11 Things You Must Avoid During ACT Practice Tests

Things You Must Avoid During ACT Practice Tests SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re using practice tests for your ACT prep, great job! That’s the best way to prepare for the ACT, but how do you make sure you’re learning from each ACT practice exam you take? How do you make sure you’re really prepared for the actual ACT? You must sit for each ACT practice exam with realistic testing conditions. What might you be doing (maybe on accident) that’s destroying your realistic testing conditions? #1: Not Using Accurate ACT Timing When taking ACT practice test, you need to use the exact timing from the real ACT.The ACT is extremely tough on time. It’s a very fast-paced test.If you’re not using the actual timing in your practice, you won’t be ready the day of your ACT test. Use the real ACT time on your practice test, so you have your pacing down when you take the real ACT.Think of ACT prep like marathon training. You wouldn’t show up to run a marathon without timing your practice runs and expect to win 1st place. Do you know the exact timing of the ACT?If not, you can find the time allowed for each ACT section listed on the first page of that section of the practice test. See below: If you’d like to know more about timing, read about the exact timing of the ACT. #2: Using Your Cell Phone Wait, Dora, didn’t you just say I need to time my ACT practice tests, and if I can’t use my cell phone, how do I do that?You need to use a watch.If you ignore my advice and use your cell phone to keep time, you’ll likely feel a little lost in timing when you’re not able to use your cell phone the day of the test. (NOTE: you can’t use your phone at all at your test center even during the test breaks). So don’t use your cell phone! Buy an inexpensive watch like this one which you could use when you take the real ACT.Buy the watch now so that you can start using it during practice tests, so you get familiar using it to pace yourself. But, Dora, what if I time myself with my cell phone in airplane mode?No!!!That’s better than using your cell phone in regular mode. However, you will still feel lost the day of the test when you can’t use it to time yourself the day of the test. Dora, what if I need to use my cell phone as a calculator?BAD!As I said, you won’t have access to your cell phone at all while at your test center, so buy yourself an approved calculator now if you don’t have one and use it during your practice on ACT Math. You can check Instagram when your practice test is over! #3: Using Your Calculator During the Entire ACT Practice Test While we’re talking about calculators, remember you can only use your calculator on the math section.Do not have your calculator on your desk for the Reading, Writing, Science, and the Essay.Only have your calculator during the one math section that allows you to use a calculator. #4: Watching TV, Listening to Music, and/or Wearing Ear Plugs Some students watch tv and/or listen to music while taking ACT practice tests, and it will be a distraction, decreasing their score because they can’t concentrate.Others watch tv and/or listen to music, and it helps them maintain their focus, artificially increasing their score.Whichever category you fall into, you should never have the TV or music playing while you take an ACT practice test.Familiarize yourself with taking the ACT in a quiet room. However, you cannot wear ear plugs during your practice tests.I understand many people like wearing ear plugs because it cuts out background noise and helps maintain focus.The ACT doesn’t allow you to wear ear plugs. Get used to hearing background noise as you take your practice tests because when you take the ACT, you’ll have to deal with background sounds of paper moving, pencils writing, erasers rubbing, and more. #5: Eating and/or Drinking At the real ACT, you cannot eat during the test.However, you’ll be able to eat and drink outside of your testing room during the breaks.Don’t eat/drink while taking your ACT practice tests (except during breaks). There are two important reasons not to:If you're attempting to eat/drink and take the test at the same time, you may be very distracted and reduce your score.Also, you get a boost of energy when you eat or drink.This boost may make the ACT seem â€Å"easier.†Then, on the real ACT, you might be surprised when the ACT seems â€Å"longer† and â€Å"more difficult† because you don’t have the artificial energy boost from food/drink. As I’ve said earlier, the ACT is like a marathon.Train for it with the same intensity.During your ACT practice, only have food/drink during the breaks. No food or drink! #6: Taking Extra Restroom Breaks You will not be allowed to leave your test to go to the restroom.You’ll be forced to wait to go to the restroom until the breaks.You need to get familiar with holding it until the break! Practice this during your ACT practice tests.You don’t want to be thinking about how badly you need to use the restroom while trying to concentrate on your ACT. I strongly suggest you use the bathroom right before the