Counterpoint

We all have certain subjects we excel at over others. Some of us are more creatively inclined, giving us an edge when examining literature, while others are more logical, finding subjects like math and science easier to master. Whatever the case may be for you, you’ll still have to deal with the English portion of the ACT.

If you’re looking to boost your ACT score as much as possible, you need to make sure you’re ready for the English section. Fortunately, there are great ways to prepare, even if English isn’t your best subject. Learn how to increase your ACT English score and discover how a comprehensive ACT test prep course can help.

Know What to Expect

The English portion of the ACT is split into two kinds of questions. You have to be able to answer questions testing grammar and mechanics, as well as questions testing rhetorical skills, like writing style and strategy. For grammar skills, you’re typically going to pick apart sentences to find any errors. These errors can vary quite a bit, from punctuation issues to subject and verb agreement or pronoun usage.

Testing rhetorical skills is typically a much more rigorous process, as it’s more about overall writing strategies and style than single mistakes. This will require a lot more focus and critical thinking, so make sure you’re ready for that going in. Think of it as editing an essay. You have to get the grammar right, of course, but you also need to think about overall content, organization and style.

Beware the “NO CHANGE” Option

On the ACT English test, you’ll find a list of choices to correct a sentence or passage, but that list tends to start with the “NO CHANGE” option. While this choice is the correct answer about a quarter of the time, students often choose “NO CHANGE” as an easy way to rush through a question that doesn’t have any glaring errors.

Unfortunately, it’s all too common for students to mark this choice and move on when they’re facing a time crunch, even in cases where a few extra seconds of examination would’ve helped a student to spot a more subtle error. You should always double check your answer choices, but go ahead and triple check this one, considering how common it is to mark it and move on without really thinking.

Practice

The best way to improve any of your skills is to practice, and taking the ACT is no different. You can familiarize yourself with all the necessary grammar rules and rhetorical good practices, but you won’t be able to maximize your score unless you optimize your test-taking skills as well. That means you need to take time for practice tests, so you don’t waste any precious time trying to learn the layout of the test itself when it comes to the real thing.

Practicing beforehand also gives you the opportunity to pinpoint your weaknesses. There’s no point in wasting study time on a skill you’ve already perfected. Perhaps the rhetorical questions give you trouble, or you’re just not very good at time management in general. Whatever the case may be, practice is the only thing that will strengthen your weaknesses.

ACT Test Prep

If you’re looking to boost your ACT English score as much as possible, you’ll need the help of ACT test prep services. For courses you can count on, Counterpoint has got you covered. Our comprehensive catalog of courses can help you get through every portion of the exam and help you get the score you’re looking for. Check out our ACT English course today!

What do you struggle with most when it comes to taking a test? Some students can’t seem to stay awake, while others let their anxiety take over. For most people, however, the problem is memorizing all the necessary information to answer the questions correctly. Content memorization can be hard, but students can overcome this challenge.

It may seem counterproductive to add more things to remember to improve memorization, but it pays off in the end. Learn how these memorization tips, coupled with comprehensive ACT test prep, can help you boost their test scores to the level they need to meet their academic goals.

Know Your Learning Style

People naturally have different learning styles, and each style requires its own optimum methods and approaches. When it comes to memorization, it’s better to take advantage of your unique learning style. For example, a visual learner might benefit from writing notes and matching concepts with pictures, while verbal learners might prefer repeating ideas back and forth with a partner.

Tip credit: Homestead128

Talk to Yourself

Despite popular belief, talking to yourself can actually be quite helpful, especially when you’re trying to remember important information. In fact, you may be 50% more likely to remember something if you repeat it out loud to yourself rather than read it over and over. While all people can talk to themselves to help remember important information, as a student, you will find this technique particularly helpful.

Tip credit: College Study Smarts

Use Flashcards

When it comes to training memory, flashcards are among the best tools at your disposal. You need to remember a few points about flashcards, and the most important is not to overload them with information. They should be simple, impactful and effective above all else. Reading them out loud can also help you get that extra memory boost you need.

Tip credit: Eintsein

Know How Memory Works

Before any system can be optimized, it needs to be understood. Developing a working understanding of memory allows you to take advantage of your brain’s natural ability to better retain information and make that information easier to access when it’s needed. This helps plenty when taking tests, but it helps in life generally as well.

Tip credit: Business Insider

Eat Properly

The mind needs fuel just like every other part of the human body, and the healthier your diet, the better your memory will be. If you face an upcoming test, eating healthy while studying as well as just before the test is a great way to ensure that you retain information and remain focused.

Tip credit: RawAyurveda

Take an ACT Test Prep Course

These tips will help you with memorization, but if you’re trying to boost your skills in advance of the ACT, nothing prepares you better than a comprehensive ACT test prep program. For a collection of helpful courses, check out what we offer at Counterpoint. Browse our courses today to learn more about how we can help boost your scores.

