ACT T EST P REPARATION Catch the Fever Junior Seminar

T HE BEST PREPARATION IS A SOLID HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM Review your PLAN ® results to identify academic weaknesses Use ACT Online Prep™—ACT’s test preparation program Take ACT’s free practice test See your counselor for other test preparation materials Visit the ACT website at

T ODAY ’ S G OALS Become familiar with the ACT ® test content and format Learn appropriate test taking strategies

ACT O VERVIEW English 75 Questions in 45 Minutes Math 60 Questions in 60 Minutes Reading 40 Questions in 35 Minutes Science 40 Questions in 35 Minutes Know the directions before test day so you do not spend time reading them.

E NGLISH T EST Subject/Verb agreement - Trust your inner ear. Subject/Verb agreement - Cross out Prepositional Phrases. Pronoun Clarity & Agreement – When a pronoun (he, she, it, they, them, his, him, her) is underlined be totally sure to what it is referring. If it is unclear in ANY way it is incorrect.

E NGLISH T EST Transition Words – When a transition word (such as although, since, but therefore, moreover, however, consequently) is underlined make sure it works with the flow of the paragraph. Commas – When a comma is underlined ask yourself, “Should there be a pause here?” Independent Clauses – Phrases that can stand alone are separated with a semicolon, comma with “and,” or a period.

E NGLISH T EST Prepositions – When a preposition is underlined check to see if it is the correct preposition to use. I/Me & It’s/Its – If I or me is underlined, check it by putting the I/me first or by dropping the other person. (This tip works for who/whom & he/him) If “its” or “it’s” is underlined remember that “it’s” means it is and that “its” is possessive.

E NGLISH T EST S UMMARY Keep it simple - ACT likes crisp & clear always choose the answer that is the most clear, concise, direct, and NONREDUNDANT. Do not be afraid to use the NO CHANGE option.

E NGLISH P RACTICE

M ATH T EST 6 Topics are covered on the test Pre-Algebra 14 Questions / 24% of the Test Elementary Algebra 9 Questions / 15% of the Test Intermediate Algebra 9 Questions / 15 % of the Test

M ATH T EST Coordinate Geometry 9 Questions / 15% of the Test Plane Geometry 14 Questions / 24% of the Test Trigonometry 4 Questions / 7% of the Test

M ATH T EST Perform question triage: Focus on questions you can answer quickly and return to others later. All questions on the ACT can be answered in 1 minute or less and without a calculator. You need to know basic formulas. Area of a triangle, Area of a rectangle / square, Area of a circle, Perimeter of a figure, Circumference of a circle, Special Right Triangles ( and )

M ATH P RACTICE

R EADING T EST 4 reading passages / 10 questions each Social studies Natural Science Prose Humanities Become familiar with the different types of passages and complete the ones you are best at first.

R EADING T EST Skim the passage quickly and answer all 10 questions on that passage before moving to the next passage. Underline as you read. Underline main ideas, people, and words that reference sequence.

R EADING T EST Make notes in the margins. Two or three key words can provide a main idea of the paragraph. Quickly find the tone of the passage and the author’s purpose. Look for line references in the questions.

S CIENCE T EST Seven subtests 3 Data Representation Passages (Graphs or Diagrams) / 7 Questions each 3 Research Summaries / 6 Questions each 1 Conflicting Viewpoints Passages / 7 Questions 5 Minutes per Passage

S CIENCE / D ATA R EPRESENTATION Look at the questions first. Some of the charts and graphs are not used. The question should tell you which graph or chart to use to answer a question. Take note of the axes of a graph and what they represent. Look for critical points (maximums, minimums, outliers…) Look for trends in the data.

S CIENCE / R ESEARCH S UMMARIES Read and summarize the experiments (hypothesis). Apparatus (What is being experimented on or what device is being used?) Variables (Control, Independent, Dependent) Look at the results.

S CIENCE / C ONFLICTING V IEWPOINTS 7 out of 40 questions will be from this passage. Work quickly! You have 5 to 6 minutes on this passage. Read preamble and skim arguments, focusing on the opening sentence of each argument. Highlight disagreement

S CIENCE O VERVIEW Find the types of science passages you like best and complete those first. Focus on the passages that incorporate your strengths in science. (Biology, Physics, Chemistry…) Focus, this is always the last test.

B EST A DVICE FOR ACT Leave no questions unanswered! There is no penalty for guessing.

F REE R ESOURCES