NOTE: To change the image on this slide, select the picture and delete it. Then click the Pictures icon in the placeholder to insert your own image. THE ACT VS. THE SAT

THE ACT  Made up of 4 multiple-choice tests and an optional (BUT TAKE IT ANYWAY) Writing test  These tests are always in the same order EnglishMathReadingScienceWriting 45 minutes60 minutes35 minutes 30 minutes 75 questions60 questions40 questions 1 essay

ACT: Scoring  Scored from a 1-36  Takes the average of the four sections in order to get your composite.  Taking the writing test does not affect your subject area scores or your Composite score. However, without a writing test score, no English Language Arts (ELA) score will be reported.  Some colleges do not want the ACT without writing; TAKE THE WRITING TEST ANYWAY!!!!!  Only get points for what you answer correctly  Here me out– you are not penalized for what you get WRONG! ;) GUESS!

ACT: English test  GOOD NEWS: not testing grammar or writing  BAD NEWS: this tests your editing skills….  Fix errors in grammar and punctuation and to improve the organization and style of five different prose passages  Portions of each passage are underlined and you must decide if these are correct as written or if one of the other answers would fix or improve the selection.  Others will ask you to add, cut, and re-order text  Some will ask you to evaluate

Example For the first episode of its new radio series, CBS decided to adapt H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds’, the story of a Martian invasion of Earth.  A. NO CHANGE B. Wells’ The War of the World’s, C. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, D. Wells The War of the Worlds,

Answer: C For the first episode of its new radio series, CBS decided to adapt H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds’, the story of a Martian invasion of Earth.  A. NO CHANGE B. Wells’ The War of the World’s, C. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, D. Wells The War of the Worlds, What changes? The Apostrophes. Please note: Titles are not usually underlined. This is a standardized test procedure and not proper English.

ACT: Math Test  BAD NEWS: I have no idea about this section.  GOOD NEWS: I do have some information  Pre-Algebra (20-25%)  Elementary Algebra (15-20%)  Intermediate Algebra (15-20%)  Coordinate Geometry (15-20%)  Plane Geometry (20-25%)  Trigonometry (5-10%)

ACT: Reading Test  4 passages  10 questions each  40 questions in 35 minutes  However, there is no specific order of passages, questions, or anything

5 Types of Questions  Big picture questions deal with the main subject of the passage or the narrator’s overall point of view. Overview question Big picture questions  The main theme of this passage concerns the:  A. difficulty of first starting and then maintaining a friendship. B. process of making a new friend and how the friendship changes the narrator. C. problems the narrator has dealing with the loss of her former neighbors. D. differences in the lives led by two pairs of adults who at different times lived in the same house.

5 Types of Questions  Little picture/detail questions will ask about a small piece of factual information in a passage. Straightforward- one literal answer Little picture/detail questions  According to the passage, the research that led to the development of the small-comet theory began with a project originally intended to study:  A. the electrical activity accompanying sunspots. B. water entering Earth’s upper atmosphere. C. static in satellite transmissions. D. specks in satellite images.

5 Types of Questions  Vocabulary in context questions ask about the meaning of a word in the context of the passage. Read the sentence and infer the answer Vocabulary in context  As it is used in line 58, the word humor most nearly means:  A. personality. B. whim. C. mood. D. comedy.  Notice the word nearly….

5 Types of Questions  Development and function questions ask how a certain paragraph or phrase functions in the context of a passage, how the argument in the passage is developed, or how the author structures the passage.  The main function of the second paragraph (lines 20-29) is to:  A. identify some of Armstrong’s mentors, such as King Oliver. B. list some of the early events in Armstrong’s developing career. C. contrast Armstrong’s opinions of King Oliver and Fletcher Henderson. D. describe the musical style Armstrong developed jointly with Fletcher Henderson.

5 Types of Questions  Inference questions ask you to make inferences based on a logical extension of information found in the passage.  It can reasonably be inferred from the passage that the woman most strongly desires to attain which of the following qualities from dreaming?  A. Relaxation B. Self-awareness C. Entertainment D. Self-control

ACT: Science  I completely stole this from prepscholar.com:  Although the ACT Science section includes a wide range of science content, it tests your scientific skills more than your knowledge. As the ACT puts it, “the Science Test … measures the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required in the natural sciences.”  AND GRAPHS! Know how to read graphs!

ACT: Writing  So, you get a prompt with three arguments within the prompt.  You then need to argue all three points.  To steal from Peterson’s book: “You will then be given a number of different perspectives and told to evaluate and analyze each of them for the purposes of forming your own opinion and comparing it with the ones given.”

SAT BEGINNING NOTES

The SAT  The SAT is 3 hours (w/out essay) or 3 hours and 50 minutes (w/essay– TAKE IT ANYWAY)!  Mostly two subject areas  Math  Evidence-Based Reading and Writing  Then split into a reading test and a writing and language test TestAllotted Time (min.)Question Count Reading6552 Writing and Language3544 Math8058 Essay (sorta optional)501 Total180 or 230 (w/essay)153 or 154 (w/essay)

SAT: Scoring  One score ranging from  per Evidence Based Reading and Writing  Same count for Math  Essay score is separate  Finally got on board– no penalty for guessing!!! GUESS ANYWAY!