Whether you’ve been a high school student for a semester or over three years, you’ve probably felt pressure to take the ACT. Scoring well on the ACT can mean a lot for your academic career, so the pressure around this important exam can be overwhelming. One of the best ways to help deal with the stress is to make a plan.

A major aspect of that plan should be study time. No matter what kind of exam you’re taking, you need to study beforehand, but a major exam like the ACT warrants a different approach, so how soon should you start studying for the ACT?

Things to Consider

When deciding when to start studying for the ACT, ask yourself what the purpose is for your taking the ACT. Which college do you want to attend? Some colleges have very different standards when it comes to applicants’ ACT scores. If you’re aiming for the ivy league, you need to ensure your score is as high as possible.

There are problems if you take the test too early, however. The ACT covers reading, math, science, and English. Many aspects of these subjects won’t be covered until you’re a year or two into your high school career, so you’ll struggle if you take it too early. Remember, the purpose of studying is to help you master and retain information. Learning for the first time is best done in a classroom.

Take the Practice Test

Fortunately, there are practice tests available for the ACT. These consequence-free tests can give you an idea of what you’d score on the real ACT. You should take one of these tests near the end of your sophomore year of high school after you’ve learned most of the necessary topics you’ll encounter on the exam.

Once you have your score on the practice test, you’ll know exactly how much you’ll need to improve and in what areas. Taking the practice test in the spring of your sophomore year gives you the whole summer to prepare. You should plan to take the ACT in the spring of your junior year so you have plenty of time to study and it won’t interfere with any potential AP tests on your schedule.

How Long Should You Study?

If you want to score high on the ACT, you need to determine how many hours you’re prepared to dedicate to studying. Set your starting point to account for the hours you want to spend. Be prepared to spend at least 40 hours studying if you want to improve your ACT score by a good four or so points from what you got on your practice exam.

The most important thing for determining how soon you should start studying for the ACT is that you know your goals. Set reasonable expectations for yourself and try not to let studying interfere with other important aspects of your life. On the other hand, you need to make sure you don’t neglect the need to study more than you should. Finding balance is key and one of the best ways to help with that is to start studying at the appropriate time.

The bottom line is you should start studying a bit before the practice exam during your sophomore year and then continue studying until you take the real ACT in the spring of your junior year. For best ACT test prep courses available, check out everything Counterpoint Test Prep can offer.

After a long ordeal, you’re finally finished with your college entrance essay. You already had so much work to do, so this additional burden was just weighing you down. At least you’re finished, right? Well, maybe not. Even when the writing is entirely finished, you still need to edit it. However, editing it yourself may not be the best idea.

Fortunately, there are professional editors you can hire to make your entrance essay the absolute best it can be. You may not see the need to spend money on an editor, but just remember how important this essay is. Plus, these professionals offer more benefits than you might think. Learn about four benefits of hiring a professional to edit your college entrance essay.

1. Fresh Eyes

Editing your own work usually doesn’t accomplish much. You may catch a few grammatical mistakes here and there, and maybe you accidentally typed a word twice, but that’s mostly it. You wrote the essay, so you already know what it says. Because of this, you’re prone to unconsciously skim through some parts even though you’re trying to read it word for word, causing you to miss crucial errors. A professional editor wouldn’t have that problem.

2. Objectivity

You may think that a friend or a relative can solve the problems you run into when self editing, but they’re not always the most reliable sources. Those who care about you will always try to refrain from hurting you. Even when they try to be objective, they’re still your friends and won’t want to hurt your feelings. They may point out some more serious issues, but their biases prevent them from getting your essay as close to perfect as possible. A professional editor looks at your essay as a job, not as a favor for a friend, so you can expect quality edits every time.

3. Motivation

Speaking of jobs, a professional editor edits for a living. People are consistently more motivated when there’s a paycheck coming their way for a job well done. When a friend or a relative does you a favor, they may not be as motivated to give you the best edits. As painful as it is to admit, some of your friends and relatives may not care enough to try very hard editing your work. That’s why it’s best to rely on a professional whose income depends on the quality of their edits. They have a reputation to protect after all.

4. Expertise

In addition to being properly motivated, a professional editor knows exactly what they’re doing. At Counterpoint Test Prep, our professional editor knows exactly what colleges are looking for in a college entrance essay and can help craft your paper into a masterpiece that stands out from the rest. Even if you know a writing and rhetoric major or even an English teacher who could help you, professional editors are specialists when it comes to college entrance essays. With so much riding on the success of your paper, it could be a mistake to neglect the benefits of hiring a professional to edit your college entrance essay.

A considerable collection of online ACT test prep options are available, but you’ll generally get the same results no matter which one you opt for. That’s why you need to look for what separates one service from another. Discover whether or not the test prep service you’re opting for can actually provide a strategy useful for helping students succeed on the ACT.

With our Advantage Point Strategy®, Counterpoint sets itself apart. This strategy includes a specific way of thinking and reasoning that allows you to gain the tools required for effectively approaching any problem you may face on the ACT. Learn more about the Advantage Point Strategy® and its three points and discover how they can help you succeed.

