Fall is here. Football has arrived, Starbucks have released their pumpkin drinks, and school has hit full stride. While students have focused on their work, they have reached the time to start looking at colleges.
Colleges look at everything a student has to offer. With so many aspects to a college application, they can only focus on a few main parts. One key area colleges focus on is students’ ACT scores.
Students always stress over the ACT. They know how important it is to do well, and what benefits they can reap from it. Instead of worrying, students can take action to ease their minds.
Cherry Pinson is a retired teacher, and current ACT tutor in Clark County. She worked at GRC for 16 years and taught for 12 of them, along with 18 years as an ACT tutor.
Teaching for so long has impacted Pinson in many ways.
“Teaching was my calling,” said Ms. Pinson. “I felt like as a teacher that I could make a difference not only academically but that I could make a difference in the lives of individual students. One of my most important goals and contributions was to make a difference in the lives of my students.”
In her time tutoring, Ms. Pinson has helped many students from the same family.
“Students from the same family get the same encouragement,” said Ms. Pinson. When I get a second student from a family, I know what to expect and I know what areas they are going to be most successful.”
On October 1st, seniors will be taking the ACT at GRC, so students must be prepared. Everyone knows the basics: get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, answer all questions, etc. Ms. Pinson provided even more tips to ensure students are as prepared as possible.
Eliminate Wrong Answers
In ACT, some answer choices will never be right. “You will never pick ITS’ or BEING as an answer,” said Ms. Pinson. “It is never the correct choice..” If you are not sure which answer it is, you can eliminate the ones you know are wrong so your guess is more likely to be correct.
Know Your Strengths
You have to know what questions you answer best. Whether it is questions about a small part of a passage, or ones about the whole text, you should know which you are best at. “You have to know what your strengths are so you can realize what questions to answer first and what to answer later,” said Ms. Pinson. “You do not have to take the test straight through. You can jump around from passage to passage and do what works best for you.”
Practice, Practice, Practice
There are free ACT resources everywhere, including on GRC’s website. You can always practice your skills to help you get the best score you can. “Practice makes a difference,” said Pinson. “I think the more that you practice, the more confident you become.”
Keep Your Mind Fresh
The ACT takes a toll on your brain. You get tired and it can be difficult to finish. Make sure to keep your brain rested. “I also tell students not to take a test or not to practice on the night before,” said Pinson. “That just wears you out. I want students to be fresh when you get up the next morning to take it for a better performance.”
Prioritize What To Learn
Certain questions feature more than others. Students should know which questions those are, and how to answer them. “35 of the 60 math questions are algebra. There are only 2 trigonometry questions, so students should focus on studying algebra first.” said Pinson. “The ACT tests certain things, such as only five comma rules. If you learn those comma rules, then you know exactly what you’re looking for.”
Make sure you are ready for the ACT whether you’re taking it at GRC Oct. 1 or at another time.
Be sure to get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and answer all questions, but also use what you learned today.
If you use the tips and tricks Ms. Pinson provided, you will see improvements in your score, as well as better opportunities for college.
