One of your most crucial undertaking as a high school student is taking the ACT test. It can be rigorous, especially if you go in on it unprepared. To get a high ACT score, you have to adhere to an effective test prep program for at least 3 months. There are several options for an ACT test prep that truly works. So how do you choose the best path that can bring you smart and effectual ACT study tips?
3 Primary Guiding Principles Of Test Prepping
Studying effectively for the ACT test needs you to abide by 3 guiding principles, and they are the following:
- Individualize and personalize your study plan. No two test-takers are exactly alike which means that there is no one-size-fits-all study plan for students. Choose a study plan or a combination of them that will address your needs as an individual. You know yourself better than anyone else, so you should devise a study program that will work best for you. For instance, you can stick to 2-hour long study sessions if you have the stamina, or you might be comfortable with studying in 30-minute increments. Make sure that your ACT study plan is flexible.
- Start early on your ACT test prep program. You should provide yourself with sufficient time to study for your test. Rendering 3 months for your review may be enough, but if you want to get a higher score, you may have to increase it to 6 months. From the beginning, you should learn how to pay attention to your ACT test prep plan and the time it involves for it to become successful.
- Optimize your study plan. That means you have to do something regardless of the time that is at your disposal to allocate for your ACT test prep. It’s your best option, and it’s much better than doing nothing. What if you don’t have 6 or 3 months to prepare for the ACT? Don’t lose hope or panic, but instead optimize the time that is available to you. If you have several hours to go, you can spend four of them to take practice tests. Even if you only have 15 minutes a day to study, go for it! You’re bound to learn something at any rate. Remember that a little preparation beats no preparation at all.
5 Valuable ACT Test Prep Tips
- Read as much information as you can about the ACT. Learn about the format and structure of the test and what its implications are in your college goals. Familiarize yourself with it, which in turn will make you more comfortable of your upcoming undertaking. It’ll make you more relaxed and confident about taking the ACT test.
- Take ample amounts of ACT practice tests. Do your best as you take your first practice test so that you’ll obtain reliable knowledge about your score and your capability. See to it that you are taking an official ACT practice test so that you’ll gain a more realistic experience and result. Follow the instructions carefully and adhere to the designated time limit for each section.
- Obtain your score from your practice tests. Analyze your wrong answers and decipher why you missed them. This should help you discover your weak areas. Refer to the answer explanations that go with your practice tests and learn from them. If you’re struggling with this particular task, ask for help from a teacher, tutor or mentor or a test prep buddy.
- Work on a reasonable goal. Now you know what your knowledge and skill levels are pertaining to the ACT test. At this point, you should gauge how much improvement you’re up to work for. You may have to stretch your efforts a bit, but ensure that you’re setting a viable goal. If you scored lower than 20 in your practice test, it may be too much to expect yourself to get a 30’s number. Otherwise, if you garnered a score that is mid to high 20’s, it is possible to aim for a 30-something score. The improvements that you want to achieve depend on how committed you are to your ACT test prep.
- Decide on what tools you are going to utilize for your test prep. The resources that you ought to use should be of good quality and are official ACT test prep materials. If you want to do self-study, look for credible and updated websites, apps or books. You might also want to enroll in an online ACT test prep program which is known to be a happy medium. Other than working on your own, you can receive external guidance at the same time. Consider if you are interested in joining a group course where you can exchange ideas with your peers and instructor. Or if you think that individual tutoring will work well for you, then go for it.
These are 5 of the most effective ACT study tips that can assist you in your test prep so that you can pass with flying colors and achieve your post-secondary education and career goals.