ACT OVERVIEW
3 HOURS
HOW TO STUDY
FLASHCARDS
• Take lots of full practice tests, timed and
untimed, in one sitting and more spread out
• Make your own flashcards for effective
studying
• Do lots of practice questions on specific
topics you need to improve
• Force yourself to think of the answer
before looking at the other side
• Always ask yourself: why did I miss this?
• Separate into 3 piles: don't know, kind
of know, really know
TAKE NOTES
SPLIT WORK INTO
CHUNKS
• Keep a log of tests and practice you've done
• Write how many you missed
• Write key learnings
• Focus on how to do better next time and how to
avoid same mistakes
| 4 SECTIONS
|
OUT OF 3 6
• Do some work almost every day, not all of it
in one day
• Turn off all distractions!
FOCUS PRACTICE
MINDSET
• Long test: need to be able to focus
• You can improve your scores a lot, but you will
need the right mindset
• You can get better at focusing with meditation
• Try Headspace or Calm apps to learn how
• When you get things wrong, see it as an
opportunity to learn
• Motto: "Let's Make Better Mistakes Tomorrow"
ACT ENGLISH
45 MINUTES
| 5 PASSAGES
|
9 MINUTES/PASSAGE
TOP STRATEGIES
COMMAS
• Read the whole sentence before choosing
your answer
• Test for non-essential phrase by eliminating
• Predict the mistake before looking at
answers
• Don't forget to read for meaning as well
as grammar
• Read "aloud" in your head
• Comma needed between independent and
dependent clauses
• try exaggerating pauses to see if comma is
needed
• If unsure, don't put in a comma
SEMI-COLONS
COLONS AND DASHES
• Goes between two independent clauses
• Colons are interchangeable with dashes
• same as period
• Colons introduce a list, an explanation, or
an explanatory quotation
• same as comma + FANBOYS
• Must have independent clause before a colon!
• If you see a semi-colon anywhere, test for
independent clauses!
• Dashes also set off a non-essential phrase
ADD/DELETE
TRANSITIONS
• First summarize paragraph
• Read sentence before and sentence after, and
determine if continue, contrast, or cause/effect
• Then summarize sentence in question
• If two answers are same category, cross both out
• If same topic, add. If different topics, delete.
• Know: thus, indeed, consequently, subsequently
• Match the reasons with the topic
ACT ENGLISH
45 MINUTES
| 5 PASSAGES
|
9 MINUTES/PASSAGE
SENTENCE
PLACEMENT
APOSTROPHES
• Look for key words that show flow of
sentences (pronouns, dates, places,
transitions)
• Singular = _____'s
• Check the connection to the sentence before
and the sentence after
• It's = it is
REDUNDANCY
MISSION
STATEMENT Q'S
• If omit/delete is an option, good chance it is
correct
• Choose shortest answer that is
grammatically correct
• One word answers are usually right if
other choices repeat the same
redundant word/phrase
MODIFIERS
• If sentence begins with an intro phrase that
doesn't have subject, then subject must come
right after comma
• Usually only one answer does that
• If possessive, needs an apostrophe
• Plural = _______s'
• who's = who is
• Underline the task in the question, usually just
one or two words
• Choose the answer that best matches the task.
• Ignore grammar issues.
SUBJECT-VERB
AGREEMENT
• Eliminate the fluff -- usually prepositional phrases
• Try simpler subjects: "they" or "this
thing"
ACT MATH
60 MINUTES
PICK NUMBERS
• When the question or answers has variables
|
60 QUESTIONS
|
1 MINUTE/QUESTION
WORK
BACKWARDS
• Pick easy numbers to replace the variables
• Best with word problems that tell stories
• Use your numbers in the answers
• Start with the middle answer choice; you can
eliminate multiple answers at once this way
• Stay away from 0, 1, and 2
• Exploit the weakness of multiple choice!
TRANSLATING
WORDS
English
What
Is
Of
Percent
Math
x (variable)
=
(multiplication)
or /100
TRIANGLES
• 30-60-90 corresponds to x, x√3, 2x
• 45-45-90 corresponds to x, x, x√2
• 3rd side must be < the sum and > the
difference of the other two sides
• similar triangles: make a proportion
and cross multiply
CIRCLES
• (x-h)² + (y-k)² = r²
• Center at (h, k); pay attention to sign!
