Buy or borrow as many prep books as you can. Each prep book has its weaknesses and strengths. Some will be easier while some will be harder.
Take your diagnostic scores with a grain of salt; your scores on your practice tests may or may notaccurately depict your actual scores. Your scores may, respectively, be higher or lower. Even practice tests from the official red ACT book may give you a false sense of security. So many things can change during testing.
Practice as early as you can.
Enjoy doing the practice tests. If you depise taking every test, the negative attitude probably isn't helping. Take practice tests with a friend, if this helps.
Get a good night's sleep on the day before. (duh)
Though it is important to improve on your weaker sections, it is equally important to focus on your strengths. Doing so can significantly improve your composite score.
Simulate practice conditions. It is wise to perhaps do the sections with fewer minutes that on the actual test. When first starting off, however, I gave myself unlimited time for the first couple of practice tests.
Ultilize the practice tests to their fullest extent. This means looking over the answer explanations for both correct and incorrect answers.
Don't get worked up over any wierd patterns in the multiple choice. If there are 5 or even 10 C's (unlikely) in a row, let it be.
On the test, I marked answers that I was 90-99.9% sure with an X through the number. I would only check these after I checked all other questions (if time permitted).
Bring a watch to the exam room.
Never hand in a paper early. (unless you have diarrhea)
I like to circle the answers in the booklet and then transfer them to the scantron after each page. It saves time, but if you do this, remember to transfer the answers.
Whatever you do, don't panic (espicially during the science section). This will be counter-productive, often leading to negative consequences. If you must, take a deep breath, close your eyes and rest for a second.
Immerse yourself in the passage. Pretend it to be interesting, even though it may not be.
Bring a smart friend along to the test so you can chat about difficult questions during the break and possibly change them (gasp). It also helpes to relieve stress.
English:
The simplest answer is usually, but not always, the correct answer.
Read in context of the passage. Sometimes, the answer may seem correct, but there is an answer choice that is better. This usually occurs in passages with tense shifts.
In my opinion, this section is relatively straightfoward. However, don't always trust your instinct. Remember those grammar rules.
Do all the questions in a passage. It is not in your best interest to skip around in the different sections.
If you practice enough and are a relatively fast reader, you should be able to finish this passage quite quickly. Then you can actually reread several of the passages afterwards and check your answers.
The questions are not in increasing difficulty. I have found many times, the first few questions are sometimes the hardest.
Know the tense rules especially those involing had + verb.
Math:
If you are confident in your math abilities, you can probably skip this section on some practice tests.
Do all the easier questions first. (I know I said this already).
Add programs to your calculator only if you can use them without wasting time.
Read the question properly. I recommend you read the question twice or more. Don't get fooled by superfluous information (the ACT usually gives 1 or 2 questions with extra information; these are usually word problems like "Person A is moving at 7km/hr...".
If you want to score well or even get a perfect score, you need to know a lot more information (hyperbolas, transformations, increasing/decreasing). The only way to be prepared for these types of questions is to take a challenging (high school) math course.
Know hyperbolas
Know what intervals a function is decreasing/increasing
Know period of trig. graphs
Know how to graph inequalities
Know contrapositives
Know how to factor quadractics and what the discriminant represents
To score high, you need to much more, and the list above does not represent everything you need to know.
Math 2 Subject Test is good prep. for this section.
Reading:
In my opinion, this section relies on speed. However, if you feel you can read slowly and fully comprehend the text, then choose the style that best suits you. Because there is so little time, it's better to quickly read through the text, and then answer the questions while referring to the text.
Read literature (classics) to help improve reading comprehension. Sometimes these books actually appear on the passages.
Read things such as the New York Times or the Economist.
Know the difference between what is implied and what is inferred.
Read actively. Actually understand what is going on.
The questions may be randomly scattered about and not in order of the passage. Be aware of this.
Science:
This section probably needs the most practice to find what strategy works for you. Some people read the graphs/information first and then proceed to answer the question. This method works if you have a very good memory and can read relatively fast. Others go the questions first and then refer to the diagram/graphs when needed.
Know punnet squares. (actually understand them)
Bulk up on basic chem, bio or physics. If you take these courses already, you probably don't need to do any extra studying. However, if you are missing anyone of the basic sciences, it might be beneficial to take a subject test in that area to help you prepare for the ACT science.
For some questions, if you are really stuck, you can usually eliminate 2 answers. These two answers will totally contradict the information presented. For example, it will say something like the molarity of the solution increases when more base is added and the other wrong answer choice will be the molarity of the solution decreases when more acid is added.
I like to read the conflicting viewpoint passages before beginning the passage.
Because of the time restraints, make sure to keep an eye on the time.
Essay:
Many people often do not practice this section. Though it may seem dull, I would recommend actually writing essays under 30 minutes a couple of times. This helps build stamina and on the spot thinking.
Write a banging introduction (most important) and conclusion. The introduction instills a sense that you actually can write and gives you some leeway if you screw up in the middle. End the conclusion with either a quote, a question or an afterthought.
Write as much as you can. However, don't write junk.
A relatively long essay (3 pages+) with decent writing will almost always certainly score a 10+.
Leave a couple of minutes to check grammar.
Even though many people write "In conclusion" I would avoid this. It's very generic and shows lack of creativity, in my opinion.
If you fill all of the pages (5, I think), you will probably get a 12 if you have 'decent' writing. This is due to the fact that close to nobody taking the test actually can write fast enough to actually fill out all of the pages.
Incorpate the sentence, "A counterclaim to this could be...." or "A counterargument to this could be..." into your essay.
Use some fancy vocabulary words. Make sure they actually make sense and flow though.
Include a personal example (if relevant).
It's okay (gasp) to lie on the essay.
Don't include examples about twilight, harry potter, family guy, etc.
Often the best essays go against the prompt (simply cause they are rarer and thus more intersting to read).
Though it may be seem academic to quote shakespeare or other 'great' literature, be wary of this. The marker will probably have read these books really closely, and saying something 'contridictory' can detract from your essay. Quote other less known literature.
The prompts usually have something to do with school, etc.
I wrote this pretty quickly, so it may contain typos/errors. Please feel free to correct me and add some more tips. I'll add them in.
On a final note, your GPA/IB/AP/SAT/ACT doesn't define who you are. It doesn't dictate what you can or can't accomplish (though sometimes it may feel that way), and it's definitely not a measure of your self-worth. Remember that.
