Essai’s Guide to the Best Resources for ACT Prep

If you are studying independently for the ACT and your scores in the different sections are fluctuating quite a bit, then the answer is not to take more practice tests. It is important to identify the section(s) in which your scores are not consistent and learn the rules/formulas/skills for that particular section. If you simply carry on taking tests from Crackact without “knowing your stuff” then your scores will often be at the mercy of luck.

Good preparation takes luck out of the picture. This post is meant to help you do exactly that. Below are the books and resources that we recommend for your fluctuating scores in individual sections. Additionally, we will not just be pointing you in the direction of resources, but advising you on how to use these resources to gain control over your scores.

Best ACT Reading Resource: UWorld

We think a 30 day subscription to UWorld for $29 can make a world of difference to your score. The Uworld content is very good and, more importantly, the ways in which you can use it are very helpful. Uworld can operate on tutor mode (it explains a question every time you submit an answer) and on an untimed mode. 

How do we recommend you use UWorld? 
Start by trying to increase your accuracy. Do single passages, untimed, tutor mode; when you get something wrong or unsure of an answer, read the explanation that UWorld provides. Do this until you are consistently getting 90% correct: more than 6 in a row. 

Then take off the tutor mode wheels, and start doing two passages untimed, then three, then four. The point here is to develop your own method of answering these questions, becoming very familiar with the questions, and developing your reading stamina. Always make sure to go back over the questions you got wrong – Uworld’s explanations will help you avoid making the same mistakes next time.

Once you are comfortable with doing multiple passages in a row and consistently getting 90% correct, we recommend you start paying attention to time. Try doing one passage timed, then two, then three, then four. Don’t worry too much if your accuracy slips slightly: aim to get one more question done accurately in time each time, and you’ll soon be doing all four passages in time with accuracy!

Best ACT English Textbook: (ACTing English: The Essai Guide to ACT English)

ACTing English is a great guide that equips you with all the tips and tricks you need to master the English Section. 

The textbook takes you through all the concepts you need to know to tackle the English section in a lucid manner. A shining feature of the book are the scaffolding exercises. These are step-by-step questions that force the student to use simple rules rather than intuition when answering ACT English questions. The book isn’t dreary to look at either, with plenty of fun visuals and illustrations included in each chapter.

With nearly a thousand questions including two full tests, the book has enough practice materials to help you raise your score - on average, students who use our English material see a 12 point improvement!

How do we recommend you use ACTing English?
We recommend working methodically through the book. Each chapter begins by teaching a set of related concepts: we recommend you make your own notes based off the teaching material. The teaching is followed by scaffolding exercises focussed on that particular skill. If you struggle with the scaffolding exercises, make sure to go back over the notes on that concept. At the end of each chapter, ACT-style multiple-choice questions test your ability to apply the concepts you’ve learned. The multiple-choice questions will include questions on concepts from previous chapters, so make sure you keep revising what you’ve already learnt.

Once you’ve worked through each of the chapters, you should be good to go. Once you’ve revised the concepts, have a go at the two mocks at the end of the book. Make sure to review your mistakes and brush up on any weak areas after the first mock, then have a go at the second mock. After all that, you should be good to go!

*While this is a book that we have published, we still firmly believe that it is the best sure-fire guide to the ACT English.

Best ACT Math Textbook: (Ultimate Guide to Math ACT: Richard Corn)

After being updated in 2018, Richard Corn’s Ultimate Guide to Math ACT quickly reclaimed its spot as the best ACT Math textbook. It explains each concept that you need to know for the ACT in depth and does not include any extra information. 

The book also moves through pre-algebra and basic algebra before moving on to advanced topics, providing students with a strong foundation to tackle the more difficult concepts towards the end. When used in conjunction with full Math tests, this book is your best bet to conquer the Math section.

How do we recommend using Ultimate Guide to Math ACT?
If you struggle with math in general, or you are unsure which areas you are weak in, then we recommend working through the book methodically from start to finish. The book will guide you from the foundations of math needed for the ACT through to the more difficult concepts.

If you already have a good sense of specific areas where you struggle (e.g. coordinate geometry), then focus on those chapters. Still take the time to look over the whole book – there might be something you didn’t even know you didn’t know! 

Best ACT Science Textbook: (FTLOAS: Michael Cerro and Prepscholar Guide to ACT Science)

For the Science section, we recommend either For the Love of ACT Science by Michael Cerro or the Prepscholar Guide to ACT Science. 

