Running Out of Time? Best ACT Last Minute Tips

Wondering how to boost your readiness for the upcoming ACT test? When there is little time left, most students feel the test anxiety crawling toward them. Some fall into hardcore studying, while others try to figure out ACT last-minute tips to prepare very quickly. 

Yet, there is a better way to use the limited time and start preparing for the test day. In fact, you have to take a structured approach to your preparation. After all, it is standardized testing upon you! Keep reading to learn how you can make your last-minute preparation fruitful and worry-free. 

How to Prepare for the ACT Test When You Have No Time: Tutors’ Advice

When it comes to the ACT last-minute prep, it is good to hear what tutors have to say. Let’s see what you can do when there is not that much left before the ACT test day. 

Prioritize High-Yield Content

In the last days before the exam, you should focus on the topics and question types that are most likely to appear on the test. Reviewing key concepts in English, math, reading, and science can help reinforce your understanding and confidence. 

Pay special attention to areas where you feel less comfortable, and allocate your study time accordingly. Most importantly, get acquainted with the test format. If you know the structure of the test, you will navigate each section easier. 

Focus on Your Mistakes Rather Than on Learning New Things

There is a strong reason for that: you’re already familiar with certain questions. You just have to analyze where exactly you’re wrong. Instead of just taking one more practice test and ignoring previous mistakes, focus on correcting them. Thus, you will know the areas where you struggle the most. If you practice questions more than you avoid them, it will affect your ACT score. 

Check Your Feeling of Timing

It may sound like a bit of strange advice, but it’s actually very helpful. How does half a minute and a minute feel to you? Since the ACT has time limits, being aware of the clock will help you understand when you spend enough time on the question and have to move to the next one. 

Things You Shouldn’t Do

When you have just a few days to prepare, there are some things you’d better avoid. They simply won’t affect well your overall performance:

• Don’t take a full-length practice test right before the real exam. It’s too long and will tire you out, making it harder to focus during the actual test.
• Don’t try to study everything at once. Focusing on all subjects at the same time will increase your stress level and make it harder to remember information.
• Don’t stay up all night studying. It’s important to get a good night’s sleep so you can avoid making careless mistakes during the test.

Last Minute ACT Tips: Strategies for Each Section

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To equip yourself before the test when there is almost no time, we highly recommend going through each section and perfecting your strategy. Let’s take a look at some tips for the ACT sections: 

English Section

In this part of the test, you need to find the core of the passages to determine a correct answer. Here are some simple steps that can help you:

• Read the whole sentence carefully first.
• Remove extra phrases to focus on the main parts, like subjects and verbs.
• Pay attention to punctuation like commas and semicolons to see if you have two complete sentences or just parts of one.
• Don’t just look at the question; read before and after it too, especially for transition or content questions.
• Usually, the shortest answer is correct unless another choice gives more info or fixes the mistake better. 

Math Section  

The ACT doesn’t provide any formulas, so it’s a good idea to be familiar with formulas for area, surface area, and volume. Pay extra attention to the surface area of a cylinder because this formula often appears on the test. Maybe you have them on the flashcards you’ve made? This is a very good and quick way to learn hard questions and concepts. Review the cards again to perform better on the ACT math section. 

Don’t be afraid to skip hard questions when you practice. There is no reason to be stuck on them for too long. You can come back to those and try different strategies, like substituting numbers, using the answer choices, drawing graphs or tables, or even seeing if another question triggers your memory. If you haven’t used cheat sheets yet, go for it. 

Reading Section 

The ACT Reading section assesses your ability to comprehend and analyze written passages across various subjects, including fiction, humanities, social studies, and natural sciences. Of course, there will be easy questions, but be very attentive – it may be a trick to get you confused. Here are some tips: 

• Skim the passage first to get a general understanding of the content.
• Pay attention to the main idea and the author’s purpose.
• Look for keywords and phrases to locate specific information in the passage.
• Practice active reading techniques, such as summarizing each paragraph as you read.
• Pace yourself, and don’t get stuck on difficult passages. Move on and come back if you have time.

Science Section

Students often think that ACT Science primarily focuses on logical reasoning rather than specific scientific facts. It is not true, although having some basic science knowledge can be helpful to answer questions. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by a lot of numbers and terms that you might not understand. Standardized tests are often built in a way where the obvious answer seems to be shadowed a bit.  

ACT Tips: Maximize Your Score on the Test Day

Let’s imagine a situation where you are almost at the end of the test but still have quite a lot to handle. What strategies can you apply to improve your ACT score? 

• Prioritize your strengths. If you excel in Math, spend less time stressing over reading passages. Sometimes, test anxiety tells us to run toward the thing we are not good at; ignore that voice and focus on what you can do really well. Remember, it’s better to answer most questions correctly than to attempt all of them and miss many. In the end, you will get more correct answers and probably save time to guess the rest from complicated areas. 
• Skip strategically. Don’t get bogged down. Save time. If you’re stuck on a question for over a minute in Reading, Math, or Science, skip it and come back later. It won’t disappear if you postpone it. Don’t waste precious time on what might be a time-consuming rabbit hole.
• Use educated guesses. If time runs out, don’t leave any answer bubbles blank. Make an educated guess based on what you know, or choose the answer that seems most logical. Remember, sometimes, a lucky guess can be the difference between a good and a great score.

Why Mental Rest Matters

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One of the main enemies of all the test takers is easy to name: anxiety. In this case, you don’t have to focus on questions again and again. After you practice the test, prioritize mental rest.  Aim for a good night’s sleep before the exam to ensure you’re mentally sharp. Avoid cramming or pulling an all-nighter. When you are too tired, your cognitive function can lower and hinder your ability to perform on test day. 

Maintain a positive mindset and self-assurance. They can make a significant difference in your performance. On the other hand, sometimes, anxiety can make you forget the most obvious things! Remind yourself of your test prep efforts and trust in your abilities to tackle the challenges ahead. Stay calm under pressure, and remember that your best is always good enough.

One more thing: make sure you pick the right clothes. The most important thing about what you wear on test day is feeling comfortable. Avoid clothes that make you feel uncomfortable and distract you during the test – you simply don’t need that! 

Conclusion

With our ACT tips, the right mindset, and enough rest, you can ace the test. For better results, consider studying with a tutor. Be confident and focused, and success will be easier to achieve. All the luck!