Suggested Age

14-18

Purpose

The in-depth ACT Prep course will help students to understand how the ACT is designed and how it is scored. This ACT Prep course covers all test areas: English, Math, Reading, Writing and Science. In addition to subject reviews, this course contains an overview of the ACT, 5 diagnostic tests, using full-length real ACTs. Students will practice with real questions and useful explanations. Students will have additional practice exercises in all subjects, study advice, and test-taking strategies.

Strategies

Students will be taught helpful strategies and develop the capacity to master the ACT test. They will be given practical experiences that train them to effectively put their knowledge to work under test conditions. Students will amass skills and techniques from test-prep materials from Barron’s ACT, Princeton Review, Kaplan’s, the REAL ACT Prep, ACT Prep by CliffNotes. Our course also incorporates instruction that covers the materials included in the ACT tests.

By attacking the material methodically over the course of the entire school year, students will be well-grounded in subject matter covered by each section! It is important to note that students’ scores increase in proportion to their participation in the course. Students can expect 5 hrs of homework weekly.

The course is rigorous and includes a thorough writing curriculum specific for the ACT essay. We provide targeted instruction for math, English, reading writing and science that is crucial for the ACT. Students will also take 5 Practice ACTs throughout the summer, and write 9 ACT style essays. We provide tactics and "helps" from real ACT essay "topics/prompts" from the last 4 years used in the ACT.

This class is also fun for students since we have created competitions that give students opportunities to gain speed in critical thinking, giving instant replies to the essay prompt with insightful support and well crafted responses; additionally competitions expose students to typical English and math traps as well as building their skills in deductive reasoning according to the Scientific Method!

Objectives

Students will learn:
The difference between the PSAT and SAT and ACT
The difference between the SAT and the ACT
Test-Taking Strategies such as "Plugging in" and "Back-solving"
Arithmetic Shortcuts for fractions, percents, exponents, averages, ratios
Algebra Strategies for word problems and functions
Detailed practice in the ACT Science section
Sentence Strategies such as "red flag" and "mystery choice"
Vocabulary and Mnemonic Devices—students learn the words they will need using fun, powerful techniques
Personal Pace—students will learn where to spend their energy in order to maximize their score and avoid wasting time.
Students will attend three simulated ACT test sessions and two practice tests sessions that will make them comfortable with the test style, pace, and questions. Weekly exercises also help them to develop their test-taking skills.

Additional Benefits

Additional Benefits from the ACT Preparatory Course:
1. Accurate measure of score and improvement
2. Students become comfortable with real testing conditions
3. Individualized reports highlighting strengths and weaknesses
4. Detailed test reviews to improve subject knowledge
5. Students will also learn how the test is structured and scored
6. College application deadlines