Preview Princeton Review ACT Premium Prep, 2021 8 Practice Tests + Content Review + Strategies (2021) (College Test Preparation) by The Princeton Review (2020)

Preview Princeton Review ACT Premium Prep, 2021 8 Practice Tests + Content Review + Strategies (2021) (College Test Preparation) by The Princeton Review (2020) Preview Princeton Review ACT Premium Prep, 2021 8 Practice Tests + Content Review + Strategies (2021) (College Test Preparation) by The Princeton Review (2020) Preview Princeton Review ACT Premium Prep, 2021 8 Practice Tests + Content Review + Strategies (2021) (College Test Preparation) by The Princeton Review (2020) Preview Princeton Review ACT Premium Prep, 2021 8 Practice Tests + Content Review + Strategies (2021) (College Test Preparation) by The Princeton Review (2020)

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4 Taking the ACT

Part II: How to Crack the ACT English Test

5 Introduction to the ACT English Test

6 Complete

7 Consistent, Clear, and Concise

8 Rhetorical Skills

Part III: How to Crack the ACT Mathematics Test

9 Introduction to the ACT Mathematics Test

Part IV: How to Crack the ACT Reading Test

17 Introduction to the ACT Reading Test

18 The 6-Step Basic Approach

19 Advanced Reading Skills

Part V: How to Crack the ACT Science Test

20 Introduction to the ACT Science Test

21 Scientific Reasoning Skills

22 The Basic Approach

23 Dual Science Passages

Part VI: How to Crack the ACT Writing Test

24 Writing

Part VII: Drill Answers and Explanations

25 Drill Answers and Explanations

Part VIII: The Princeton Review ACT Practice Exams

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Chapter 1

Introduction to the ACT

So you’re taking the ACT What will you need to do first? This chapterpresents an overview of the ACT as a whole and discusses registrationrequirements, when to take the test, how to have your scores reported

to colleges (or how not to), and the ways in which colleges use yourscores

THE ACT

Welcome to ACT Prep, 2021 Edition The ACT is a standardized test

used for college admissions But you probably already knew that Inthis book, we’ll tell you all the things you didn’t know about the ACT,all to show you how to crack the test and get your best score

The ACT has traditionally been a pencil-and-paper exam but is nowalso available on the computer (what ACT calls the “ACT Online Test,”which still needs to be taken at a test center and not at home) Whilethe pencil-and-paper test is usually taken on Saturday mornings, somestates offer a special state-administration during the school day Non-Saturday testing is available but only for students who live in remoteareas or who can’t test on Saturdays for religious reasons

Where Does the ACT Come From?

The ACT is written by a nonprofit organization that used to call itselfAmerican College Testing but now just calls itself ACT The companyhas been producing the ACT since it introduced the test in 1959 as analternative to the College Board’s SAT ACT also writes ACT Aspireand PreACT, which are tests you may have taken earlier in youracademic career The organization also provides a broad range ofservices to educational agencies and business institutions

What Does the ACT Test?

The nice people who write the ACT—we’ll refer to them as “ACT” fromnow on—describe it as an assessment of college readiness, “acurriculum- and standards-based educational and career planning toolthat assesses students’ academic readiness for college.”

We at The Princeton Review have always been skeptical when anystandardized test makes broad claims of what it can measure In ouropinion, a standardized test is just a measure of how well you take thattest Granted, ACT has spent an extraordinary amount of timeanalyzing data and providing the results of their research to variouseducational institutions and agencies In fact, ACT has contributed to

the development of the Common Core Standards Initiative, aneducational reform that aligns diverse state curricula into nationaluniform standards.

With all due respect to ACT and the various state and federal agenciesworking on the Common Core, we still think the ACT is just a measure

of how well you take the ACT Many factors other than mastery of the

“curriculum-based” content determine your performance on astandardized test That’s why we’ll teach you both the content youneed as well as crucial test-taking strategies

Focus!

If you were getting ready to take a history test, you’d study history If you were preparing for a basketball game, you’d practice basketball So if you’re

preparing for the ACT, study the ACT!

What’s on the ACT?

The ACT consists of four multiple-choice, timed tests: English, Math,Reading, and Science, always given in that order The ACT PlusWriting also includes an essay, with the Writing Test given after theScience Test (ACT calls them tests, but we may also use the term

“sections” in this book to avoid confusion.) In Parts II–VI, we’llthoroughly review the content and strategies you need for each test

For video instructions to each of the major ACT sections, watch the Section Overview segments in your free Student Tools You can find a video about the Optional Writing Test on your Premium Portal, too.

