Ace the ACT English: Strategies for Score Improvement
Many students find themselves scoring between 14 and 24 on the ACT English section. This article provides effective strategies to improve your ACT English score, particularly for those aiming to reach a score of 26 or higher. Achieving a score of 26 places you in the 83rd percentile, surpassing the national average of all ACT test-takers. A good ACT score, such as 27, can significantly improve your chances of college acceptance, especially for humanities or language programs. For instance, Northwestern University has an average ACT score of 27 and an acceptance rate of approximately 50%.
Understanding the ACT English Section
The ACT English section is designed to assess your understanding of grammar and rhetorical skills. While it may seem daunting, improving your score is possible with the right approach and consistent practice. The ACT tests concepts that all high school students should cover, such as transitions between paragraphs and subject-verb agreement. However, it tests these concepts in unique ways, often using common traps.
Test Structure and Scoring
The ACT English section consists of 75 questions to be answered in 45 minutes. Aiming for a score of 26 requires answering approximately 60 questions correctly. Guessing can also play a role in improving your score. For example, if you confidently answer 55 questions and guess on the remaining 20, you might get an additional 5 correct by chance. This means you only need to answer about 80% of the questions correctly to achieve your target score.
Here’s the raw score to ACT English Score conversion table:
| Raw Score | ACT English Score |
|---|---|
| Hypothetical data | Hypothetical data |
| 60 | 26 |
Effective Strategies to Improve Your ACT English Score
1. Know What's On the Test
Understanding the test's content is the first step to success. The ACT English section is divided into two main categories: grammar and rhetorical skills. Rhetorical skills involve writing style and logic.
Read also: Digital SAT English Tips
At PrepScholar, ACT English is divided into 18 individual skills:
| Category | Skills |
|---|---|
| Grammar | Punctuation (commas, semicolons, colons, dashes), Subject-Verb Agreement, Pronoun Agreement, Verb Tense, Adjectives and Adverbs, Modifiers, Parallel Structure, Pronoun Case, Idioms |
| Rhetorical Skills | Transitional Logic, Essay Organization, Word Choice, Redundancy, Negative Questions, Main Idea, Adding Sentences, Combining Sentences, Purpose |
While this may seem like a lot, focusing on the most important skills can significantly improve your score.
2. Master the Most Important Grammar Rules
Not all grammar rules are created equal on the ACT. Some skills appear more frequently than others. For instance, transitional logic is more common than modifiers. Prioritize your study time accordingly. Focus on the skills that appear most often to maximize your score improvement. Many test preparation resources treat all skills equally, which can be inefficient. Instead, concentrate on the areas where you need the most improvement.
3. Targeted Practice and Error Analysis
Effective studying involves identifying and addressing your weaknesses. Analyze every question you miss to understand the type of question and why you missed it. Look for patterns in your mistakes and seek additional practice in those areas. For example, if you struggle with comma punctuation, find lessons and practice questions specifically on that topic.
4. Passage-Based Reading Strategy
The ACT English section uses a passage-based format. Read each paragraph one at a time to understand the context around the sentences. Answer the questions related to that paragraph before moving on. This approach helps you comprehend the passage and avoid common mistakes.
Read also: A New Approach to Indian Education
5. Master Proper English Grammar
The ACT English section strictly tests proper grammar. Familiarize yourself with formal English grammar, which may differ from everyday speech or informal writing.
For example, consider the sentence: "The shop opens at six in the morning, I arrive thirty minutes early to set up." This sentence contains a comma splice error. The two independent clauses should be separated by a comma and a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon.
6. Eliminate Incorrect Answer Choices
Practice identifying and eliminating incorrect answer choices. Learn to recognize common grammar errors and illogical statements. By learning more grammar rules and practicing them, you'll be able to do this elimination very quickly and naturally.
7. Reviewing Mistakes
Reviewing your mistakes is crucial for improvement. When grading your test or quiz, review every single question that you marked, and every incorrect question. In a notebook, keep a separate section by grammar rule. Identify why you missed the question and what trick the ACT played on you.
8. Time Management
Time management is essential on the ACT English section. With 75 questions in 45 minutes, you have limited time per question. If you spend more than 30 seconds on a question, skip it and return to it later. Prioritize answering the easier questions first.
Read also: Ace the SAT Math
9. Focus on ACT-Specific Grammar
Avoid studying general grammar rules in isolation. The ACT English section tests grammar in specific ways. Train with materials focused on ACT English to understand how grammar rules are applied in the test.
ACT English Hacks
Hack #1: Shorter is Better
Good writing on the ACT is about clarity and brevity. The ACT prefers short, clear sentences. Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases.
Example:
As I looked at all the unfamiliar maps and graphs, I felt very confused.
A. NO CHANGEB. confused and uncertain.C. confused without clear understanding.D. confused like my mind couldn’t make sense of anything
The answer is A because "confused" is the most concise and clear option.
Hack #2: Semicolons are Periods
On the ACT, semicolons and periods serve the same function: separating two independent clauses. If answer choices differ only in the use of a semicolon versus a period, both choices are likely incorrect.
Hack #3: Equally Right, Equally Wrong
If two answer choices seem equally correct, then both are equally wrong. Eliminate both choices.
Hack #4: Know the Difference Between Independent and Dependent Clauses
Knowing the difference between independent and dependent clauses is crucial. Independent clauses can stand alone as sentences, while dependent clauses cannot.
Example:
A superstar actor and singer thriving in both communities, Jamie Foxx has been in the public eye since the 90s.
F. NO CHANGEG. communities. Jamie FoxxH. communities; Jamie FoxxJ. communities and Jamie Foxx
Answer choice G is wrong because the clause before "Jamie Foxx" is a dependent clause masquerading as an independent clause.
Hack #5: Four Ways to Combine Independent Clauses
There are four ways to combine independent clauses:
- Period
- Semicolon
- Comma plus a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So)
- Making one clause dependent
Example:
In fact, Diwali is an official holiday in many countries, India and Nepal are among them.
A. NO CHANGEB. countries; IndiaC. countries IndiaD. countries, but India
The answer is B because the semicolon correctly connects the two independent clauses.
Hack #6: Know How to Use Parenthetical Phrases
Parenthetical phrases are set aside with pairs of punctuation (two commas, two dashes, or a set of parentheses). You cannot mix and match punctuation.
Hack #7: Look for Relevance on "Keep or Delete" Problems
Ensure that a statement is relevant to the main idea of the paragraph before keeping it.
Hack #8: Look for Redundancy on "Keep or Delete" Problems
Avoid redundancy. If a statement repeats information already provided, delete it.
Hack #9: Give Them What They Want
On questions that start with "given that all of the answer choices are true…", choose the answer choice that best fulfills the question's specific request.
Additional Tips
- Practice Tests: Nothing beats working practice tests, then analyzing and reviewing every question you missed.
- For questions with no question, if there's an option to DELETE, check it first. It's correct more than 75% of the time.
- Shorter is better. When in doubt and when all things equal, choose the shortest answer choice. The Rule of 3 is that if there's an answer choice 3 or more words shorter than all other choices, that short choice is correct over 95% of the time.
- If there are two options 3 words or more shorter than the other two options, then 95% one of them is correct. 95% of time, the shortest one is correct.
- If there's one choice with a double dash, it's correct 95% of the time.
- There are two situations on ACT with a comma before "and" - a list, when a complete sentence follows the and.
tags: #how #to #improve #english #score #on
