3. Fine Arts Visit Day
November 17, 2012
SouthWestern University
Are you hoping to showcase your creativity in college
by participating in Studio Art, Music or Theatre? Then
this day is just for you. Learn more about
Southwestern’sSarofim School of Fine Arts, as well as
gaining valuable information regarding the admission
and financial aid process by attending this event.
There will be opportunities for auditions and/or art
portfolio review at this event, please contact Allison
Fannin if you would like to schedule either an audition
or art portfolio review.
4. Sewanee: The
University of the
South, October
31st at 2:45
5. A drawer contains 10 red socks and 10 blue ones.
If you pull out two socks without seeing them,
what is the probability that you pull out two
socks of the same color? (Round it off to two
decimal places.)
A. 1.000
B. .500
C. .470
D. .430
E. .25
7. The Importance of Standardized Testing
Format of the ACT
Overview
English
Mathematics
Reading
Science
Essay
General Strategies for Mastering the ACT
Special Accommodations
8. Factors in the Decision Process (in order of
importance):
High school course selection (the more AP classes the
better)
GPA and class rank (for Texas public colleges, this can
be the ONLY factor)
Leadership and extracurricular activities, including
work or community service
Application essays
Standardized test scores
Counselor and teacher recommendations
9. Standardized testing enables colleges to
roughly correlate academic achievement
among applicants from very different
academic environments – say, comparing the
valedictorian from Boston Latin School to the
valedictorian from Van Horn High School.
Because no cultures are different anywhere,
ever.
10. The ACT does not measure intelligence. It
doesn’t measure analytic ability. It DOES
measure academic achievement to a small
extent. But what it mostly measures is how
good students are at taking the ACT.
Good grades are no guarantee of success;
bad grades are no guarantee of disaster!
11. The ACT’s single most So we teach you to
important quality: work SMARTER, not
IT’S PREDICTABLE!!!! HARDER by:
COMPLETELY Gaining familiarity with
PREDICTABLE!!! the test
Learning how to avoid
the most common types
of mistakes
Learning, and ALWAYS
USING, our techniques
and strategies
12. The ACT is:
A multiple-choice
standardized exam of 215
questions
3.5 hours long, with one
break •Subtests/Sections:
Divided into four subtests •English
and one essay (which you •Math
will sign up for) •Reading
Always given in the same •Science
order (unlike that wily SAT) •Essay
13. 45 minutes long English Grammar and Usage:
75 questions Focus on pronoun and verb
Roughly one-half will cover questions with emphasis on
English usage skills agreement issues
The other half will cover Punctuation
rhetorical skills Questions involving adjectives,
The English test does not test adverbs, and idioms
how well you write; it tests Rhetorical Skills
how well you know and can Strategy, transition,
apply the rules of standard organization, and style
written English. questions
Reorder sentences or
paragraphs/reword something
Evaluate whether the writer of
a passage has satisfied a
particular assignment
14. 60 minutes, 60 questions 23 Geometry questions
33 Algebra questions 14 plane geometry questions
14 pre-algebra questions based on angles, lengths,
based on math terminology, triangles, quadrilaterals,
basic number theory, and circles, perimeter, area, and
manipulation of fractions and volume
decimals 9 coordinate geometry
10 elementary algebra questions based on slope,
questions based on distance, midpoint, parallel
inequalities, linear equations, and perpendicular lines,
ratios, percents, and points of intersection, and
averages graphing
9 intermediate algebra 4 Trigonometry questions
questions based on based on basic sine, cosine,
exponents, roots, and tangent functions, trig
simultaneous equations, and identities, and graphing
quadratic equations
15. 35 minutes long Prose fiction: excerpts
40 questions from short stories and
Four reading passages; novels
each about 750 words Social Sciences: history,
long – always in this economics, psychology,
order: political sciences, and
Prose fiction anthropology
Social Science Humanities: art, music,
Humanities architecture, and dance
Natural Science Natural Sciences:
There are always ten biology, chemistry,
questions per passage physics, and physical
sciences
16. 35 minutes, 40 questions All seven passages fall
Seven passages – each of within three basic
which is followed by five to categories:
seven questions Charts and Graphs (15
Passages contain material questions, 3 passages)
drawn from biology, ▪ Read charts, tables, graphs, or
illustrations and interpret the
chemistry, physics, and the information
physical sciences Experiments (18 questions, 3
YOU DON’T NEED TO BE passages)
A SCIENCE WIZ TO DO ▪ Can you follow the procedures
WELL ON THIS SECTION!!! in each experiment and
interpret them?
