The " Calm Down Fp" Thread

[PhuturePriest]

I'd recommend trying hard to master the science section. It really isn't science, it's just graphs and rations and such, so if you "memorize" how to do that efficiently its not going to hurt as much. The science was so insanely hard for me since I've only ever done elementary level work on such subjects, and not under time pressure.

I walked in studying certain I would do well in English and science, and would do badly in fiction and math. Fiction is by far my best subject, and math is a breeze now since calculators are the bomb-diggity. English was in the middle of the road for me, but I've improved greatly since, and science was nearly impossible for me, which I didn't like because science is one of my favourite subjects. I do well with no time, but with time I can't answer half the questions before the timer runs out. I'm extra motivated because my brother-in-law got good scores in science and math, and I need to kick his arse with flying colors. :P

[AnneLine]

I know it is tempting to try to outdo your brother-in-law, Miles, but trying to run after your brother-in-law may not be a good strategy.  It just means you are eating his dust all the time  (no insult meant to dUSt).

 

You can do this!  You are a smart guy, and you (and the rest of you!) can do this!!!!!   And we will help!!!!       :winner:

 

 

I did test prep tutoring at one point, and this is what we were taught in one of those summer testing prep classes.... and these are GREAT tips!   Some will sound silly, but they will WORK!!!!!!!

 

:hehe2:

 

1)  Take the 'exam' (practice ones) once under as close conditions as you can do it to the exam.... timed, roughly same time of day, same amount of quiet or noise.  You want a base line score of what your numbers are TODAY.  And don't worry, those numbers WILL change.  But you need to know where you start.  You may have already done this -- but maybe not under similar conditions. :)

 

2)  Next, take the 'diagnostic' sample tests that are given in those books or on the study websites.  They are usually for things like math, science, maybe grammar, maybe logic, etc.)  (I'm not sure what is on the ACT).   Investing in a study guide is a WONDERFUL investment.   The ones that say things like 'how to prepare for the ACT'.  Most of them have a section of these diagnostic questions.  Taking those will help you to really pinpoint what your strengths & weaknesses are in each subject.  For example, I found out I was fine in math except for a FEW things -- and that was really useful info for me... told me where to focus my study and how to plot strategy for the exam taking..... (see below)

 

 

3)  Work out a study program for the areas that are weakest for you.  A realistic one.  Might be study an hour a day in each area for each of those... or an hour two or three times a week.  Set out the plan... and stick to it.  NO SLACKING.  Maybe make an accountability thread like the AA people have been doing.  We'll encourage you... but that will keep you honest.

 

:bravo:

 

4)  Learn the tricks of the ACT EXAM.  Each Exam is different... and those guides will tell you WHAT to expect.  SOme are just straight forward knowledge -- others are testing you ability to plot strategy.  You need to know what they are testing you on!

 

For the one I was taking, for example, usually there was one or two answers that were pretty easy to eliminate... and often ONE that would be very tempting to choose... but that was the WRONG one.  I needed to watch for that.  If I could eliminate one or two questions, it meant there were just 2 or 3 possible right answers... and as I worked through the problem, I could start to see which answers it COULD NOT be.   That meant I really was only trying to answer is it A or D, for example, not is it A, B, C or D.   

 

:crazy:

 

5)  Some tests use the A, B, C, D, E strategy, with "E" being a tricky question, like 'all of these' or "none of these' or ' 'A, B, and C" as possible answers.  Sounds scary, until you try taking it for a 'test drive':

 

These animals provide milk for their young:

 

a) fish

b) cat

c) goat

d) brown furred mammals

e) b, c, and d

 

Hmmmm... thinks Miles.   Well... it can't be A... fish are not mammals.  It might be B, or C... or D...  All cats and goats are mammals....BUT some of them are NOT brown, and cats and dogs DO provide milk.....   Well... there is only ONE right answer... Maybe it is E... because cats and goats AND brown Mammals provide milk...yup,  that entire group of answer is correct.  So....  It HAS to be E.

 

A good test prep book will explain this and other special things like this, and these are things for you to watch.    :eek:

 

6)   Start developing a good strategy for taking the exam.  You say you are only getting done about 16 out of 30 questions?  Well.... here's a shocking thing -- they do NOT expect you to finish all the questions.  Some people can, or can in some subjects, but not most people.   :cry:

 

But there is a way to work around this.   :evil:

 

They will give you scratch paper to use.  Do not write on it until they tell you to start.  BUT as soon as they tell you to start, number the papers so you can find your work (just a quick number in the upper right corner).  1-3-5-7, etc.

 

On the top of page 1 WRITE DOWN on the scratch paper the time the test will end.  

