Is it for Real?

Chapter 1: About the ACT consists of eight pages of explanations that nevertheless omit a key piece of information: what ACT stands for. Although this is not essential knowledge for taking the test, readers must certainly be asking themselves as they turn the pages, only to have their hopes of satisfied curiosity quashed. (It stands for American College Testing). A bit of background on the ACT might have been in order, too. Much of the data in Chapter 2: General Test-Taking Strategies seems to go without saying: develop a positive mental attitude, sleep well the night before, eat a good breakfast. As the book progresses, the content becomes more important. Chapter 3's breakdown of the ACT's five sections - English, Math, Reading, Science, Writing- and the accompanying charts are very helpful. This is followed by 119 pages of sample questions and detailed explanations. The section on the ACT's optional Writing test provides real examples from students whose essays showcase the best (6 out of 6 points) and the worst (1 out of 6 points) of our youth's literary abilities. (The essays are actually scored by two graders, each of whom assigns a score of 1 through six, for a combined score of 2 through 12).

The writing style of The Real ACT Prep Guide does not merit a 6 out of 6. Although making a book about a dry, dull examination entertaining or even interesting is a difficult task, the book itself does not have to be dry and dull. ACT might take a lesson from The Princeton Review, whose numerous student guides, such as Cracking the SAT, deal with potentially boring subject matter by injecting humor, empathy, and even a bit of sarcasm. The witty sidebars, bullet points and brief chapter summaries break up the monotony. That being established, The Princeton Review does not always provide the soundest "test-cracking" strategies, but the presentation is something that they do right.

The strategies for each test section, elaborated in Chapter 3 of The Real ACT Prep Guide, are generally quite sound, but of course their effectiveness depends on the student. Approximately 10 to 12 "insider tips" are presented for each subject area of the ACT. This is a lot for a likely-bewildered student to remember, but probably even one or two will serve them well.

The pith of this pedagogic portfolio is Chapter 4, 350 pages dedicated to three entire practice tests, each followed by dozens of pages excruciatingly examining each answer choice, including the wrong ones. The only omission are the "answers" to the optional Writing test. However, even this issue could be addressed by providing an example of a "perfect" (i.e. 6 out of 6 points) student essay, coupled with an evaluation highlighting the essay's merits.

The final chapter, 5, explains the scoring of the ACT, which ranges from 1 to 36 in all of the areas except Writing. Chapter 5 contains "College Readiness Standards" for the respective areas, broken down as follows: 13-15, 16-19, 20-23, etcetera, up to 33-36. These are further divided into skill areas. College Readiness Standards - English lists Topic Development in Terms of Purpose and Focus; Organization, Unity and Coherence and Word Choice in Terms of Style, Tone, Clarity and Economy, as well as three other categories. A student with a score of 19 out of 36 on the English test "Selects the most logical place to add a sentence in a paragraph (578)" under the category Organization, Unity and Coherence. Test-takers scoring below a 13 on any of the first four testing sections are ostensibly deemed poor candidates for higher education. The College Readiness Standards - Writing cutoff is 3-4.

The Real ACT Guide, 2nd Edition, was published in 2008 by ACT, and while a fairly-complete compendium, will prove a lot to digest for students preparing for the test. Those who choose to utilize this study aid will do best to purchase the guide several months in advance, and immediately set aside deadlines for studying and completing each section and practice test.