ACT Assessment plus Writing Test 6th Edition with TestWare

by Charles O. Brass, Suzanne Coffield, Joseph T. Conklin, Anita Price Davis

Overview

Study Smarter and Ace the ACT with REA’s ACT Assessment with TestWare Test Prep
Updated 6th Edition!  
 
This sixth edition of our popular test prep is the best way for high school Juniors and Seniors to prepare for the ACT and raise their test scores! Students at all learning levels will benefit from this comprehensive college entrance test prep.   
 
Before you start studying, take our diagnostic ACT exam so you can pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses.  
 
The review chapters cover all the subjects tested on the exam: English, math, reading, and science. An additional section devoted to the optional ACT Writing test is also included. Our in-depth subject reviews are completely aligned with the ACT test content and provide you with practice drills and examples to reinforce what you have learned.  
 
Four full-length practice tests replicate the ACT’s question format, allowing you to assess your skills and gauge your test-readiness. Two of the book’s exams are featured on our TestWare CD with the most powerful scoring and diagnostic tools available today. REA’s automatic scoring and instant reports help you zero in on the topics and types of questions that give you trouble now, so you’ll succeed when it counts! The TestWare CD also comes with an extended time function to accommodate students with learning disabilities.  
 
Our on-screen detailed explanations of answers help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. We don’t just say which answers are right – we also explain why the other answer choices are incorrect – so you’ll be prepared for the ACT. 
 
As an added bonus, we’ve included a special section on choosing the right college. Written by a guidance counselor, this chapter offers insightful information about applying to colleges. REA’s complete ACT test prep package comes with study tips, strategies, and confidence-boosting advice for test day.  
 
This book is a must for any high school student taking the ACT!       

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738608075
Publisher:	Research & Education Association
Publication date:	02/15/2011
Series:	SAT PSAT ACT (College Admission) Prep
Edition description:	Sixth
Pages:	1056
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 9.90(h) x 2.20(d)
Age Range:	16 - 18 Years

Read an Excerpt

FOREWORD

Congratulations on your purchase of the most comprehensive ACT
Assessment test prep on the market today! Whatever your intended college
major, you’ll need to succeed on the ACT to get into the college or
university of your choice. REA’s ACT Assessment with TestWare test prep offers you
in-depth reviews, test-taking strategies, plenty of practice, and more!
Taking the ACT is an important step toward getting admitted into college
and we want to help you reach your goal.

REA’s ACT Assessment with TestWare provides you with the complete package you
need to score your personal best. This test prep gives you everything
you need to know about the ACT. The more you know, the less stressful
taking the test will be. After all, you’ve already learned all the material
the ACT tests . . . we’ll just help you remember it.
 
 

INTRODUCTION
REA’s ACT Assessment with TestWare will help you remember what you have
learned and think you have forgotten. It also shows you test-taking strategies
that can help you achieve a high score on the ACT. This test prep is
designed for your optimal use. You can use it as a comprehensive review
reading it straight through, chapter by chapter, or you can develop your
own customized study plan (more about that later).

ABOUT THIS BOOK AND TESTWARE
The ACT is a mostly timed multiple-choice test that covers English,
Reading, Math, and Science skills. Colleges and universities use your
ACT score as only one part of the admissions process. It is important
that you get a good score, however, because a higher score helps your
chances of getting into the college you want. REA’s ACT Assessment
with TestWare  is divided into seven chapters:
 

Chapter 1: Scoring High on the ACT Assessment—discusses what
the ACT is, how to register for the test , how to study for the ACT, and
how to navigate the rest of the chapters.

Chapter 2: Choosing a College—offers advice on how to find college
information, types of institutions of higher learning, what colleges are looking
for, visiting colleges, and how to apply to the college of your choice.

Chapter 3: ACT Assessment Diagnostic Exam—helps you identify
your strengths and weaknesses and lets you determine which study plan
is right for you.

Chapter 4: Attacking the ACT English Test—gives you the English
review every test-taker should have, but more importantly, offers you
the strategies and techniques you need to answer each question type.
The grammar drills help you hone your skills.

Chapter 5: Attacking the ACT Mathematics Test—guides you
through math basics with a refresher of the five skill areas tested:
pre-algebra, elementary algebra, intermediate algebra and coordinate
geometry, plane geometry, and a little trigonometry.

Chapter 6: Attacking the ACT Reading Test—helps you distinguish
between questions that refer to explicit statements in the passages
and those that require you to use your reasoning skills to determine the
implicit meanings in the passages . . . with plenty of practice drills.

Chapter 7: Attacking the ACT Science Reasoning Test—provides
you with strategies and review to help you remember the skills you used
in your natural sciences classes. In this chapter, you’ll use those skills to
answer questions related to data representation (graphs, tables), experiment
summaries, and hypotheses that represent conflicting viewpoints.