1 English Test (45 minutes—75 questions)

You will be given 5 essays total with some words or phrasesunderlined The essays will be situated on the left side of the page,while on the right side of the page you will be asked whether eachunderlined portion is correct as written or whether one of the threealternatives listed would be better The English Test is a test ofgrammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and rhetorical skills.Throughout each essay, commonly known as a passage, there will also

be questions about overall organization and style or perhaps abouthow the writing could be revised or strengthened

2 Math Test (60 minutes—60 questions)

These are the regular, multiple-choice math questions you’ve beendoing all your life The easier questions, which test basic math

proficiency, tend to come first, but the folks at ACT can mix in easy,

medium, and difficult problems throughout the Math test A goodthird of the test covers pre-algebra and elementary algebra Slightlyless than a third covers intermediate algebra and coordinate geometry(graphing) Regular geometry accounts for less than a quarter of thequestions, and there are typically four questions that covertrigonometry

3 Reading Test (35 minutes—40 questions)

In this test, there will be four reading passages of about 800 wordseach—the average length of a magazine article but maybe not asentertaining to read There is always one prose fiction (or literarynarrative) passage, one social science passage, one humanitiespassage, and one natural science passage, and they are always in thatorder One of these passages will consist of a dual passage in which the

total length of the two passages will still be about 800 words Each

passage will be followed by 10 questions

4 Science Test (35 minutes—40 questions)

No specific scientific knowledge is necessary to do well on the Sciencetest You won’t need to know the chemical makeup of hydrochloricacid or any formulas Instead, you will be asked to understandscientific information presented in graphs, charts, tables, and research

summaries, and you will have to make sense of one disagreementbetween two to four scientists.

5 Optional Writing Test (40 minutes)

The ACT Plus Writing contains an “optional” writing test featuring asingle essay We recommend you take the “ACT Plus Writing” version

of the test because many schools require or recommend it On test dayyou may think that you don’t need it, but you might later decide toapply to a school that requires a writing score The last thing you want

is to be forced into taking the whole ACT all over again…this time with

the Writing test The essay requires that you consider a sociallyrelevant prompt and three perspectives on that prompt The essay isscored by two graders who will each assign four scores of 1–6 that arethen averaged and combined for a total score of 2–12 This score willNOT factor into your composite score

How Is the ACT Scored?

Scores for each of the four multiple-choice tests are reported on a scale

of 1 to 36 (36 being the highest score possible) The four scores areaveraged to yield your composite score, which is the score colleges anduniversities use to help determine admission An average ending in 5

or 75 is rounded up, whereas an average ending in 25 is roundeddown Next to each score is a percentile ranking Percentile rankingrefers to how you performed on the test relative to other people whotook it at the same time For instance, a percentile ranking of 87indicates that you scored higher than 87 percent of the people whotook the test, and the other 13 percent scored equal to or higher thanyou

Some of the scores have subcategories For instance, English is brokendown into Usage/Mechanics and Rhetorical Skills In thesesubcategories, scores are reported on a scale of 1 to 18 (18 being thehighest score possible) They are also reported as percentiles

ACT will also give two cross-test scores called “STEM” (Science,Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and “ELA” (English,

Language Arts) Your STEM score is simply an average of your Mathand Science scores Your ELA score is taken from your English,Reading, and Writing scores (If you don’t take the Writing test, youwon’t receive an ELA score.) Neither score has any influence on yourcomposite, nor, frankly, as far as we can tell, on your collegeadmission.

On your score report, ACT also indicates if you met their “CollegeReadiness Benchmark Scores”: 18 in English, 22 in Math, 22 inReading, and 23 in Science ACT maintains that these benchmarks canpredict college “success,” defined as a “50 percent or higherprobability of earning a B or higher in the corresponding collegecourse or courses.” These scores and their meaning have beendetermined by ACT’s own research and data, not by any studies done

by colleges and universities themselves

When Should You Take the ACT?