More like the Reading test Fighting Scientists (7
than anything; but the questions, 1 passage)
subject matter is Science
▪ 2-3 conflicting views on a
research hypothesis
17. 30 minutes long
Constructed on a
predictable formula
More on this section
will come later –
basically: don’t freak
out. It’s a formula and
we’ll teach it to you.
18. Plan ahead
Study hard (to a point)
Day of the test
Test taking strategies
Write, write, write!
Triage
What’s your favorite
letter?
When to Answer
19. Optimize your chance What to bring:
of success by planning ACT admission ticket
ahead! Photo ID
At least one week 2-3 sharpened No. 2
before the test date, pencils with good
put together and set erasers
aside a “test bag” of all Calculator (anything
the items you’ll need below a TI-89)
on the test day Spare batteries for
calculator
Watch (not a cell phone!)
20. Study hard for the ACT Friday after school
until the end of class Go straight home and
on April 8th (test date is relax
April 10) Have an early dinner of
Study hard in class, on all your favorite (healthy)
your own time, and foods
while you’re dreaming Go to bed by 9:00 pm to
be sure to get enough
sleep
21. Have a good breakfast
Grab your prepared “test
Do a short mental
bags” and a snack on
“warm-up” by working 3-
your way out the door
4 questions from the
Be extremely confident!
ACT you’ve practiced on
Start telling yourself
affirmations a few days
before. It is always better
to be calm and collected
to allow your thoughts to
flow.
22. WRITE all over your test Pick favorite letters (and
booklet! You paid for it; stick with them!)
write on it! Research has A–B–C–D–E –
shown that the more your F–G–H–J –K –
pencil moves, the better Answer EVERY
your score because your QUESTION!
brain is constantly problem Not like the SAT; you won’t
solving. get points off here for wrong
ACT questions are NOT answers – so always guess
arranged in order of and don’t leave ANYTHING
blank!
difficulty (different than Triage!
the SAT) – easy, medium, Use process of elimination
and hard are scattered (POE)
throughout.
23. The strategy of taking two or three
passes though each subtest to find
questions which you are most likely
to be able to answer correctly
For each question decide: Do I want
to solve this problem now?
Label each question as a “Now”,
“Later”, or “Much Later” question
Answer the Now questions on your first
pass
Answer the Later questions on your
second pass
Answer the Much Later questions on
your last pass
The most critical factor here is
keeping your answer sheet straight
– transfer answers a page at a time
24. In guessing answers, you should always employ the
process of elimination (POE) strategy.
If you can eliminate two answers out of four, you
have increased your chance of getting the question
right by 100%!
Sample question:
What is the capital of Malawi?
a) New York
b) Lilongwe
c) Paris
d) Kinshasa
You can easily eliminate two of these answers –
now you have a 50/50 shot of getting this question
right (what’s your favorite letter?)!
Even if you miss, you’re still on the right continent!
…is your best friend.
25. Special accommodations are available for disabled
and/or Learning Disabled students if they 1) can
produce documentary evidence of a diagnosis of their
disability made within the last two years and 2)
receive accommodations at their school. No
documents? No dice. Special accommodations can
include extra time on each section (50-100% more), a
private administration with a proctor who reads the
test aloud, etc. If you qualify, please let me know at
some point so we can help get everything sorted out
for the test.
26. http://cofoconnally.weebly.com/ap-test-and-
credit-guide.html
Click on the “AP Test and Credit Guide” at the
top of the page
Editor's Notes
Information taken from “Cracking the ACT: 2007 Edition” (The Princeton Review; edited by Geoff Martz, Kim Magilore, and Theodore Silver)
p. 4-6
p. 30; p. 53; p. 67; p. 79
ACT does not provide formulas at the beginning of the Math test!Overview: p. 94 – 107Basic terms: p. 108 – 121Arithmetic: p. 124 – 153Algebra: p. 156 – 176Geometry: p. 178 – 204Graphing and coordinate geometry: p. 206 – 221Trigonometry: p. 224 – 233
Overview: p. 238 – 239Prose: p. 239 – 240Social Science/Humanities: p. 240 – 241Natural Science: p. 242
Overview: p. 306 – 308Charts and graphs: chapter 12Experiments: chapter 22Fighting scientists: chapter 23
p. 378
From Lisa’s presentation “Celebration of Knowledge” Strategies, Part 1
From Lisa’s presentation “Celebration of Knowledge” Strategies, Part 1
From Lisa’s presentation “Celebration of Knowledge” Strategies, Part 1
From Lisa’s presentation “Celebration of Knowledge” Strategies, Part 1
From Lisa’s presentation “Celebration of Knowledge” Strategies, Part 1
From Lisa’s presentation “Celebration of Knowledge” Strategies, Part 1
From Lisa’s presentation “Celebration of Knowledge” Strategies, Part 1