ACT_Exam_Success.pdf

ACT_Exam_Success

LearningExpress®’sACT™EXAM SUCCESSIn Only 6 Steps!NEW YORK® Copyright © 2003 LearningExpress, LLC.All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York.Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:ACT success / Elizabeth Chesla .[et al.]—1st ed.p. cm.Includes bibliographical references.ISBN 1-57685-436-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)1. ACT Assessment—Study guides. I. Chesla, Elizabeth L.LB2353.48 .A293 2003378.1'6621—dc21 2002015278Printed in the United States of America987654321First EditionISBN 1-57685-436-1For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at:900 BroadwaySuite 604New York, NY 10003Or visit us at:www.learnatest.com About the AuthorsElizabeth Chesla is the author of TOEFL Exam Success and many other writing and reading guides and testpreparation books. She lives in South Orange, New Jersey.Nancy Hirsch is a writer and education editor in New York, New York.Melinda Grove is a high school math teacher from New Britain, Connecticut.Jelena Matic is a doctoral candidate for chemical engineering at Polytechnic University, in Brooklyn, NewYork. She works as an adjunct instructor of chemistry and has written for McGraw-Hill’s Chemical Engi-neering.Kurt Haste, Julie Barker, and Carol Ivers are high school science teachers in the Cheshire Public School Dis-trict in Cheshire, Connecticut. CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1CHAPTER 2 ACT Assessment Study Skills and Test-Taking Strategies 13CHAPTER 3 ACT English Test Practice 31CHAPTER 4 ACT Math Test Practice 131CHAPTER 5 ACT Reading Test Practice 203CHAPTER 6 ACT Science Reasoning Test Practice 249APPENDIX Additional ACT Resources 327Contentsv Part 1: Introduction to the ACT AssessmentTaking the ACT Assessment or SAT exam as a part of the college admissions process is a rite of passage formillions of teenagers across the country and in many parts of the world. It is probably not something you lookforward to, but it cannot and should not be avoided for long.Why the ACT, Why Me?Because of the simple fact that high school standards and quality vary widely, colleges look to standardizedtests to level the playing field for all students. Unlike the SAT, the aim of the ACT is to test what you havelearned in high school. It is not an “aptitude” test, as the SAT claims to be, nor is it an intelligence test. So ifyou have taken challenging courses in high school, you have already set the foundation to do well on the ACT.Your score on the ACT is used in conjunction with other factors including grades, application essays andextracurricular activities to help colleges decide on whom to admit. Different schools give different weightto the importance of ACT scores, but a high score can only help you get into the college of your choice.CHAPTERIntroductionThe ACT Assessment®is an important exam; so the more you knowabout it, the better off you will be in the end. This chapter will intro-duce you to the essentials of the ACT and all of its separate parts.11 ACT vs. SATThe SAT has gotten a lot of bad press in recent years, and talk has turned to altogether eliminating stan-dardized testing from college admissions. ACT has long avoided much of this controversy, partly becauseit does not claim to test aptitude or forecast your ability to do well in college—both very subjective fac-tors. For the same reason, many educators and students alike prefer the ACT to the SAT, as they judgeit to be a fairer test of students’ knowledge.Subjective opinions aside, there are some concrete differences between the SAT and the ACT:■The ACT tests limited vocabulary.■The ACT tests trigonometry, English grammar, and science reasoning.■All ACT questions are multiple-choice.■Points are not deducted for incorrect answers on the ACT.■Colleges can view all SAT scores, while students can send their best ACT scores.2Who Takes the ACT?If you are planning on attending college, chances are you are going to have to take either the SAT or ACT inorder to even apply to almost any school. Historically, the ACT has been more popular with schools in theMidwest and West, while the SAT has been the test of choice for students on the East and West Coasts. Thepopularity of the ACT all over the country has been growing, in part because it is seen as fairer than the SATin testing students’ knowledge. Today, nearly every college accepts ACT scores and many educators and stu-dents alike prefer the ACT because its content more closely matches what is actually taught in school.When to Take the ACTThe first step in preparing for the ACT is to decide on the date you want to take the test. Your application mustbe postmarked by the registration deadline, and the cost for normal registration is $24 ($27 in Florida and$40 outside the United States), which includes the reporting of your scores to four colleges. If you miss thedeadline, you can still take the test, but you must pay an additional fee of $15. If you manage to miss boththe original deadline and the late deadline, there is still hope. You can go standby and hope to get a spot byjust showing