5 Useful Tips to Succeed on the ACT®

Use these useful tips to help increase your ACT score.

Students who will be taking the ACT can improve their scores with a few easy tips and tricks. While knowledge is important on the test, the skills and strategy play a crucial role as well. There’s no question about it…the ACT is a challenging and “fast” test but if you breakdown the sections and have a strategy for each, you will see the results in your score. Let’s dive in!

1. Time Management - Know the Sections of the Test!

   One of the most challenging aspects of the ACT is how quick it is. The amount of time you have per question is less than the SAT and you really don’t have time to over analyze any one individual question. Therefore, it’s important to know how much time you can allow for each question in the individual sections and work on your pacing to allow you enough time to complete the section.

   Here’s a breakdown of how the sections and times work out:

   ENGLISH SECTION: 75 Questions - 45 Minutes = 36 seconds per question

   MATH SECTION: 60 Questions - 60 Minutes = 60 seconds per question

   READING SECTION: 40 Questions - 35 Minutes = 53 seconds per question

   SCIENCE SECTION: 40 Questions - 35 Minutes = 53 seconds per question

   Knowing the time you have per question can help you practice on your pacing and strategize on how to move quicker while maintaining as much accuracy as possible. Get a stopwatch and practice, practice, practice. This is especially important on the Reading section and knowing how long you have to read each passage. As you progress through your prep, you will start to get an “internal feel” of how much time you have. You will be surprised how quickly your brain can adapt to this!

2. Take a Full Practice Test

   There are a lot of practice tests out there but to really get the most beneficial practice you should take a full ACT practice test from a previous official ACT test. Even better, take it at a proctored location so you get a feel of how the test will work on your official test day. Knowing the order of the sections (1. English 2. Math 3. Reading 4. Science) is important so you can prepare to switch between English and Math and back to Reading. This is so crucial to success because it can help determine where your weak spots are and when fatigue becomes a factor. Even knowing the formatting of the words and paragraphs on the pages is beneficial so you know exactly what to expect on the official test. While some online hybrid tests have good questions, that is where their benefit ends. You don’t know how you would do on a full test with timing and fatigue and those are two very important factors in prepping.

   Here at SEC, we offer full ACT practice tests every month to allow students an opportunity to see what the official test looks like, how the timing feels and where prep work needs to begin. We also provide a detailed score report that helps focus on specific areas of need. This is the most important step in beginning to prep for the ACT and how to reach your goal score!

3. Know Your Math Formulas

   Many of the questions in the Math section of the ACT will use specific formulas to answer questions…especially for Geometry questions. Memorize and practice using these formulas and it will pay dividends for you on the test. There are a handful of Trigonometry questions that will use formulas as well. Get to know the formulas and you improve your Math score!

4. Don’t Leave Empty Bubbles

   Your main goal is to have ample time for each section and thus answer every question. However, if you do run short on time and you know you won’t have time to finish, make sure to fill in every bubble. You are not penalized for wrong answers so giving yourself a chance to get a few right is worth it. Another important tip here is to pick one letter and go straight down the line and answer every question with that letter. You can do this quicker if you are down to the last seconds and the law of probability is on your side as opposed to randomizing your guesses.

5. Don’t Stop Once You Start

   Once you start prepping it is important to continue your prep until you take your official test. You must treat the ACT as something separate from your schoolwork. While some concepts may be similar to what you are learning in school right now, the ACT asks questions in a different way so it’s important to not let one interfere with the other.

   Dedicate time each week and keep this routine going until your official test. It doesn’t have to be hours and hours of prep but it should stay consistent. We usually recommend two or three days per week for an hour each of those days. This allows you to pre-schedule the time and plan your school studies around it. If you stop prepping you will regress in your progress. Even if you have to cut your ACT prep back a bit due to finals or a big school project, still dedicate some time to stay fresh on the ACT material.

All of this work will pay off in the end…we promise! A solid ACT score can create more opportunity for you when it comes to applying for colleges. Every point you can increase your overall score…the more doors of opportunity you will have. At SEC, we are here to help you reach your goals. We recommend starting by scheduling a FREE Practice test and I will personally meet with you and your family to discuss how to get you to your goals! When you are ready, we offer some great options for ACT Prep. Good luck!