And then put CHECK!  and the time that will be 15 minutes BEFORE the end of the exam.

 

I like to make a quick grid, 1-30 (or however many questions) and then quickly look at ALL the questions.  

* Do you know for sure you know how to answer some of them?  OK, you will do those FIRST.  CIRCLE those numbers on the grid!   :flex:

* Are there some you KNOW you will not be able to answer in a million years?  

Well, draw an "X" across those.   :harhar:   Don't waste your time with them. 

 

 

 

Now check your time - how much time do you have left before the exam is done?   remember you want to have 10-15 mins at the end of the test.

 

Next, working quickly, but spending no more than 1-3 minutes on any question, answer the ones you KNOW you can do, and bubble those.  DO THESE FIRST!!!!  

 

Do your scratch work on the paper provided, and NUMBER each question.  THIS lets you check your work really easily if you have time.   

 

As you complete each question, Circle your answer on the scratch paper, and BUBBLE the same number as you go.  

 

Continue working on as many of the rest you can get to, but watch your time and leave yourself 15 mins at the end.   When you get to the 15 minute mark, quickly make sure you have bubbled the ones you KNOW are right, and that the others are filled in as much as you can. Remember, you need to bubble the questions FULLY and not leave any holes.

 

Next,  IF this exam does NOT penalize you for guessing, then you want to go in and fill in ANY BUBBLE on the rest of the exam.  Because you never know, you just might get some of them right!    

 

BUT>>>>> IF THE TEST PENALIZES YOU for guessing, do NOT fill in the extra bubbles....  

 

If you have any left over time, go in and answer another question or two...

 

This sounds complicated, but Miles, if you practice doing it this way, you will be astonished how calm you will get when you sit down to do the test.  It will feel familiar and you will know what you are doing, how long it takes, and feel much more confident.

 

It will take a few tries, but you want to be able to have the last 1 minute of the test left to be sure that EVERY BUBBLE is filled in.     

 

 

 

For the next few months, get hold of a bunch of practice exams (usually those books have 5 to 10 sets of sample exams) , and plan to take a practice exam once a week for each area.  No I am not kidding.   You do this to both desensitize the experience of taking the exam... You'll get to the point where you can say, "oh yay! today is exam day... and I wonder what is for lunch..... :paco2:   ?

 

Sounds silly, but it works.  

 

 AND, as you score them, you will see where you are improving.  Make a graph of the scores... share them with us!    It can be a great motivator.  (AGAIN, test against YOURSELF, not anyone else... you and God are all that matter here...)

 

Week before the exam, go find the place it will be held.  Be sure you know how to find the room.  (Sounds silly, but trust me....)

 

Night before exam... get a good night's sleep.  If you don't know it by then, you won't know it.  Just relax.

 

Have a good breakfast before the exam, and get there a little early.  Breathe.   :pray:

 

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!

Edited December 12, 2013 by AnneLine

[AnneLine]

I think I scared you, Miles... I just wanted all that in one place for you. 

 

We are all here to support you any way we can... and some of us can help you tailor your study / prep for exam if you want us to do that.  You can always PM me or just ask for help on here if you want it. 

 

And either way, we WILL pray for you!!!!!

 

Same for the rest of you!

 

If you haven't seen it, check out the 'Finals' thread on Lameboard.... yup, we support each other!

[Ed Normile]

Calm down FP, I am sure you will do well as it seems you are preparing for the test intently. You are young and as such you should be able to absorb whatever you are fed easily, and besides if you do fail miserably the world needs fast food workers too !

 

ed

[LittleWaySoul]

You can do it! Seriously, just take copious amounts of practice tests. When I was prepping for the ACT for the first time, I ended up FINALLY getting a 30 on a practice test, and I was really happy about that. Then I took the actual exam, freaked out, didn't get a chance to even look at some of the questions on Math or Science and just had to guess, and walked out feeling horrible. Then my results came back and I got a 32! Honestly, just take tons of practice tests, the whole thing or individual sections, and you'll be fine. Just remember that you probably did better than you think. :)

[AnneLine]

LWS, and anyone else who has taken ACT, do you know if the ACT penalizes people for guessing?  Because as I noted in my WAY too long thread above, it makes a difference for his strategy in test taking.  If they take off, don't guess.  If they don't, be sure that each bubble is bubbled!

 

Did you find a particular test guide helpful?  I had to take CBEST at one point, and some guides were MUCH more helpful than others.... and I wish I had asked...

