How Important Is the Act Reading Score
How to Better Your Human activity Reading Score
If you lot've taken the ACT Reading section before and are planning to take it again, you're likely looking for Deed Reading strategies that volition show you how to improve your Human activity Reading score. You are also likely aware of just how tricky the Act Reading section tin be. Although the ACT Reading department has fewer questions than the English language and Math sections, it tin still feel overwhelming considering of the extended prose passages yous have to read.
The ACT Reading tips and tricks in this article are designed to give you the maximum strategic advantage every bit you take or retake this section of the Human action. Follow these Human activity examination strategies to brand the Reading section feel more manageable and straightforward.
Looking for more general Human activity study advice? You lot might like our articles on How to Ameliorate Your ACT Score and ACT Exam Strategies. Demand winning strategies for the other Deed sections? Check out all of the manufactures in our series of Deed strategy guides:
- Deed English Strategies
- ACT Math Strategies
- Act Reading Strategies (this article)
- Human action Scientific discipline Strategies
- Human activity Writing Strategies
ACT Reading Test Format
1. Learn What Content is Covered on the Human activity Reading Test
Have you lot ever heard the saying "forewarned is forearmed"? Although information technology'due south kind of former-fashioned, it means that if you know what possible problems prevarication ahead, then you tin can prepare to solve them. When it comes to ACT Reading strategies, being forewarned is pretty practiced advice—so good, in fact, that it's our kickoff Act Reading strategy: learn what will be tested on the Reading section of the ACT (existence prepared also reduces exam anxiety).
The Act Reading test is a 40-question, 35-minute test that consists of four sections, each of which includes ane to two prose passages and is accompanied by ten multiple-selection questions. There are 4 types of passages on the Human action Reading Test, and they always appear in the aforementioned order:
- Literary Narrative or Prose Fiction: this passage will consist of an extract from a novel, brusk story, personal essay, or memoir.
- Social Studies: this passage will discuss a topic related to the social sciences, such as history, anthropology, economics, geography, politics, or sociology.
- Humanities: this passage volition likely concern music, art, moving-picture show, or another creative field, and may be excerpted from a personal essay
- Natural Science: this passage will be near a scientific topic such as biology, geology, physics, or chemistry.
The test will explicitly country the category at the showtime of each passage. The passages should all have the same difficulty level, merely students will likely feel more comfy with the passages that most closely chronicle to their own interests.
Reading Exam Breakup
- Key Ideas and Details (55-60%) – Students must identify central themes, pick out specific details, and draw conclusions about the nature of relationships between presented ideas.
- Arts and crafts and Structure (25-thirty%) – Students must determine the meaning of words and phrases and analyze the author's rhetorical and structural choices.
- Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (13-18%) – Students must evaluate the writer'southward claim and, in some cases, observe connections between two different texts.
Reading Test Strategies
- Beginning with your strengths
- Read the questions offset
- Take notes
If you're taking the ACT Reading section as role of the full Human action, you will encounter it third, after the English and Mathematics sections. You volition get a short break betwixt the Math and Reading sections—take advantage of that time to stretch, hydrate, utilize the restroom, and clear your head of numbers and formulas.
2. Familiarize Yourself with the 5 Question Types
Next on our listing of how to improve your Act Reading score is agreement the five question types you'll encounter during the exam. We've outlined these five types of questions beneath, listed in order of the average frequency (from loftier to depression) in which they announced on Human activity Reading tests.
We explain each blazon of question briefly for the sake of keeping this strategy review succinct. If you feel yous need more than review of these Act Reading strategies, Piqosity'southward 70+ ACT content lessons include detailed data on how to master each blazon of Human activity Reading question.
1. Specific Particular Questions
Specific Detail questions are typically the easiest kind of question to answer. On average, nigh one-half of all Human activity Reading questions fall into this category. Equally the name implies, these questions ask you to pick specific details out of the text—no guesswork is involved. In fact, these questions will frequently reference a specific line or paragraph, telling you exactly where to wait.
One note of caution, though: call up that the correct answer is unlikely to appear give-and-take-for-word in the passage. Instead, the correct answer will be paraphrased from the original. If you lot can find a sentence in the passage that is synonymous with one of the reply choices, you lot can safely bet that it'south the right one.
2. Construction and Function Questions
The second most common type of question on the ACT Reading section is Structure and Function Questions, which ask about how the passage is organized or how specific sentences or paragraphs function as part of the whole. These kinds of questions might, for instance, ask why the author uses a certain example or what kind of evidence would strengthen (or weaken) the author's statement.
The answers to these kinds of questions will not be establish straight in the passage, but you should still be able to answer them based on what you have read. Remember, you don't need any prior knowledge about the subject matter covered in each passage to answer these kinds of questions.
Pro tip: Construction and Function questions seem to occur most oftentimes in Humanities passages.
3. Inference Questions
Inference Questions are similar to Structure and Function Questions in that the correct answers are not directly stated in the passage but tin be deduced after careful reading. These kinds of questions are asking y'all to "read between the lines" or depict conclusions based on the evidence provided in the passage.
