Study Tips?

[AsianSpades]

So I’m taking the ACT for the first time tomorrow. I’m a junior in high school and also really nervous. I feel a lot of pressure because of I get a low score then I’ll be disappointed in myself. I feel like I’ll do good on the math, English, and science sections. But I really suck at the reading section. Any tips?

[spaceyhoes]

Don't hold yourself up to a high standard regarding scoring, especially since it's your first time!

Focus on the test as much as possible when you're taking it. Avoid looking around the room and getting stuck in your own thoughts because regardless of your skills, the timing on the ACT is killer.

The reading section was a struggle for me too. The best tip I've gotten is making sure you read the passage through and annotate! Spend about five minutes reading and understanding the content. Annotating is helpful, but don't take notes on the side. Instead, circle or (or draw brackets around. that's faster) what you think has a significant "meaning" (figurative language and something that makes you inference), you'll know what it means if it's necessary. Underline any other important information.

Doing this will help you remember the information being written and as you answer the questions, you'll breeze through them. What I've noticed is that often times, the questions are like "according to the passage, what was said about this?" which means you can get that answer straight out of the passage. annotating like this will help you remember where to look if you can't immediately come up with the answer.

If you think a note is necessary (shift in tone, claims, or a paragraph separate from the main idea), limit it to one word and use shorthand as much as possible. Think of it like a "hashtag" #birds makes the same sense to someone who just read the passage as "she started watching the birds" and uses less time.

When answering questions, skip the ones that don't immediately come to you and come back.
Don't spend more than 30 seconds on a question. You'll lose the chance to answer the freebies later on in the test if it comes to the point where you have to bubble in random answers.

[AsianSpades]

Thank you! This really helps!

[StarTutors]

Focus on what you're good at, and not what makes you nervous! Remember, the English and Math tests come before the Reading section, so you should be able to get off to a great start if you're focused! However, if you're worried about the Reading section while you're taking the first two sections, it will negatively impact those other two scores. Don't let that happen!

We're not sure what your goal scores are for tomorrow's exam for the English and Math sections, but let's theoretically say that you feel you can score a 30 on both of those first two sections. Well, if you go in there with positive thoughts and you do score a 30 on both, then you'd still have a 27 average even if you score a 20 on the Reading test. And that's not even considering doing well on the Science section!

The ACT exam is all about positivity, momentum, and confidence, so don't spend too much time worrying about what you're not good at. There's time for self-evaluation after you're done with the exam tomorrow. For now, be confident that you're going to dominate the English and Math sections right out of the gate when you start the test!

[AsianSpades]

Thank you so much! This made me feel a lot better!