Apex College

You may have prepared enough for the ACT in Danville. However, if you don’t follow the instructions on the test or you aren’t paying attention to the questions, you may still fail the test. To avoid not doing well, below are some strategies to follow on the test day.

English

  1. In answering the English section, you should look for answers that are presented in a clear, logical, and straightforward concise manner. Most English questions are looking for this type of answer.
  2. Read the entire paragraph first that includes the sentence that you’ll be making changes to before looking at the answer choices. In this way, it will help you understand the structure of the sentence so that you will be able to revise it.
  3. As you’re answering the English questions, you may encounter the “no change” option in the answer choices. “No change” indicates that the underlined word or phrase in a given question is grammatically correct and that there is no need to revise it. Sometimes, students have doubts about choosing “No change” because they believe that there should be something that needs to be changed. It is best to double-check your options to be sure that the “No change” answer is the best choice.

Math

  1. It may be helpful to draw figures and tables as well as do equations to really help you visualize the problem.
  2. Before reaching for your calculator, try to deliberate over the problem so that you have an idea what your answer should be.
  3. As you read the Math questions, take a quick glance at the answer choices. They can provide the answers you need. It also helps to translate the problems into mathematical equations and use substitution.
  4. When answering the Reading section, try to skim the passages. Don’t stop at words that are obscure or unfamiliar to you. Read through the introduction and the conclusion. Try achieve a general overview of the passage’s structure.
  5. Try to paraphrase every question to have a better understanding of it. In that way, you could answer it effectively.

Science

  1. As you’re answering questions in the Science section, try to understand the main idea featured in the passage before proceeding to the questions. It’s best to use common sense to prevent getting deceived by distracters.
  2. Prioritize the choice of your passages. Choose the passages that are the easiest and with the least confusing information.
  3. Don’t be afraid by the complex terminology, as the ACT usually defines the terms that are necessary to your understanding. But if you’re overwhelmed by complicated vocabulary, ignore it and look straight at the graphs instead. These will provide helpful clues that you can use to answer the majority of questions you encounter.

Writing the essay

  1. Plan your essay — this is important. You can have up to 10 minutes to plan it using scratch paper.
  2. Write a great intro and conclusion
  3. Make sure to write your essay as compelling as possible as if wanting to engage with your readers.
  4. If you have time to spare, review your essay and check it for possible grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

General

  1. Considering the time allotted for answering the ACT, students may find it helpful to skip the harder questions and move on as the harder ones may take too much of your time. If you have time left, you can go back to the harder questions.
  2. Use the process of the elimination when you are not sure of your answer or your prediction is not in the answer choices.
  3. If possible don’t leave a question unanswered. Since there’s no guessing penalty on the ACT, guessing is allowed. But do it wisely.
  4. Do your best to be aware of the time so you can answer as many questions as possible.
  5. Use the test booklet for making notes, calculations, or drawing mathematical figures.
  6. Stay calm.

Make sure that you review all the strategies above to help you do well on the ACT in Danville when you take it.