If you’ve come to this post hoping to find the secret ACT tips for the perfect score, I hate to break it to you – but that just doesn’t exist! What I can offer you is the next best thing – tried and true ACT tips and tricks that will maximize your ACT score on test day.
Preparing for success on the ACT starts well before test day. In this post, we’re going to cover how to prepare for the test in advance as well as tips to follow during the test. The ACT tips and tricks we will cover include:
- Familiarize yourself with the test in a test-like environment.
- Choose a default answer for when you’re stumped.
- Choose your question order based on your strengths.
- Don’t second guess yourself.
- Come up with and follow a time management plan.
- Relax!
I’ll also provide you with some resources that provide tips tailored for each ACT test section and tips before and during test day to reduce anxiety.
Now, let’s dive right in to some ACT tips for success!
ACT Tips and Tricks for Success
Familiarize Yourself With the Test in a Test-like Environment.
The most effective way to become familiar with the ACT is to include several timed full-length practice tests in your test day preparation process.
Most of us would rather watch paint dry than willingly set aside three-hour blocks of time to take practice tests on a regular basis. But if you’re one of the many students who suffer from test anxiety, exposure to and familiarity with the real deal really does lessen stress. It also allows you to establish a baseline score and see how you’re improving as you progress through your ACT preparation process. To best prepare for test day, make sure you’re taking your practice tests in a test-like environment, such as the library or a room tucked away in the quieter part of your home.
I encourage you to reach out to Magoosh to get access to several ACT preparation tools, including practice tests!
How do I improve my timing if I can’t make time for full-length practice tests?
Setting aside a chunk of uninterrupted time for timed practice tests can be a hassle, and some might find it impossible on a regular basis. While I still recommend that you try to take as many full-length practice tests as you can, here’s an alternative (and complimentary) ACT trick.
As you work on practice problems, divide them into sets of ten. It doesn’t matter which section you’re working on, as this technique adapts to your abilities and timing.
- First, do a set of ten problems. Time yourself, but don’t make yourself stick to any given period of time.
- Grade your problem set and write down your time. That’s your baseline.
- As you continue your practice over the coming weeks, work on shaving just a few seconds—15-20 a week is a good place to start—from your problem sets.
- When you get high accuracy scores in that time frame, shave off even more time.
- Lather, rinse, repeat.
You can also apply this on the macro-level. If you’re comfortable taking timed practice tests, try shaving off a few minutes from the timer during your next practice session. If you can successfully finish (and do well) on a test in less time, the actual thing will seem all the easier.
Choose a Default Answer for When You’re Stumped.
Even advanced standardized test takers are likely to come across a question or two on the ACT that they don’t know how to approach. Or perhaps you find yourself running out of time. In these situations, it’s important that you do NOT leave any answer choice blank, no matter what. There’s no penalty for incorrect answers on the ACT (thank goodness!). So when you reach a question that stumps you or if you find yourself down to the wire on time with questions you know you won’t get to, it’s important that you have a plan. Pick your two-letter combo prior to taking the exam and commit to it for every question that you decide that you’re not going to be able to answer. My favorite combo is A/F! If you choose your “default answer” and consistently use it, you’re more likely to pick up a few extra points!
Choose your Question Order Based on Your Strengths.
Approaching the test in order of the questions as they are presented to you can cause you to become inefficient with your time and make careless mistakes. For example, you could spend so much time on one hard question that you end up rushing through easier questions to make up time and making silly mistakes. Instead of just going through the questions as they’re presented, briefly scan the question and think about your approach.
- Do It Now: If you see the question and you immediately know how to approach it, go for it.
- Do It Later: If you see the question and you think you know what to do but you’re not sure or you know what to do, but you think it will take you a while, mark it for later and move on.
- Don’t Do It At All: If you see the question and you have no clue how to approach it, skip it. Don’t waste time on questions that completely stump you. Move on to questions you know you can actually answer.
Once you’ve gone through and answered all of the questions that you know how to answer, go back to your “Do It Later” questions and work through them. If you happen to have extra time, you can go back and review the “Don’t Do It” questions in a last-ditch effort to gain a few more points. Otherwise, refer back to your “default answer” from Tip #2 and finish up the test section.