If the question includes the phrases "We can infer…," "The passage suggests…," or something similar, y'all'll know information technology is an Inference Question. Even though you won't find the right answer paraphrased in the passage, yous should still exist able to point to specific textual evidence that supports your reply. If you tin't observe anything in the passage to support your choice, it'due south not the right answer.
4. Primary Idea Questions
As y'all might expect, Main Idea Questions ask you near the main idea(s) of a passage; in this way, they are sort of like the reverse of Specific Detail Questions. The most important thing to think is that the author of a passage will reference the primary idea in (near) every paragraph—if there's a topic that recurs frequently, information technology'south a good bet that it's the main thought. By the aforementioned token, exist careful not to get tripped upwards past specific details masquerading as the right reply. If an answer references a detail or idea that is referenced in only one sentence, it'southward non the right respond—information technology's meant to trick yous!
Another fashion to think about the Primary Idea of any item passage: if you had to summarize it in 1 sentence, what would you lot say? Y'all probably would not include very many specifics and instead would give a wide outline. If i answer choice seems similar a version of your ain one-sentence summary, it'south probably correct.
5. Vocabulary in Context Questions
Although these questions are the least common on the Human activity Reading department, in that location are nevertheless usually a few of them on each test. They are very straightforward: you will be asked to define a word based on the style information technology is used in the passage.
Obviously, the all-time-instance scenario is one in which you already know the significant of the word. But if yous don't recognize it, look at the judgement (the "in Context" part of "Vocabulary in Context") in which the give-and-take appears, and those effectually it, for clues equally to its meaning. If the give-and-take is used in contrast to another word, for instance, pick the respond which ways the opposite of that other give-and-take.
Recall: sometimes, words have multiple meanings. If the vocabulary give-and-take in question is i of those words, i of the reply choices will often be the well-nigh usual definition, and it is commonly the wrong answer. Ever make sure the definition you cull makes sense in context of the sentence.
Want to brush up on your vocabulary? Bank check out Piqosity'southward Vocabulary Do, with over 2,750 words: Lower Level, Eye Level, and Upper Level.
3. Larn the Typical Tricks the ACT Uses to Trip Up Test Takers
In order to be a competitive test, the ACT purposefully tries to trick students with answers that might look right at first but are actually incorrect. Learning these tricks is one of our favorite Deed reading strategies, as it can vastly improve your exam-taking confidence and help you avert like shooting fish in a barrel pitfalls.
Three common types of these "trick" answers are:
- Reverse Answers: Often, 1 of the choices will be the near-exact opposite of the correct answer. At first glance, information technology might appear correct because information technology covers the same information every bit the passage (and the right answer), merely it takes a contradictory position, so is incorrect.
- Distorted Answers: Another blazon of mutual pull a fast one on answer is one that distorts information from the passage. Frequently, this involves taking something from the passage to an extreme; for example, if the passage states that something is sometimes true, the distorted (incorrect) answer might state that it is always truthful.
- Irrelevant Answers: A tertiary way the Act will endeavor to trip you upwardly is past including an reply which is true, but non relevant to the question. This might take the form of a particular that can exist found in the passage but which does not answer the question, or an answer which includes true information that is non part of the passage and which, therefore, is likely irrelevant.
Fortunately, the Act tends to deploy these same tricks again and over again, and then once y'all're familiar with them, they're easier to spot. If you all the same feel confused by this and you're wondering how to improve your ACT Reading score, the all-time way to get comfortable with these kinds of questions and answers is to have a practise Deed Reading section, similar the ones found on this gratuitous 2020 Act do test.
4. Identify Your Specific ACT Reading Test Weaknesses
Every student who takes the ACT Reading test has their own fix of test-taking strengths and weaknesses. As nosotros'll see momentarily in our section on strategic exercise, in club to meliorate upon your item weaknesses for the Human action Reading test, you'll need to be able to place them first.
Common issues for students taking the ACT Reading test include:
- Timing Issues: You scored very well on every question you answered, but didn't take time to finish, you lot'll know that what you need to work on nearly is increasing your test-taking (or reading) speed.
- Close Reading Bug: You are able to sympathize the full general ideas put forrad in passages, but tend to miss questions that pertain to specific details (such as the aptly named Specific Details questions).
- General Comprehension Problems: Yous are able to notice evidence- and detail-based answers but tend to miss questions that pertain to overarching concepts in a passage (such as Main Idea Questions).
- Vocabulary Problems: You are able to answer both questions pertaining to details and concepts, merely Vocabulary in Context questions tend to trip yous upwardly.
5. Brush Upwards on Specific ACT Reading Examination Strategies
Once you've got a skillful grasp of the question types, information technology'due south time to focus on a handful of ACT Reading strategies designed to aid you with the actual procedure of taking the ACT Reading test. Remember, taking a standardized test like the ACT is a skill, and every bit with all skills, practise makes perfect. These ACT Reading tips and tricks will help maximize your chances of success.