ACT begins (or you start your ACT practice test), so you start with an empty tank. #7: Not Sitting at a Desk Where you take your ACT practice test is significant, don’t take the test on your couch or in your bed!Take the ACT practice tests while sitting upright at a desk.If you ignore me and take your practice tests on the couch/bed, you might feel strange during the actual ACT when you’re forced to sit at a new, uncomfortable desk for four hours. Make sure your practice test environment is just like the actual ACT test environment.You should be sitting at empty desk or table with nothing other than your ACT practice test print out, pencils, erasers, and calculator (when allowed). Sit at a nice clean desk! #8: Splitting the ACT Practice Test Over a Few Days At the start, I said the ACT is like a marathon.Marathon runners aren’t permitted to split up a marathon over a few days.You must practice taking full-length ACTs.I understand if you don’t have 4 hours every day to take a full-length practice ACT, but you should take at least two full-length practice tests before taking the real ACT. On the days where you don’t have time for the whole practice test, you need to complete at least one full section of the ACT.For example, take the full 60-minute math section without any breaks.If you sit for just one section, the same rules mentioned in this article apply: no phone, no extra bathroom breaks, etc. #9: Not Filling Out the Scantron I know it’s tempting to forget about the scantron and just to circle the answers in your ACT practice test.Using a scantron can be tricky, so you don’t want your first time using one to be on the real ACT.While doing ACT practice tests, bubble in your answers as you work through each section. Practice bubbling in so that you don’t accidentally bubble in wrong answers the day of the real ACT.If you have some time at the end of the section, I recommend checking your scantron answers with your booklet answers to make sure you didn’t accidentally bubble any answers incorrectly. #10: Using Pen While practicing with the scantron, you also must use a pencil and eraser!You’re required to use a #2 pencil on the ACT (not even a mechanical pencil!).I suggest you have at least 3 sharpened #2 pencils when you take the ACT. Additionally, you should bring a basic pencil sharpener and a big eraser.Take your ACT practice tests with these items. On the real ACT, you want to feel confident and comfortable.To get that feeling, you need your ACT practice to be as similar as possible to the real testing environment!Get familiar having these supplies on your desk. Get comfortable sharpening a broken pencil with your hand sharpener! For many students, any small issue can be distracting during a big test (I know it did for me!).Practice with your pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpener, so you don’t get flustered on the real ACT. Don't use any support! #: Using Any Support Material Finally, don’t use any additional material while taking ACT practice exams.As I said, on the real ACT, you won’t be allowed anything on your desk except for your test booklet, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpener, and your calculator (only during the math section).So don’t use anything other than those materials during your ACT practice! Don’t use a formula cheat sheet, and don’t use a dictionary to look up words!There will be not outside help during the real ACT, so don’t use outside help during your practice. If there are words you don’t understand while taking a practice test, try to figure out their meaning using context clues.Try to answer questions without looking up vocabulary.Circle the words you don’t know, so when you’ve finished, you can easily go back to those words and look them up in a dictionary. Summary: How to Get the Best ACT Practice All of the above can be summarized in one sentence: follow the rules of the ACT during your practice tests!Realistic practice will prepare you the best to excel on the ACT and is key to feeling prepared and relaxed on the day of the actual ACT. Do you still feel uncertain as to how to make your practice tests the ideal prep for test day? Check out our guide to getting realistic ACT practice. What’s Next? Not sure where you’d like to go to college? Figure out how to find your target school. Interested in attending a top college? Check out our guides to getting into Harvard and Stanford! Struggling with your college application? Learn how to write your personal statement and how to write about extracurriculars. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? 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. Check out our 5-day free trial:

My Journey and My Walk With Him

