| Meeting and Mastering the ACT | p. 1 |
| Get to Know the ACT | p. 3 |
| Understand the ACT | p. 3 |
| ACT Contents and Format | p. 4 |
| The ACT English Test | p. 5 |
| Usage and Mechanics | p. 5 |
| Rhetorical Skills | p. 5 |
| The ACT Math Test | p. 6 |
| Pre-Algebra/Elementary Algebra | p. 6 |
| Intermediate Algebra/Coordinate Geometry | p. 6 |
| Plane Geometry/Trigonometry | p. 7 |
| The ACT Reading Test | p. 7 |
| Social Studies/Natural Sciences | p. 8 |
| Prose Fiction/Humanities | p. 8 |
| The ACT Science Reasoning Test | p. 8 |
| Data Representation | p. 8 |
| Research Summaries | p. 9 |
| Conflicting Hypotheses | p. 9 |
| Nuts and Bolts: The ACT Test Booklet and Answer Sheet | p. 9 |
| How the ACT Is Scored | p. 10 |
| How College Admissions Offices Use the Act Score | p. 10 |
| Registering for the ACT | p. 12 |
| Calculating the Testing Fee | p. 12 |
| When Should You Take the ACT? | p. 12 |
| Where Should You Take the ACT? | p. 13 |
| A Look Ahead: What You Need to Do the Day of the ACT | p. 13 |
| Special Registration Situations | p. 14 |
| Financial Hardship | p. 14 |
| Non-Saturday Testing | p. 14 |
| Physical Accommodations | p. 14 |
| Extended Test Time | p. 15 |
| Homebound or Confined Students | p. 15 |
| How to Contact the ACT Office | p. 15 |
| Summary: What You Need to Know About the ACT | p. 17 |
| If You Had to Take the ACT Today: The ACT Self-Evaluation Test | p. 19 |
| Taking the ACT Self-Evaluation Test | p. 19 |
| The ACT Self-Evaluation Test | p. 23 |
| Answer Key | p. 69 |
| Explanatory Answers | p. 71 |
| What This First Score Means | p. 84 |
| English | p. 86 |
| Math | p. 87 |
| Reading | p. 87 |
| Science Reasoning | p. 88 |
| Tracking Your Progress | p. 88 |
| Mastering the ACT: Your Plan for Success | p. 89 |
| Creating Your ACT Study Plan | p. 89 |
| If You Have Three Months or More to Prepare | p. 90 |
| If You Have Four to Six Weeks to Prepare | p. 91 |
| If You Have Two Weeks to Prepare | p. 92 |
| Minimizing Test Anxiety | p. 93 |
| A Visualization Exercise | p. 93 |
| A Relaxation Exercise | p. 93 |
| An Exercise in Silliness | p. 94 |
| Ten Strategies for Scoring Higher on the ACT | p. 94 |
| Summary: What You Need to Know About Making Your Study Plan | p. 96 |
| Strengthening Your Act Subject Skills | p. 97 |
| The ACT English Test | p. 99 |
| What to Expect on the ACT English Test | p. 99 |
| Strategies for Success on the ACT English Test | p. 101 |
| Skim the Passage Before Reading | p. 101 |
| Read the Whole Sentence | p. 102 |
| Listen for the Mistake | p. 102 |
| Correct the Mistake on Your Own First | p. 102 |
| Look for Common Mistakes | p. 103 |
| Remember That Shorter Is Usually Better | p. 103 |
| Don't Add a New Mistake | p. 104 |
| Find the Right Sequence by Finding the First Item | p. 104 |
| Expect a Single Idea per Paragraph | p. 105 |
| Don't Worry About Tiny Details | p. 106 |
| Avoid the Repetition of Ideas | p. 106 |
| Success Strategy Roundup: A List of Do's and Don'ts | p. 107 |
| Practice Exercises | p. 109 |
| Answer Keys and Explanations | p. 123 |
| Are You Ready to Move On? | p. 127 |
| Summary: What You Need to Know about the ACT English Test | p. 127 |
| The ACT Math Test | p. 129 |
| What to Expect on the ACT Math Test | p. 129 |
| Strategies for Success on the ACT Math Test | p. 132 |
| Know What's Really Being Asked | p. 132 |
| Keep Moving Within the Problem | p. 133 |
| Estimate | p. 134 |
| Try One of the Choices | p. 135 |
| Turn Word Problems into Equations | p. 135 |
| Change Quantities into the Unit of the Answer | p. 138 |
| Consider Diagrams "Treasure Maps" to the Solution | p. 138 |
| If There's No Diagram, Draw One | p. 139 |
| Read the Graph Before You Read the Questions | p. 140 |
| Avoid Long Calculations | p. 142 |
| Don't Over-Rely on Your Calculator | p. 142 |
| Success Strategy Roundup: A List of Do's and Don'ts | p. 142 |
| Practice Exercises | p. 145 |
| Answer Keys and Explanations | p. 151 |
| Are You Ready to Move On? | p. 154 |
| Summary: What You Need to Know about the ACT Math Test | p. 155 |
| The ACT Reading Test | p. 157 |
| What to Expect on the ACT Reading Test | p. 157 |
| A Closer Look at ACT Reading Questions and Their Format | p. 157 |
| Learn the Directions | p. 158 |