For the Love of ACT Science is a tried and tested guide that set a new benchmark for ACT Science Textbooks. The book helps you identify different question types and provides specific strategies to help you tackle them. It also includes two full science tests and sectional tests that only include question types that you’ve learned how to solve.

Prepscholar Guide to ACT Science does not include any practice tests, but makes up for it by listing multiple strategies to students for attempting questions - not just one restrictive approach. 

Both books include a list of science facts that you would need to know for the ACT. These books demystify the Science section by identifying patterns in a section that is seemingly random.

How do we recommend using FTLOAS and Prepscholar Guide to ACT Science?
With both these books, we recommend working through them methodically from front to back. That way you will avail yourself of all the skills needed to tackle the Science section, plus be able to try out a variety of strategies (in the case of the Prepscholar Guide) for answering questions in the Science section.

We recommend that you note down the various strategies and then apply these systematically in three untimed Science sectional tests. Using these two books in tandem might help a lot; FTLOAS has questions from all the different question types, while the Prepscholar Guide is heavier on the strategies. You can use the strategies learnt in the Prepscholar Guide and apply them to the questions in the FTLOAS.

The Colon

Everyone knows how to use a colon, right? Or maybe not.

The most common misconception is that colons are just about lists, but that’s being unfair to the colon: it can do a lot more than just list things.

Unsurprisingly, the colon is quite similar to a semicolon. Remember, with a semicolon, there must be an independent clause (subject and conjugated verb) on either side of the semicolon. In other words, the semicolon is interchangeable with a full stop.

FORMULA: IC ; IC. = S + CV ; S + CV.

The colon is a little bit different, however. Just like a semicolon, a colon must have an IC before the colon. But unlike the semicolon, you can have pretty much anything you want after a colon: an IC, a phrase, a list, even just one word. While the semicolon is wedded to independent clauses, the colon is a bit more willing to play the field.

FORMULA: IC : Anything. = S + CV : Anything.

Even if there is a bit more wiggle room with the colon, you still need to be careful how you use it. It must be preceded by an independent clause, but that independent clause must also be a complete thought. Have a look at the example below:

EXAMPLE: They passed by villages and cities, such as: Mirzapur, Sirsa, and Allahabad.

This is an incorrect use of a colon. We do have a subject (They) and conjugated verb (passed) before the colon, but we do not have a complete thought. Why? Well because you can’t finish a clause with such as because it leaves you with an incomplete thought –you’re expecting something else to happen.

Another way of putting it is to say that what is before the colon must be able to stand on its own. Ignoring what comes after the colon, imagine putting a full stop instead of the colon: if that makes sense, you could use a colon; if not, then you can’t use a colon.

Let’s have a look at some examples of correct colon usage:

IC : IC
They walked to the river bank: the boatman’s vessel lay nestled among the reeds.
S + CV : S +   CV

On the boat, Tanvi and Ganesh hid under a blanket: Horatio might be searching for them.
S +       CV                   : S + CV

IC : Phrase
The boatman, Dilip, heaved off slowly from the bank: the beginning of their river journey.
S             + CV                                           : Phrase

IC : List
Flocks of birds flew overhead in the dawn light: storks, cranes, and a few stray flamingos.
S       + CV                                    : List

IC : Word
Dilip started the boat engine, overwhelming the boat with one smell: diesel.
S +   CV                                                                                                : Word

Patience is a virtue, Virtue is a grace, Grace is a little girl who smashed her ACT

But I did so badly…
Some variant on this phrase is the most common thing we hear at essai when students come to do an ACT or SAT diagnostic test. And it’s entirely understandable – most students who come to us are doing well at school, with good grades, and they assume that standardised testing will be no different. If I’m getting 90% at school, why did I not get a 32 or a 1450 on my diagnostic?

A Misunderstanding
The central misconception that students (and parents!) have is that these tests are basically IQ tests: if you’re smart, then you can waltz in and ace them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work that way; both the ACT and College Board explicitly say that these tests are tests of college readiness, not about how smart you are. Being college ready is not the same thing as doing well in school exams – being college ready involves a wide range of skills, from reading comprehension to English grammar, that you probably don’t get taught much at school.

More than that, students who come to essai for diagnostics do not “do so badly”. The essai average diagnostic score for the ACT is 22. Compare this with the fact that the US average ACT score is 21. So (essai) Indian students are already up on their US peers before they even start the course.

An average ACT diagnostic report.

