A few days before your ACT test, you may feel different emotions about it, depending on how prepared you are. But if your ACT test prep has been effective, then you can feel confident about taking the test. You’ll want to be 100% sure, so what last-minute reviewing can you do? Divide your remaining time wisely for your ACT test prep. Your extra effort is bound to pay off with proper time management and smart preparation. See our Best ACT Prep Course here.
Learn more review materials here: Free Practice Tests for ACT Science
Last Minute ACT Test Prep
1. When doing a practice test, analyze your wrong answers
Don’t focus only on your scores on the ACT practice test that you’ve taken. Be particular about your mistakes as well. This is the part where you’ll have to consider your weaknesses and improve on your problem areas. Target a specific topic in the test and analyze why you find some questions difficult to answer. For every incorrect answer, understand where you got it wrong and figure out the method that you should have applied to arrive at the right answer.
Related Topic: ACT Test Introduction, Registration, Dates & Score
2. Check your pacing and your timing
Taking ACT practice tests should give you a sense of how you should pace and handle your time during the test. The key here is for you to be not overwhelmed during the ACT test day as well. The experience of a rigid time pressure should not frazzle you. In your test prep, observe how you feel when answering questions in 30 seconds and 1 minute. How do those short periods of time affect you when reading and answering the questions? This is how it would feel in the real ACT test environment.
We have: Free ACT Math Practice Tests
What To Do On The Day Of The ACT Test
3. Sleep early in the night before the test
Have at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep and wake up an hour before you leave for the test. This way, your senses, especially your brain will feel alert when you arrive at your test center.
Related Topic: ACT Registration and Requirements
4. Eat a healthy breakfast
Your breakfast should be protein-filled in the morning before you take the ACT test. The foods that you eat should make you feel energetic, not sluggish. Eggs, chicken, and fish are a great source of protein. If you don’t feel like eating your breakfast, you can try munching a handful of nuts or a bar of granola. If you normally drink coffee, do so. Otherwise, don’t force it because coffee can make you feel anxious and nervous if you’re new to it.
We have Practice Test that you can use: ACT English Practice Tests
5. Dress comfortably
Dress for ACT success, so to speak, and that means dressing for comfort. Take layers of clothing with you so you won’t be distracted by a too hot or too cold temperature or weather. On the night before the test, pack up everything you need so you won’t forget anything, especially if you’re a bit slow in the morning.
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What To Do During The ACT Test
6. Keep your calm and focus on what you are doing
Answer the questions as they come. Don’t feel disheartened if you can’t figure out the answer for a particular test item. Skip it for the moment and move on to the next question. Relax and keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed.
7. If you come across a difficult question, skip it
If you’ve found yourself on a hump because of a difficult question, skip it and move forward. Go back to that item when you’re done by the end of the section. The time pressure on the ACT can be nerve-wracking. If you’ve spent more than a minute on a particular question in Reading, Math or Science, move on to the next questions. Come back to that problem item in the ACT test later. Especially in the English section, assign only 30 seconds for every question. You wouldn’t want to run out of time and miss the easy points along the way.
We have Practice Test that you can use: Free Practice Tests 3 for ACT Math
8. Verify your answers
If you have remaining time after answering all the questions on your test paper, make good use of it. Browse through your answers and check them one by one. Don’t rush through the questions, but instead go over the fixable goofs so you can earn more points. Fill in all the bubbles on your ACT answer sheet. Wrong answers are not penalized in the ACT, so there’s no harm in guessing.
Start reviewing with our helpful contents: ACT Science Practice Test
9. Clear your mind and make good use of your breaks
Test-takers are given 2 break sessions on the ACT test day. That is, if you’re taking the writing section as well. The first break is allocated between the Math section and the Reading section, and the second break is scheduled between the Science section and the essay section. Calm your nerves, eat your snacks or go to the bathroom during your break periods at the ACT test.
Related Topic: Free ACT Practice Tests for English
What To Do After Taking The ACT Test
10. Know that you can revoke your score
Did something go horribly wrong in your ACT test that made you worry about your score? If so, be aware that you are allowed to cancel your score on the ACT test.
Related Topic: ACT Registration and Requirements
11. If you plan to retake the ACT test, consider ordering the test information release
If you are positive that you’re retaking the ACT test, you can order the Test Information Release. The TIR is a service offered by the ACT that allows you to review your test results in more detail. Come your next ACT test date, your TIR can be a valuable studying tool that’ll give you an idea about your weak points in a real ACT testing environment.
Start reviewing with our helpful contents: Practice Tests for ACT Science
12. Relax After Taking The ACT Test
Relax and decompress after taking the ACT test. Don’t get so frazzled about what may have gone wrong during such undertaking. That particular matter is out of your hands at this point, so focus your time and energy on doing what you can enjoy for the time being.
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