If you haven’t already, go to ACTStudent.org and create your freeACT Web Account You can register for tests, view your scores, andrequest score reports for colleges through this account You can alsoview the specific test dates and centers for the upcoming academicyear

The ACT is given seven times a year: September, October, December,February, April, June, and July The February and Julyadministrations are not available in New York

Many states also offer an additional ACT as part of their state testing.Check with your high school to see if and when your state offers aspecial ACT Your school will register you automatically for a stateACT You must register yourself for all other administrations

Traditionally, most students wait until the spring of their junior year

to take the ACT Many high schools still recommend the spring of thejunior year because the content of the Math test includes topics somecurricula do not cover before then However, these topics appear in

only a handful of questions, and many juniors take their first ACT inthe fall or winter.

We recommend that you consider your own schedule when pickingyour test dates Do you play a fall sport and carry a heavier load ofextracurricular activities in the fall? Is winter a quiet time in betweensemesters? Do you act in the spring musical and plan to take several

AP exams? Have you been dreaming of attending Big State Universitysince you were a toddler and already plan to apply for early decision?Let the answers to these questions determine your test dates But werecommend taking your first test after you’ve done some prep and feelcomfortable that you’ve learned enough in school to achieve your goalscore For most students, this is sometime in junior year (grade 11)

How Many Times Should You Take the ACT?

For security reasons, ACT will not let you take the exam more than 12times in your lifetime But we certainly hope no one is dismayed bythis restriction There are certainly better things to do with your time

on a Saturday morning, and we don’t believe any college will accept

“taking the ACT” as an extracurricular activity!

The Princeton Review recommends that you plan to take the ACT two

to three times If you achieve your goal score in your firstadministration, great Take the money and run On the other hand, ifafter three tests you have reason and motivation to take the ACT again,

do it On your first day of college, you will neither remember nor carehow many times you had to take the ACT

In fact, at many colleges, the median number of times admittedstudents took the ACT (or SAT) is 3 In other words, it’s perfectly fine(and normal!) to retake the ACT

Looking for more help on the ACT? Check out

princetonreview.com for information on self-paced courses, live courses, and tutoring!

Does ACT “Super Score”?

Starting in September 2020, ACT will “superscore” students’ resultsupon request What’s a superscore? A superscore is a new score report(including a new composite score) that takes the best results in everysection (English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing (if you took it))over any number of test dates In other words, if you did better onReading and Science in February, but better on English and Math inApril, ACT will take your February Reading and Science scores andcombine them with your April English and Math scores to create anew, higher superscore This is also how single-section tests (see thefollowing page) will be incorporated into your scores

In addition, many schools (and the Common Application) will ask you

to list the score and test date of your English, Math, Reading, andScience and then calculate a superscore based on these scores,separate from ACT Therefore, if you worry that some scores will rise

as others fall when you take the ACT again, the superscore will reflectyour best results

However, not every college will accept ACT superscores Therefore,The Princeton Review strongly recommends that you research eachschool you’re applying to While ACT will send the results only fromthe test dates you request or ACT’s generated superscore, you shoulddecide which and how many dates to send based on your scores andthe school’s guidelines about superscoring Moreover, some schoolsrequire that you submit all test scores from every administration, andyou should abide by any such requirements

WHAT IS THE ACT ONLINE TEST?

The ACT Online Test is the ACT that you take on a computer, ratherthan with pencil and paper Despite the name, you can’t take the ACTfrom the comfort of your own home; rather, you’ll have to go to atesting center (possibly your high school) and take the test on thecenter’s computer

The ACT Online Test has the same overall structure, timing, andnumber of questions as the pencil-and-paper ACT The scoring, scorerange, and scoring method are also the same If the ACT Online Test isbasically the same as the pencil-and-paper ACT, who would take theACT Online Test?

WHO TAKES THE ACT ONLINE TEST?

ACT has been offering versions of the ACT on the computer sinceabout 2016 The first group of students to take the ACT on thecomputer were students taking the test at school Schools and schooldistricts decided whether to give the test on the computer

As of September 2018, all students taking the ACT outside of theUnited States take the test on a computer (except for those studentswith accommodations requiring the use of a traditional pencil-and-paper test)

Starting sometime in 2021, students in the United States will have theoption to take the ACT Online Test instead of the traditional pencil-and-paper version Students choosing this option will get their scores

in about two to three business days (e.g., take the test on Saturday,have your score the next Wednesday) In addition, any students takingadvantage of the Single-Section Retesting must do so on the computer

Single-Section Retesting

Students who have already taken the full ACT may choose to take one,two, or three sections again using Single-Section Retesting ACT willthen produce a superscore consisting of your best results in all tests

(English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing took it)) Note that notall colleges accept a superscored ACT, so do your research beforetaking advantage of this option ACT had originally planned to roll outthis option along with the ACT Online Test and Superscoring;however, Single-Section Retesting has been delayed until 2021 toallow more students to take the full-length ACT in the fall of 2020.