… and I want to do so well.
Not only do students arrive expecting their diagnostic scores to be much higher than they are, but also they assume that a few short weeks of work will get them their 36 or 1600. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work that way. Take the ACT. Going from a diagnostic of 20 to a real ACT score of 30 is like going from a 55% student to an 85% student. You wouldn’t expect that to happen overnight at school, so why expect these tests to be any different?

So how do I get a 36?
Getting a high score on these tests is not like memorising a textbook: it’s more like learning an instrument. At the moment, you know how to play a few scratchy notes on the violin, but do you know how to read the music and play the tune? Probably not. These tests are about learning skills, not knowledge. What’s more, you’ve probably picked up some bad habits along the way. Memorising material for tests at school can help hide those bad habits, but standardised tests expose the cracks; we have to break down those bad habits before we can build up the skills essential to getting the ACT or SAT score that you want and deserve.

The Honest Truth: You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
What’s an appositive? How do I find the equation of an hyperbola? How do I identify a scientist’s assumptions? These are questions (and answers to them!) that won’t even cross your mind at school. But these are all things you need to know if you want that high ACT or SAT score. And learning these things takes time: a lot of time.

Yes, it takes a while
Essai’s test prep programmes, whether for the ACT or the SAT, recognise that students want and expect to do well. That is precisely why our programmes generally last six to nine months. We know that sounds like a scarily long time – but we also know you need that much time to build up the skills necessary to ace these tests. It requires a wholesale change in mindset.

You might have heard of kids who say they got a 34 in the ACT after a week’s worth of prep. And yes, those students do exist, but most often they will have started with a very high diagnostic, or they won’t admit how much prep they really put in. We all want to make our own lives look easy, but the reality is that, for most of us, it takes time. That’s where essai steps in to help; we give you the time and attention you need to reach your desired score. And that’s why almost every student who comes to us with a diagnostic of 22 or higher leaves with a real ACT score of 30 or more.

ACT English: The Semicolon

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In the ACT, two independent clauses can be joined together using a semicolon. This is the only way in which we can use a semicolon in the ACT.

The formula is: IC ; IC.

(Refresher: an Independent Clause = Subject + Conjugated Verb)

In high school, you are often taught that a semicolon is used to connect any two things that are related, whether they are phrases or clauses. This is NOT correct. A semicolon can ONLY be used to join two independent clauses. In the ACT, the relationship between the clauses does not matter. All that matters is that there must be an independent clause on each side of a semicolon.

Look at the examples below:

Tanvi avoided the question; Ganesh gratefully accepted the food.
S + CV ; S + CV

The man asked where they were going; Tanvi said they needed to get back to Delhi.
S + CV ; S + CV

The man said he had a boat; he could take them up the Ganges.
S + CV ; S + CV

Tanvi jumped at the opportunity; Ganesh grumbled that he wanted to sleep first.
S + CV ; S + CV

In the ACT, if you are not sure whether it is an IC; IC sentence construction, there is an easy way to check. Before the semicolon, there should be a subject (S) and a conjugated verb (CV); after the semicolon, there should be a subject and a conjugated verb.

IC ; IC = S + CV ; S + CV

Have a go at the questions below to see if you’ve got the hang of it. Answers to be revealed tomorrow.

The most famous statue of Freddy Mercury is situated in the beautiful Swiss town of Montreux; placed [1] on the edge of the lake at the end of the Place du Marché. Freddy never got to see the statue himself, however, he spent many peaceful years of his life in Montreux, gazing out at the tranquil waters of Lac Léman.

1. A. NO CHANGE
   B. Montreux placed
   C. Montreux, placed
   D. Montreux: placed

2. A. NO CHANGE
   B. himself however he
   C. himself; though he
   D. himself; however, he

ACTing English: Non-Essential Appositives

An appositive is a word or phrase that comes after the primary noun of a sentence: it is a-positioned next to it. It is important to know when the appositive is essential or non-essential: determining this will determine the presence or absence of commas (something the ACT cares a lot about!). Detecting this is also important as it ensures that you don’t add a single, lonely comma as a pause after the primary noun. 

Let’s look at the sentence below and our flowchart that helps you determine whether an appositive is non-essential. 

Claudius, the old man,  gave Tanvi and Ganesh his address.
↓
Appositive (following the primary noun, Claudius)
↓ (Look to the left of the appositive and answer the following question:)
Is the subject (Claudius) of the sentence a specific detail?
↓
Yes (in the context, there’s only one Claudius).
↓
Would we still know who gave Tanvi and Ganesh his address if we got rid of the appositive?
↓
Yes.
↓
Therefore, the old man is a non-essential appositive.

