The ACT for Dummies [Paperback]

Suzee Vlk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 8, 1996 | ISBN-10: 1568843879 | ISBN-13: 978-1568843872

If you're about to take the big "test prep" step toward getting into college, but don't want to be overwhelmed by a boring tome filled with seven-syllable vocabulary words and Pythagoreans theorems, relax. "The ACT For Dummies" teaches you only what you really need to know to ace the test - all in a fun and friendly format.

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

From the Back Cover

Boost your test-taking skills and beat the clock

Prepare for the ACT® quickly and painlessly and maximize your score!

Are you one of the millions of students taking the ACT? Have no fear! This friendly guide gives you the competitive edge by fully preparing you for every section of the ACT, including the optional writing test. You get two complete practice tests plus sample questions — all updated — along with proven test-taking strategies to improve your score.

Discover how to

• Study for each section
• Stay focused during the test
• Manage your time wisely
• Make smart guesses
• Spot test traps and tricks

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 353 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc (March 8, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568843879
• ISBN-13: 978-1568843872
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,196,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 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 

M. Maier - 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