Pinpoint

The first aspect of the Advantage Point Strategy® is to Pinpoint. When you approach a question, you must first Pinpoint all the important aspects required to reach the correct answer. A lot of test questions are purposely worded in a strange way, so we teach you how to reword questions to present them more clearly and concisely.

After the meaning of the question has been established, you will then Pinpoint the important key words. This strategy is especially effective for multiple choice questions, as you’ll often find similar or related keywords in the answers. Recognizing these ensures that you have a firm grasp on the topic and concepts in question.

Checkpoint

Once the question has been fully understood, it’s time to move on to Checkpoint. During the Checkpoint stage, the primary goal is the elimination of false answers. A good way to spot a false answer is to look for keywords that distort or distract from the concepts featured in the question.

After obviously false answers have been eliminated, the student will then have to examine the remaining answers. There will often be several answers available that could serve as an answer to the question, in the sense that they aren’t irrelevant to the mentioned concepts. You will have to determine which is factually correct.

Endpoint

Even at the end, when looking for the final correct answer, you should still primarily be concerned with elimination. The correct answer to any multiple choice question is the answer that cannot be eliminated. With that in mind, you will then draw on your knowledge of the concepts to find the only answer that isn’t wrong in any way.

After the right answer has been found, it’s always helpful to check the other available answers to ensure that they were properly eliminated. Avoid the impulse to rush through questions and eliminate options before reading the rest of the available answers. When you do that, you may find that the hastily eliminated option was the most correct option (The ACT wants the BEST answer.) This kind of double checking helps work against the occasional human error that we all have to deal with at some point.

Try Counterpoint Today

With our Advantage Point Strategy®, you will have a serious edge, not only on the ACT, but on virtually any other kind of exam you’ll have to take in your academic career. Feel free to browse our list of courses today, all of which utilize the Advantage Point Strategy, and get prepared with online ACT test prep.

As college becomes more essential to rewarding career prospects, more and more students are trying to get into college. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you need a stellar admission essay. This essay can make or break any prospects you might have at your college of choice, so you need to make sure it’s as close to perfect as possible.

Even when people don’t neglect the editing process, they can lose track of what the entrance essay is for. Make sure you do exactly what your college expects. Look over those requirements repeatedly and ensure you can check all the boxes. If you want to stand out, however, you need to exceed expectations, not merely meet them. Here are the three main things colleges are looking for in entrance essays.

1. Storytelling

Above all else, your application essay must tell a story. Much like a resume or cover letter, the purpose of this essay is to sell yourself, but simply listing your qualities and experience isn’t good enough. Like your old language arts teachers always told you, you need to show, not tell. Don’t simply state why you’d be a good student. Describe what made you into the person you are today.

Make sure you start with a hook. Every good story needs something that will draw the reader in. Your application essay is no different. There needs to be clear rising action, a climax and a conclusion. The ending is especially important as it will have the most impact with the reader. Describe how the trials you endured imbued you with goals and aspirations that you can pursue at your selected college. You’re the main character in your story, and colleges want to see how you grow.

2. Focus

As the main character, it’s important that you focus on what matters, you. Certain aspects of any story require some context, just make sure you don’t spend more than a third of the essay talking about anything other than you. Colleges want to hear about you more than anything else.

While you’re the star of the show here, colleges don’t want to hear your entire life story. Focus on a single event or a small number of connected events that changed your outlook on life. Remember not to drift too far into the past either. Colleges want to know about the student that will be attending their school, not the child they once were.

3. Impact

What does your story have that will impact your reader? If you want to stand apart from other applicants, your story needs to be powerful. Try to offer a fresh perspective rather than one they’ve probably already read a few hundred times before they got to your essay.

One way to make an impact is to tie a metaphor throughout your essay. Compare yourself or your experiences to something else to paint a clearer picture in the reader’s mind about who you are and everything you’re capable of. Your essay is a representation of you, so the writing style needs to reflect your creativity as well. Just be careful not to break any of the guidelines provided.

Know what colleges are looking for in entrance essays, and yours will speak volumes about you. If you want comprehensive college essay help, head to the Counterpoint Test Prep website where you’ll find over 30 college essays analyzed for their strengths or weaknesses. You’ll even find a checklist of the ten components necessary for a winning college essay.

If you're an elderly in secondary school, you're most likely all also knowledgeable about the pressures of that final year. Some of you still have the ACT to take, while others are stressed over dealing with the hardest classes of your academic profession. Perhaps one of the most demanding facet of being an elderly, nevertheless, is college applications.

Couple of points are extra tedious than college applications, as well as it does not help that they're hardly ever totally free. You duplicate the same info over and over right into each one, and you have little control over the facts they ask for. One element you do have control over, however, is the college entrance essay. Discover the fundamentals of exactly how to write a college entrance essay and also maximize the one part of your college application that you can in fact regulate.

