The Official Beginner's Guide for Act

This book is the ONLY Official Beginner's Guide in the market from the makers of the ACT test and it provides students with all the information they need to know about the enhancements made to The ACT as well as ways to start preparing for the ACT.

Learn firsthand from ACT about section retesting, the option for faster results through online testing and an ACT provided superscore. This guide also will allow you to start your prep with an online version of the PreACT Diagnostic test and an official ACT full practice test included in the book and online.

The Official Beginner's Guide Includes:

• Information about the new enhancements to the ACT
• Exam and scoring information about the ACT test
• One full length online PreACT Diagnostic test
• An Official ACT practice test offered in the book and online

The Official Beginner's Guide for the ACT® is the best place to start, learn about the ACT, and begin your prep towards success!

PreACT Diagnostic is an online version of the PreACT and is designed to provide a practice experience for students who are planning to take the ACT. PreACT Diagnostic provides Composite, Subject, and STEM scores along with predicted ACT score ranges and helps students to identify areas of strength and weakness for further preparation for the ACT.

The ACT measures students' achievement in core academic areas important for college and career success : English, math, reading, science, and (optionally) writing.

ACT (Iowa City, IA) is a not-for-profit organization providing assessment, research, information, and program management services to support education and workforce development. Known most widely as the makers of the ACT exam--the college readiness and placement assessment taken by some 1.8 million high school students each year--ACT produces a number of assessments and services reaching more than 10 million people along the kindergarten through career continuum. ACT's rigorous research informs policy decisions and helps develop programs that boost lifelong learning potential in schools and workplaces around the world. To learn more, visit www.act.org.

Introduction vii

Chapter 1: Overview and Purpose of PreACT^® Diagnostic 1

Your PreACT Diagnostic Results 3

Your PreACT Diagnostic Score Report 5

What Do Your Scores Mean? 5

Your Predicted ACT Score Ranges 6

Your Detailed Results 6

Building Your Skills 7

Chapter 2: About the ACT 9

Description of the Full ACT Test 10

English Test 10

Mathematics Test 12

Reading Test 20

Science Test 23

Writing Test (Optional) 25

The Fifth Test and Section Retesting 27

ACT Test Formats: Paper and Online 27

Using a Calculator 27

Taking the Test 28

Notes 30

Chapter 3: Taking a Practice Test 31

Simulating Testing Conditions 32

Practice Test 37

Chapter 4: Scoring Your Practice Test 95

Scoring Your Practice Test 96

Scoring Your Multiple-Choice Tests 97

Scoring Your Practice Writing Test Essay 103

Chapter 5: Interpreting Your ACT Test Scores and Ranks 109

Understanding Your ACT Test Results 111

How ACT Scores Your Multiple-Choice Tests 111

How ACT Scores Your Writing Test 111

Recognizing That Test Scores are Estimates of Educational Achievement 111

Using Ranks to Interpret Your Scores 112

Comparing Your Test Scores to Each Other 112

Comparing Your Scores and Ranks to Your High School Grades 112

Comparing Your Scores to Those of Enrolled First-Year College Students 112

Using ACT College and Career Readiness Standards to Help You Understand Your ACT Scores 113

Planning Your Education and Career 114

Seeking Additional Information and Guidance 114

ACT College and Career Readiness Standards—English 115

Production of Writing 115

ACT College and Career Readiness Standards—Mathematics 122

ACT College and Career Readiness Standards—Reading 131

Text Complexity Rubric—Reading 138

ACT College and Career Readiness Standards—Science 145