ACT Test Preparation Tips for Colorado Students

It’s that time of year and although you may be feeling the pressure to perform well on your ACTs, you know the best course of action is to be prepared. Start getting organized and augment your study program with past tests and online test questions. If you are struggling with things you don’t understand or you want to move your score up to get into a good school, consider some ACT tutoring sessions which will help to fill in the gaps in your foundation of knowledge.

Get organized

Create a schedule that is realistic and leaves enough time for you to properly study each subject thoroughly. Don’t block off hours of study at a time. You should hit the books for about 45 minutes to an hour at a time, then schedule an activity that involves getting up from your desk. Movement is a great way to stretch out tired shoulders and it also helps to stimulate higher cognitive functioning.

Use your Downtime

Make flashcards, record lectures, or make short notes that you can review during downtime when you are waiting or commuting, between classes or when you are on a break from something else.

Study Groups

Get together with three or four other students who are going to pull their weight in the study group. Divide the text up and get each student to review a section and make notes. Then teach each other and share notes.

Learn from your mistakes

Going over past ACT exams is a must for students who want to be successful. This will help you to become familiar with the way in which questions are posed and how best to answer them. When you make mistakes on past tests, don’t erase them. Instead mark them in a colored pen and write the correct response alongside so that you can learn from your mistakes.

No distractions!

This is a tough one, but you need to find a space where there are no distractions; not even your phone! You can text and talk to your friends later; you don’t have to say no, just put them off until you have a break. Turn your phone off when you are studying to avoid distractions completely.

Find a space in your home, a neighbor’s home, the library or at school where you can work quietly without interruptions or noise from siblings or the TV. You know what works best for you, so create a space which is optimized for success. You will feel better and study faster when you are working in an environment conducive to studying.

Eat right

The temptation may be to live on candy and energy drinks, but your brain needs proper sustenance to work. When you eat junk it affects your brain’s ability to function which means all that studying is going to waste. Eat healthy balanced meals with tons of fruit and veggies and drinks lots of water. If you must go on a diet, wait until after exams because your brain needs carbs to function.

Get a great online resource for practice questions in math, reading, English, science and writing here.

If you are not planning on taking the ACT test on February 8th and are interested in the next ACT test date and location near us, the ACT Test will be on April 14th at Mountain Vista High School and Thunder Ridge High School in Highlands Ranch, Aurora Central High School, Overland High School and William C Hinkley High School in Aurora, Eaglecrest High School in Centennial and Chatfield High School in Littleton.

If you are interested in increasing your ACT score, we offer some wonderful programs that will help you do your best.

Call us today for a free consultation to find out how to get started. 720-524-3191

The 7 Best ACT Test Taking Tips for Colorado Students

With the February 8th ACT test day quickly approaching in our area Highlands Ranch High School & Thunder Ridge High School in Highlands Ranch, Castle View High School in Castle Rock, Aurora Central High School, Overland High School, Rangeview High School and William C Hinkley High School in Aurora, Eaglecrest High School in Centennial and Chatfield High School in Littleton, we thought we would pass on 7 great tips for doing your best on the ACT. 

You’ve spent hours and hours preparing, you’ve taken some practice ACT tests and you’ve worked with your classmates, tutors and teachers to prepare for one of the most important tests you will ever take. Even the most prepared students can falter on the day if they don’t have a good ACT test writing plan. Knowing what to expect and having a clear plan of action is the best way to ensure success.

Get a good night’s sleep

I know you think that using those extra hours to cram in everything you can is the best use of your time, but it isn’t. When you are sleep-deprived and tired, your higher brain functions start to shut down. Tired students are more likely to misread questions, make mistakes, and find it difficult to come up with solutions to complex questions. You must try to get at least eight hours of sleep before you write your ACT test.

Fuel your brain

Your brain needs carbohydrates, protein and other nutrients to function optimally. You are able to think clearer and faster when your brain has healthy fuel. This means you can’t eat a breakfast of donuts and coffee and expect to fire on all cylinders. Ensure you have a balanced meal of carbohydrates, proteins and fruit before you take your test. Make sure you are well hydrated.

Read the questions

Read through all the questions carefully before you start. Prioritize them from easiest to hardest and then answer the easy questions first. Read every question at least twice to be absolutely sure you understand what is expected of you. Even if you write the best answer in the history of ACT, misinterpreting the question will still get you a low score.

Quit it if you can’t hit it

Don’t know the answer? Move on to the next question and come back to it later. Never waste time trying to figure out a difficult question. Time constraint is the biggest challenge you face in the ACT, so answer all the questions you can and then come back to the ones you struggled with.

Take a wild guess

Still don’t know the answer? Take a guess at what it could be. There is no penalty for incorrect answers in the ACT, so make an educated guess.

Every day we’re bubbling, bubbling

Be very careful when bubbling. If you mark the incorrect answer on the answer sheet, all your hard work will be for nothing. Ensure that you leave time at the end of the test to check that you have filled the right answers in on the answer sheet.

Smile!

OK, so maybe you won’t feel like smiling, but try to stay positive. A defeatist attitude is your worst enemy. If you can’t figure something out, just give yourself a pep talk and move on to the next question. A positive attitude can really make a difference to your final ACT score.

If you are not planning on taking the ACT test on February 8th and are interested in the next ACT test date and location near us, the ACT Test will be on April 14th at Mountain Vista High School and Thunder Ridge High School in Highlands Ranch, Aurora Central High School, Overland High School and William C Hinkley High School in Aurora, Eaglecrest High School in Centennial and Chatfield High School in Littleton.

If you are interested in increasing your ACT score, we offer some wonderful programs that will help you do your best.

Call us today for a free consultation to find out how to get started. 720-524-3191