It’s coming around that time for us juniors to take our ACTs. Nerve wracking I know, right! Alot have already taken the ACT before but it might not have counted up until now. It is a timed test that each section ranges from 35-60 minutes.

So, the basic breakdown of the ACT is that the entire exam takes three hours and thirty-five minutes to complete. There are two short breaks that are allowed for students. The English portion is 75 questions given in 45 minutes, the Math portion is 60 questions given in 60 minutes, and the Reading and Science portions are each 40 questions given in 35 minute increments.

Juniors in the state of Oklahoma already have to take two required tests that will go on their transcript which is a US history and Science test that are required along with the ACT. The ACT completely freaks me out. The thought that this test is one of the ways colleges accept you crosses my mind at least one day out of the week. It doesn’t have to be stressful because I am about to give you some tips and tricks on how to ace the test!

• Everyone tells you to practice but not exactly what to practice. There are alot of online ACT practice tests that you can take to get comfortable taking a big test like this.
• Read every question THOROUGHLY. It is not stressed enough that you will miss understanding what the questions are asking if you just skim through them.
• Take your time. Although each section is timed, it’s better to be efficient than to rush and get questions wrong when you could have easily got them right by slowing down.
• Look for keywords. It is said that words like “always” or “greatest” are more than likely not going to be the right answer.
• It is OKAY to skip questions or problems you do not understand and to come back to them later when your other questions in that section are done.
• Do NOT leave an answer blank. It is better to guess if you are running out of time than to leave an answer blank. You don’t get a penalty for guessing, but you will get one if you leave it blank.