College © 2010 by ACT, Inc All rights reserved A national college admission examination that consists of tests in: • English, Mathematics, Reading, Science (and an optional Writing Test) Designed as a predictive measure not as a content performance measure Over 1.8 million test takers each year ACT results are accepted by virtually all U.S colleges and universities The ACT includes 215 multiple-choice questions and takes approximately hours and 30 minutes to complete with breaks The actual testing time is hours and 55 minutes (plus 30 minutes if you are taking the Writing Test) The ACT is administered in six different months: September, October, December, February, April, and June The ACT offers an optional Writing Test You should check directly with the institutions you are considering to find out their requirements English -18 Mathematics – 22 Social Sciences – 22 (Reading) Science – 23 A benchmark score is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C ACT sub-scores less than the following require students to enroll in developmental education courses at both Community Colleges and Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) English – 17 Math - 19 The registration fee is $39.50 for the ACT with no Writing Test The registration fee is $56.50 for the ACT plus the Writing Test These fees include score reports for you, your high school and up to four college choices for which a valid code is listed at time of registration If you can’t afford the registration fee, go to the following website to apply for a fee waiver: http://www.actstudent.org/faq/answers/feewaiver.h tml GOALS! All students, even those not attending college, need the skills the ACT exam reinforces! - Graduation Option: sub-score of 17 Life-long Skills Workplace Skills Test scores that reflect true skill ability Scholarships College Success MOTIVATION IS KEY! How to get to college? • G.P.A = 45% • ACT/SAT exam = 45% • Other = 10% Average ACT Scores by Core Curriculum Completion Status, 2007–2011 Took Core or More Took Less Than Core For each year from 2007 to 2011, ACT Composite and subject scores were higher for students who took a core curriculum or more in high school than for students who did not On average, high school graduates who completed at least a core curriculum earned Composite test scores 2.2 to 3.1 points higher than the scores of students who did not take a core curriculum Similar ranges of higher scores for core or more curriculum completers are noted for each subject test: English (2.5 to 3.5 points), Reading (2.2 to 3.0), Mathematics (2.3 to 3.0), and Science (2.0 to 2.7) As often as you wish– many students test twice, once as a junior and again as a senior You can test only once per national or state test date You should definitely consider retesting if: you had any problems during the test, such as misunderstanding the directions or not feeling physically well you are not satisfied that your scores accurately represent your abilities in the areas tested GUESSTIMATE If you can estimate the correct answer, then you should be able to eliminate at least one or two answer choices What is 2% of 60? A 120 B 12 120 is greater than 60 – eliminate answer A 60 x 0.02 = 1.2 12 is too large – eliminate answer B C 1.2 D 0.12 E 0.012 CORRECT ANSWER: C 0.012 is too small – eliminate answer E - this will improve your efficiency and score! Learn how to use a calculator – graphing functions and matrix Know how to ballpark problems Take passes - X the questions in the test booklet you not understand at all and skip them on your second pass - when should I circle some P.O.E - be sure to eliminate the wrong answers Follow your personal order of difficulty – start with your easiest section Read the question carefully – they predict where students will misread the question– you can count on that answer as being one of your choices – they this to trap students Page 42 Mapping ACT® Reading Passages – 40 Questions – 35 Minutes Read 750 words Prose/Fiction 08:45 10Q 25% Specific Detail Read 750 words Humanities 08:45 10Q 25% Read 750 words Social Science 08:45 10Q 25% Explicit Questions 14Q 35% Implicit Questions 26Q 65% Sequence Cause/Effect Comparison Author’s Voice Generalization Main Idea Conclusion Read 750 words Natural Science 08:45 10Q 25% Words in Context Reading 40 multiple choice questions; 35 minutes, less than to answer each question There are types of passages you will encounter on the ACT Prose Fiction: Most interesting to read, but often the hardest questions! Most timeconsuming! Social Sciences: politics, history Humanities: arts, culture Natural Science: Typically the easiest! (POOD) Factual information! Page 44 READING passages, 10 questions each, 35 minutes total! Always review the answer choices before looking back Be careful on questions with specific line references If looking back, read a few lines before and after the given line reference Do not hesitate over answers You must get to all passages! Be an active/demanding reader! Use CPR and/or TD! Pacing!!! (8-9 minutes per passage) No matter what, each student MUST have a reading strategy! For most students there is a definitive reading strategy that produces the highest possible ACT reading score It is a two step process, and it is extremely simple Step 1: Read the entire passage quickly but actively, seeking out the most important information You are allowed to annotate or underline, but only this if it is already one of your reading strengths When you finish reading the passage, you should be able to mentally review the main ideas and supporting details! If you cannot this easily, you were not actively reading! (Reading the passage should take between – minutes.) Step 2: Answer the questions Be sure to read ALL FOUR answer choices, using process of elimination, BEFORE looking back to the passage (Answering questions should take about – minutes.) No matter what, you must complete each passage in LESS THAN MINUTES! In order to reach your maximum reading score, it is imperative that you get to all four passages! Remember, it is possible to get some answers wrong on the ACT and still achieve an amazing score! An alternative strategy that works for some students is to actively read only the first and last paragraphs while skimming the body of the passage and then answering the questions as described above No matter what, DO NOT waste precious time by reading the questions first! This strategy is a