Understand the Prompt Like any type of essay, the college entrance essay needs to be on topic. While it's generally more broad than scholastic essays you could be utilized to, the entrance essay still requires to deal with totally the subject handy. The good news is, many entrance essay subjects are fairly similar. Questions have a tendency to ask about your scholastic or extracurricular objectives, or they might desire you to study your individual background to explain a time when you fell short, became an adult, tested a prejudgment, etc.

At their core, these motivates want you to reflect on your growth, whether it remains in the previous or the future. Higher education is implied to broaden our knowledge which, subsequently, broadens who we are as people. If a college is not able to see just how you agree to expand, they might not see a point in admitting you, because finding out and individual development are totally connected.

Describe Your Suggestions Once you are clear regarding your answer to the timely, it's time to outline the framework of your essay. Your feedback may be superb, however if it's absent appropriately, it will not complete a lot. While this may be an official essay, you're attempting to narrate about yourself, as well as every engaging tale requires to have a start, center and end.

Maintain structure in mind when informing your tale. Visualize a tale you would want analysis. Consider what would draw you in as an opener. Are you a lot more thinking about captivating anecdotes or major concerns? Much more notably, which would serve ideal for the story you're trying to tell? These essays can tackle many different tones, and also all can work well. You simply need to make sure you keep your own regular throughout.

Write And also Write Once again Sitting down and also writing the essay may be the part you fear one of the most, yet you need to see to it you provide yourself appropriate time. Composing the essay is simply the very first component. After your first draft is finished, you require to check and rewrite any type of sections that could utilize job. Bear in mind, you're not simply looking for grammatic errors or methods to optimize your syntax. The content itself requires to be high quality.

When it concerns essays of essentially any kind of kind, web content is king. You need to ensure you're not squandering any kind of space on the page with fluff that might be summed up in simply a couple of words. This is your college entrance essay besides, not a middle school record on Steinbeck. Creating design aside, make certain you stay true to yourself. Allow your very own voice radiate through, as well as at least sound real, even if you stretch the information a bit from truth.

Many students dread the writing portion of the ACT and SAT exams. The essay exam for many is very intimidating, while others think the essay will be the easiest path to a solid score. Either way, knowing what to expect from the essay portions of these exams is a huge help. Getting the proper preparation for any exam is a good idea.

So, what exactly can you expect from ACT and SAT writing prompts? Check out the similarities and differences between these two exams and learn what you can expect so you’ll be prepared to write an outstanding essay when test day arrives.

ACT vs. SAT Writing Comparison

The SAT and ACT have new writing requirements which are much more complex than they once were. They require both a knowledge of grammar and style, and the ability to think critically and make persuasive arguments. On each test, the writing assignments are optional. This, however, is where the similarities end. They are timed differently, scored differently, and use different benchmarks.

ACT Writing Prompts

The ACT writing prompts are timed at 40 minutes, and use scoring benchmarks that are called “IDOL.” This stands for Ideas and analysis, Development and support, Organization, and Language use. Each domain’s score is averaged together for a final score from 2 to 12. In the essay itself, you will have to take a stance on an issue and argue it while respectfully acknowledging and analyzing dissenting opinions.

For your Ideas score, you’ll need to present a strong point of view. For the Development score, you will need to carefully back up your analysis. Organization depends on your ability to structure and present an argument. Finally, your Language use benchmark depends on your ability to use style and grammar, vary your sentence structure, and use sophisticated vocabulary.

SAT Writing Prompts

For SAT writing prompts, you’ll have 50 minutes. Each section is scored from 2-8, and the scores aren’t added or averaged. The benchmarks are called “RAW,” or Reading, Analysis, and Writing.

For this essay, you’ll be presented with a persuasive writing piece, and you’ll have to analyze how well it was put together and presented. On this exam, your point of view has no place in the essay. Likewise, re-stating the passage argument is not requested. In fact, these are the most common mistakes people make.

Rather, you’re supposed to write about how the argument was made. When scored, the evaluation will be made based on how well you seem to understand the passage, your skill at analyzing the structure, and your ability to express your own ideas and analysis. You will receive a total score of between 2 and 8 in each category.

For the SAT, It’s a good idea to spend a solid amount of time reading the passage carefully, to be sure that you understand exactly what you’re reading. Be sure to use citations from the text. For the ACT essay, think carefully about the arguments you use to support your stance and how you’re going to phrase them,

If you’d like a class on dealing with ACT writing prompts, check out the Counterpoint website and explore our resources today!

When it comes to getting into the right college, admissions will consider several factors. Your academic record and college essay are very important, but another of the essential factors is your ACT score. This important exam can make or break your chances of getting into your dream university, so make sure you’re boosting your score as high as it can go.