• Any angle inscribed in a semi-circle is a
right angle
• Any angle inscribed in a circle is half of
the corresponding central angle
GRAPHING
QUADRATICS
• Standard form: ax² + bx + c; a tells you
if it opens up (+) or down (-); big a
squishes, small a widens; c is yintercept
• Axis of symmetry: -b/2a
• Vertex form: a(x - h)² + k; (h, k) is the
vertex
ACT MATH
60 MINUTES
MANIPULATING
QUADRATICS
• b² - 4ac tells you # of solutions/roots: if
> 0, 2 real roots; if = 0, 1 root; if < 0, no
real roots (2 imaginary roots)
• Factor standard form to find roots (may
require quadratic formula)
• -b/a = sum of solutions
|
60 QUESTIONS
|
1 MINUTE/QUESTION
WORD PROBLEMS
• All info they give is likely important
• Break it up into small chunks,
translating into math as you go
• Consider Picking Numbers and
Working Backwards
• Be sure to answer the right question
• c/a = product of solutions
PROBABILITY
• For 1 event: # of desirable outcomes divided
by # of total outcomes
• For 2 events: product of individual
probabilities (e.g. dice roll + coin flip)
• For 2 dependent events: change # of total
outcomes (e.g. no replacement)
• For combos, multiply # of choices
SYSTEMS OF
EQUATIONS
• Decide whether substitution or elimination
will work better
• Think about which variable you want to solve
for - get rid of the other one
• No solutions = parallel lines = same slope,
different y-intercept
• Infinite solutions = same line = same
slope, same y-intercept
INEQUALITIES
TRIGONOMETRY
• If you multiply/divide by a negative, flip
the inequality sign
• SOH CAH TOA
• sin²x + cos²x = 1
• If absolute value inequality, solve twice.
(2nd: flip inequality and change sign)
• sinx = cos(90 - x)
• Can try picking numbers
• tanx = sinx/cosx
• secx = 1/cosx; cscx = 1/sinx; cotx =
• 1/tanx
ACT READING
4 PASSAGES
READ ACTIVELY
• Follow with your pencil
• Underline strong transitions
• Summarize each paragraph
• Focus on Main Idea, not details
|
10 QUESTIONS EACH
| 8:45 PER PASSAGE
TIMING
• If you can't finish in time, try
10:10:10:5
• If that doesn't work, try 11:11:11
• Save your hardest passage for last
• If running out of time, do more
specific questions first
BIG PICTURE
QUESTIONS
PURPOSE
QUESTIONS
• Focus on the Main Idea, not details
• Focus on the Main Idea, not the exact
words in the text
• Avoid extreme language in answers
• First and last paragraphs most
important
DETAIL
QUESTIONS
• Go Back to the Passage for every detail
question
• Find the most literal answer, ofte
word-for-word or close synonyms
• Ask yourself: WHY does the author
say this?
• Purpose of a whole passage: Look at
the last paragraph
VOCAB-IN-CONTEXT
• Put in your own word based on context
before looking at the answers
• Most common meaning of the word is usually
wrong
ACT SCIENCE
6 PASSAGES
GO RIGHT TO THE
QUESTIONS
| 6 - 7 QUESTIONS EACH
|
6 - 7 MIN/PASSAGE
TIMING
• You have about 1 minute per question
• Most questions just ask about charts
• Save "Fighting Scientists" passage for last
• Underline the locators in each question
• If running out of time, just answer
"grab the data" questions at end
• Paraphrase the question in your own
word
• If a question is hard, come back later
CHART READING
• Always circle the labels on axes and keys
KEY EXPERIMENT
VOCAB
• State trends in your own words ("As mass
goes up, speed goes down")
• Dependent vs Independent Variables
• Use your pencil!
• Control Group/Controlled Variable
• Direct vs Indirect Association
WORKING
MEMORY
KEY SCIENCE
VOCAB
• To hold a lot of data, condense into fewer
words and repeat twice
• Kinetic vs Potential Energy
• F = MA
• Take very short notes (balloon goes up when
hotter)
• PV = nRT
• Use your pencil
• pH
• Protons, Neutrons, Electrons
• Punnet Squares
My cheat Sheet