How Can You Prepare For The Act

By Author: Jason Rodnay
Total Articles: 24
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So you have to take the ACT, but you don’t know anything about it. What now? How do you go about preparing for the test?

If you are not sure how to prepare for the ACT, you can get help on ACT now! In this post, we outline a ten step procedure to prepare for the ACT. Then, we will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of some of the major techniques that students use to prepare. We will close out with a short roundup of helpful ACT preparation resources that you may find beneficial.

How to prepare for Aptitude reasoning tests

This section lays out the main things you will require to accomplish to be ready for the test, from registration all the way to the test day! This post is basically targeted for those that are self-studying, but a good mentor or program will guide your preparation in this same overall sequence.

1. Register for the ACT or the Numerical Test

If you haven’t registered fir the test yet, you can take care of the test registration at the ACT website. Registering for ...
... the test will comprise of creating an account on the ACT website if you haven’t done that already.

When you choose a location, try to pick a location that is not that far away, as you will have to drive there on the morning of the test!

When you choose a date, be sure you give yourself sufficient time to prepare. I would recommend picking a date at least three months beforehand if you are completely unfamiliar with the test to give yourself sufficient breathing room for studying. Those being said don’t panic if you have to work on a compressed timeline due to the application deadlines! In that case, you will have to spend more time preparing every week for a short number of weeks.

2. Become Familiar with ACT Format and structure

The next step after registration is to get familiar with the overarching structure and format of the ACT. The ACT comprises of 36 points. It comprises of four multiple choice sections- Science, Reading, Math and English, each scored out of 36 points. There is also an optional writing essay test, scored out of 12 points. Writing is not based on composite score.

3. Get Oriented with the ACT’s content and question styles

The different sections of the ACT test different knowledge and skill areas. Therefore, how to prepare for the ACT English will be different from how to prepare for ACT Math and so on.

Moreover, the ACT has its own specific question formats and styles that you will want to be familiar with before the test day. Or else, you can be bowled by some questions thrown on you even if you know the content!