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Use ACT Practice Tests to Prepare for June ACT Test

Now that the April ACT test is over, it is time to get ready for the June ACT Test. Most schools will take the best of your scores, so there is no reason not to the ACT test again and see if you can improve your score.

Using ACT practice tests is one of the most important tools you have in getting ready for the test. If you haven't downloaded the ACT sample test booklet yet, download it here now. The June ACT test will take place on June 14, 2008 so there is plenty of time to prepare for it still. Today's ACT test scores will be available online starting April 23. It might be worth checking your scores out so you can decide if you want to take the ACT test again and get registered.

Check back here often for tips on using ACT practice tests to improve your ACT test scores.

See College Exam Academy for more ACT test tips and information.

ACT Test | Are You Ready?

The next ACT test date is now only a few days away. If you have procrastinated your ACT test preparation, it is not too late. You can still get significant ACT test preparation in before this next test. In order to maximize your time, you'll need some help NOW. You can't wait and lose a few days. That's why the ACT Exam Secrets is ideal for late minute test preparation. This extraordinary set of ACT tips and tricks is delivered to you digitally. That means that no matter where you live, and no matter what time of the day it is, you can get this very helpful guide in a matter of just a few minutes.

Don't waste time waiting for some ACT test guide to be delivered through the mail. It may take a few days at the very least and 7-10 days at the most. You don't have time. Get the help you need right now.

The ACT Exam Secrets Study Guide will cost you a small amount (under $70), but what better way to spend your money than to invest directly in your future? Raising your ACT test scores just a few points can make the difference in getting into the college you want and can save you thousands of dollars by helping you become eligible for a scholarship. Isn't a few dollars worth it to help you achieve your goals? You'll also get 10 or so bonus guides that cover everything from tips for maximizing your use of time on the ACT to how to overcome test anxiety, and a whole lot in between.

It also comes with a 100% money back guarantee. You have nothing to lose. Except college admission and scholarship money. Don't wait another minute and order the ACT Exam Secrets Study Guide right now.

See College Exam Academy for more ACT test tips and information.

ACT Practice Tests -- A key to ACT Test Success

Most books that have ACT practice tests have several. You can use them in a couple of different ways.

Use the first ACT practice test to carefully put into play the strategies that you have learned for taking the ACT. Don't worry about time. Go back and review the strategy for each type of question if you need to. Make sure you understand each type of question and the best strategy for answering it. There are specific types of questions in each section of the ACT. Learn to recognize what type of question is being asked, because it will help you identify the strategy to be used. With no time pressures, you should be able to do very well on this practice test.

This approach is similar to a basketball or football practice where you walk through specific defensive or offensive sets and practice how to perform them and react to them. When I played baseball, I was taught that before each pitch I should think through scenarios. What should I do if the ball is hit on the ground to me? What if it is hit in the air? What if it is hit to the second baseman? And so on. Thinking about these before the actual pitch helped me be ready when I didn't have a lot of time to think.

After you have scored your untimed ACT practice test, evaluate where you need some review or polishing. Find strategies for those areas where you are weak. After you have completed that, do the rest of the ACT practice tests while being timed. This will help you practice the strategies you used on the first test in a timed environment, which is what you'll being doing when take the real ACT.

This second approach is like a full-speed scrimmage. Once you have learned what you should do, then you have to practice it at full speed. If you get it wrong, you do it again, until you get it right. Hopefully, if you do that enough times, you will be ready for whatever comes your way in the real game.

One thing that you are trying to do with practice tests is to build up your speed. Time is your enemy on the ACT. The only way you can do that is by finding and taking as many practice tests as possible to practice your skills and strategies. If you use ACT practice tests in this way, you'll greatly improve your chance of getting a high ACT test score.

The absolute best source of ACT tips that you can use while taking ACT practice tests is ACT Exam Secrets. This guide is packed full of tips and tricks to help you get the very best score on the ACT.

See College Exam Academy for more ACT test tips and information.