One of the best ways to enhance your ACT test prep is with Counterpoint’s ACT Question of the Day. This handy feature will send you ACT questions every day, allowing you to practice answering the kinds of questions you’ll find on the actual test. Let’s talk about how our Question of the Day service can enhance your ACT test prep.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Whether you’re preparing for the ACT, a big speech, karaoke night, or virtually anything else, you need to practice. Practicing something repeatedly is the single best way to master it, and that’s exactly what our Question of the Day can offer. Each day, you’ll receive a question that allows you to actively practice for the ACT.

Each of our Questions of the Day will be in the form of a real ACT question. Not only does this help you master the content, but it gives you insight as to the format and organization of the questions. You’ll become more familiar with the style the writers use and can even learn what kind of tricks to expect so you don’t fall for them.

Versatility

Counterpoint offers a long list of courses you can use to prepare for the ACT, but our Question of the Day can also help. You don’t have to sign up for the courses to benefit from the Questions of the Day, so you can enjoy the benefits regardless of whatever else you do.

If you are enrolled in one or more of our courses, however, you’ll find that these questions directly relate to the content you study. With clear, detailed explanations of all the answers, you can enhance your understanding of the course in addition to getting that extra practice. All of these aspects help you retain information and prepare yourself, so why not double up and have these daily questions and your courses complement each other?

Gauging Preparation

As your ACT test date approaches, it’s helpful to gauge how prepared you are. You need to find out if all your ACT test prep has made a difference. Since our Questions of the Day are modeled on the questions you’ll find on the actual ACT, you can use them as a reliable metric for measuring your preparedness.

Take note of whether or not you’re getting the questions right, of course, but also make sure you recognize frequent patterns among the questions. Are you picking up on the common tricks that these questions sometimes use? Consider whether or not you can think like a question writer rather than just someone who can answer the questions.

Sign Up for Question of the Day Today

When it comes to your ACT test prep, our Question of the Day can augment any courses you might be taking and help boost your ACT scores considerably. It’s always better to get a head start, allowing you to get in as much practice as possible, so check out our Question of the Day service today!

There’s no doubt that our language is complex. In fact, some say that English is among the hardest languages to learn, let alone become fluent. That’s because it has evolved from a combination of many languages all smashed together. It’s no wonder so many students have difficulty with the rules, exceptions, and guidelines.

When it comes to taking the ACT exam, it’s not uncommon for students to struggle with the English section. That’s why it’s important to know what the grammar rules are so that you can approach the exam properly. Check out this comprehensive ultimate guide to the ACT grammar rules so you can greatly improve your test results on the English section.

ACT Grammar Rules

There are essentially two categories of grammar rules on the ACT exam: mechanical (usage) and rhetoric. Usage skills are the basics of grammar, and include things like verb tenses, subject and verb agreement, and punctuation. Rhetoric, on the other hand, involves writing, organization, and style rules.

This guide will focus on the usage skills, or ACT grammar rules.

Comma Rules

Punctuation is important, but the ACT exams will focus on very specific punctuation usage, including commas, apostrophes, colons, semicolons, dashes, and end punctuation. Commas should be used to separate words and groups of words when there are three or more items listed. They are also used to separate two interchangeable adjectives. In addition, they set off dependent clauses which begin sentences, as well as non-essential parts of sentences. Then there are dates and addresses.

Apostrophe Rules

Apostrophes can be used either to show possession, or to create contractions. If a word ends in “s,” an apostrophe is placed after it, whether singular or plural. If a word ends in any other letter, to show possession, use an apostrophe followed by an “s.” “The kid’s room,” for example, implies a single kid, while “the kids’ room” implies a room owned by several kids. Since the name “Chris” ends with an “s,” you would indicate ownership by saying, “Chris’ car,” even though Chris is one person. However, apostrophes are never used to show possession in pronouns.

When creating a contraction, the apostrophe demonstrates the missing letters. For example, the contraction “you’d” is an abbreviated way of saying, “you would.”

Colons and Semicolons

Colons are used to set off an independent clause from a list, appositive, or other related idea. Semicolons are used to join two independent clauses or to separate a string of words in a list.

Rules for Dashes

Dashes are used to both set off and emphasize content. That is, the content set off after a dash or between dashes, carries more emphasis than other content, as opposed to content placed in parentheses, which is offset, but often tangential to the rest of the sentence.

End Punctuation Rules

Finally, how to end a sentence is a basic rule. When you are making a basic statement of any kind, use a period to end the sentence. If your sentence asks a direct question, use a question mark at the end. If the sentence expresses strong emotion, use an exclamation point. Exclamation points should be used sparingly and rarely, or they lose their impact.

These are the core ACT grammar rules that you will need to understand when you take the exam. For more tips, tricks, and resources, explore the Counterpoint website today!

ACT time is stressful. It seems like you never know what the test is going to throw at you, even if you know other people who have already taken it, and you’re pinning your future on the results. Many people choose to take prep courses or hire tutors, and that’s a great strategy. However, you’ll also want to work out a plan of action to study on your own.

