JumboTests ACT Blog

Congratulations – one more year of school down! Time to power your brain down for three months right? Wrong. Summer vacation is great, but don’t let all your hard work during the school year go to waste. Here are 5 (fun!) ways that you can keep yourself mentally stimulated over the summer break.

1. Don’t do anything….for a week. It’s completely understandable that you need a mental vacation and would be happy to spend 6 hours a day flipping through lolcat pictures or failblog – just don’t do it all summer. Set a reasonable about of time to give yourself a break and stick to that mental vacation schedule.
2. Host a “classic” movie night. Invite your guests bring their favourite modern movie adaptation of a classic text – you might just feel inspire to read the books.
3. Visit museums, art galleries, or historical sites in your city.
4. Learn a strategy-heavy game. World of Warcraft does not count; think chess, or pick up a book on logic puzzles.
5. Unleash your creative genius. Learn a new instrument, paint, cook write poetry, dance, or even planting flowers in your back yard can work a part of your brain that too often gets stiffled in the classroom.

Bonus tip: Don’t forget about all the quick and interactive ACT tests you can do online to keep your mind sharp.</p

If you’re [info’act-registration’ planning to write the ACT] this year then listen up! The testing and registration dates for the Fall 2010 through to Spring 2011 have been announced. They are:

• September 11, 2010*
• October 23, 2010
• December 11, 2010
• February 12, 2011**
• April 9, 2011
• June 11, 2011

Remember, you need to register in advance for the ACT, and you’ll want to start studying a number of months before you actually write. Why not pick a date now, then start working backwards to create your study schedule?

For more information about registration deadlines, and a few limitations on where you can write these tests click here.

You already know the ACT is a timed test, and you probably already know that time crunches can make people throw common sense out the window. So today, instead of focusing on any particular section, we’re going to give you 6 rules that underlie the entire exam and can stop you from making stupid mistakes that will cost you marks.

1. Memorize the instructions for each test section before writing the exam. This tip is all about saving you time – instructions for each section can be easily found online, so don’t wait until the exam is in front of you.
2. Answer the easy questions first. All questions on the ACT carry the same weight, so focus on getting the highest number of questions answered correctly.
3. Don’t spend too much time thinking about the hard questions unless you’ve done everything else possible. If you’re wondering how much time is too much time to stare at a question, it’s about 2 minutes.
4. Pay attention to which bubbles you’re filling in. ACT tests are marked by a computer which scans your pencil filled bubble sheet, but if you accidentally fill in the wrong bubble….. Protect yourself by circling the answer on the exam booklet as well as filling in the bubble – just make sure you take the time to double check everything before the exam is over.
5. Use your test booklet for scrap paper. By jotting notes in the side margins (or wherever there is space) you’ll make it easier to come back to that question later if you realize you’re taking too much time on it.
6. If all else fails, just guess. It’s not a strategy we advocate often, but since the ACT does not carry a penalty for wrong answers, you’re odds of guessing correctly are better than filling nothing in at all.

On a timmed test, you’ll often hear about the importance of speed reading or skimming a passage. But when you do that, are you really taking in the necessary information? Unless you’re absorbing the information while you read, you’re wasting your time; and with only 45 minutes for 75 questions, you do not have time to waste. Here are three ways to help you connect to your ACT reading passages and stop wasting time.

1. Ask (and answer) questions while you read. Ask yourself what the main idea of the passage is, what evidence the author provides in support, and if you think it’s strong evidence. Asking questions keeps your brain focused on the task at hand.

2. Mark up your books – at least the important parts. Stars, circles, and underlining help you focus in two ways. First, it will keep your eyes focused on the text you’re reading instead of simply staring at the page letting your mind wander. Second, it provides a visual marker for your brain to pick up later when skimming for important points.

3. Summarize sentences. Exam passages squeeze a lot of information into a tiny space, so make sure you’re stopping to summarize what you’ve read every 2-3 sentences. Plus, if you take a moment to jot key summary words down this will give your mind something to go back to later while you’re answering questions.

Bonus Tip: All of these techniques can be applied to your overall exam studying, as well as regular school work. Save yourself some time in the long run and study smarter, not harder.

College entrance exams used to be simpler. If you lived on the coasts you wrote the SAT; if you lived in the middle, the ACT. But now, the ACT is accepted in all public colleges, and the exams are different enough that students are likely to score higher on one than the other simply that exam plays to their strengths. So how do you choose which exam to write? One theory is to play to you strengths. If you are a fast reader, have a strong memory, and process information quickly, you fit in with ACT high scorers. If you have a strong vocabulary, strong reading skills, and enjoy test-taking strategies, you fit in with SAT high scorers.

Here are some other things to consider:

• The Act is shorter. Even when adding the option writing test, the ACT is 25 minutes shorter than the SAT.
• Act questions are notably more knowledge-based and straightforward. This difference can be a lifesaver for students who find it difficulte to process naunced information.
• The SAT does not include any science or trigonometry. The ACT does.
• The basic writing fee of the ACT is cheaper than the SAT.