This approach allows you to be sure that you’re able to get to all of the questions that you know how to approach, maximizing your time and points on test day.
Don’t Second Guess Yourself.
We have all been there: you’re stuck between two answer choices, and after careful consideration, you choose “B”. A few seconds later, you think maybe it’s “C”. Now you’re unsure again and you go back and ponder again, spending precious moments seconding guessing your gut reaction. An important ACT Tip is to decide that once you’ve reviewed the question and made your choice, trust your initial reaction. Only change your answer choice if you have time at the end and you find hard evidence that you’ve made a mistake and your answer choice must be changed. Second-guessing yourself takes time away from your progress and can impact your confidence as you move through the test, thereby impacting your overall score. Trust your instincts!
Come Up With and Follow a Time Management Plan.
When test day comes, it can be very stressful. It is tempting to just put your head down, plow through the test sections without a game plan or a strategy, and just hope for the best. However, this is not the most efficient way to approach the test and such an organized approach can negatively impact your test score.
Coming up with a specific time management plan in advance and sticking to it on test day will help you feel more in control and keep your cool in an infamously stressful situation. You’ll also gain additional time by eliminating the wasted time many spend by not having (or sticking to) a time management plan. Here are some ACT Tips to consider when coming up with your time management plan.
- Ask yourself:
- What is my plan for when I reach a question I don’t know how to answer? (HINT: See ACT Tip #2!)
- How do I pace myself in each section to maximize my time? (HINT: See ACT Tip #3!)
- Decide what is the maximum amount of time you will spend on a question or a set of questions before you decide to move on.
- Come up with a plan for what you’re going to do if the 5-minute warning comes and you’re not quite done with the test section.
The best way to hone in on your time management skills is to use a comprehensive, reliable ACT prep course and resources and practice, practice, practice! Magoosh has several resources to help you prepare for the ACT and sharpen your time management skills!
Relax!
I know, I know – it’s easier said than done. But you’ve got to remember that no matter how much preparation you do, test day anxiety can still make you succumb to the pressure, forget your practice, and panic – all of which are not helpful to your overall score. So, one of the most important ways to do well on test day is to take a deep breath and relax.
The nerves will likely never fully “go away”, but the goal should be to minimize your stress and anxiety as much as possible. Here are the (not-so) secret ACT tips to do before test day that will help you relax and minimize stress on test day: I call them the 3 P’s: Plan. Practice. Prepare.
- Plan: Come up with and follow a time management plan to attack the questions based on your strengths and areas of opportunity. (See ACT Tip #3!)
- Practice: The goal of practice is to close the gap as much as possible in your areas of opportunity and, secondarily, make your strengths even stronger. Consistent practice also takes away the mystery of not knowing what to expect on test day; with enough practice, you will know exactly what concepts you will see on test day.
- Prepare: make sure you’re mentally and physically ready for test day. Get plenty of rest, leave early with plenty of time to get turned around or to account for traffic, eat a light breakfast that won’t weigh you down, pack healthy snacks, and prepare everything you need the night before so you have less to do the morning of.
If you adequately plan, practice, and prepare, then you should be able to relax, overcome the jitters that everyone feels, and perform your very best on test day.
ACT Tips by Section
The ACT tips and tricks above are only one component of how to maximize your score on test day. There are four different sections on the ACT (five including the optional Writing section), and the ACT is set up in such a way that there are also strategies you can use within each section to help push your scores up on the different ACT tests, as well.
Whether you’re looking for all-around improvement or just need to focus on boosting one sectional score that you struggle with, these tips can help you get there!
Best Tips for Before and During Test Day
I discussed briefly in Tip #6 the importance of relaxing and managing anxiety before and during test day. Here’s a post with more detailed last-minute ACT tips to help with anxiety.
The most obvious, but the hardest-to-follow tip: Don’t forget to breathe!
As with any kind of test-taking strategy, be sure to practice these first. Some strategies may work better than others for you, and you’ll want to figure that out so you have a plan for test day!
Good luck, test takers! Keep your minds sharp, your bodies healthy, relax, and do your best; the scores will inherently follow.
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