The appositive is non-essential in nature. We know that Claudius gave Tanvi and Ganesh his address.  Any other information about him will be additional information and not necessarily required for the sentence to make sense. Accordingly, the appositive (like any non-essential information) is bracketed off by commas.

Now it’s your turn! Comment with your answer choice and we’ll reveal the answer tomorrow:

Once upon a time, King Arthur the famous British knight [1] drew a sword, Excalibur [2] from a stone.

1. A. NO CHANGE
   B. time King Arthur the famous British knight,
   C. time, King Arthur, the famous British knight,
   D. time, King Arthur, the famous British knight

2. A. NO CHANGE
   B. sword Excalibur
   C. sword Excalibur,
   D. sword, Excalibur,

December ACT Results

The Essai Olympiad the night before the December ACT: brownie (literally!) points to the winners!

A very happy new year to you all! We have an exciting year ahead of us here at essai, with lots of students taking tests in the next few months, and our 12th graders on tenter-hooks waiting to hear back from colleges.

But first we wanted to take you back to December last year: yet again, essai’s students performed brilliantly in the December ACT. We had a total of 30 students taking the December test, our largest cohort yet.

Overall, our students scores went up 7 points from their diagnostic scores, with almost 40% of students improving by 8 points or more. And a big shout out to two students in particular, who achieved a whopping 12 point improvement from their diagnostics.

Starting from an average diagnostic score of 24, our students scored an average of 31 in the December ACT. While essai aims to focus on score improvement, we were delighted to see over 60% of our students score 30 or more. Even more impressively, over 25% scored 34+, and two students scored a perfect 36.

Here at essai, we pride ourselves on our English programme (we’re currently finalising a textbook, so watch this space!). In December, students improved their English scores by 11 points, from an average of 22 to an average of 33. One student even scooped a huge 20 point improvement! And over half of our students scored 35 or more in English.

The other sections of the test also went very well for our students. 65% scored 30 or more in Math, and 3 students scored a 36 in Math and Reading. In Science, almost half of our students scored a 30 or more, with seven achieving a 36.

All in all, a huge congratulations to all our students. For many of you, December marked the end of your ACT journey with essai – enjoy the feeling of being done! For some of you, another attempt still looms ahead, and we look forward to helping you to get there. And for those pondering taking the ACT, we encourage you to come down to essai and check it out! You can find more about our ACT programme here.

October ACT Results

A large group of students from essai took on the ACT on October 12th: most of them for the first time. A big congratulations to all of them: essai’s October results were our best yet. 

As we’re sure most of you are aware, the ACT is scored out of 36. Students receive sectional scores in English, Math, Reading, and Science, which combine to give the students a composite score.

At essai, we always look first and foremost to score improvement. Overall, our students improved their composite scores by 8 points (a 35% improvement), from an average diagnostic score of 22 to an average score of 30 in the ACT. 6 students improved by 10 points or more (averaging a 55% score increase), including three students taking the ACT for the first time.

That is not to say we’re not interested in the actual composite scores as well! 70% of our students scored 30 or more, and 4 students achieved scores of 33 and above, with our top scorer getting a 35.

Our students’ English scores were a particular highlight, with an average improvement in English of 13 points. 70% of students scored 34 or above in English, which was fantastic; one student even managed a 36.

While English was particularly strong, our students also performed well across the board: over half achieved above 30 in Math. In Reading and Science, several students reached scores of 34 or above.

All in all, we’re very proud of all of our students.

Special Accommodations for Testing

http://montgomeryparents.com/index.php/2018/04/15/college-years-special-accommodations-act/

It’s an accepted fact that each student’s brain works in a different way. And it’s an accepted fact that ‘Standardised Testing’ is designed to test the ‘standard’ student.  So why isn’t it an accepted fact that some students require special accommodations to be able to fulfil their potential in the ACT or SAT?

At essai, we’ve found that there is a real lack of knowledge surrounding the process of applying for and testing with special accommodations. There also seems to be a great deal of unfounded prejudice and rumour being spread amongst students and parents. To counter this, we’ve put together a myth-busting cheatsheet to clarify the process.

Note: This guide is ACT specific – get in touch if you’d like to know more about SAT testing accommodations.