But what is the best way to approach studying for the ACT? There are several steps you can take to ensure that you’re as ready as you can be when test day arrives. Check out these six key factors in creating a solid and effective ACT study plan, so you’re ready for anything the college preparatory test has to present.

Know Content and Strategies

We recommend starting with learning or relearning the content being tested so you can answer the questions correctly The other critical skill is practicing the best strategies that will lead you to the right answers in the limited time allotted. No resource hones these skills as well as Counterpoint Test Prep online.

Use Official Materials for Practice Tests

When making an ACT study plan, it’s important to look at the resources you have available. Use official materials, take practice tests, make a plan, and stick with it.

Home offers a whole range of official practice materials. These practice tests are the best available to you—after all, they’re specifically designed to help you do well by the company who makes the exam. The site also offers a prep guide you can use to form your plan of action. We also recommend the official ACT Test Prep Book.

Take a practice test to help you identify your weak points and learn where you need to focus your studies. It will give you a benchmark to make your plan. Then, throughout your study process, take additional practice exams to see how you’re coming along.

Create Your Study Plan and Stick With It

When you know where you need to focus your studies, make your plan. Put it in writing, set a schedule for studying, allocating at least 4 to 5 hours per week, and start a few months before you take the test. Plan and schedule what you will study every week.

Set High Goals for Yourself

Set very high goals for your studies. Be very critical of yourself and learn from the mistakes you make on your practice tests. There’s no such thing as a silly question, but there are silly mistakes, and every time you catch one, it’s one you’ll resolve not to make again. Ask yourself if you really understand the question and if you don’t, work at it until you do.

At the same time, understand that you’re learning. While you want to be critical of yourself, don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s okay to not understand something—that’s the point of the work you’re doing!

By making a plan and sticking with it, you’ll find you do outstanding on the ACT exams. For more advice, tips, tricks, and resources, check out the Counterpoint website and get started today.

There was a time when preparing for college simply meant buckling down and taking the SAT. If you didn’t do well, you could take it again. While it’s still the case that you can take the SAT again, it hasn’t been your only option for a very long time. Now you have the possibility of two different college prep exams.

Most students worry about whether they should take the SAT or ACT. They’ve heard that the ACT is “easier” (not so for everyone), and that colleges weigh the SAT more heavily (they don’t). So, what is the difference between the two? Explore the differences between the SAT vs. ACT exam, and learn how to decide which might be the best one to take for your college preparatory test.

ACT vs. SAT

Many students choose to take both the ACT and the SAT, feeling that it’s best to have multiple scores under their belts. That may not necessarily be the best approach, because each test is very different and requires its own approach to preparation and studying.

The SAT doesn’t test your knowledge of science. While the ACT does, its science section really has very little to do with hard science. The essay section of each exam is also quite different—the ACT wants you to support an argument, while the SAT wants you to analyze someone else’s.

The math sections are different as well. The SAT has some math problems that don’t allow calculators and require you to fill in blanks, while the ACT is all multiple choice and allows calculators on all questions. The SAT gives formulas, while the ACT expects that you know the formulas. Finally, the SAT gives you a lot more time per problem, while the ACT requires more speed and focus when answering questions.

Which Is Easier?

For years, the ACT was thought to be an easier exam. This is not necessarily true. Each test is graded on a curve and your score is based on how well you did compared to other people who took the test. As such, choose the test that you think will make you more competitive. If you’re good at grammar and writing, the SAT may be the better option for you. If you love reading, the ACT might be more conducive to your strengths.

The best way to decide is to try practice exams for each and see which one feels better (and which one nets you a better score). You can get free exams from both providers online. Focus on the test you like better and work hard to do well at that test. These days, most schools value both tests equally.

When you’re ready to start prepping for your preferred exam, Counterpoint has a broad range of resources to help you get ready and ace that college entrance test! Explore our website and find out how we can help you today!

When people study for the ACT, they don’t generally think about vocabulary. It’s true that there is no specific vocabulary section on the test. However, if you don’t have a solid knowledge of words and language, you will still have issues on the reading and science sections of the test.

For this reason, it’s incredibly important to focus on your understanding of words and the nuances they can have in different contexts. Check out these important and helpful ACT study tips if you’re preparing to take your college prep exams. You want to be ready for anything on test day.

ACT Study Tips: the Nuances of Language

Knowing your vocabulary words is critical in preparing for the ACT, because language isn’t black and white. There are nuances to linguistic use. For example, the word “gravity” can have different, though similar, meanings, depending on how it’s used. When someone references the force of gravity, for example, s/he is talking about the pull the earth exerts on objects due to the earth’s mass and momentum. On the other hand, when someone references the gravity of a circumstance, s/he is talking about how critical the circumstances are surrounding the situation. It’s these kinds of nuances that you will need to be expecting when you take the ACT. Words that seem obvious at first may not actually carry the clear meaning you expect.

Words and Nuances

There are a number of nuanced words that may well pop up on the ACT. “Bear,” for example, can refer to the animal, or it can mean the process of carrying something physical or spiritual, like “bearing a great weight.” It can also mean to support something or prop it up.