Sources for ACT Practice Problems

If you are preparing for the ACT, you are probably looking for ACT practice problems. After all, ACT practice problems are some of your best resources for preparing. There are many sources for you to use to find practice problems to use in preparing for the ACT. Some sources are free and some cost. Some sources are better than others. Here are some possible sources:

Free Sources for ACT Practice Problems

• The official ACT website provides several sources for ACT practice problems. You can download a free booklet called Preparing for the ACT on their website. This booklet should also be available in any high school's counseling office. This booklet has a full ACT practice exam along with an answer key and categorization of the questions so you know what type of ACT question you are answering. It does not, however, have any explanation to help you understand why an answer is correct or incorrect.
• The ACT website also has a section that provides ACT practice questions that allow you to interactively select the answer and then tells you the reason why the answer you chose is correct or incorrect. This is a great resource for you to use as part of your ACT test prep. Understanding the reason behind your answers is extremely important in your test preparation.
• There are other sources of practice problems, but be careful. The two listed above are the only free sources provided by the makers of the ACT. My experience is that other providers may not provide sources that are nearly as realistic. While they may be helpful, the closer you can get to the real ACT, the more help the ACT practice problems you use will be for you.

Other Sources of ACT Practice Problems

• The Real ACT Prep Guide is a book of ACT practice tests and tips that is published by the makers of the ACT test. It contains three full ACT practice tests with answer key and explanation. It is a great source of information. Click here to order this book. It is well worth your money.
  
• While there are other sources, they also suffer the same problems as above. Since they are not provided by the ACT people, they are not as close to the real test. They may be helpful, but will not be as authentic. Some of those include:
• Cracking the ACT, 2008 Edition
• Kaplan ACT 2008 Comprehensive Edition
• ACT For Dummies
• McGraw-Hill's 10 ACT Practice Tests
  

Your best use of any of these resources is to use them along with a guide to ACT tip, secrets, and strategies. The very best source of ACT secrets is ACT Exam Secrets. This guide gives you information on exclusive ACT test taking techniques that will help you increase your ACT test scores beyond anything you could imagine. Practicing the secrets you will learn using the ACT practice tests is the key to higher scores on the ACT.

See College Exam Academy for more ACT test tips and information.

An ACT Practice Question Per Day

A great way to prepare for the ACT is to answer an ACT practice question every day.
If you look around, you should be able to find a resource that has practice tests that you can take questions from. Take one of the practice tests and randomly pick a question from any of the sections. Take a minute to think about the tips and strategies you should have learned. Now answer the question. Your goal is to get every question right.

Don't hurry; take your time and think about the question. The ACT test has some very definite types of questions. Figure out what kind of question it is? Review in your mind what you already know about that question type. For example, if the question is a math question and you don’t know how to do that problem, then go review the math principles related to the question before you answer it. If it is an English question do the same thing. If it is a question using commas and you are not sure you know the grammar rules for using commas, then review those rules before you answer the question. Remember that your goal answer every one of these questions correctly.

After you answer the question, check to see if your answer was right. If you got it correct and you are sure you know why it was correct, put a mark by that question that shows you got right. If you don’t know why you got that question right, it is very important for you to understand why the answer it correct. If you just guessed, you may miss out finding an area that you need to improve. When you are preparing, it does no good for you to get questions right by accident. If you don't understand why you got the correct answer, make a notation next to the question that indicates the area that you need to improve on.

Likewise, if you got the wrong answer, make sure you understand why you got the wrong answer. Determine what type of mistake it was and learn from it. If it was a careless mistake, figure out why you are making that type of error. If it is a knowledge problem, add that area to the things that you review. Do this for every practice question you do. You will start to see areas that you need to review or to learn.

One practice question a day may not be enough. You may find that you should do multiple practice questions each day. The process you need to go through should be the same. Remember your goal is to get every question right and understand why you got it right. Just getting it right because you guessed doesn’t help much when preparing the ACT in this way.

Regular practice is almost always better than a couple of cram sessions right before the test. It gives you time to make sure you understand the questions and the answers and allows you time to improve those areas that you are weak in. Answer an ACT practice question every day and you'll get a better test score.

See College Exam Academy for more ACT test tips and information.

