ACT Advice

COON RAPIDS,MN-John Granoulis, an Americor Developmental Class speaker, promised, on Wednesday the 20^th, to higher students ACT scores by three points.

            Granoulis agreed that it may take several tries but following a few simple tips, it may boost up the points.

-          Eliminate answer choices.

-          Don’t be afraid to skip problems!

-          Don’t lose track of time.

-          Underline or highlight key words.

Granoulis started off by keying off the main point, “Really the best way to improve your score is really to practice. I am here to help you know what to do or to know the plan of attack in any emergency.”

Handing out worksheets with helpful hints, he allowed us to stay active by asking questions and communicating with other students.

One of the first things mentioned was that out of so many choices, we can lower the probability of getting the correct answer. “Process of elimination,” is what Granoulis called it, “You may not always know the right answer, but usually you can at least identify one wrong choice and make an educated guess. The probability that you’d do better is higher.” Looking at the reading section, he advised to always select the answer choice that is as short as possible. Considering this, it’s connected to always eliminating the longest answer choices.

Working on a math problem usually doesn’t give shorter answers and longer answers. So Granoulis suggested using the skip method. “Don’t be afraid to skip problems! Each problem is worth one point. Some problems you’ll finish in ten seconds. Other problems can take ten minutes.” Experiencing the math section live, Granoulis challenged students on a mini test to see how well they can skip.

Skipping those that take long also keeps time saved. Time is something everyone should keep in their head, while the testing is being done. Don’t lose track of time. Keep a look out on what’s ticking. “Don’t relax too much,” mentioned Granoulis clearly.

Another method that Granoulis spoke of was, “make sure to highlight, make notes and/or write summary statements.” It’s a guarantee that it will save lots of time. When highlighting and underling key points, it will prohibit students from glancing back to text or picture. Taking an example from the reading section of the ACT, Granoulis mentions that, “it’s easier to take the reading paragraph, browsing through it, and on the side writing down the major topic in one-to-three words. So that when a question approaches, you’ll know where to look.”

Taking the majority of the time to do hands on work, John Granoulis allowed students to practice each section, with timing. A student, Martin Mcshane reacts, “I definitely think this helped me understand and get a taste of what will happen.”

Ending the session and meeting, Granoulis comments, “I hope that everyone that came learned something new. I have actually seen students finish in flying stars and I believe I will keep seeing it.”