ACT Prep Tips & Tricks

I know you guys probably wanna beat me up at this point ...but it's finally here! I promised you guys that I was going to talk about ACT prep and now you've got it! It took me a while to get to this point but I'm here!

What is the ACT? The ACT is the acronym for American College Testing. It's basically a standardized test used for college admissions in the US. It's broken up into 4 sections - English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning, and there is a time limit on each test. Throughout high school, a lot of emphasis is placed on this test by our schools. However, a lot of schools don't do everything in their power to prepare their students for it. That is why it's so important that we prepare ourselves for this test so that we can make the scores that suit our personal standards as well as the standards of our future schools.

Now, I'm no ACT prep master or anything, there's still so much for me to learn and my own score has room for improvement. But, if it adds to my credibility, I did go to ACT Prep camp for 2 consecutive years, and I've taken the actual ACT 4 times, and the practice ACT ... at least a dozen. Some portions of my life were centered around the ACT, so now yours doesn't have to be 😀!

I've compiled everything I've learned about this test from eighth grade to now into a list to help you (& myself) prepare for the ACT.

Note : this is ACT prep! I've got a separate list coming for what to do on the actual test! Be on the lookout for it.

1. You need a good ACT prep/practice program

~ I told you all that I went to ACT prep camp, which did help with my score, but of course, that's not for everyone. Plus, with COVID-19 and everything going on as of right now, they are likely not holding those programs at the moment. So recently, I've been using online programs. Online ACT programs are perfect for familiarizing yourself with the ACT if you've never seen it and identifying your areas of improvement. I started off using https://onlineprep.act.org/ , which I needed a subscription for. It was good for exposure to the kinds of questions that are on the ACT and practice quizzes. Now, if you'd prefer not to pay, I highly recommend ACT Academy. It is very personalized and detailed, it gives you resources to help you self-educate and it breaks down the quizzes into sub-sections of each category of the ACT. I will soon come out with a tutorial on ACT Academy. academy.act.org

Sidenote : I apologize for the inconvenience with the link. I honestly have no idea what's going on with ACT Academy, but of course it wants to mess up as soon as I write this post. I linked some more websites below with free ACT prep/practice tests.

https://www.test-guide.com/free-act-practice-tests.html

https://www.kaptest.com/act/free/act-free-practice-test

2. Get off social media the day before

~ I was told to do this the last time I took the ACT and I just thought it was a myth or a way for adults to complain about social media, but this actually works. I actually unconsciously got off of social media for the whole week before I was supposed to take it, not because I was told to, but because I knew that I was gonna be busy studying. This put me into focus mode, and it gave me a lot more confidence going into the test.

3. Study for the ACT, the same way you would study for any other test

~ This should be a given, but everyone doesn't understand that preparing for the ACT requires studying! So signing up for ACT practice websites doesn't mean to sit there and do practice questions and that's it. No, you need to actually work on the areas you need to improve on. Exposure to the questions is helpful in improving your score, but not if you want any drastic improvements. If you're not sure how to study, remember the type of learner you are which you can find out with my article, "What kind of learner are you?", and make sure you study based on your learning style. Personally, I am a linguistic learner, so I study by writing notes in terms that I can understand and reading over them. I apply my study habits to ACT prep and it has helped me tremendously in retaining information and improving my score.

4. Bonus studying tip : listen to classical music!

~ I know it just sounds superstitious, but recently I've been listening to classical music especially while I study and the night before the ACT. I've read from many sources that classical music helps with increasing your brain power and memory along with many other benefits like relaxation and a flow of creativity. Even with scientific study backing it up, I'm honestly not exactly sure if this has any real benefits, or at least for myself, but I do it anyways because you never know. I compiled a short playlist of classical songs that I actually like because I'm selective about what I listen to.

5. Set a target score!!

~ Set an intention and be specific. This is what is going to motivate you to work towards your desired score. Allow your competitive side to come out, but remember that you're only competing with yourself. Ask yourself, "What score do I want to make?" "How much do I want to improve?", and write it down somewhere. Personally, I've gotten a little obsessive in the past and written down my target score, the scores I need to make in each section to get there, and how many questions I can miss in each category. You don't have to get that specific or stress over the minor details like that, but it doesn't hurt to have goals in mind and to make them as specific as possible.

6. Practice tests

~ Now practice tests are definitely a given, and it may sound redundant after I mentioned it when I discussed online programs, but I only touched on it, and I didn't explain why they are so important. Practice tests expose you to ACT content, give you an idea of what your score would be, and help you to evaluate the areas you need to work on. They also allow you to practice test-taking strategies that work best for you and get used to the time limit. Everything about the ACT used to intimidate me, especially the time limit. I would freeze up on every section and just leave half of the questions blank. Now, after taking countless practice tests, I finish each section in their respective times and with confidence.

7. Do not neglect your self-care!!!

~ In fact, do the opposite!! Take basic care of yourself especially before the ACT. Drink lots of water, get lots of sleep the night before, and make sure you're eating regularly. For the ACT, you need to be alert and awake (well I fell asleep on the reading section & made a 27, but that's not the point!), which is why testing sites actually suggest that you bring snacks and gum to keep yourself up. For the night before, if you can't fall asleep, I recommend listening to white noise on YouTube , and if you're going to bring gum to the testing site I recommend Red Hot or cinnamon gum because that definitely keeps me up. Do meditative or decompression exercises if you need to! I recommend meditation music for either relaxation or brain power.

Remember that you are not defined by the ACT or any other test for that matter. It is important to prepare yourself and have set goals in mind, but it is not worth indulging yourself in to the point of neglecting everything else or stressing over. Remember that you are only competing with yourself. Work hard towards your goals, take care of yourself, and make sure to do your best.