| Strategies for Success on the ACT Reading Test | p. 159 |
| The Three-Step Method: Preview, Read, Review | p. 159 |
| Concentrate on Main Ideas | p. 161 |
| See How the Ideas Are Connected | p. 163 |
| Begin with the Type of Passage You Like Best | p. 165 |
| Don't Pick the First Answer That Sounds Either Good or Familiar | p. 166 |
| Don't Pick an Answer Just Because It's True | p. 166 |
| Define Words by Their Context | p. 167 |
| Success Strategy Roundup: A List of Do's and Don'ts | p. 167 |
| Practice Exercises | p. 169 |
| Answer Keys and Explanations | p. 180 |
| Are You Ready to Move On? | p. 183 |
| Summary: What You Need to Know about the ACT Reading Test | p. 183 |
| The ACT Science Reasoning Test | p. 185 |
| What to Expect on the ACT Science Reasoning Test | p. 185 |
| The Science Reasoning Questions and Their Format | p. 186 |
| Strategies for Success on the ACT Science Reasoning Test | p. 190 |
| The Three-Step Method: Preview, Read, Review | p. 190 |
| Look for the Main Idea | p. 191 |
| Know the Four Most Common Question Types | p. 197 |
| Don't Get Lost in Numbers, Jargon, or Details | p. 199 |
| Success Strategy Roundup: A List of Do's and Don'ts | p. 200 |
| Practice Exercises | p. 201 |
| Answer Keys and Explanations | p. 210 |
| Are You Ready to Move On? | p. 212 |
| Summary: What You Need to Know about the ACT Science Reasoning Test | p. 212 |
| Master Act Subject Reviews | p. 215 |
| English Review: Grammar | p. 217 |
| Mastering Verbs | p. 217 |
| A Verb Must Agree with Its Subject in Number | p. 217 |
| The Tense of the Verb Must Accurately Show the Sequence of Events | p. 219 |
| Always Use the Past Participle of a Verb with the Helping Verb to Have | p. 220 |
| Mastering Modifying Phrases | p. 221 |
| A Modifying Phrase Must Modify a Word or Phrase in the Same Sentence | p. 221 |
| A Modifying Phrase Must Be Next to What It Modifies | p. 222 |
| Mastering Adjectives and Adverbs | p. 222 |
| An Adjective Cannot Be Used in Place of an Adverb | p. 223 |
| Use a Comparative Adjective or Adverb to Compare Two Things; Use a Superlative for Three or More | p. 223 |
| Do Not Confuse the Adjective Good, the Adverb Well, and the Adjective Well | p. 224 |
| Mastering Pronouns | p. 224 |
| A Pronoun Must Have a Clear and Logical Antecedent | p. 225 |
| A Pronoun Must Agree with Its Antecedent in Number | p. 225 |
| Use Second- and Third-Person Pronouns Consistently | p. 225 |
| Mastering Connecting Clauses | p. 226 |
| The Conjunction Between Clauses Must Be Logical | p. 227 |
| Use a Semicolon (;) to Connect Two Independent Clauses | p. 227 |
| Avoid Run-on Sentences | p. 227 |
| Avoid Sentence Fragments | p. 228 |
| Mastering Punctuation | p. 228 |
| Use a Colon (:) to Introduce a List or a Restatement | p. 228 |
| Use Commas to Separate Items in a List of Three or More Words | p. 229 |
| Use a Pair of Commas to Set Off a Parenthetical Phrase | p. 229 |
| Don't Use Commas to Separate Sentence Elements that Naturally Belong Together | p. 230 |
| Use the Apostrophe (') Correctly When Forming a Possessive or a Contraction | p. 230 |
| Mastering Grammar and Logic | p. 231 |
| Items in a List Must Be Grammatically Parallel | p. 231 |
| Two Things Being Compared Must Be Grammatically Parallel | p. 232 |
| Mastering the Use of Idioms | p. 232 |
| When Idiomatic Paired Phrases Are Used, Always Complete the Idiom | p. 232 |
| Use the Right Idiomatic Preposition | p. 233 |
| Learn to Distinguish Between Easily Confused Words | p. 233 |
| Master the Ability to Identify Wordiness | p. 234 |
| Avoid Verbosity | p. 234 |
| Avoid Changing the Meaning When Editing | p. 235 |
| Avoid Redundancy | p. 235 |
| Avoid the Passive Voice When Possible | p. 236 |
| Practice Exercises | p. 236 |
| Answer Keys and Explanations | p. 253 |
| Are You Ready to Move On? | p. 258 |
| Additional Resources for Review | p. 258 |
| Math Review: From Arithmetic Through Geometry | p. 259 |
| Arithmetic | p. 259 |
| Numbers and the Number Line | p. 259 |
| Laws of Arithmetic and Order of Operations | p. 260 |
| Divisibility Rules | p. 262 |
| Divisibility in Addition, Subtraction, and Multiplication | p. 263 |
| Comparing Fractions | p. 264 |
| Arithmetic with Fractions | p. 265 |