“Crop” can refer to a field of harvestable plants. It can also mean to cut something short, or to refer to the cropped object colloquially (as in, “I looked at the crop and it still wasn’t small enough”). This brings up another interesting point: language is often colloquial, and you need to be clear on the differences between colloquial and proper usage.

Other Common Nuanced Words

Here are some other common nuanced words with which you should familiarize yourself as you prepare for the ACT:

Delineate: This can refer to pointing out a specific location on a map or to specifically describe something in detail.

Engage: This can mean to get and hold someone’s attention, to keep him occupied and interested, or to get involved in a situation or process.

Lounge: This can either refer to a room designed for relaxation, a certain kind of bar, restaurant or club, or the act of sitting down and relaxing.

Prostrate: This can mean that someone is overcome with distress or can’t handle a situation, or it can refer to lying face-down.

Reflect: This can refer to redirecting something back from where it came, like reflecting light on glass, to your image in a polished surface, or to carefully think about a subject or situation.

Revive: This can refer to bringing someone back from unconsciousness or to make something which has faded from the public view popular again.

Wretched: This can mean something is of awful quality, or describe someone who is overcome with misfortune or unhappiness.

If you would like more ACT study tips, check out our website today!

Reading is an important part of the SAT and ACT process. Comprehension and the ability to analyze what you’ve read are essential to doing well on these tests. Unfortunately, it’s also an area where many students struggle, especially if they focus strongly on math and science.

So, how can you improve your reading skills and pick up your overall score on the ACT and SAT exams? The good news is, even if you’re struggling, there are a few easy things you can do to improve the process overall. Learn a simple and straightforward technique that will allow you to greatly improve your SAT reading and ACT reading scores for a better overall result!

ACT Reading and SAT Reading

The reading sections on the ACT and SAT exams are highly problematic for many students. We develop our reading comprehension skills over the years, and doing so requires reading. Many students who don’t have a natural inclination to read find they have problems with test prep. This can be the case even for students who used to read a lot, but haven’t in some time—skills tend to atrophy when not used.

Real problems can arise when facing issues like long and dense passages, extended arguments, figures of speech, and subtle inferences and references. The good news is that there are strategies you can use which will make the process easier overall.

Avoid Assumptions

The secret to improving your SAT and ACT reading scores is to avoid assumptions when you’re reading. We tend to be creatures of habit, and we tend to assume how things are going to play out, based on our own experience. This is a trap when it comes to these tests.

Before you commit to a response on a question, ask yourself about the evidence to support your conclusion. Only choose results based on what the passage says, not what you think it means. When you stop assuming before you even start, you vastly improve your chances of scoring high.

Know What’s There

Prepare by knowing what’s there. The ACT, for example, has four passages of roughly 800 words. They will cover prose fiction, social sciences, the humanities, and the natural sciences, in that order. You’ll answer 10 questions on each and the questions will revolve around both what is directly stated in the passages, and what is inferred by the passages. One of these may be two passages and you’ll be asked to compare and contrast.

The SAT, on the other hand, is different. The questions there will each have one exact answer, though the question will obscure this to trick you into thinking there are several possible answers. For the SAT, read the question and find the answer in the text. Eliminate obviously wrong answers first, and choose from those that are left.

These basic strategies will help you to significantly improve your SAT reading and ACT reading scores. For more information and resources to help you improve your SAT and ACT scores, look over our website and start your prep to ace those college tests today!

If you’re in your junior year of high school, chances are you’re starting to think about college. You’ve gone through the ACT and SAT process, and you’re looking toward applying for school. As you get into your senior year, the pressure ramps up and the process of applying for college is often complicated and confusing, and it can be really easy to get overwhelmed.

With all the decisions facing you, it can seem like a real weight on your shoulders. If you can overcome all those questions and take it a step at a time, however, you’ll find that the process is very manageable and is the gateway to a very exciting future. Check out this step-by-step guide to college applications, and discover how you can take a confusing and overwhelming task and make it fun and exciting!

Guide to College Applications

A guide to college applications doesn’t have to be long and complicated. In fact, pursuing your college education and getting into the school of your dreams is easier than you think. It just requires a process of researching, making a plan, and following through.

Researching Schools

The first thing you want to do is research the schools you want to attend. Learn everything you can about them—the type of students they traditionally attract and accept, their entry requirements, the programs they offer. Look into their graduation rate, their academics, location, and the resources they offer, their size, and majors. Make sure the colleges you choose are a good fit for your personality.

Go on campus visits. Take tours. Most colleges are not only willing, but happy, to offer tours. Interview with an admissions representative. Talk to alumni. The more knowledge you have, the better equipped you’ll be.

Make a Plan

After you’ve decided on a few colleges you’d like to attend, get organized and make a plan. Learn their deadlines and application requirements so you don’t miss your chance by failing to meet a deadline or including an important component of your application. Pay close attention to each application you need to submit. Become informed about any additional materials you need and get your materials together.

