Are you trying to improve your score on the ACT English section? Good news- English is statistically the strongest subject for all those students who take the ACT. Approximately 66% of all students who take the ACT are competent English students. As a result, it is easy to achieve a good score on your ACT English test.
Most students find the overall planning process ‘boring’ and challenging. If this is the case, then consider using an online prep course to help you. If you are not sure about which one, it would be best to start by reading multiple PrepScholar reviews. With that said, the following tips will help you spend adequate time on planning while creating the right foundation to get the most out of ACT prep.
Get to Know What’s on the Test
It is a rule of thumb to know what you are preparing for before facing it. One common mistake that students make when preparing for an English test is assuming that every question is based on grammar or how well they can write. The truth is grammar gets you halfway there.
According to Prepscholar, grammar accounts for 53% of the ACT, while the remaining 47% tests rhetorical skills, such as macro logic, wordiness, relevance, author intent, tone, and formality. As a result, it is essential to also familiarize yourself with such before taking the test to increase your chances of scoring highly.
Practice and Don’t Be Afraid of Mistakes When Doing So
Ever heard the phrase practice makes perfect? Simply put, a ton of practice will automatically make you better. Consider browsing the internet for online ACT resources, including free and paid-for resources.
The path to perfection is punctuated with many mistakes and errors. When practicing, don’t be afraid to make errors, because it is from such that you will understand the contents of the ACT better. Be adamant about understanding the main reasons behind your failures. Follow through those tough practice sessions with aggressive revisions in a bid to understand your failures.
Identify Your Grammar Weaknesses and Work on Them
If you already took the ACT and scored lower than 26, it might be time to reconsider a few things. For one, try to get to the root cause of your ACT shortcomings. It is not until you figure this out that you will stop re-doing for this test over and over again.
Understanding common grammatical mistakes, including the main problems of written English, is critical as it helps you improve your approach to preparing for the ACT. In addition to the knowledge of what the ACT entails, it is incredibly beneficial to know in what areas you fall short. Start by asking yourself, ‘What topics, including questions, do I struggle within the ACT English test?’
Grammar weaknesses force many students to miss or altogether avoid a specific question. This process is hard and tiring, and many are the times that you will completely exhausted. However, if you wish to achieve a high score on your ACT, consider this approach.
Tips for the Passages Section
If you haven’t sat for the ACT, then you must know that you’ll face five passages from a wide array of topics. When prepping for any ACT passages;
- Remember to be clear, consistent, and write complete sentences.
- You must observe most, if not all, grammar rules, including subject-verb agreements, to transitive verbs and comparisons.
- Use the answer choices to help you relate to the main themes behind every question. There are a couple of strategies to use when answering multiple choice questions, one of them – the elimination method.
Be Keen in the Usage of Grammar in Everyday Life
Your command of the language will improve if you are cognizant of this subject in your everyday life. From newspapers to TV news briefings, there are many options that you can use to bolster your grammar.
Finish and Double-Check Your Work
Lastly, it would be best to sit for the ACT English test with one goal in your mind to solve all questions. Time management is crucial for the success of this goal. Consider taking approximately 40 seconds on each question. This will comfortably give you time to recheck your work for errors.
Ultimately, it is possible to score a perfect 36 on your ACT English test. There are many tips for passing the ACT, but ultimately knowledge of the test and lots of practice will give you a significant edge when sitting for the test.
Please be advised that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this blog are solely that of the author or his/her sources and do not necessarily reflect those of English Forward. This includes, but is not limited to, third-party content contained on or accessible through the English Forward websites and web pages or sites displayed as search results or contained within a directory of links on the English Forward network.
Clap