Single-Section Retesting will be an incredible option for students in 2021 However, colleges still have the the option as to whether to accept these new scores Research your target schools early so you know your options!

ACT ONLINE TEST FEATURES

So, then, besides the obvious “it’s on the computer,” what are thedifferences between taking the ACT on the computer and taking it onpaper? Let’s start with what you can’t do on the ACT Online Test Youcan’t “write” on the screen in a freehand way You’re limited in howyou’re able to mark the answer choices, and each question appears onits own screen (so you can’t see multiple questions at one glance) Youwill also be given a small “whiteboard” and dry erase pen with which

to make notes and do work

The ACT Online Test will have some useful features and some you maynever use You can flag questions to come back to them later, eliminateanswers on the screen, or even hide the answers until you are ready forthem You will also be able to highlight the text, magnify it, or coverpart of the screen to focus on one relevant window To see all thesefeatures in action, go to ACT’s website athttp://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act-non-us/test-preparation.html If you are registered for a PrincetonReview course or tutorial, you will also have access to more ACTOnline Tests on our website, http://www.princetonreview.com

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE ACT ONLINE

TEST

If you are going to take the ACT Online Test, you will want toincorporate some computer-based practice into your prep plan ACT’swebsite has practice sections for each of the four multiple-choice parts

of the test and for the essay We recommend that you do those sectionstoward the end of your preparation (and close to your test date) to giveyou an opportunity to practice what you’ve learned on a platformsimilar to the one you’ll be using on the day of the test

Remember!

Your goal is to get the best possible score on the ACT ACT’s goal is to assign a number to you that (supposedly) means something to colleges Focus

or a whiteboard to do any work you need to do, instead of writing onthe problem itself

Also, remember that our approaches work Don’t get misled by ACT’sinstructions on the day of the test–their way of approaching the testwon’t give you the best results!

How Do You Register for the ACT?

The fastest way to register is online, through your ACT Web Account.You can also obtain a registration packet at your high school guidanceoffice, online at ACTStudent.org/forms/stud_req , or by writing

or calling ACT at the address and phone number below

ACT Student Services

Bookmark ACTStudent.org You will start at this portal to view testdates, fees, and registration deadlines You can also research therequirements and processes to apply for extended time or otheraccommodations You will also start at ACTStudent.org to access youraccount to register, view your scores, and order score reports.

Check the site for the latest information about fees The ACT PlusWriting costs more than the ACT (No Writing), but ACT also offers afee waiver service While you can choose four schools to send a scorereport to at no charge, there are fees for score reports sent toadditional schools As of July 2019, students with ACT waivers are able

to send scores to up to 20 schools

Registration Tip #2

If you take the December, April, or June test, sign

up for the Test Information Release Six to eight weeks after the test, you’ll receive a copy of the test, the answer key, and your answers This service costs an additional fee and is available only on these test dates You can order the Test Information Release up to 3 months after the test date, but it’s easier to order it at the time you register It’s a great tool to help you prepare for your next ACT.

Test Security Changes

As part of the registration process, you have to upload or mail aphotograph that will be printed on your admissions ticket On test day,you have to take the ticket and acceptable photo identification withyou

Standby testing is available, but you have to register in advance,usually before the prior Monday Check ACTStudent.org for moreinformation

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE ACT

The Princeton Review materials and test-taking techniques contained

in this book should give you all the information you need to improveyour score on the ACT For more practice materials, The Princeton

Review also publishes 1,523 Practice ACT Questions, which includes

more than six tests’ worth of material

Other popular coaching books contain several complete practice ACT

exams We strongly advise you not to waste your time taking these

tests In some cases, the questions in these books are not modeled onreal ACT questions Some of them cover material that is not even onthe real ACT Others give the impression that the ACT is much easier

or more difficult than it really is Taking the practice tests offered inthese books could actually hurt your score

Cynics might suggest that no one else can license ACT exams because

ACT sells its own review book called The Official ACT Prep Guide We think The Official ACT Prep Guide is well worth the price for the three

real tests it contains (make sure you buy the most recent edition) Werecommend that you either buy the book or ask your high school tosend away to ACT for actual ACT tests You should get a copy of

Preparing for the ACT Test from your counselor It’s free, and it

contains a complete, real ACT The same test can be downloaded forfree from ACT’s website

More great titles by The Princeton Review

1,523 ACT Practice Questions offers the equivalent

of 6 whole ACT practice tests.

