyofPreparingfortheACTTestfromyourcounselor.It’sfree,anditcontainsacomplete,realACT.ThesametestcanbedownloadedforfreefromACT’swebsite.MoregreattitlesbyThePrincetonReview1,523ACTPracticeQuestionsofferstheequivalentof6wholeACTpracticetests.WhileweadviseyoutoobtainthesepracticeteststofurtheryourpreparationfortheACT,itisimportantthatyouusethemproperly.Manystudentsliketothinkthattheycanpreparebysimplytakingtestaftertestuntiltheygetthescorestheywant.Unfortunately,thisdoesn’tworkallthatwell.Why?Well,inmanyinstances,repetitivetest-takingonlyreinforcessomeofthebadtest-takinghabitsthatweaddressinthisbook.Youshouldusepracticetestsforthefollowingthreekeypurposes:«tobuildupfamiliaritywiththeexam«tolearnhowtoavoidthetypesofmistakesyouarecurrentlymaking«tomasterourtechniquesandstrategiessoyoucansavetimeandearnmorepointsDo|NeedtoPrepareIf|HaveGoodGrades?

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Let'stakethehypotheticalcaseofSid.Sidisvaledictorianofhisclass,editoroftheschoolpaper,andtheonlyteenagerevertowintheNobelPrize.Tosupporthiswidowedmother,hesoldmoremagazinesubscriptionsandgiftwrapthananyotherpersoninrecordedhistory.Hespeakseightlanguagesinadditiontobeingabletocommunicatewithdolphinsandwolves.HehasrecommendationsfromElonMuskandBillGates.SoifSidhadabaddaywhenhetooktheACT(theplanebringinghimbackfromhisMedalofFreedomawardpresentationwaslate),weareprettysurethatheisgoingtobejustfineanyway.ButSidwantstoensurethatwhenhiscollegeslookathisACTscore,theyseethesamehigh-caliberstudenttheyseewhentheylookattherestofhisapplication,sohecarefullyreviewsthetypesofquestionsaskedandlearnssomeusefultest-takingstrategies.you?CheckoutourCollegeSearchengineatprincetonreview.comforinformationonover1,000schools.|HaveLousyGradesinSchool.IsThereAnyHope?Let’stakethecaseofTom.Tomdidn’tdoparticularlywellinhighschool.Infact,hehasbeenonacademicprobationsincekindergarten.Hehascausedfourofhisteacherstogiveupteachingasaprofession,andheprideshimselfonhisperfecthomeworkrecord:he’sneverdoneany,notever.ButifTomaceshisACT,acollegemightdecidethatheisactuallyamisunderstoodgeniusandgivehimafullscholarship.TomdecidestolearnasmuchashecanabouttheACT.

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Mostofus,ofcourse,fallbetweenthesetwoextremes.SoisitimportanttopreparefortheACT?Ifyouweretolookintheinformationbulletinofanyofthecollegesinwhichyouareinterested,wecanprettymuchguaranteethatsomewhereyouwouldfindthefollowingparagraph:Manyfactorsgointoacollege’sacceptanceofastudent.Testscoresareonlyoneofthesefactors.Gradesinhighschool,extracurricularactivities,essays,andrecommendationsarealsoimportantandmayinsomecasesoutweightestscores.(2021UniversityofAnywhereBulletin)Truerwordswereneverwritten.Inouropinion,justabouteveryotherelementinyourapplication“package”ismoreimportantthanyourtestscores.ThePrincetonReview(amongotherorganizations)hasbeentellingcollegesforyearsthatscoresontheACTortheSATareprettyincompletemeasuresofastudent’soverallacademicabilities.Somecollegeshavestoppedlookingattestscoresentirely,andothersaredownplayingtheirimportance.SoWhyShouldYouSpendAnyTimePreparingfortheACT?Outofalltheelementsinyourapplication“package,”yourACTscoreistheeasiesttochange.Thegradesyou'vereceiveduptonowarewritteninstone.Youaren’tgoingtobecomecaptainofthesoccerteamoreditoroftheschoolpaperovernight.Youressayswillbeonlyasgoodasyoucanwritethem,andrecommendationsareonlyasgoodasyourteachers’memoriesofyou.Onthecontrary,inafewweeksyoucansubstantiallychangeyourscoreontheACT(andthewaycollegeslookatyourapplications).Thetestdoesnotpretendtomeasureanalyticabilityorintelligence.Itmeasuresyourknowledgeofspecificskillssuchasgrammar,