1. Why might a student need special accommodations?

   • They have significant problems concentrating for even a short period of time

   • They struggle to read or comprehend text

   • Their reading or comprehension speed is very slow

   • They have a medical condition which impacts on their test-taking

   • They have a speech and language processing difficulty

   • Their teachers or tutors have expressed concern in the past

   • They have a visual impairment

   • To see a comprehensive list of the eligibility criteria, see this document published by the ACT, go to: https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/6368-ACT-Policy-for-Documentation-Web.pdf
     

2. But what if the student has never received extra time or support at school before?

   • If there is any suggestion that a student might benefit from special testing accommodations, it's essential to undergo an assessment sooner rather than later.

   • Don’t leave it until the last minute; sometimes reports can take a while to produce

   • Simply contact a professional (we recommend the specialists at the London Learning Centre in Vasant Vihar) who will conduct an assessment on the student
     

3. How does a student apply for special accommodations?

   1. Apply as early as possible to ensure that the appropriate arrangements can be made

   2. The student must be able to prove their need for accommodations (see the link to the ACT guideline above for a detailed description of the required documentation)

   3. When registering online for the test, the student must select the ‘Testing with Accommodations’ option

   4. Then it will be possible to specify which accommodations are required (different depending on the student’s assessment report). Select "Center-Based Testing" if you the student can take the ACT with 50% extended time in one session via computer-based testing, or select "Special Testing" if the student needs accommodations other than 50% extended time in one session and/or need to take the ACT with paper and pencil

   5. When the registration has been completed, the student will receive an email with information about how to work with their school to arrange the special testing requirements. Be sure to forward this to the appropriate staff member, along with a completed ‘Consent to Release Information to ACT’ form.

   6. The school staff member will have to complete the rest of the application and organisation process. You should receive confirmation of the allowances granted within one month of submitting the request. Be sure to stay in close contact with the school staff member to ensure that everything is running smoothly, and that the deadlines are met.

4. What does special accommodation actually entail?

   • Rather than taking the test on the official test date, there is a three-week window in which a student with Special Accommodations can arrange to take the test.

   • A student may be given 50% or more extra time, and may have the option to take the test over multiple days

   • If taking the test over one day, the student will have a 15 minute break after the Math test, and a 5 minute break before starting the written section.

   • The student may be allowed to take a pen-and-paper version of the test

   • The student may be authorised to use highlighter pens or other testing aids
     

5. But it’s a really long test already, won’t I get too tired if I have extra time?

   • You don’t have to use all your extra time; you can choose to move on early if you are testing in a private setting

   • If you put in enough practice then your stamina will vastly increase

   • You can work slowly and steadily to prevent fatigue

   • IT’S WORTH IT!  It may feel tough at the time, but it can really make a difference to your score (and your future)
     

6. Won’t colleges be reluctant to accept students who need special accommodations?

   • None of the colleges will know unless you choose to inform them!

   • All the information you supply to the ACT is strictly confidential
     

According to the ACT, around 5% of test-takers are provided with some sort of special accommodation. That’s 1 in 20! It DOES NOT mean that there is anything ‘wrong’ with the student, or that they are less intelligent than their peers. It makes no sense at all not to seek assistance if you suspect it might be required. It’s not ‘cheating’: it’s adapting the test remove the invisible hurdles and to make it fair for each student.

What exactly is a Radian?

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VLbUiUZcqng/WC1cJacMdeI/AAAAAAAA_-4/lqd2dC3pVLIwji72iWjriJ89jfvpufVoQCLcB/s0/Image%2B%2528178%2529.jpg

Ever wondered why we go through all that trouble to convert degrees or radians and vice versa? And what exactly does it mean when we say 1 radian and how did we get there?

Well, a Radian, simply put, is a unit of measure for angles that is based on the radius of a circle. What this means is that if we imagine taking the length of the radius and wrapping it around a circle, the angle that is formed at the centre of the circle by this arc is equal to 1 Radian.

Now most of us are used to using the conversion formula for degrees to radians and vice versa but ever wondered how it came about? It's actually fairly simple. The circumference of a circle is 2 times π times r which means that there are approximately 6.28 Radians in a full circle.

Another way of thinking about this is to imagine you are standing in a circular park and you go for a walk around the outside of the park. You can either calculate this as walking the circumference of the park (which is 6.28 Radians) or walking 360 Degrees around it which in a way is the exact same thing

It is from this relationship that we say 2*π*r = 360 Degrees or that 1 Radian = 180/π Degrees and 1 Degree = π/180 Radians.