SAT: Math  Calculator Section  55 minutes  30 multiple choice  8 Grid-in (Fill in questions)  No- Calculator Section  25 minutes  15 Multiple-Choice  5 Grid-in

SAT: Math  Four question types:  Heart of Algebra  Problem Solving and Data Analysis  Passport to Advanced Math  Additional Topics in Math  Crossover questions  16 questions  Math and real world scenarios in science or history test

SAT Reading Test  Focusing on comprehension and reasoning skills  65 minutes  52 passage-based multiple-choice questions  4 single passages and 1 set of paired passages  Passages range between words per passage or passage set  reading-and-writing-section/ reading-and-writing-section/

Reading Test Passage Types U.S. and World Literatre1 passage with 10 questions Subject of PassageQuestion TypesMay Also See U.S. and World Literature1 passage with 10 questionsn/a History/Social Sciences2 passages or 1 passage and 1 paired-passage set with questions each May also have graphical representations of data such as charts, graphs, tables and so on Science2 passages or 1 passage and 1 paired-passage set with questions each May also have graphical representations of data such as charts, graphs, tables and so on

SAT: Reading Question  Unlike the ACT, the SAT arranges questions from more general to more specific questions.  Engage with the passage before you answer the questions (I will give you other options besides the Kaplan model). Information and IdeasClose reading, citing textual evidence, determining central ideasand themes SummarizingUnderstanding relationships, interpreting words and phrases incontext RhetoricAnalyzing word choice, assessing overall text structure, assessingpart-whole relationships, analyzing point of view, determiningpurpose, analyzing arguments SynthesisAnalyzing multiple texts, analyzing quantitative information

SAT: Reading Sample  Over the course of the passage, the main focus of the narrative shifts from the  A. reservations a character has about a person he has just met to a growing appreciation that character has of the person’s worth.  B. ambivalence a character feels about his sensitive nature to the character’s recognition of the advantages of having profound emotions.  C. intensity of feeling a character has for another person to the character’s concern that that intensity is not reciprocated.  D. value a character attaches to the wonders of the natural world to a rejection of that sort of beauty in favor of human artistry.

SAT: Writing and Language  Focuses on the ability to revise and edit text from a range of content areas (have you noticed that the SAT is a little more holistic?)  35 minutes and has 44 multiple-choice questions, each of which has four answer choices.  Four passages total  11 questions  words per passage

SAT: Writing and Language Passage Types  Want more graphs? Here’s another one!  Passages can also be an argument, an informative or explanatory text, or a nonfiction narrative. SATWritten Language Passage Types CareersHot topics in “Major fields of work” such as information technology and health care HumanitiesTexts about literature, art, history, music, and philosophy pertaining to human culture History/Social StudiesDiscussion of historical or social sciences topics such as anthropology, communication studies, economics, education, human geography, law, linguistics, poly sci, psyc, and sociology ScienceExploration of concepts, finding, and discoveries in the natural sciences including Earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics

SAT: Writing and Language  Skills tested:  Expression of Ideas (24 questions)  Standard English Conventions (20 questions)  Most prevalent question asks you to choose the best of three alternatives to an underlined portion of the passage or to decide if the current version is the best option.  Yes…you’ve seen this before…

Sample Question  A Life in Traffic  A subway system is expanded to provide service to a growing suburb. A bike- sharing program is adopted to encourage nonmotorized transportation. 1 To alleviate rush hour traffic jams in a congested downtown area, stoplight timing is coordinated. When any one of these changes 2 occur, it is likely the result of careful analysis conducted by transportation planners.  Which choice best maintains the sentence pattern already established in the paragraph?  A. NO CHANGE  B. Coordinating stoplight timing can help alleviate rush hour traffic jams in a congested downtown area.  C. Stoplight timing is coordinated to alleviate rush hour traffic jams in a congested downtown area.  D. In a congested downtown area, stoplight timing is coordinated to alleviate rush hour traffic jams. Please note the numbers within the passage. Those numbers signify the questions to which they pertain.

Answer: C  Choice C is the best answer because it most closely maintains the sentence pattern established by the two preceding sentences, which begin with a noun and passive verb phrase (“A subway system is expanded,” “A bike-sharing program is adopted”).

SAT: Essay  This has undergone a major change in the last 6 ish months.  Features a source text of words  Required to read and analyze a high-quality source document and write a coherent analysis of the sources supported with critical reasoning and evidence from the given text  What the heck does that mean?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!  Lots of practice and trials  We will focus on this essay quite a bit

SAT: Essay  Will ask you to explain how the passage’s author builds an argument to convince an audience  YOU ARE NOT ASKED WHETHER YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THE ARGUMENT PRESENTED!!!  Rather, you will write about HOW the author makes an argument.  Yes, this is scary- we will give you help in preparation

SAT: Essay  As you read the passage below, consider how [the author] uses evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims, evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.  Reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.  Stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.  Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [his/her] audience that [author’s claim]. In your essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the features listed above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of [his/her] argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage. Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author’s] claims, but rather explain how the author builds an argument to persuade [his/her] audience.

SAT: Essay  Three categories for scoring:  Reading  Analysis  Writing  Each of these elements will be scored on a scale of 1 to 4 by two graders, for a total score of 2 to 8 for each category.