How to Pass the ACT?
5 Tips to Handle ACT Related Stress
Introduction to the ACT Test:
The fact that ACT is a standardized test and the score reports of this test are widely acceptable for admissions in colleges makes this test one of the most sought after. Every year thousands of students take this test. It continues for 2 hours and 55 minutes. There are four sections and all the sections are of certain fixed duration. As this test is timed, students usually get stressed while taking the test. Many times anxiety creeps in and even if the students know the correct answer to a question, they fail to answer. The situation really gets tense when students see the clock ticking in front of them. They worry about attaining passing scores in the test. However they can beat all the stress and anxiety if they enter the test center with a smart strategy and confidence in self. There are a few tips that students can follow in order to pass in the test.
Tips to Learn How to Pass ACT Test
A test taker must reach the test center before 8:00a.m. The test begins once all the test takers are seated. One should keep his calm and should relax properly before the test begins as this is a long duration test. It is suggested that the test taker should take adequate rest a day before the exam and calmly revise the important formulae and tips gathered during the course of test preparation. On the day of the exam, a test taker should eat adequately to gain energy to take him/her through the test. One should not over eat as it will make one feel lethargic and sleepy.
2. Read the Instructions on the Test Booklet Properly
As soon as the test taker gets the test booklet, he/she should not immediately jump to attempt the questions. It is worthwhile to spend few minutes reading the instructions written on the cover of the test booklet. These instructions are very important and are to be followed properly during the test. One should check the number of pages mentioned in the test booklet. If any page is found missing, it should be brought to the notice of the invigilator.
3. Attempt Easy Questions First
One good strategy for a test taker is to attempt easy questions first and then revisit the section to attempt tougher questions. For this, the test taker can first quickly browse the questions of a particular section and mark all the questions which appear tough. The test taker can start answering easy questions and once he finishes off with easy questions and he finds that still there is some time left, he can revisit the section to attempt tougher questions. All the answers marked in the answer sheet should be checked to ascertain if they are correctly marked.
If a test taker is still worrying about getting passing scores in the examination, read on further to gain two most important tips.
4. Smart Guessing
This test does not carry penalty for wrong answers, it is suggested that the test taker should answer all the questions even if he does not know the answers to them. For the questions to which the test taker does not know the answer, he should first eliminate two most distant choices from the multiple choice answers. From the remaining two choices, a test taker should guess any one. By applying this strategy, there is a fair chance that the answer might turn out to be correct. Smart guessing is thus one of the important tips to learn how to get through the ACT test.
5. Keep a Track of Time
As this test is timed, test takers usually feel the pressure mounting as the time passes. In order to remain calm during the test, a test taker is suggested to keep a track of time. Before the test begins, a test taker should chart a strategy to time his test in such a manner that there is time left to revisit a particular section. For this the test taker should try to finish a section 5-10 minutes before the stipulated time. In the remaining time, he should revisit the section properly to scan if all the questions are answered and if they are properly marked on the answer sheet. This will help in fighting the stress related to the test. In addition to a good exam preparation, if the above written tips are followed during the course of test, it will help the test taker to beat the stress related to the examination and his/her worry about sailing through the test will seem trivial.