So, for the million-plus annual ACT test takers, this exam selects passages from commonly-available media such as daily newspapers or modern novels, writes simple questions based on fundamental understanding of the text, and then squeezes the test-takers for time in order to see who comes out ahead.
Many students have outstanding reading comprehension and retention when they are given as much time as they need to master the material. Actually, for the purposes of structuring test prep curricula, tutors can use this discrepancy between score-under-time-constraint and score-without-constraint to determine training goals.
This is really important. Nevertheless - the timing of the passages and their accompanying questions are always the same, so well-prepped test-takers have no excuse for being caught off-guard when 35 minutes are up.
Seconds make minutes and minutes yield correct answers, so your watch has to be able to track both minutes and seconds. An analog chronograph works great because it has a timer; a digital watch is fine too. However, smartwatches are not permitted, nor are watches with noisy alarms. Then read a single passage, as thoroughly as possible. If it takes you 20 minutes to read the passage and get all 10 questions correct, no problem.
It tells you that you already have the fundamental literacy necessary to get all questions correct; you can work with your tutor to improve reading efficiency. To validate this baseline, repeat the timing exercise for a full Reading test. This will reduce the chances of getting a fluke baseline because you happen to have read a particularly difficult or enjoyable passage. As you measure your baseline, take general note of the following timings:. Volume of reading is relative. Fundamental reading techniques are not necessary to learn in any particular order, but they do act as force multipliers for each other.
In turn, a well-mapped passage permits efficient answering of detail questions, especially those questions which omit line numbering. These tips and tricks will give you an edge — but at the end of the day, this is the ACT Reading Test. It tests Reading. Are you interested in working with an ACT tutor like Lev on your upcoming test? By Lev. Specifically, the instructions are telling the test-taker: Read the passage before you answer the questions! Some answer choices are good, but only one is best — so read all the choices before you decide.
As soon as you have your answer, fill in your bubble sheet. Is this a fair way to test literacy? As you measure your baseline, take general note of the following timings: How long per passage type?
The more accurate data you have, the better you can structure your studying. Step 5: Once you know which passages you struggle with questions on, focus your reading preparation on those passages.
While there are some questions that tend to appear more on some passage types than others more on this in upcoming articles , most of the different types of questions can and will be asked about each of the four passage types. By focusing on the particular passage type you have trouble with, you'll both increase your skill at extracting information from passages you find challenging as well as familiarizing yourself with the different ways the ACT will question you a skill which then will carry across all passage types.
Be a detective and hunt down your weakest ACT Reading passage types. Want more in depth information about what's actually tested on ACT Reading? We have the article for you. Find out the best way to approach ACT Reading passages with our complete guide. Having problems with finishing the ACT Reading in time?
Read our article for tips on how to avoid this dreadful fate. Aiming for a top score? Read about how you can get a 36 on ACT Reading. Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program.
We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also have expert instructors who can grade every one of your practice ACT essays, giving feedback on how to improve your score. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers.
How to Get a Perfect , by a Perfect Scorer. Score on SAT Math. You stay engaged by creating mental tasks to complete as you read. So what is active reading? Do you hear the words you read as you read them? Your brain voice is the voice you hear as you read that pauses at commas or reflects the tone of a phrase. These changes to your internal brain voice offer hints to help you understand what the author is really saying. You can also use your brain voice to skim passages, which is sometimes necessary for denser material.
The rest of the time, you allow your brain voice to mumble literally through the details. Reading Strategies for Slow Readers. By staying alert to your brain voice, you stay engaged in the reading passage and are far more likely to retain what you are reading. So, how does paying attention to the voice in your head help you read at the right pace and pay attention to the right stuff? It depends on the type of passage.
Your mind is going to participate and engage with the different passages in different ways. Listen up: the KEY to reading comprehension is understanding the specific ways that you actively read a given passage. So what are our strategies for conquering each of these passages? How to Stay Focused on the Reading Section. First, there are five main types of passages that you will encounter: narrative or prose passages, natural science, social science, humanities, and paired passages, which usually fall under the social science or natural science designation.
Each passage is to words and there are 10 questions per passage. That averages out to under nine minutes per passage to read and answer the questions. That makes it easier to change the order of how you might do these passages, especially if you there is a passage that you struggle with or one that takes more time to do.
You can apply different strategies to each section to make the most of your time when completing the ACT reading section:. Hear all the words in your head using your brain voice, and use your intonation to help understand the subtext, or meaning behind the words. Read at a pace that allows you to digest the story. You should only need to return to the passage for a few questions. Ignore the details in this passage there are way too many! You do not need to understand the passage completely, but you do need to understand the main idea, the argument, the structure of the passage, and if the author presents additional or conflicting viewpoints.
You will need to read at a quicker pace that allows you to skim the passage by hearing with your brain voice only the important words or topic sentences.
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