8th grade dd is taking the ACT in June. Any tips?

[Ann.without.an.e]

She is my oldest child so this is ALL new to me :)

 

Thanks

[Pegasus]

Is she taking it so early to qualify for something or just to familiarize herself with it? Keep in mind that the colleges/universities that I've looked at want applicants to have taken the ACT/SAT within the last 3 years. So, even if your DD knocks the test out of the park, she'll likely be retaking it again later in high school.

 

Personally, unless there is some particular goal to taking it now, I'd wait a couple years. The Real ACT Book (red cover) has 5 actual ACT exams in it so it is a great prep book. I just had DD take one test at a time and review all the answers.

 

Good luck to your DD!

[Hoggirl]

Only do *one* practice test out of the red book! There are only five! There aren't nearly as many released exams for ACT as there are for SAT (the College Board Blue Book has 10 SAT tests).

 

Ds took the ACT for the first time in 7th grade for Duke TIP. He did all *three* of the tests that were included in the red book at the time! Had me scrambling for more practice tests later!

[Melissa B]

Bring a jacket. It is sometimes cold in the rooms.

 

Answer all the questions. There is no penalty for guessing.

 

Wear a watch. There isn't always a clock in the room.

 

Eat a good breakfast. :)

[Hoggirl]

One additional idea on the watch...

 

For this to be efficient, your dd will need to know how long each section is. At the beginning of each section set the clock to 12:00. Then it is very easy to keep track of how much time you have left. Otherwise, she'll be thinking to herself, "Okay, I started at 1:12, and the section is 35 minutes long, and now it's 1:27, so how long do I have left????" Much easier to set it for 12:00 each time! Good idea to do this even if there *is* a clock in the room.

 

This was a tip I was given before taking the bar exam!

[Luckymama]

One additional idea on the watch...

 

For this to be efficient, your dd will need to know how long each section is. At the beginning of each section set the clock to 12:00. Then it is very easy to keep track of how much time you have left. Otherwise, she'll thinking to herself, "Okay, I started at 1:12, and the section is 35 minutes long, and now it's 1:27, so how long do I have left????" Much easier to set it for 12:00 each time! Good idea to do this even if there *is* a clock in the room.

 

This was a tip I was given before taking the bar exam!

 

 

Excellent tip----I will share it with dd13 who is taking the SAT in June!

[Ann.without.an.e]

We are giving it to her so early for a few reasons....

 

I JUST learned about DUKE Tips and though she would have qualified in 7th grade, now to qualify as an 8th grader she has to take the ACT or SAT.

 

Also, our state requires a standardized test each year. She has tested out of the material for the Woodcock Johnson that we usually have our kids take. We needed something new. The ACT (not the SAT for some reason) can count toward our annual standardized testing requirement, it is cheap, and it is at a community college less than 5 miles from us. So, it fulfills a requirement AND gives her experience all at the same time.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Only do *one* practice test out of the red book! There are only five! There aren't nearly as many released exams for ACT as there are for SAT (the College Board Blue Book has 10 SAT tests).

 

Ds took the ACT for the first time in 7th grade for Duke TIP. He did all *three* of the tests that were included in the red book at the time! Had me scrambling for more practice tests later!

 

 

You mean only do one for now because there are only five total - like anywhere? to be taken? wow, okay that is good to know ;)

 

Do you happen to know the score needed to qualify for DUKE Tip? Is there a link to it?

 

Thanks

[MorningGlory]

You mean only do one for now because there are only five total - like anywhere? to be taken? wow, okay that is good to know ;)

 

Do you happen to know the score needed to qualify for DUKE Tip? Is there a link to it?

 

Thanks

 

There are only 5 practice tests in the "Real ACT" book. These are actual ACT exams released by the company. The other practice books like Barron's or Princeton provide very similar exams...just not "real" ones that have been previously used. So yes, there are only 5 in that red "real" book, but there are plenty of other practice exams on the market.

 

I did not let my son do any extra prep beyond what was in the free ACT booklet before he took the ACT for Duke TIP in 7th grade, so when he is ready to take the test again his sophomore or junior year, he will have plenty of practice material available for his use. Duke even requests that the students do not spend time or money on prepping...but I would assume that a lot do. We did not, and we were still very pleased with the results.

 

Here is a general link to the Duke TIP site for 7th graders. From what I can tell, 8th graders are only eligible if they have skipped 7th grade. As you dig through this site, you will find cutoff scores for recognition, awards, and the TIP courses/camps. We did choose to participate in the awards ceremony at Duke because it gave us a good excuse to vacation in the mountains that year! lol!

http://www.tip.duke.edu/node/42

 

As far as tips...I second the "good breakfast". My son did eat a good breakfast that morning, but he was still RAVENOUS when he finished. Chik-fil-a was not close enough!!!

I wish your daughter good luck!

[KarenNC]

My daughter took it this February through Duke as a 7th grader. Make sure you have lots of sharpened pencils with good erasers, an approved calculator, a pack of crackers or other snack (maybe a protein bar---my daughter suggests no fruit) and a water bottle. The science section was the last one and is often the toughest for kids from what I've read, primarily because it's at the end and can be hard to finish in the time given.

[Hoggirl]

My ds did two summer programs through Duke TIP and LOVED them. He did Stanford EPGY last summer.

[SailorMom]

Get a watch and use it - timing is important.

Wrong answers do NOT count against your score on the ACT like they do on the SAT, so guessing is fine.

Know right triangles backwards and forwards.

Be very comfortable with the calculator you'll be using.

Know when and how to use all of the formulas and 'cheat' info on the sheet they get at the front of the math test.

Spend 5 minutes making a very rough outline of the paper she'll write for the writing test - it helps keep them writing in an organized format even under pressure.

For the reading, the big Red Book has some awesome testing strategies for ANY reading test that will save her a lot of time.

Get a good night's sleep, don't drink a ton of fluid right before the test, and eat a meal high in protein and long lasting carbs the night before and the morning of.