The ACT for Dummies [Paperback]

Suzee Vlk (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764554743 | ISBN-13: 978-0764554742 | Publication Date: August 15, 2002 | Edition: 3

There's no escaping the ACT. Many colleges require that you suffer through the ordeal of taking this entrance exam before they will even look at your application. Some colleges emphasize ACT scores to compensate for grade inflation; that is, some high schools may give students A's for doing the same level work that would gain them C's in other high schools. Because the ACT is the same for everyone (students nationwide take the exact same exam), colleges use ACT scores to get inside your head to see what's really in there. Think of this as an opportunity, not a crisis – after all, good ACT scores can overcome low GPAs.

No matter how good your high school teachers are, their main goal is to prepare you for the real world – and not the world of the ACT. That's where The ACT For Dummies, 3rd Edition, takes over. Newly revised for the latest version of the exam, this book takes a substantive, but easy-to-understand, approach to helping you prepare for the exam, while at the same time presenting its information in the typical Dummies style – with humor and fun. If anything can make preparing for the ACT enjoyable, this book can.

Here's a sampling of what you'll find in The ACT For Dummies, 3rd Edition:

• An overview of the test: Understanding the format and how the scoring works
• Stress-busters: How to survive exam day
• Things to double-check and things to avoid while taking the test
• Reviews of grammar and spelling, algebra and geometry, reading, and science reasoning
• Plenty of practice questions for all parts of the test
• Three full-length ACT practice tests (no, not the real thing!)
• Top Ten lists debunking ACT rumors, differences between the ACT and SAT, and true ACT stories

You know you have to take the ACT seriously; after all, it can determine the college you go to, which will, in turn, affect the rest of your life. (Talk about pressure!) So why not be prepared? With The ACT For Dummies, 3rd Edition, you'll be as prepared for the exam as anyone can be, and you may just have a little fun in the process.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You've heard that performing well on your ACT can make up for mediocre performance in high school. But how can you ace it? Suzee Vlk, author of The SAT I for Dummies, can help. The ACT for Dummies is packed with useful information and strategies to help you prepare for the test. The book includes advice on how to use the book efficiently (Vlk estimates you'll need 19 hours to work through it), review chapters for all four sections of the exam, and two complete practice exams. In familiar Dummies style, Vlk includes a handy tear-out "Cheat Sheet" with a summary of the most important information and a "Part of Tens" section with 10 things colleges are looking for in their applicants and "Ten Dumb Things You Can Do to Mess Up Your ACT." With its witty writing, clear layout, and helpful icons in the margins to point out tips, tricks, and traps in the exam, and sample questions, The ACT for Dummies makes test preparation easy and relatively painless. --C.B. Delaney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Focus your practice skills where you need it the most

Prepare for the test quickly and painlessly and boost your skills

If you’re one of the one million students taking the ACT this year, you’ll want this fun, friendly guide to get the competitive edge! Fully revised to reflect the test’s new focus, this book prepares you for everything from trigonometry to grammar to science reasoning – with tips for beating the clock and improving your score!

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 3 edition (August 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764554743
• ISBN-13: 978-0764554742
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #578,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome reviews on things you'd forgotten along with great tips, July 20, 2006

By 

Carol S. Jackson (WV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The ACT For Dummies (Paperback)

I bought this book along with The Real ACT Prep Guide and have found this book to be much more useful. I already understood the basics of the test, but I was looking for something to refresh me on all those little rules I'd forgotten in school. This book did just that. It is a great reviewer, especially in the English and Math sections.

I found this book very easy to follow along with. It is divided into sections for each subject test. In each section you will find basic rules and simple explanations for things that are commonly on the test. The math portion really brushed me up on things I'd forgotten in geometry and algebra. Even if you're having trouble understanding you math teacher, this book will teach you what you need to know very easily. With each new thing you learn in the book, it gives you a sample question that uses your new information. Then you get questions at the end of each section that test what you've learned.

I also found the tips to be very helpful, such as one that said the ACT never asked any questions about spelling. It's helpful to know that when you're taking the test, and it was one less thing I worried about on the English test.

The practice test in this book wasn't as close to the real test as it could have been. A few of the questions were a lot easier or harder than you'd find on the real test, but overall they were close to the real thing. I suggest picking up a practice test with your registration packet for a more realistic test.

In conclusion, this book is great if you want to brush up on your skills over a period of time, or if you want to cram the night before the test. I found it very helpful and littered with great test taking tips.

I know this isn't an accurate measurement, but after reading about half the book (and having an additional year of school), my score went from a 22 to a 26, and then to a 29. Some of that has to be due to this book.

50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book for preparing for the ACT exam., September 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The ACT for Dummies (Paperback)

I am a high school student in Iowa, and I had previously taken the ACT and was not content with the score I recieved. I bought this book on Amazon.com, read the entire book, and finished and scored the practice tests prior to taking the test a second time. When I went to take the test again, I felt a lot more confident about the test, and when I got my results, I had raised my composite score 5 points, and one of my subject scores 7 points. I suggest that every college-bound student read this book before taking that very important test.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It got me into college, May 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The ACT for Dummies (Paperback)

The ACT for Dummies is a great ACT study guide. The Math section totally refreshed me and was very valuable when it came to test time. But what really made the ACT for Dummies book so good was that it was full of really cheesy humor. This humor helped keep me reading a book that would otherwise be extremely dull and positively unbearable. I wouldn't be at the University of Michigan without the ACT for Dummies!

Hey also check out The 5 Minute Iliad, after finishing the ACT book