Strategies
Finally, the last part of this test prep gives you three practice exams.
Working through these practice exams will make you comfortable with
the test experience and prepare you for the types of questions you will
encounter on the ACT.

We’ve also included a review section for students taking the Optional
Writing Test. This section will guide you through an essay writing review
and includes strategies plus sample essays.

GENERAL TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES
Taking the ACT does not have to cause you anxiety. It’s true that the
outcome of the test affects your college admissions goal, there may be
question types that you haven’t come across before, and the test is, after
all, timed. But don’t worry. One of the things you have control over is
how to approach the test. Pacing is extremely important.

The Importance of Pacing
Pacing is the best thing you can do to improve your score. The ACT
is nearly three hours long. You’ll need to focus your energy where you
will earn points and not waste your time struggling with questions that
you’re likely to get incorrect. Pacing is how you move through each
section of the test. In other words, it’s how many questions you answer,
how much time you spend on each question, when and how you guess,
and how much time you leave to check your work.

On the ACT, questions usually fall into the following categories:

• Questions you know. These you answer and move on.

• Questions you don’t know. If you have no idea how to answer a question,
what the answer choices mean, or how to guess the answer,
skip it and go to the next question.

• Questions you aren’t really sure about. With these, it’s likely you can
eliminate choices on the questions you might be able to answer. If
you eliminate two or three of the answer choices, you can guess
from what’s left and go on. With the passages on the English Test,
it makes sense to try the shorter passages first. Next, try the long
passages and answer the easier questions first. Make sure you note
which questions you skip.

“Two-Pass” Method
The idea behind the two-pass method is to go through each section
twice. On the first pass, you answer all of the questions that aren’t difficult. If you spend a minute on a question, and you can’t come up with an answer, mark it for later and move on. It makes sense to look for the easier questions before you spend too much time on the difficult ones.
On the second pass, go back to the more difficult questions that gave
you a hard time. If you take more than a couple of minutes and still
don’t know the answer, guess and move on.

 
Process of Elimination
The strategy of the process of elimination is that you can eliminate
the answer choices you know are wrong and then you can guess from
the choices that are left. This is not new to you. More than likely it’s the
test-taking strategy you’re most comfortable with. (For more information
about our test-taking strategies, make sure you study REA’s plans
of attack for each section of the ACT in Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7.)
 
 

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

FOREWORD 
INTRODUCTION 
TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES 
STUDY SCHEDULES 

Chapter 1 SCORING HIGH ON THE ACT ASSESSMENT 
About Our Book 
About the ACT 
How to Use this Book 
Format of the ACT 
About the Review Sections 
Scoring the English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning Tests 
Scoring the Optional Writing Test 
Studying for the ACT 
Test-Taking Tips 
The Day of the Exam

Chapter 2 CHOOSING A COLLEGE
How Do I Find College Information?
Types of Institutions
What Am I Looking for in a College?
What Do Colleges Look for?
Visiting Colleges
Athletics
How to Apply

Chapter 3 ACT ASSESSMENT DIAGNOSTIC EXAM
ACT Assessment Diagnostic Exam
Answer Key
Detailed Explanations of Answers

Chapter 4 ATTACKING THE ACT ENGLISH TEST
Description of the ACT English Test
About the Directions 
Strategies for the English Section 
Skills Tested 
Standard Written English Review 
Rhetorical Skills Review 
Answer Key for Drills 

Chapter 5 ATTACKING THE ACT MATHEMATICS TEST 
Description of the ACT Mathematics Test 
About the Directions 
Strategies for the Mathematics Section 
Skills Tested 
Arithmetic Review 
Algebra Review 
Geometry and Trigonometry Review 
Answer Key for Drills 

Chapter 6 ATTACKING THE ACT READING TEST 
Description of the ACT Reading Test 
About the Directions 
Strategies for the Reading Section 
Skills Tested 
Reading Review 
Answer Key for Drill 

Chapter 7 ATTACKING THE ACT SCIENCE REASONING TEST 
Description of the ACT Science Reasoning Test 
About the Directions 
Strategies for the Science Reasoning Section 
Skills Tested 
Sample Passages and Questions 
Biology Review 
Chemistry Review 
Physics Review 
Earth Science Review 
Geology Review 
Astronomy Review 
Meteorology Review 
Answer Key for Drills 

PRACTICE EXAM I 
Answer Key 
Detailed Explanations of Answers 

PRACTICE EXAM II 
Answer Key 
Detailed Explanations of Answers 

PRACTICE EXAM III
Answer Key 
Detailed Explanations of Answers 

PRACTICE EXAM IV 
Answer Key 
Detailed Explanations of Answers  

ATTACKING THE ACT WRITING TEST*
APPENDIX
INDEX
INSTALLING REA'S TestWare
* The writing test is optional; check with your college of choice to determine whether you should take it.