ACT Prep: 6 Practice Tests + Content Review + Strategies (2021) - Page 30 preview image

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algebra,andreadingcomprehension.Mostly,itmeasureshowgoodyouareattakingthistest.THEACTVS.THESATYoumayhavetotaketheACTanyway,butmostoftheschoolsinwhichyou'reinterestedalsoaccepttheSAT.Inordertodeterminewhichtestmaybebetterforyoutotake,investthetimetotakeafull-length,timedpracticetestforeachto(1)seehowyouscoreoneachtestand(2)assesshowyoufeelduringeachtest.Thetimespentonthisexercisewillbeincrediblybeneficialforyourtestpreparationplanning.YoucantakethesetestsaspartofyourfreeStudentToolsatprincetonreview.com.Onceyou'vedecidedwhichtestisthebetterfitforyou,youcanthenusethatinitialscoreasabaselineforplanningyourpreparationtohitthetargetscoreforyourdreamcollege.GotoyourStudentToolstodownloadourstudyplanstailoredspecificallyfor4,8,or12weeksofavailablepreptime!WhatExactlyAretheDifferences?BoththeSATandACTcanbepressure-packedtests,soknowingthestructuresofeachcanhelpyoudecidewhichtestmaybebetterforyou.Let'staketheReadingTestsfortheSATandtheACTasanexample.TheSAT’sReadingTestis65minuteslongandhas52questionscovering5passages;theACT’sReadingTestis35minuteslongandhas40questionscovering4passages.Inshort,youhaveanaverageof75secondstoanswereachSATReadingquestion,whereas

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youhaveanaverageofabout53secondstoanswereachACTReadingquestion.However,ACTReadingquestionstendtobemoredirectlyansweredbythepassage,whereasSATReadingquestionscanrequireabitmoreclosereadingtodeterminetherightanswer.Ingeneral,studentswhoprefermorestraightforwardbutfaster-pacedquestionsleantowardstheACT,whereasthosewhoappreciateabitmoretimewitheachquestion,evenifthosequestionsthemselvesrequireabitmoreeffort,gravitatetowardstheSAT.Ouradvice—takeapracticetestofeachandseewhichoneyouprefer.MoregreattitlesbyThePrincetonReviewIntermsofsubjectmatterthough,bothtestswillgenerallytestthesametypesofcontent.Thebiggestdifferencesareintheareasofmathandscience.TheSATwillhavetwomathsections,oneofwhichisanocalculatorsection.TheACTMathsectiontestsafewmoreadvancedconceptsthantheSATdoes,suchasmatricesandlogs.TheACTalsohasaSciencesectionthatisbasicallyareadingcomprehensiontest.However,ifthethoughtofasciencesectiontrulymakesyouuncomfortable,youshouldseriouslyconsiderdoingtheSATinstead.BothtestsincludeanoptionalEssayattheendofthetest.Foreachtest,theEssayscorehasnobearingonthecomposite(ACT)ortotal(SAT)score.CheckwithyourprospectivecollegesanduniversitiestodeterminewhethertheyneedyoutotaketheessayforeithertheACTorSAT.ThisisespeciallyimportanttoknowbeforeyoutaketheACTorSATbecauseyoucan'tregisterforafuturetestdatetotakejusttheessay—you’dhavetotakethewholetestagain!

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