ACT® OVERVIEW Seth Keene

Stacey SchultzPaula Wilson

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS FACTORS(as ranked by the College Board)

#1: Courses and Grades (especially AP)#2: Standardized Test Scores#3: Class Rank #4: Student Essay#5: Teacher/Counselor

Recommendations#6: Extra-Curricular Activities

History of the ACT®

American College Testing

First Administered in Fall 1959

Optional Writing Test added in 2005

As of 2007, accepted at all 4-year colleges and universities

REGISTRATION

Test dates: September, October, December, February, April, and June

Registration Options: Online (recommended), Mail, or Phone (additional charge)

Cost: $34 or $49.50 with optional writing

Must register 5 weeks in advance of test date or pay $21 late fee (or $42 standby fee)

TEST DAY PROCEDURES

Check-in at SDSM&T Surbeck Center before 8:00am

Must present admission ticket and identification

2hrs 55min (3hrs 25min with Writing) ◦10-15 minute break between Math and Reading◦IEP/504 can request accommodations

Only calculator, pencil (#2), and eraser allowed on desk. Cell phones, MP3 players, and food* are prohibited. A watch* is recommended.

TEST DESCRIPTIONS

ENGLISH: 75 questions/45 minutes

MATH: 60 questions/60 minutes

READING: 40 questions/35 minutes

SCIENCE: 40 questions/35 minutes

WRITING: 1 prompt/30 minutes

ENGLISH TEST

The English test consists of five prose passages, each one accompanied by 15 questions.

Questions may refer to underlined portions of the passage, a section of the passage, or the passage as a whole.

ENGLISH TEST

Usage/MechanicsPunctuation (10 questions)Grammar and Usage (12 questions)Sentence Structure (18 questions)

Rhetorical SkillsStrategy (12 questions)Organization (11 questions)Style (12 questions)

NOTE: Spelling, vocabulary, and rote recall of rules of grammar aren't tested.

MATH TEST

The Mathematics Test is designed to measure the mathematical skills students have typically acquired in courses taken by the end of 11th grade (Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, and Trigonometry).

Students aren't required to know complex formulas or perform extensive computations.

Calculators may be used on the Mathematics Test, but are not required as all problems can be solved without a calculator.

MATH TEST

Pre-Algebra/Elementary AlgebraPre-Algebra (14 questions)Elementary Algebra (10 questions)

Intermediate Algebra/Coordinate Geometry

Intermediate Algebra (9 questions) Coordinate Geometry (9 questions)

Plane Geometry/TrigonometryPlane Geometry (14 questions) Trigonometry (4 questions)

READING TEST

The Reading test is comprised of four passages (Prose Fiction, Social Studies, Humanities, and Natural Sciences). Each passage is accompanied by a set of 10 test questions.

Students must use reasoning skills to determine main

ideas, locate and interpret significant details, understand sequences of events, make comparisons, comprehend cause-effect relationships, draw generalizations, and analyze the author's voice and method.

Questions do not test the rote recall of facts from outside the passage, isolated vocabulary items, or rules of formal logic.

READING TEST

Prose Fiction (10 questions)

Social Studies (10 questions)

Humanities (10 questions)

Natural Sciences (10 questions)

SCIENCE TEST

The Science test measures skills used in the natural sciences. The test presents seven sets of scientific information, each followed by 5 to 7 test questions.

Information is presented in one of three different formats: ◦ Data representation: graphs, tables, and charts ◦ Research summaries: descriptions of one or more related

experiments◦ Conflicting viewpoints: expressions of several related

hypotheses or views that are inconsistent with one another

Advanced knowledge in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics is not required as this test emphasizes scientific reasoning skills over recall of scientific content.

SCIENCE TEST

Data Representation (15 questions)

Research Summaries (18 questions)

Conflicting Viewpoints (7 questions)

OPTIONAL WRITING TEST

The Writing test measures skills emphasized in high school English classes and in entry-level college composition courses.

The test consists of one writing prompt that will define an issue and describe two points of view on that issue. Students may adopt one or the other of the perspectives described in the prompt, or may present a third point of view on the issue. Scores will not be affected by the point of view taken on the issue.

OPTIONAL WRITING TEST

Each essay will be scored from 1 (low) to 6 (high) by two trained readers using a rubric.

Scores are added together, yielding a Writing score range from 2-12.

Writing score is combined with English score.

UNDERSTANDING SCORES

Scores posted on-line three weeks after test date. Up to 8 weeks for delivery to colleges.

For $18 you can receive Test Information Release (Only available for December, April, and June test dates.)

Raw Score to Scale Score Conversions◦See Tables 1 and 4 in Preparing for the ACT

UNDERSTANDING SCORES

Raw Scores:◦English 60/75◦Math 40/60◦Reading 25/40◦Science 30/40◦Writing 7/12

Scale Scores:◦English 26◦Math 25◦Reading 23◦Science 26◦Combined Writing/English 24◦COMPOSITE: (25 + 23 + 20 + 24) ÷ 4 = 24.5

WHAT IS A “GOOD” SCORE?

National Averages: ◦21.1 Composite; 7.3 Writing

South Dakota Averages:◦21.9 Composite; 7.7 Writing

Middle 50% of Applicants:◦Ivy league, Notre Dame, Stanford: 29-34◦Major Public Universities: 25-30

SD Board of Regents:◦Minimum 18 Composite◦$5000 Opportunity Scholarship for 24 or better

TEST PREPARATION

#1 4+ Years of Math, Science, English#2 ACT Preparation Course#3 ACT Practice Workbook/Tests

Ideal Preparation Plan:◦10% Understanding Test◦80% Reviewing Weakest Skills◦10% Test-taking Strategies

PREPARATION RESOURCES

Online/Self-Paced Courses:◦ACT Online Prep ($19.95 for 1 year)◦SD MyLife and My Student Edge (FREE)

Practice Tests◦DSTEP, ASVAB, PSAT, SD Test-Outs◦Preparing for the ACT (Archived editions online)

Practice Books◦The Real ACT Prep Guide ($30.95)

Classroom Review Courses◦Sylvan Learning Center◦Keene Academy

TEST-TAKING TIPS

Pace Yourself (Announcements only made when 5 minutes/1 minute remain)

Read directions before test dateRead questions carefully (annotate)Answer easy questions firstAnswer EVERY question (no penalty for

guessing)Be precise in marking answer and don’t

make notes on answer sheet

CONCLUSION

Questions?

Reminders of upcoming test dates and registration deadlines

Information requests◦Seth.Keene@k12.sd.us◦Stacey.Schultz@k12.sd.us◦Paula.M.Wilson@k12.sd.us◦www.raiderscorner.com

GO ACE THE ACT®!