Mathematics Test Strategies
Answer all the questions that are easy for you and then go back to the hard ones. Remember that you don't get more points for answering hard questions. All questions, no matter how easy or hard, count equally toward your Mathematics total score. If you don't see a way to solve a problem, or if the method you're using seems to be taking a lot of time, skip the question and move on to questions that you can answer more easily. Don't forget, however, to mark in the test booklet (not on the answer sheet) all those questions that you skip so that you can find them easily when you go back to them later.
Pace yourself. There are 60 questions to be answered in 60 minutes, which allows you an average of 1 minute per problem. Some problems will take you less than I minute, and some will take you more. Don't spend too much time on any one question. You should keep a close eye on your watch to make sure you work at a pace that will allow you to finish the test.
Answer all questions even if you have no idea how to solve some of them. If you're stumped and have time, eliminate as many of the options as you can and then guess from among the ones that remain. If time is running out and you don't have time to eliminate any of the options, guess anyway. Even a wild guess has a 20% chance of being correct, but a blank has no chance of being correct. Remember, there is no penalty for guessing and no penalty for wrong answers.
Watch out for the answer choice "cannot be determined". The answer choice "cannot be determined" is rare. When you see it, it's very likely wrong. It's almost always wrong in a question that comes with a diagram or for which you can draw one.
Plug in the answer choices. Sometimes you can find the correct by working backwards. Try plugging in the answer choices to see which one works. For example, suppose you're trying to solve a quadratic equation and you can't get the quadratic expression to factor and can't remember the quadratic formula. You might be able to get the correct answer by substituting the options, in turn, into the equation until one works. However, don't use this strategy if it is more time-consuming than other strategies.
Use your calculator wisely. A calculator will be helpful on the Mathematics Test only if you are very familiar with the one you bring to the test and you use it wisely during the test. Remember that a non-calculator strategy is often better than a calculator strategy. And make sure the numbers your calculator gives you are reasonable and make sense.
Think! Read each problem carefully. Before answering each question, ask yourself: What do the questions ask? and What do I know? Then make sure to:
Answer the question asked.
Check if your answer makes sense.
Check your answer again using a different method, if possible.
Don't panic if you suddenly can't remember a formula or all of the steps of a procedure you've been taught. There might be another way to do the problem that will work just as well. For example, you don't have to write and solve an equation for every algebra word problem. You might be able to reason through such a problem and get the correct answer without an equation. Sometimes it's best to let your common sense about numbers take over. For example, Can Mary runs at 40 miles per hour?
Finally, remember that the ACT doesn't punish wrong answers. So don't leave anything blank, or you'll waste your points.
Science Reasoning Test Strategies
In the science reasoning test, the test-taker who gets the right answer is not necessarily the one who knows most about the subject. It is the one who understands the passage thoroughly and bases the choice of answer strictly on the contents of the passage. Extraneous information can lead you to confusion and misinterpretation of the question. Follow the steps below to do well on the science reasoning question.
Start by scanning the passage. Read the passage or look at the data presentation quickly, just to get a rough idea of what it is all about. This should take no more than 20 seconds. Do not stop to study in detail any part that you do not understand. With this background, you are ready to move into a more careful study of the passage.
Read the passage again. Now you can take as much as a minute or even more to understand the passage thoroughly. Feel free to mark up the test booklet with notes. Underline key words.
Answer the first question in the group. In most tests, it is a good policy to skip questions you cannot answer immediately, but there is an exception in this test. The first question in each group will probably be a simple test of understanding. If you cannot answer it, you may well get the others wrong also. If necessary, go back to the passage to find the answer. If you cannot answer the first question, skip the whole passage and come back to it later.
Skip the hard questions. After you have answered the first question, do not initially spend more than 30 seconds or so on any question. If you have time at the end, you can come back and reread the questions you could not get the first time around.
Read all the choices. If you think you have found the right answer at once, do not stop reading. You may discover that there is some idea that has not appeared in the one you think is right. Think of the process as one of eliminating the incorrect answers, rather than selecting the right one. You may find that you can throw out three of the four choices quite easily.
If the answers are numerical, use estimation. Calculation takes time, and you should avoid it whenever possible. You can usually eliminate three obviously wrong choices quite easily. For example, suppose a graph shows that an object has traveled 32 meters in seven seconds, and you are asked to find its speed. You are given these choices:
A. 18.6 m/s
B. 15 m/s
C. 4.6 m/s
D. 3.2 m/s
You know that 32 divided by 7 will be a little over 4, so you can pick out C as the answer without doing the calculation.
Pace yourself. With 35 minutes to answer the questions for seven passages, you have just five minutes for each passage. If you find yourself spending more than that on one passage, skip it and come back to it later. On average, you should spend about two minutes reading each passage and 30 seconds answering each question.
Answer every question. When you have finished doing the easy questions, go back and try again on some that you skipped. If you have only 30 seconds left at the end, turn to the answer sheet, find those questions you have not answered, and mark them at random. There is no penalty for guessing.
From Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School Counseling Department