| Fractions, Decimals, and Percents | p. 268 |
| Averages | p. 269 |
| Algebra | p. 270 |
| Signed Numbers | p. 270 |
| Laws of Exponents | p. 272 |
| Ratio, Proportion, and Variation | p. 273 |
| Solving Linear Equations | p. 275 |
| Solving Linear Inequalities | p. 276 |
| Solving Two Linear Equations with Two Unknowns | p. 277 |
| Word Problems with One or Two Unknowns | p. 279 |
| Monomials and Polynomials | p. 280 |
| Combining Polynomials and Monomials | p. 281 |
| Factoring Monomials and the Difference of Squares | p. 282 |
| Operations with Square Roots | p. 283 |
| Trinomial Factoring and Quadratic Equations | p. 284 |
| The Quadratic Formula | p. 285 |
| Complex Numbers | p. 286 |
| Higher Roots and Fractional Exponents | p. 287 |
| Functions | p. 288 |
| Exponentials and Logarithms | p. 290 |
| Geometry | p. 291 |
| Angles, Complements, and Supplements | p. 291 |
| Properties of Triangles | p. 292 |
| The Pythagorean Theorem | p. 293 |
| The Area of a Triangle | p. 294 |
| Isosceles and Equilateral Triangles | p. 295 |
| Special Right Triangles | p. 297 |
| Vertical Angles Are Equal | p. 298 |
| Parallel Lines and Transversals | p. 299 |
| Rectangles, Parallelograms, and Other Polygons | p. 300 |
| Basic Properties of Circles | p. 303 |
| The Area and Circumference of a Circle | p. 304 |
| Volumes | p. 306 |
| Right Triangle Trigonometry | p. 307 |
| Coordinate Geometry | p. 310 |
| The Midpoint Formula | p. 310 |
| The Distance Formula and Equations for Circles | p. 311 |
| Slope of a Line | p. 312 |
| Equations of Lines | p. 313 |
| Systems of Equations with Non-Unique Solutions | p. 314 |
| Parabolas and Quadratic Equations | p. 315 |
| Trigonometric Graphs | p. 317 |
| Other ACT Math Topics | p. 319 |
| The Addition Principle for Counting | p. 319 |
| The Multiplication Principle for Counting | p. 320 |
| Probability | p. 321 |
| Arithmetic and Geometric Progressions | p. 321 |
| Matrices | p. 323 |
| Practice Exercises | p. 325 |
| Answer Keys and Explanations | p. 333 |
| Are You Ready to Move On? | p. 337 |
| Additional Resources for Review | p. 337 |
| Reading Review: Vocabulary | p. 339 |
| Master Strategies for Building Your Vocabulary | p. 339 |
| Learn a Few Words Every Day | p. 339 |
| Actively Use What You've Learned and Learn What You Use | p. 340 |
| Learn to Recognize Root Words | p. 340 |
| How to Use Your ACT Word List | p. 341 |
| Words Most Likely to Appear on the ACT Test | p. 341 |
| Prefix and Suffix Tables | p. 380 |
| Practice Exercises | p. 382 |
| Answer Keys and Explanations | p. 397 |
| Are You Ready to Move On? | p. 401 |
| Additional Resources for Review | p. 401 |
| Science Reasoning Review: Understanding Data | p. 403 |
| How to Read Tables, Graphs, and Charts | p. 403 |
| An In-Depth Review of Tables | p. 404 |
| Variables and Trends | p. 405 |
| An In-Depth Review of Graphs | p. 405 |
| Bar Graphs | p. 407 |
| Line Graphs | p. 408 |
| Scatter Graphs | p. 410 |
| Interpolation and Extrapolation | p. 411 |
| The Dangers of Extrapolation | p. 413 |
| Advantages and Disadvantages of Graphs | p. 414 |
| A Simple Guide to the Scientific Method | p. 417 |
| Inductive and Deductive Reasoning | p. 417 |
| Starting with a Hypothesis | p. 418 |
| Testing a Hypothesis | p. 419 |
| What You Need to Know About Variables | p. 421 |
| The Role of the Control | p. 422 |
| How to Read Research Summaries | p. 422 |
| Understanding How Scientists Compare Conclusions | p. 425 |
| The Scientific View of Complex Systems | p. 426 |
| How Scientists Identify Significant Factors | p. 426 |
| How to Read Conflicting Viewpoints Passages | p. 427 |
| Scientific Terms and Concepts Most Likely to Be on Your ACT | p. 429 |
| How to Use Your Scientific Terms List | p. 429 |
| Scientific Terms and Concepts Glossary | p. 430 |
| Practice Exercises | p. 444 |
| Answer Keys and Explanations | p. 458 |
| Are You Ready to Move On? | p. 461 |
| Additional Resources for Review | p. 461 |
| Three Full-Length Practice Act Exams | p. 463 |
| Life After the Act | p. 653 |
| Applying to the College of Your Choice | p. 655 |
| Finding Financial Aid | p. 665 |
| Choosing the Right College | p. 679 |
| Using Other Study Aids | p. 689 |
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