ACT Tips you Should Take to Heart

Taylor Schefka ’14

Staff Writer

1. Come Prepared- Bring at least three No. 2 pencils, an eraser, and an appropriate calculator. It might be in your best interest to bring a back up calculator, because nothing is worse than your batteries dying in the middle of the test. Remember to turn off your cell phone and leave it in your locker.

2. practice, Practice, PRACTICE!- I can not stress this enough. Review your ACT books, look over your testing strategies, go to Barns and Noble and go through flash cards with your friends. Regardless to what adults say, cram sessions can go a long way…but for the best results start studying at least a week in advance. Do not be afraid to rely on the ACT strategies you learned, they were taught to you because they are guaranteed to increase your score.

3. Treat your body right- Fill your tummy with a protein-rich breakfast before you leave for school. Your brain is going to need the energy when you are starting to get tired near the end. If you eat well in the morning you should be able to make it through the test without stalling out. Start getting great sleep a few days in advance. Go to bed an hour to two hours early and you’ll see amazing results in your awareness and energy level.

4. Guess intelligently- The ACT does not penalize for guessing, so if you don’t know the answer make an educated guess! Narrow down the answers until you are left with two because then you will have a much better chance of getting to right answer. At least one answer will for sure be a definite wrong, so use that to your advantage.

5. Stay positive- I know it is so easy to get discouraged while taking big tests like this one, but you have to stay in the mind frame that you are doing your best. Belief affects behavior. If this is the second or third time taking it, strive for a better score. If this is your first time taking the ACT you can always take it again to improve. A lot of kids get so worked up over their scores, but remember colleges look at a lot more than a score on a piece of paper.

6. Keep your blood flowing- Put your left hand in, put your left hand out…just kidding, but you do want to stay moving. You are constricted to a small area around your desk, but you need to move your legs and stretch. When you are given a break in-between sections use it to shake out your limps. If your body falls asleep, your mind could too.

7. Relax- Stay calm and take care of yourself. Give yourself time to wake up, put yourself together, eat, and get to school. Rushing around will only add to the inevitable pressure you are already feeling. It will all be over in a few hours; just think, at least you aren’t actually in school.