virtual guarantee of a low reading score Again, DO NOT read the questions first ® Mapping ACT English Editing five short passages 75 questions - 45 minutes – minutes Per passage Usage - Mechanics Skills 40Q 53% Punctuation 10Q 13% Comma Semicolon End-stop Dashes Hyphens quotes Grammar and Use Sentence Structure 12Q 16% 18Q 24% Tense Subject-verb agreement Pronoun use Adverb vs adjective Double negative Idioms Possessives comparisons Run-on Comma splice Fragment Coord conjunction Parallelism Misplaced modifiers Clauses Subordination Split construction Unintended meaning Rhetoric Skills 35Q 47% Strategy Organization Style 12Q 16% 11Q 15% 12Q 16% Appropriate support Main idea Audience Effective: Opening sentence Concluding sentence Paragraph development Sentence-level structure Paragraph-level structure Conciseness Ambiguity Low-level usage Shifting point of view ACT English Grammar • 75 multiple choice questions; 45 minutes , 36 seconds per question • Question given in conjunction with a passage • Sentence Structure, Grammar and Usage, Punctuation, Rhetorical Skills • The English section tests not only obscure grammar rules but also punctuation errors as well ACT expects students to know what they want—It’s more than just pure grammar! • In a series of or more items, put a comma before the “and” • Shorter sentences are preferred to longer sentences Page 49 English 75 questions, passages, 45 minutes Punctuation COMMAS are used on the ACT in ways: After Introductory Clauses followed by a complete sentence To Mark Interruptions To Separate sentences w/ a conjunction To mark Afterthoughts To Separate Words in a series / list To Separate Adjectives Hint: When in doubt, leave the comma out! 75 questions, 45 minutes • Usage/Mechanics: Punctuation: 13% Grammar/Usage: 16% Sentence Structure: 24% • Rhetorical Skills: Strategy: 16% Organization: 15% Style: 16% Try skimming the passage first, then going back to the questions Read the whole sentence, not just the part underlined Be careful that you don’t correct an error by making another error Once you choose an answer, reread the sentence with your new answer to make sure it makes sense Tests against your ear • Grocery store: 10 Items or… Less? Fewer? No Change = correct 25% of the time it appears Omit this Underlined Section = correct 50% of the time it appears Page 53 Take practice tests and READ EXPLANATIONS Not helpful just to take the test Reflective practice is the only way to get better at this! Online resource: the official ACT website Remember Test scores are only one factor used for college admission and scholarship decisions 55 [...]... 33 One Little Point at a Time! Note: The ACT scales 1 - 36 What is the “required” score for admission to your 1st choice school? Are you applying for scholarships with ACT score requirements? In addition to a composite score goal, set a goal for each test and sub-score Set the bar high, but make it reachable! Study The ACT Study simple facts about the test Number of sections &... Every Question There is no penalty for wrong answers on the ACT Pick a letter of the day and use that letter every time you guess AAAAAA Not ABACDEA Page 18 Practice Makes Perfect Students should take numerous practice tests! Students should not under any circumstances take the tests for the first time when it counts towards their admissions! By taking several practice exams students will • Increase... does not matter You should look for the wrong answers Partial Credit Process matters Look for the correct answer Questions Intentionally hard Straight forward Page 12 The test writers: 1) intentionally make the questions time consuming 2) include trap answers 3) include words that lead you to the incorrect answer choice Page 13 EVERY STUDENT CAN PERFORM WELL ON THE ACT! - The Score chart is a great... score on the ACT! - Explain to them that although a 50% on an English Class test may be a failing grade, it is an 18 on the ACT, and many colleges will accept that score!!! -A 60% on a History Class test may be a D-, but on the ACT it’s a 22! Now colleges aren’t only accepting you, but they’re giving you scholarships! **Student GPA is also taken into consideration** MOTIVATION! Standards for College... indicate which charts/graphs/experiments go together Refer – don’t try to remember Look for patterns and trends in data Look for words that are italicized, bold, underlined or capitalized – they will ask a question relating to this word ® Mapping ACT Mathematics 60 questions - 60 minutes Direct use of math facts or formulas 32Q 53% Pre-Algebra 14Q 23% Word Problems 16Q 27% Elementary Algebra Intermediate... QUESTIONS DO NOT GET HARDER AS YOU PROGRESS THROUGH THE TEST • The ACT science test emphasizes scientific reasoning skills rather than recall of scientific content, mathematical skill, or reading ability Unlike the math test you will not be required to remember formulas, definitions, etc You are tested on your ability to examine information using text, chart, graphs and tables Things to do: Read... passage Page 20 ACT Triage •Work on the easy/quick questions first Be sure to know your POOD: Personal Order of Difficulty Page 21 Eliminate what you know is wrong Page 22 Pace Yourself (Announcements only made when 5 minutes/1 minute remain) Read directions before test date Read questions carefully (annotate) Answer easy questions first Answer EVERY question (no penalty for guessing) Be... variables Identify controls 5 Hypothesize Conclude Compare evaluate 1 Extrapolate Interpolate Predict generalize 35 minutes 40 questions 7 passages ACT Prep Science Test The science test is a test of your science reasoning skills All of the information you need to answer the questions correctly is provided in the passages The Questions • The questions cover: Biology Earth & Space Sciences... choose which test score you want sent to colleges The following link can help you to determine how to send the scores from one testing date to the colleges of your choice: http://www.actstudent.org/faq/answers/morethan once.html ACT High School Number of Questions on the exams Designed so you can’t finish Designed so you can finish Answer Choices Common errors included in answer choices Not as many Essay... ACT research shows that of the students who took the ACT more than once: • 55% increased their composite score on the retest • 22% had no change in their composite score on the retest • 23% decreased their composite score on the