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What is the ACT?

What is the ACT?. The ACT is a national college admission examination that consists of subject area tests in:. English - 18 Measures standard written English & Rhetorical Skills Math - 22

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What is the ACT?

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  1. What is the ACT?

  2. The ACT is a national college admission examination that consists of subject area tests in: • English - 18 • Measures standard written English & Rhetorical Skills • Math - 22 • Measures mathematical skills students have typically acquired in courses taken up to the beginning of Grade 12 • Reading – 21 • Measures Reading Comprehension • Science – 24 • Measures the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem solving skills required in the natural sciences

  3. English Test Overview75 questions, 45 minutes • Format of the test: • 5 prose passages • Each passage is accompanied by multiple-choice questions • Some questions refer to underlined portions and offer alternative choices • Some ask about an underlined portion or section as a whole • Many questions offer “NO CHANGE” as a choice • Content Covered: • 6 elements of effective writing • Usage & Mechanics • Punctuation (13%) • Grammar & Usage (16%) • Sentence Structure (24%) • Rhetorical Skills • Strategy (16%) • Organization (15%) • Style (16%)

  4. Math Test Overview60 questions, 60 minutes • Format of the test: • Multiple-choice questions • require reasoning skills to solve practical problems in mathematics • Knowledge of basic formulas and computational skills are necessary, but you are NOT required to know complex formulas or perform complex computation • Content Covered: • 6 content areas • Pre-Algebra (23%) • Elementary Algebra (17%) • Intermediate Algebra (15%) • Coordinate Geometry (15%) • Plane Geometry (23%) • Trigonometry (7%)

  5. Reading Test Overview40 questions, 35 minutes • Format of the test: • Questions relate to comprehension of the 4 reading passages • measuring your ability to: • Determine main ideas • Locate & interpret significant details • Understand sequences of events • Make comparisons • Comprehend cause-effect relationships • Determine the meaning of context dependent words, phrases & statements • Draw generalizations • Analyze the author’s voice and method • Content Covered: • reading comprehension in 4 content areas • Social Studies (25%) – anthropology, archaeology, biography, business, economics, education, geography, history, political science, psychology and sociology • Natural Science (25%) – anatomy, astronomy, biology, botany chemistry, ecology, geology, medicine, meteorology, microbiology, natural history, physiology, physics, technology, zoology • Prose Fiction (25%) – intact short stories or excerpts from short stories or novels • Humanities (25%) – memoirs or personal essays about architecture, the arts, ethics, language, literary criticism

  6. Science Test Overview40 questions, 35 minutes • Format of the test: • Multiple-choice, based on scientific information presented in 3 formats • Data Representation (38%) – graphs, tables and other schematic forms • Research Summaries (45%) – descriptions of one or more related experiments • Conflicting Viewpoints (17%) – expressions of several hypotheses or views based on differing premises • Content Covered: • Biology • Chemistry • Physics • Earth/Space (eg. Geology, astronomy, meteorology)

  7. General Information • The ACT includes 215 multiple-choice questions and takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete with breaks. • Actual testing time is 2 hours and 55 minutes • The highest possible score on the ACT is a 36

  8. When can I take the ACT? • ALL PCHS Juniors will take the ACT, free of cost on Wednesday April 23rd, 2014, during the regular school day • In addition, the ACT is administered on five test dates—in September, October, December, February, April, and June. • Test dates can be found and registered for on the ACT website at http://www.actstudent.org/regist/dates.html#first • You will need to register and pay on your own for any additional tests you plan to take ~approx. $37/test

  9. Why take the ACT? • The ACT is universally accepted for college admission in the U.S. • The ACT is accepted by virtually all colleges and universities in the U.S., including all the Ivy League schools. • The ACT multiple-choice tests are curriculum based. • The ACT is not an aptitude or an IQ test. Instead, the questions on the ACT are directly related to what you have learned in your high school courses in English, mathematics, reading, and science. • Because the ACT tests are based on high school curriculum, students are generally more comfortable with the ACT than they are with traditional aptitude tests

  10. Why take the ACT? • The ACT is more than a test. • In addition to the tests, the ACT also provides test takers with a unique Interest Inventory that provides valuable information for career and educational planning and a student profile section that provides a comprehensive profile of your work in high school and your future plans. • The ACT is a good value. • The ACT provides a comprehensive package of educational assessment and career planning services for college-bound students at a modest fee that is lower than the fee for the competing admissions test.

  11. What is the difference between the ACT and SAT? • The ACT is an achievement test, measuring what a student has learned in school. • The SAT is more of an aptitude test, testing reasoning and verbal abilities.

  12. How often can students take the ACT? • Students may take the ACT a maximum of 12 times, but only once per national or state test date. • Many students take the test twice, once as a junior and again as a senior.

  13. Does it help to take the ACT more than once? • ACT research shows that of the students who took the ACT more than once: • 57% increased their composite score on the retest • 21% had no change in their composite score on the retest • 22% decreased their composite score on the retest

  14. The ACT: Think of it as a trainable game!

  15. Students that practice taking the ACT, will do better on the ACT • That is why you have BEEN PRACTICING! • Like anything… practice makes perfect

  16. General Strategies • Practice so you know what the test is like • Do the tests more than once so you can get comfortable with the types of questions being asked • The more you practice, the more confidence you will have in doing well on the ACT

  17. ACT Test Prep SessionsWhat will YOU get out of it? • PRACTICE! Answer practice test questions to improve your test taking skills and increase your content knowledge • See the types of questions you can expect to see on the test • Review content specific information and concepts • Learn general and content specific tips, tricks and strategies to help you do well on the test • Understand how you are scored on each content test

  18. General Information about our Test Prep Sessions • We will meet every day. • All PCHS 11th grade students will take the ACT on Wednesday March 5, 2014 • Sessions will run during 4th period. • Please arrive with pencil, paper as well as your laptop and be on time.

  19. Additional ResourcesTo best prepare yourself for the ACT you should be spending time practicing outside of school • USA TEST PREP – try to put at least 3 hours into USA Test Prep every week. It is one of the best prep programs available and is accessible to you FOR FREE through your PCHS account. • The ACT Website is a WEALTH of great information • www.actstudent.org • Other helpful & FREE resources can be found online. There are several good sites that provide prep for the ACT. Most include answers and explanations to all the exercises and some even include an excellent review of topics covered on the exams. • http://www.actstudent.org/sampletest/ • http://www.4tests.com/exams/examdetail.asp?eid=13 • http://www.testprepreview.com/act_practice.htm • http://www.princetonreview.com/college/free-act-practice-test.aspx?uidbadge

  20. Final Reminders • All of our Test Prep Resources can be found on the Pamlico County High School Website • Click on “Guidance”  ACT • Next week, bring pencil, paper, and your calculators for Math Test Prep! • Questions? • Contact Mr. Standifer, Mrs. Reid and/or Mrs. Squires

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