My Journey and My Walk With Him Free Online Research Papers I was born and raised in the city of New Orleans and grew up around a diverse culture of people. At the age of fourteen my father who was a single parent decided that it would be best to move our family to Slidell, LA so that we could receive an enhanced education. The summer before starting high school as a freshman I met a sweet little old lady named Allison who lived across the street from our new home. She welcomed us as neighbors and invited us to church. I took her up on her offer and went to church with her the following Sunday. As a new visitor I couldn’t help but notice that the females had very long hair and wore long dresses and skirts. As a fourteen year old this was strange to me, but I didn’t mind being there because the people were very nice and welcoming. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the melody of the old country style gospel music and the concoction of tambourines, guitars, and drums. People were clapping, dancing, and singing songs about Jesus. The songs about Jesus were thought-provoking and I wanted to know more about him. As the pastor began his sermon I learned that God sent his one and only son to die on the cross for our sins. This saddened me, but I was gratified that a God would do such a loving act for me. At the end of the service I accepted Jesus into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior. From that moment my life changed and has never been the same. I received a peace and comfort in my heart that still remains true today. Throughout my high school years I went on youth trips, attended bible study meetings and participated with prayer around the pole. I developed friendships with other believers and learned more about Christianity. These involvements have exposed me to his truth and have prepared me for the journey. While I and my husband are approaching our six year anniversary; I must say that the journey hasn’t been easy. My faith in God has been tested and I have recently come to a contravention point in my life. I would say the lack of being able to have a family has affected my personal relationship with God. I have experienced three miscarriages, four years of unexplained infertility and one year of fertility treatments, and a failed adoption. This has caused my relationship with God to be founded on Faith, Hope, and Love. My faith has been strengthened through these difficult times and God has given me a renewed hope by revealing his love towards me. These difficult times has caused me to call upon his name and has helped me to trust in him with my life and future. I have recently learned that being a Christian doesn’t mean that you are to focus on completing a list of do’s and don’ts, but to set an example by showing God’s love towards others. I believe that this is done by accepting others for who they are without judging or condemning them. God wants us to be forgiving of each other and not hold grudges just as he has sent his one and only son to die for our sins. I would say that my present relationship with God is focusing on loving others just as he loves us. I want to make a difference in others lives and want them to know that God is love and without him you cannot have love nor can you have peace in your heart. He is my strength and my rock during the difficult time and he is my best friend as I am on this journey called life. I seek him for guidance and direction when making everyday choices that can affect me and others who surround me. I am frequently confiding in Him about personal issues that I prefer not to talk about with others. I know that he is always by my side walking with me; even though I cannot see Him. Furthermore, I not only want to make a difference people’s lives that I come in contact with on a daily basis, but also with children. I have a love for children and believe that they are a precious gift from God. I believe in my heart that God has given me the desire to teach children academically and to show them God’s love. I have a passion for children and have a yearning to make a difference in children’s lives. This is why it is my goal to work hard and receive my BA in Elementary Education and hopefully further my education and receive my Masters working with children with developmental disabilities. Additionally, I am specifically interested in attending Southeastern University because I am highly interested in the Elementary Education program. I am impressed with the spiritual classes that we are required to take. I believe that these classes will strengthen my daily walk with God and train me to be equipped to minister to children. It will be beneficial to attend Southeastern University because the spiritual environment will be a constant reminder of Christ. For me it is vital to attend a Christian University so that I can have that continuous spiritual growth. I believe that being able to attend chapel weekly will help renew my mind and spirit as I go throughout my week. Being able to apply and receive biblical principles daily will help me grow closer to God and love my brothers and sisters in Christ. Research Papers on My Journey and My Walk With HimBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Spring and AutumnComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoTrailblazing by Eric Anderson19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductHip-Hop is ArtInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesStandardized Testing