Three Sources of Authentic ACT Sample Tests to Use for Preparation

Using ACT sample tests or ACT practice tests to prepare for the ACT is one of the smartest things you can do to prepare for the ACT test. But where do you find the best tests? It is crucial that you practice with tests that are as close as possible to the real thing.

I know of only of three places where you can get access to real, authentic ACT tests. Two of them are free, the other will cost you just a little bit of money, but is well worth it.

The first place you can get authentic ACT sample tests is at the ACT website. They have a booklet available that has one test with the answer key so that you can see exactly what it looks like. The booklet also tells you which type of question each question is so that you can see if you have an area you need to concentrate on. The advantage of this ACT sample test is that it is free. The disadvantage of this ACT sample test resource is that there is no explanation of the answers. So if you are not sure why your answer is incorrect, you may be left to guess why. I found at least one answer that I didn't think made sense at all. Click here to download this booklet.

The second place for you to find an authentic ACT sample tests is in the Real ACT Prep Guide. This book doesn't cost a lot (about $20.00 including shipping from Amazon), but it is well worth that money. If you can improve your test scores by a few points, it may mean the difference between a scholarship or not. My son raised his score by 5 points using this book and some other resources. Is it worth $20.00 to get several thousand dollars in a scholarship? And the best part is that when you are done with it, you can sell it on Amazon and get part or your money back! The big advantages that this source of ACT sample tests has is that it has three actual ACT sample tests in it. Just like the booklet described above, this guide is also made by the makers of the ACT. But unlike the booklet, it has explanations for every answer to every problem. That's a huge help. No other guide is made by the ACT test makers. This is the only one.

The third place for you to get real ACT sample tests to practice with is not as well known. If you have friends or brothers or sisters that are taking the ACT, see if they have paid the money (it's only like $16) to get their test book and test score sheet back. If they have, then see if you can borrow it to prepare. That way you'll have another actual ACT sample test to practice with. It will have the answers to the questions, but there won't be any explanation of the answers, so you'll be on your own. But this is another source of ACT sample tests that you might not be aware of.

If you know of any other legitimate sources of real authentic ACT sample tests please let me know!

See College Exam Academy for more ACT test tips and information.

ACT Practice Tests - Tricks to Watch For

The people that make the ACT test have lots of ways to try and trick you. If you know these tricks it is easy for you to watch out for them and not fall for them. That leads to more right answers and a higher test score. This especially helps if you can do this while you are getting ready using ACT practice tests.

One of the ways they try and trick you is to make partial answers one of the possible answers on the math portion. A partial answer is an answer to one of the steps of the problem, but it won't be the correct answer if you do the problem all the way. If you stop the problem early, they hope that you'll notice that one of the possible answers matches your partial answer. If you choose it, you'll get the question wrong. This is particularly easy when you are in a rush and trying to get the problems done as fast as you can. Don't be too much of a hurry to get the right anwers. Always make sure that you do each problem all the way.

Another common trick on the math test is to give the right numeric answer in the list of answers to a problem, but use the wrong units. For example, the question may ask for the answer to inches, but all the numbers you use to figure the problem out might be in feet. If you used feet in working the problem and forgot to convert to inches, you might get the problem wrong. For example, if the problem asked you to give the perimeter of a square that was 4 feet on each side and asked for the answer in inches, one of the answers might be 16 inches. The number is correct, but the unit is wrong. If you weren't paying attention, you might not notice that there was also an answer of 16 feet, which would be the correct answer.

The English portion of the ACT test has tricks also. In general, less is best on the ACT English test, so if you have a choice between two answers and one of them is more verbose than the other, you will usually want to pick the answer that is not as verbose. For example, the correct answer is rarely an answer like "He was famed, renowned, and notable." 'Famed', 'renowned', and 'notable' all mean basically the same thing. If there is an answer that expresses the same thought in less words,then it is probably the right answer.

Do you think you could do better on the ACT if you remembered these few tips? If so, think what you could do if you knew a lot of these types of tricks. The ACT Secrets Study Guide will give you many of the tips and tricks to help you do your very best on the ACT. You can't afford not to know these. The sooner you learn and understand these tips, the better you can use ACT practice tests to prepare. And the better you prepare, the higher score you'll get.

See College Exam Academy for more ACT test tips and information.