the ACT

[Jess]

I am soon going to register for the ACT. I did well on the PLAN so my mom decided to register me for the ACT.

is anyone else doing this, and/or has anyone else taken the ACT before?

if you don't know what the ACT is....read (http://www.actstudent.org/faq/answers/what.html)

[karl]

I wish you luck

[Captor K]

I've taken it twice. If you've never taken it before, I'll warn you now, you do NOT have the luxury of time. I'm really strong in English and Reading, but those were the most time consuming tests of all - and it's almost over before you know it.

[Jess]

whoO I have officially registered! I will take it Sept 11!

[CMEBACH]

Even though i`m young i`m taking it in january to see if I can get into this private school on a scholorship becaused my regular school sucks and its $35,000

[actor04]

Im registering to take them this far and im not looking forward to the "no luxury of time".... but oh well i will manage. Best of luck to you!

[Captor K]

Here's are tips that may help the few of you above.

- The English test (the first one, if I remember) has like 75 questions which you have 45 minutes to answer. The test itself is mostly grammar (you know, basic punctuation, sentence sequences (i.e. where would you place this sentence/paragraph in the passage), stuff like that. If you're not good on your punctuation, I strongly recommend that you brush up on that, and BE careful. Sometimes the punctuations differences are so subtle you can miss them. I'm good with punctuation, but even I had my moments: "A comma doesn't go there, that's ridiculous." *five minutes later* "Oh shit, yes it does."

- If you don't know an answer to something, guess on it. Seriously. Guessing doesn't count against you, and you at least have 25% chance of getting the answer right. If you can use process of elimination to at least narrow the answers down to two (A or B), pick one and keep kicking.

- In the mathematics part, make sure you do NOT bring a graphic calculator (sure you know this, but still). You'll have about an hour to do the math section. I suck terribly at math, so I'm no help here. Anyhoo, if I recall, you won't use a calculator on the first part of the math test, but the second part.

- The Reading part is like an hour and a half. Again, time flies like crazy. If you're a slow reader, you might wanna do what I did: skip the reading and jump straight to the questions. Read the question, skim the text to find the answer, and it saves more time in case you need to go back over anything. If you're a fast reader and think you can pull it off reading those passages — which really long, dull, and talk about things that have no impact on you whatsoever — go for it. It might take away more time, though.

- Science is about 45 minutes or so, I believe. It's God-awful boring, and the whole test pretty much consists of lab experiments (yeah, I know, who cares, right?). Analyze and apply the data they give you, and you should do relatively well. I blew it off last time I took it, but managed to get a 21 on that part. I didn't totally suck. Right? Right??

- Essay, if you're doing one, is gonna be about an hour and a half. They're gonna ask you a debatable question (my first was something like: should schools include a personal finance class and make it a requirement for graduation). You'll have to argue your side of the case (like you're a lawyer in court) with whatever opinion, info, data and logical conclusions you can give to support your belief. Your argument doesn't have to be so ground-breaking that it shatters the soul of the reader, but it at least needs to have enough details that you clearly present where you're coming from.

- Also, if you write slow like I do, you MIGHT wanna skip the brainstorming part. My handwriting is meticulously neat, and I write slow, so I always skip brainstorming. I don't think I've brainstormed on any test for....heck, eight years or so. Pretty much in most cases, I can still argue a good point and get away with it. I made an 8/8 on the composition part of GEE spouting complete BS off the top of my head. Talk about miracles.

BUT, if you must brainstorm, then by all means, do so! It's better to have a logically prepared, half-done essay and get half credit, than something vomited outta nowhere and get little credit. Again, if you must do an outline, then do one, just don't spend too much time on it. Make sure all your ideas line up, are organized in sequence and follow to a logical conclusion. If you find yourself pressed for time - they will always announce you have five minutes remaining - try to skip parts in your essay that might be weaker, use all the strong ones, and wrap it up quickly as possible.

- Also remember that the essay itself is scored separately; it has no effect on your composite score, which are the other four tests combined. The essay is its own test. Some people never take the written portion of the ACT; some do, like me, because it might be more helpful when applying to college. But if you think you might do terrible on the essay, either don't take it, or learn how to debate. Ask friends, or search up some good debate questions and learn how to present your side of the argument.

You'll get your results some six to eight weeks afterward. So good luck, stay alert, and stay focused!

[Jess]

I am horrible at the essays ):

anyways, did you say I can't bring in a graphing calculator? why not? I checked the rules on calculators and I believe the one I have is allowed

anyways, it says on there too that I can't use a mechanical pencil :/ great. I hate using regular pencils but that isn't important. I'm bringing both just in case.

[Captor K]

I am horrible at the essays ):

anyways, did you say I can't bring in a graphing calculator? why not? I checked the rules on calculators and I believe the one I have is allowed

anyways, it says on there too that I can't use a mechanical pencil :/ great. I hate using regular pencils but that isn't important. I'm bringing both just in case.


Hmm, maybe you can bring a graphing calculator. If yours checks out, then maybe it's fine. It's been months since I've taken it, so I can't remember the kinds of calculators that are banned. Just double check to be sure that you are in the safe zone.

It says you can't use a mechanical pencil, but I do know some people who have taken it with one and are still alive. Bringing both is a good idea, although you will get the opportunity to sharpen your pencils (and they hand some out in the beginning, too). I hate pencils too, so I feel ya. :D

[Jess]

Yeah I checked with the kind of calculators that are allowed. mine is one of them.

[Captor K]

That's good then. Best of luck on the test, my friend. Don't be nervous!

[Antares]

My state is an ACT state...umm

Time is a horrible horrible issue (for the last 2 sections especially).

Good luck and god speed (dont forget your calc)

[JackOfClubs]

I'm going to take it as many times as I can over the next year. For 2 reasons.

1. The normal scholarship and funds part.
2. And if I get a 30 or higher my parents will buy me a car :)