The ACT for Dummies [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Suzee Vlk (Author) "Are you the type who jumps in the cold water all at once instead of just dipping your toe in a little at a time?..." (more)
Key Phrases: trig questions, horizontal obstacles, miscellaneous math, Mathematics Test, Data Representation, Research Summaries (more...)

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

Product Description

Like it or not, standardized tests (such as the SAT and ACT) represent a critical part of the admissions process for most colleges and universities. But if you're well prepared, they don't have to stand as an impediment between you and the school of your choice. The ACT For Dummies offers just what you need to be able to sit down in the testing center with your mind as sharp as the number two pencil in your hand. Filled with proven test-taking strategies, The ACT For Dummies features . . . Two full-length practice ACT exams Stress-busting cartoons by Rich Tennant Straightforward, easy-to-understand explanations of mathematical concepts you can apply to many ACT math problems; grammatical rules presented in plain English, along with examples; and science reasoning tips you'll find useful long after you've closed your test booklet. A list of the top ten dumb mistakes that students make when taking the ACT (Don't let these happen to you!) And the inside scoop on admissions from an independent college counselor.

Plus, author and test preparation specialist Suzee Vlk shares with you the invaluable, real-world strategies she's devised from years of teaching countless students how to triumph over tests such as the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and TOEFL.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 353 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc; illustrated edition edition (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: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #964,692 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 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.

42 of 45 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

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.

22 of 25 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