up early (with an extra $40, in addition to the late fees).2003/2004 DatesFor a complete update of future dates beyond those listed below, log onto www.act.org.April 12, 2003Registration deadline: March 7, 2003; late fee applies: March 21, 2003June 14, 2003Registration deadline: May 9, 2003; late fee applies: May 23, 2003 It is never too early to start preparing for the ACT. In fact, choosing which courses to take in school shouldbe your very first test-prep step. Taking a demanding course load is the best way to begin to prepare. Andremember that colleges take into account the courses you choose, too, regardless of your ACT score.When to Start Studying3September 27, 2003(available only in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana,Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas,and Washington)Registration deadline: August 22, 2003; late fee applies: September 5,2003October 25, 2003Registration deadline: September 19, 2003; late fee applies: October 3,2003December 13, 2003Registration deadline: November 7, 2003; late fee applies: November 20,2003February 7, 2004(test not available in New York)Registration deadline: January 2, 2004; late fee applies: January 16, 2004April 3, 2004Registration deadline: February 27, 2004; late fee applies: March 12,2004June 12, 2004Registration deadline: May 7, 2004; late fee applies: May 21, 2004How to Sign UpIf you have never registered to take the ACT before, there are two ways to do it. You can either register onlineor fill out the forms found in the student packet, which is available at your guidance office or by contactingACT directly (see contact information). If you have taken the test within the last two years, you can re-reg-ister by phone.1. Student Registration FormEven if you plan on registering online for the ACT, you should still pick up a copy of the student regis-tration form. In it you will find important information such as test center codes, testing information,and a practice test. You must register through the paper student packet if:■You plan on taking the test outside the United States or■You are requesting special accommodations because of a disability or Making Changes to Your RegistrationIf you must change your test date or location, you should call ACT at 319-337-1270 (between 8:00 A.M.and 8:00 P.M. Central time, Monday through Friday) before the late deadline for the test you are taking.You will need to provide your Social Security Number, test date, and code number for the test center youare choosing.ACT will charge you $15 to change your test location or date (plus an additional $15 if you make achange after the registration deadline of the new date you are choosing), so be sure to have a VISA®orMasterCard®handy when you make the call.If you are registered to take the test and miss all the deadlines to change your test date or location,you can try your luck by just showing up. If there is still space once all the registered students have beenseated, you will be given a spot before the standby students. ACT will charge you $15 to change loca-tion and $30 to take the test on a different date. Remember to bring your admission ticket with you.4■You would like to request a fee waiver or are using a state-funded voucher to cover the basic fee or■You are currently enrolled in grades 6, 7, 8, or 9If you are taking the ACT outside the United States, you should contact ACT directly for the appro-priate registration materials. In general, the testing dates remain the same, but fees are higher. Youmust register with the supervisor of the test center where you choose to take the ACT on or before theFriday two weeks before the test date you choose.2. Online RegistrationYou can register online to take the test by going to the ACT website (www.act.org). The whole processshould take about an hour or an hour and a half, but you do not have to do it all in one sitting. Onceyou log on to the site, you get a password and you will be able to work on your registration as often asyou need to for the next 72 hours. Registering online for the ACT costs the same, and the process isshortened by the time your registration would spend going through the mail.To register online you must pay with a VISA® or MasterCard®, and your online registration still hasto be completed by midnight of the registration deadline. It is a good idea to print out a copy of youronline registration for your own records since the only thing you will receive from ACT is your admis-sion ticket (which should arrive in one or two weeks).Part 2: About the ACT Assessment®What’s On the TestThe simple answer to the question of what is tested on the ACT is: reading comprehension, English, math,and science reasoning (see the overview of the four sections on page 10 for a detailed description of the sub- . the ACT is to go into the exam knowing exactly what to expect.To this end, ACT Exam Success provides the complete instructions to all sections of the ACT. 1CHAPTER 2 ACT Assessment Study Skills and Test-Taking Strategies 13CHAPTER 3 ACT English Test Practice 31CHAPTER 4 ACT Math Test Practice 131CHAPTER 5 ACT Reading