Studying for the ACT
How to Make the Most of an ACT Prep Course?
The ACT is taken to qualify for college-level education especially in the United States and Canada. To begin your preparation, you must have complete insight of the details of the test. You should visit the official website of the test (www.act.org) and get all the details about the various aspects of the test. These details should pertain to: subjects of the test, question types, length of the test, time limit for the test, infrastructural requirements for the test day etc. Apart from doing research on your own, you can enrol with a few professional prep-courses to help you with your preparation. These courses will not only provide you with details about the test, but will also provide assistance in preparing for the test. There are various courses offered by various companies to help in preparation for the test. A few popular courses are from the Kaplan Company and the Princeton Review Company. It must be known that, these are just the common and popular names; you can choose to study from any prep-course that you find suitable and affordable for yourself. There is only one prerequisite before taking any kind of professional help for your preparation and that is; the study options should be legal and genuine.
A few pointers to help you make the most of a prep course for ACT:
- Do a thorough research of the courses, timelines and availability before enrolling for a course. A proper review will improve your productivity as you will be aware of what you are getting yourself into. Do not enrol for any last minute courses as they only end up confusing you. Once you have enrolled for a course, be confident about your choice and make sure that you make the most of it.
- Try and avoid procuring a lot of study materials beyond your course content, once you have enrolled for one. Only refer to the official website in case you want more reference materials. Too many books should be avoided, to avoid confusion. You may choose study materials beyond your prep-course content only if you think that you have already understood whatever they had to offer and can now venture into trying out more books.
- A student has to remember that ACT is not only a test of knowledge but also a test of reading skills and the skills to relate data. These skills can only be honed by practice and not by collection of a lot of study-materials.
- Keep referring to the official website of the ACT (http://www.act.org) even while taking a professional course. You should check the application of what you are studying by referring to the materials given on the official website. You should also remember to take current practice tests and tips that are available on it. Remember that the courses will help you only when you know where to apply them in the process of your study schedule.
A few pointers to help you study for the ACT test in an effective manner:
- Do a self-assessment: Go through the official website and procure the official materials that are designed to help students prepare for the ACT. For your ACT self- assessment test, you can solve the sample questions given in the link: http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/preparing.pdf. Self-assessment will help you gauge yourself whereby you will know which areas of the test need more work and what are your positives. It is very important to assess your strengths and weaknesses, pertaining to the test, to make an honest attempt at studying for the test.
- Go through and remember the dos and don'ts of the test mentioned in the official website (www.act.org). The official website has an updated record of the examination rules and you should be aware of them before you make your schedule.
- Make room for practice: Practice time will be very useful, if included, in your schedule. Even if you have taken up professional courses, practicing in your own free time will be useful because the tutors may have given you tips and techniques to help you take the test, but without proper practice, you will not be able to use your studies well. Practicing for the test, in your extra time, will help you apply your knowledge in an unrestricted way.
A final point...
No amount of preparation will help you during your test if you do not have confidence in yourself. Do not ape your counterparts but believe in whatever amount of honest preparation you have put in for the test. That will be your winning mantra!