Faster Reads, Higher Scores: ACT Reading Time Management Strategies
Hint: Word search puzzles can make you a faster test-taker
Schools across the US administered the ACT exam this month, and the scores are trickling in. One of the most common complaints I hear?
"I ran out of time on the reading section."
Here is what you need to know about ACT reading and how you may be able to pick up the pace.
Disclaimer: These strategies won’t work with everyone. When I tutor students, I tap in to a lot more of the subtle nuances of their strengths and weaknesses before determining this is the strategy they should use. To thine own self be true! Try this out, and if it doesn’t work, ditch it.
First, the format
The reading test is 35 minutes long with standard timing
Students must read 4 passages and answer 40 questions in that time
That’s less than one minute per question. Plus reading time?! How does anyone manage?
Now, the tips
Pre-read only the intro paragraph and first sentence of each body paragraph
Don’t read the whole passage first, but don’t skip right to the questions either. You’ll want to know the general gist of the passage and the outline of how it is presented.
Answering the questions: Optimize your question order
Tackle the questions you can answer quickly first. This usually includes questions with line numbers or words-in-context questions.
Example 1: “The main purpose of the third paragraph (lines 13-22) is to:”
Example 2: “As it is used in line 26, the word extent most nearly means:”
Skip answers that don’t include line numbers or a reference to something you can easily locate.
Bonus tip: When they give you paragraph numbers and line numbers, use the line numbers! Don’t count paragraphs by hand; it’s a waste of time and sometimes you will miscount.
Second pass on questions: Use proper nouns and specialized terms in the questions and answers as a guide
Go back through the questions for a second pass. You will have read more of the passage by this point, and you may find yourself able to answer questions automatically. If you see a reference to something you haven’t yet seen, use clues like proper nouns (capitalized words) to scan the passage for that word.
Example: “Based on the passage, the residents of Chicago in the 1920s would be troubled by:”
Scan for “Chicago” and year numbers (it might say “1920s” it might say “early nineteenth century")
Bonus tip: Completing word search puzzles will help you find words you are looking for more quickly within a passage, even if the word isn’t capitalized or italicised.
Take the L on two
You can miss two questions per passage and get a 30. Of course it depends on the test, but go ahead and release two questions per passage that you are really struggling on. Get through all 40 questions before time runs out instead of getting stuck for 2 minutes on a single question that you might miss anyway.
Practice makes perfect
These tips may sound simple enough, but practice is the key to mastering this (or any) skill.
