How these Powerful Strategies will Make You Shine on the ACT

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Are you ready for college?

The freshman year is the most academically challenging year for most college students, because the academic expectations at college is much higher than at the average high school. Colleges use a readiness assessment to gauge how well you’ve mastered certain subject areas during high school and how well you might do in those subjects during your first year of college.

The ACT test is one test that measures your mastery and is a very important part of the admissions process and can open to the door to more educational and financial opportunities. This guide will show you how to prepare for and what to do before, during and after the test.

BEFORE THE TEST
You should or may have already asked the following questions. 

• What courses should I look for in high school?
• What can I do months before the test? 

You might not have asked:

• What can I do the night before the test?
• What can I do the morning of the test?
• What should I bring to the test?
• What should I do after the test?
• Should I retest?

Based on extensive research, ACT has determined that if you score at or above an 18 for English, 22 for reading, 22 for mathematics, and 23 for science, you are ready for college.

Take the most challenging classes, and you will be more prepared for the test and for college courses. Take AP classes. The ACT will test you over how proficient you are in the core academic areas of English, reading, math, and science. This is how the ACT has always worked.

Things to do months before the test

1. Start as early as possible! The earlier the better. If you have taken any high school entrance tests (HSPT, ISEE, SSAT), you are already ahead because you know test taking strategies and have had drills in core subjects like English, Math and Reading.
2. Form good habits. Be consistent. Keep healthy. Learn how to pace yourself.
3. Use Hillview Prep's interval strategy. (Contact us to learn more about this strategy.)
4. Take a look at ACT test prep options. You can do self-study, but it is often better to learn from experts who teach test prep like our Hillview Prep team. They have been there and they can guide through the entire application process, test taking strategies, building your core competencies, help write essays, etc.

The Night Before

1. Get a good night’s rest, at least 7 and 9 hours of sleep the night before the test.
2. Eat a great breakfast, full of brain ­boosting food. Protein and fiber­ rich food can help optimize your brain power.
3. Remain calm and confident. Remember, you’ve prepared for this. Be confident in what you know. You cannot control what you don't know.

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DURING THE TEST
Bring the following to your test center.

1. A printed copy of your ticket.
2. Acceptable photo identification.
3. A permitted calculator. (More info below.)
4. A watch to pace yourself.
5. Sharpened, soft lead No. 2 pencils with good erasers.
6. Snacks or drinks to consume outside the test room.
7. More information about what to bring can be found at actstudent.org

Acceptable calculators:

1. Calculators that can hold programs or documents—just remove all documents and programs that have computer algebra system functionality.
2. Calculators with paper tape—just remove the tape.
3. Calculators that make noise—just turn off the sound.
4. Calculators with an infrared data port—just completely cover the infrared data port.
5. Calculators that have power cords—just remove all power/electrical cords.

Hillview Prep test tips:

1. Relax!
2. Pace yourself—don’t spend too much time on a single question.
3. Try the difficult questions first! Move on if you cannot answer them and come back later to solve them. Give your subconscious time to mull over it. It is smarter than you think.
4. Use a sharpened No. 2 pencil with a good eraser.
5. Answer every question. You are not penalized for wrong answers.
6. Eliminate as many incorrect answers as you can, then make an educated guess.

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AFTER THE TEST​
You got your scores. Now what?

1. Know if you're college ready. Scoring at or above the College Readiness Benchmark means you have a good chance of getting a B or C in a first­ year college class.
2. Compare yourself. Ranking shows the percentage of recent grads who took the ACT and received scores that are the same or lower than yours.
3. Find areas to improve. The ACT Readiness Range visualizes areas where you excel and helps you find opportunities for improvement.
4. Compare interests to majors. Learn if your interests are similar to those of students who actually chose the major you’re considering.
5. Retest! Data shows that 57% of the students who took the ACT in 2015 increased their score when they retested. Every point matters. If you increase your score by one point, it may allow you more scholarship and educational opportunities.

Should you retest? Here are some things to consider:

1. Do your scores match the range of scores of the college you want to attend?
2. Do you qualify for some scholarship opportunities with your current scores?
3. Do you think your scores do not accurately represent your abilities?
4. Are your scores not what you expected, based on your high school grades?
5. Do you want to apply to a college that requires or recommends the writing test?

How much time should I take to prepare to retest?

Data shows that the average ACT Composite Score increment is dependent on the amount of preparation.

• 0.7 with no preparation.
  
• 1.0 with 3 to 6 hours of preparation.
  
• 1.1 with 8 to 20 hours of preparation
  
• 1.4 for over 20 hours of preparation.

Will increasing your score, even by a point, have an impact? Of course! It could increase your financial opportunities, admission possibilities, and scholarship chances. Give your best shot. It is very competitive out there.

Source: act.org