While we advise you to obtain these practice tests to further yourpreparation for the ACT, it is important that you use them properly.Many students like to think that they can prepare by simply taking testafter test until they get the scores they want Unfortunately, thisdoesn’t work all that well Why? Well, in many instances, repetitivetest-taking only reinforces some of the bad test-taking habits that weaddress in this book You should use practice tests for the followingthree key purposes:

to build up familiarity with the exam

to learn how to avoid the types of mistakes you are currently

making

to master our techniques and strategies so you can save time andearn more points

Do I Need to Prepare If I Have Good Grades?

Let’s take the hypothetical case of Sid Sid is valedictorian of his class,editor of the school paper, and the only teenager ever to win the NobelPrize To support his widowed mother, he sold more magazinesubscriptions and gift wrap than any other person in recorded history

He speaks eight languages in addition to being able to communicatewith dolphins and wolves He has recommendations from Elon Musk

and Bill Gates So if Sid had a bad day when he took the ACT (the

plane bringing him back from his Medal of Freedom awardpresentation was late), we are pretty sure that he is going to be justfine anyway But Sid wants to ensure that when his colleges look at his

ACT score, they see the same high-caliber student they see when theylook at the rest of his application, so he carefully reviews the types ofquestions asked and learns some useful test-taking strategies.

Want to know which colleges are best for you?

Check out our College Search engine at

princetonreview.com for information on over 1,000 schools.

I Have Lousy Grades in School Is There Any Hope?

Let’s take the case of Tom Tom didn’t do particularly well in highschool In fact, he has been on academic probation since kindergarten

He has caused four of his teachers to give up teaching as a profession,and he prides himself on his perfect homework record: he’s never doneany, not ever But if Tom aces his ACT, a college might decide that he

is actually a misunderstood genius and give him a full scholarship.Tom decides to learn as much as he can about the ACT

Most of us, of course, fall between these two extremes So is itimportant to prepare for the ACT?

If you were to look in the information bulletin of any of the colleges inwhich you are interested, we can pretty much guarantee thatsomewhere you would find the following paragraph:

Many factors go into a college’s acceptance of a student

Test scores are only one of these factors Grades in high

school, extracurricular activities, essays, and

recommendations are also important and may in some

cases outweigh test scores

(2021 University of Anywhere Bulletin)

Truer words were never written In our opinion, just about every other

element in your application “package” is more important than yourtest scores The Princeton Review (among other organizations) hasbeen telling colleges for years that scores on the ACT or the SAT arepretty incomplete measures of a student’s overall academic abilities.Some colleges have stopped looking at test scores entirely, and othersare downplaying their importance

So Why Should You Spend Any Time Preparing for the ACT?

Out of all the elements in your application “package,” your ACT score

is the easiest to change The grades you’ve received up to now arewritten in stone You aren’t going to become captain of the soccer team

or editor of the school paper overnight Your essays will be only asgood as you can write them, and recommendations are only as good asyour teachers’ memories of you

On the contrary, in a few weeks you can substantially change yourscore on the ACT (and the way colleges look at your applications) Thetest does not pretend to measure analytic ability or intelligence Itmeasures your knowledge of specific skills such as grammar, algebra,and reading comprehension Mostly, it measures how good you are attaking this test

THE ACT VS THE SAT

You may have to take the ACT anyway, but most of the schools inwhich you’re interested also accept the SAT In order to determinewhich test may be better for you to take, invest the time to take a full-length, timed practice test for each to (1) see how you score on each

test and (2) assess how you feel during each test The time spent on

this exercise will be incredibly beneficial for your test preparationplanning You can take these tests as part of your free Student Tools atprincetonreview.com Once you’ve decided which test is the better fitfor you, you can then use that initial score as a baseline for planningyour preparation to hit the target score for your dream college