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ACTs, oh boy!

ghall

ghall

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 27, 2006
3,771
1
Rhode Island
So, yay. I'm taking the ACTs tomorrow, because we all know that tests are a great way to measure how smart someone is! :rolleyes:

Anyway, any tips on how to survive the test?



I did get a copy of those Kaplan SAT/PSAT/ACT disc thingies that are supposedly compatible with Mac. A more true statement would be that they kinda sorta work on a Mac. ;)
(Maybe that's the first part of the test. Getting those practice CDs to work on your computer. Excellent problem solving :D )
 
After a test section is over you are not allowed to go back and fill in any answers. They will come around and check to see how far you advanced on the previous section so DO NOT go back and answer any questions or you test will be DQ and tossed out with no score. Answer every question because you don't lose points for a wrong answer but you might guess right.....besides that get some sleep and get up early so you can get some breakfast and be wide awake from the get go. Good luck.
 
eat during your break. besides the usual and what's up here, nothing to add, expect that i think the act's are a better measure of what you learned than the sat's are.
 
Thanks. I'm gonna be ordering pizza and having a ACT cram tonight. Can't wait.....for the pizza.:rolleyes:

Anyway, thanks for the advice.
I'm still open for tips if anyone has any.
 
furcalchick said:
eat during your break. besides the usual and what's up here, nothing to add, expect that i think the act's are a better measure of what you learned than the sat's are.
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BREAK!!!!?:eek:
How long are these things? Can't be more than an hour or 2, can it?
 
Read the directions, even if you know them - it might help settle your anxiety.

Pace yourself. Read the comprehension passages slowly and make sure you're answering the comprehension questions as they're asked. The people who write those questions write one right answer, a couple possible "distractors" and then whatever else they can think up (in other words, make sure you use process of elimination).

This test is a measurement of a lot of things -- from how awake you are that morning to how well you've learned to read and write over the past few years. Your post betrays that you know how to use commas (no small thing re: your fundamental literacy), so this makes me think that so long as you do your best and try your hardest, you're going to do fine.
 
ghall said:
BREAK!!!!?:eek:
How long are these things? Can't be more than an hour or 2, can it?
Click to expand...

3 hours is the test. they will give you a 10-15 minute break after the second or third section (i forgot which). and you will a subject on two sections, as one of them is used for trial (i think it's the last one, but i'm not sure if they tell you or not, i took mine in 2002). if you can, get a fruit and eat it then, and also stretch your legs outside.
 
princealfie said:
I don't believe in tests anyways. What do they measure?
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Thank you! ;)

Edit: OMG, this is so my new avatar! (from the ACT website)
students_during.gif


Edit 2: or at least just my siggy. :D
 
macdaddy121 said:
After a test section is over you are not allowed to go back and fill in any answers. They will come around and check to see how far you advanced on the previous section so DO NOT go back and answer any questions or you test will be DQ and tossed out with no score. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Bad experience on that one?

From someone who has taken the test 4 times:)eek:, I know, but it's a long story), let me just tell you that none of my proctors did this. They would walk around to make sure that you were working on the right section, but nothing about making sure that you didn't answer any other questions.

Basically, I'm not going to condone cheating but if you choose to do so, just be watchful of it.


Also, just relax. You will do fine. Know your parallel line / angle rules from geometry and make sure that you are confident that you can do well...confidence is key.

Good Luck!
 
macdaddy121 said:
After a test section is over you are not allowed to go back and fill in any answers. They will come around and check to see how far you advanced on the previous section so DO NOT go back and answer any questions or you test will be DQ and tossed out with no score. Answer every question because you don't lose points for a wrong answer but you might guess right.....besides that get some sleep and get up early so you can get some breakfast and be wide awake from the get go. Good luck.
Click to expand...

They always say that and in the 4 times I've taken the test, it has never happened. I'll go back after I've completed another section and fill out the 3rd bubble for all of them.
...and please don't chastise me.

Good tip would be to know your algebra and BASIC geometry. Taking the ACT is more a skill than just knowledge.
All this coming from a person who has done fairly well on it. I'll be retaking in June to nudge up to 28.
 
Just got back a little while ago. That is not an experience I'd care to repeat. I just hope I don't end up taking them again (which is why I made sure I did the very best that I possibly could).

Though at 1 point I was insistant that 30/200 was 60%. :rolleyes: I am totally serious. I am no good at math.

Then most of the science section had words I have never heard before in my life, nevermind know what they mean.

Everything else was a breeze though. I answered every question to the best of my abilities (which means that sometimes I had to resort to my patented "coolest sounding answer method").

Thanks for the support everyone, I really appreciate it.
 
ghall said:
Just got back a little while ago. That is not an experience I'd care to repeat. I just hope I don't end up taking them again (which is why I made sure I did the very best that I possibly could).

Though at 1 point I was insistant that 30/200 was 60%. :rolleyes: I am totally serious. I am no good at math.

Then most of the science section had words I have never heard before in my life, nevermind know what they mean.

Everything else was a breeze though. I answered every question to the best of my abilities (which means that sometimes I had to resort to my patented "coolest sounding answer method").

Thanks for the support everyone, I really appreciate it.
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Hope you did well. And I was the same way with science and math when I took it a couple years ago. I bombed both of those sections, and still managed to get 29.
 
I just got back from taking it too.

The science was the hardest part because you had no time to even read the words by the experiments all I could do was look at the tables and hope I am understand them right.

I also didnt like having the essay at the end because I was tired and couldnt think.
 
Trust me, you always think you did worse than you actually did. I thought I did horrible on the English section and I ended up not doing to bad. I wasnt to worried about the Math and Science since those are my favorite subjects. I would strongy advise taking it a second time. My score went from a 29 to a 31, and I didnt do anything different. Your nerves just make it hard to focus.
 
Schnebar said:
I just got back from taking it too.

The science was the hardest part because you had no time to even read the words by the experiments all I could do was look at the tables and hope I am understand them right.

I also didnt like having the essay at the end because I was tired and couldnt think.
Click to expand...

Well, let us hope we both did well.
 
Congrats on getting through relatively unscathed. I took the standardized tests too long ago to be relevant now, but I just wanted to add my good wishes. I hope you do well enough to get into whichever college you're hoping for.

Cheers
 
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