[Mary+Immaculate<3]

LWS, and anyone else who has taken ACT, do you know if the ACT penalizes people for guessing? Because as I noted in my WAY too long thread above, it makes a difference for his strategy in test taking. If they take off, don't guess. If they don't, be sure that each bubble is bubbled!

Did you find a particular test guide helpful? I had to take CBEST at one point, and some guides were MUCH more helpful than others.... and I wish I had asked...

There is no penalization for guessing, that's why it is advised to fill in every bubble regardless of whether it is right, because it has the potential to raise one's score. In my case I got a 22 as an 8th grader but a lot of that was guessing. Edited December 13, 2013 by Mary+Immaculate<3

[AnneLine]

Coool.   Miles, I hope you noticed this!   BECAUSE... if you aren't getting them all finished AND you are leaving bubbles empty... you are missing out on a LOT of free points!!!!!

 

 

AND the other thing they told us... and it is really interesting!  Is that IF you have time, before you bubble, see which has the most 'correct' answers in the ones you have already answered... and fill in THAT bubble "C" or "A'" or whatever the most frequent is -- for ALL the empty bubbles UNLESS you can tell for sure one of them is the wrong answer.  Because there really is some statistic behind this -- apparently you have a good chance of hitting the 'mode' of the test -- the most frequent answer.  

I accidentally did this in high school... and don't laugh... because I looked at the mat section of the SAT, knew I didn't know how to do more than just the first few problems, and just answered "C" on everything unless I was almost certain it was wrong, and then I answered "D"   For Carmelite and Dominican.  And I got in the top 10 % of the test... and the school was so shocked at my high scores that they called the test company to be sure my results were accurate.   :giggle:   Now I don't advocate doing tis... but hey... I was desperate... and I did eventually get the math remediated... after they figured out I had a disability wherein I was reversing numbers, operations, etc.   But I did have to learn to do it all in college, and I DID it all in college.

 

You can do this, MILES!!!!!!

[Mary+Immaculate<3]

Coool. Miles, I hope you noticed this! BECAUSE... if you aren't getting them all finished AND you are leaving bubbles empty... you are missing out on a LOT of free points!!!!!


AND the other thing they told us... and it is really interesting! Is that IF you have time, before you bubble, see which has the most 'correct' answers in the ones you have already answered... and fill in THAT bubble "C" or "A'" or whatever the most frequent is -- for ALL the empty bubbles UNLESS you can tell for sure one of them is the wrong answer. Because there really is some statistic behind this -- apparently you have a good chance of hitting the 'mode' of the test -- the most frequent answer.
I accidentally did this in high school... and don't laugh... because I looked at the mat section of the SAT, knew I didn't know how to do more than just the first few problems, and just answered "C" on everything unless I was almost certain it was wrong, and then I answered "D" For Carmelite and Dominican. And I got in the top 10 % of the test... and the school was so shocked at my high scores that they called the test company to be sure my results were accurate. :giggle: Now I don't advocate doing tis... but hey... I was desperate... and I did eventually get the math remediated... after they figured out I had a disability wherein I was reversing numbers, operations, etc. But I did have to learn to do it all in college, and I DID it all in college.

You can do this, MILES!!!!!!

Philipians 4:13

[PhuturePriest]

You can do it! Seriously, just take copious amounts of practice tests. When I was prepping for the ACT for the first time, I ended up FINALLY getting a 30 on a practice test, and I was really happy about that. Then I took the actual exam, freaked out, didn't get a chance to even look at some of the questions on Math or Science and just had to guess, and walked out feeling horrible. Then my results came back and I got a 32! Honestly, just take tons of practice tests, the whole thing or individual sections, and you'll be fine. Just remember that you probably did better than you think. :)

 

That'll be quite easy. Half the time I'm certain I'll get a composite score of 2, so doing better than I think won't be an issue. :P

[AnneLine]

Miles, just want to be sure you saw my long post last page, and the question LWS answered about guessing on the ones you don't know/can't finish.... because both could boost your scores A LOT!!!!!   ;) :winner:

[PhuturePriest]

Miles, just want to be sure you saw my long post last page, and the question LWS answered about guessing on the ones you don't know/can't finish.... because both could boost your scores A LOT!!!!!   ;) :winner:

 

Yeah. I've known that you aren't penalized for wrong answers since the first day I started studying, so I wasn't worried at all about that.

[jeffboom]

FP. If you want to be a P sometime in the F you should be practicing for your ACT instead of PMing.

[Deus te Amat]

I took the ACT twice -- raised my score from a 31 to a 35.

 

My secrets will cost you.  :|

[CatholicsAreKewl]

FP. If you want to be a P sometime in the F you should be practicing for your ACT instead of PMing.

 

Beaver dam, son.