Pay close attention to any special programs or majors to which you want to apply. These may have extra requirements you need to follow. Plug all the important dates into a calendar and break it up into manageable steps that will permit you to stick to your schedule.

Follow Through

Once you have your plan of action in place, you need to follow through. You have your dates in place; you need to stick to them. Take it step-by-step in manageable chunks. Your whole life until now has led up to this point, so go for it! Your future is waiting for you!

If you need help getting to this point, Counterpoint Test Prep that can’t be beat. We’re here for you. Take some time to explore Counterpoint further, and get all the tools you need to succeed.

Writing college essays is daunting and frustrating for many students. For many, they don’t like writing to begin with, and having to create a written reason why you should be accepted into college is confusing at best. There are, however, many people who can help you, and most of them will be glad to do so. It can be a great idea to have a professional help you with your essay, not just to give you some ideas on what to say and how to say it, but how to avoid critical errors.

Learn why a professional can give you college essay tips, and who you can go to, in order to get the help you need to get into that dream college.

College Essay Tips

The big trick with an essay of this kind is that there are no universal college essay tips that anyone can give you for magic success. That’s why your goal is to make sure it’s you who is doing the actual writing. The essay has to come from you. Other people can give you insight and help with grammar and the rules of writing, but if it’s not from you, the admissions people will see right through it. That’s why the professionals you should go to for help should be those who know you the best.

English Teachers

Your English teachers are very often more than happy to give you help. In fact, in many ways, they’re the best people. They know you as a person. They know your quirks, they know your personality and best of all, they know your writing style and voice. It’s important to be patient with them, however; there’s probably a lot of other students asking for help as well and they might be overwhelmed.

You can also go to other teachers. They might also be able to help for some of the same reasons — they know you and they know how you write. Just be careful if they try to turn your essay into too much of an academic feel. College recruiters and admissions reviewers can see right through that, and they don’t want that kind of tone.

Admissions Experts

There’s nothing wrong with going to the admissions department of a college and asking them for advice. Don’t ask them to give your essay a critique before you turn it in, but ask them for help with sample essays and the like. They may well be very impressed that you took the time to stop in and ask what the application reviewers will look for.

In the end, however, it’s vitally important that your essay really comes from you and not from someone else. Don’t make it too academic, don’t make it stale. Finally, take some time to review resources online. If you’d like more help, tips, tricks and advice for getting into college, from completing your application to doing well on the SAT and ACT exams, explore our website and get the best chance for college admissions today!

Preparing for the ACT is a grueling and frustrating time—and besides, nobody enjoys taking tests. This test, however, is one of the most important you’ll ever take. Your college career depends on it. So, what’s a person to do?

How can you prioritize what to prep for and what to put on the side? There are definitely some things that are more important than others. Two of the most important are diminishing stress by building confidence and knowing what to anticipate on each section of the test. Both will boost your overall performance and score.

Preparing for the ACT

First things first: breathe. Yes, this is an important test, but the more you stress over it, the more likely you are to make mistakes. The test is important, but not the end of the world. Take a breath, be sure to get plenty of rest, and take it a step at a time. You’ve made it this far—you’ve got this!

Preparing for the ACT means taking each section one step at a time and focusing on core concepts: English, math, reading, and science. Let’s look at each more closely.

English

The core concepts in English revolve around punctuation, grammar, and appropriateness in writing. Focus on these aspects in your studies.

Commas, especially, are important in this area. Understand where and when a comma is appropriate, and when it constitutes a run-on sentence. In terms of subject-verb agreement, you’ll want to focus on singular vs. plural, for example, when to properly use “are” vs. “is.” Simplify the sentence as much as possible by removing prepositional phrases. In a sentence that begins, “The number of flies in the garden,” the subject is “number.” You can delete “of flies in the garden,” and it might make it easier to work out the subject verb agreement. Appropriateness in writing includes organization and choosing the right words to express your intent.

Math

Your math section will focus strongly on ratios, proportions, basic probability, counting, and geometry and trigonometry. Focus strongly on these areas, even at a basic level, and you’ll do much better overall on the math section.

Reading

Reading is fundamental to your ACT test. You’ll have four passages of 800 words, and ten comprehension questions following each one. Avoid assumptions and focus on the actual evidence of what is there when answering questions. The more you can avoid assuming or reading into the passage, and the more you focus on what it actually says, the better off you’ll be.

Science

Finally, on the science section you’ll need to focus on interpreting data and information based on text and charts or graphs. The key to both of these is careful reading. The test will fool you by presenting information, for example, on the survival rate of bacteria, and then ask you a question about the percentage of bacteria eliminated. You’ll need to take your time, read carefully, and keep your basic math up to snuff.

If you’d like more help with preparing for the ACT, explore our website for more study and prep tips, tricks and advice, and nail the test when the time comes!