Start with Your Strengths
Always begin with the ACT reading passage which relates most closely to your personal interests. If your favorite subject in school is science, for instance, start with the Natural Science selection; if you love reading novels in your spare time, beginning with Prose Fiction.
Read the Questions Get-go
How do you approach reading on the Human action? Before you kickoff whatsoever of the ACT Reading passages, skim the questions that follow it—they will give you a good thought of what's most important to pay attention to when reading. (Frequently, the questions will directly reference specific lines in the text—make sure to mark those lines in the passage!)
After you take finished reading, effort to answer the questions without looking at the respond choices; if your instinctive answer matches i of the choices, you lot can be confident it's the correct answer. This strategy helps to ensure that y'all are not overly influenced by the reply choices, iii of which are always wrong.
Accept Notes
Sometimes our brains go along autopilot and we read over an entire passage without actually comprehending it. Some other crucial key to how to improve your Human action reading score is to do active reading by taking notes equally you read. For example, you can underline the key ideas in each paragraph or make brief summaries in the margins.
Taking notes helps you focus, ensures your understanding of a passage, and creates a roadmap back to important information in the text. This roadmap often proves helpful when you're answering questions that have answers that tin can exist found straight in the text, such as Specific Detail or Vocabulary in Context questions.
In addition to taking notes, you may find it useful to bank check in with yourself every paragraph or even every few sentences. Would you be able to describe what yous but read to someone else? If y'all're having trouble summarizing, it's a good sign you need to re-read that paragraph. Being able to summarize concepts will help you reply Master Idea and Inference questions.
An Case of How to Utilize These ACT Reading Strategies:
Let's examine at a do Human activity Reading passage (taken from the free official 2020 Practice ACT) and utilise our strategies to answer a couple of practice questions.
In the instance passage above, nosotros have circled cardinal words that appear in specific questions and written their respective question numbers adjacent to them. In the margin, nosotros have briefly summarized each paragraph every bit an instance of how the reader should check in with themselves to ensure that they empathize what they just read.
Now, permit's await at an example question:
Earlier looking at the reply choices, allow's get to the passage and run across if we tin can come up with our own answer. At the cease of paragraph 7, the author describes the "Blues in C# Small-scale" (which we circled!) every bit "odd, haunting, and ultimately relaxing." Looking at the respond choices, nosotros can see that the information we found in the passage all-time matches answer pick D.
One more than question:
We circled the cardinal phrase "A Ghost of a Chance" at the first of the terminal paragraph. The writer states that information technology is the sole recording in Berry's career that featured him from start to end. Now let's look at the respond choices. Based on the data provided by the author, we know the answer is A.
6. Practice Strategically
If you utilize only one of our tips for how to amend your Act reading score, this is the one you desire to use. We truly tin can't emphasize the importance of regular Act do plenty. The more than you do, the more than familiar you will exist with the exam, and the more likely you lot will go an outstanding score.
Nosotros recommend the following four-stride program to gain the maximum strategic advantage.
1. Have a full practice ACT Reading exam
Afterwards you've spent some pregnant fourth dimension going over the different types of questions and studying Human activity Reading strategies, take a practice ACT Reading department, similar one of the 2 beneath:
- 2019-2021 Complimentary Human activity Practice Examination (Form 1874FPRE)
- 2015-2018 Gratis Act Practice Test (Form 1572CPRE)
We recommend trying to imitate real-life testing conditions. Clear your workspace of everything except your testing materials. Gear up a timer for 35 minutes, and piece of work through every bit much of the test equally y'all tin; end when the time'due south up, even if you lot're not done. As y'all're taking the test, put a star next to whatsoever questions you guess on. When the timer goes off, stop and circle every question y'all didn't have time to respond.
2. Grade your do test and read the answer explanations
Mark each question "correct" or "wrong." For each question (even the ones you got correct), read over the answer explanations. Go over each possible answer choice and learn why information technology is right or wrong. Y'all will, of course, want to pay special attention to the questions y'all missed to better empathize how yous went wrong. Use the links beneath to access the respond explanations to previously published practice Act Reading tests:
- Reading Answer Explanations from 2019-2021 ACT Exercise Test
- Reading Answer Explanations from 2015-2018 Human activity Practice Exam
3. Proceed analyzing the data, finding your weak spots, and identifying solutions
As we covered above, recognizing your noesis gaps and test taking weaknesses is a crucial function of figuring out how to improve your Act reading score. As you proceed to practice, yous volition desire to continually assess whether your weaknesses are improving and whether you've identified new trouble areas. Use your grading notes to draw conclusions nigh what you need to work on.
If your exam taking weaknesses centre around particular kinds of questions (as opposed to timing), Piqosity can assist. Our ACT Answer Explanations categorize every question based on its type, helping yous to get consistent and thorough practice. If your weakness is related to timing, our platform allows you to simulate a testing environment so that you lot tin can improve your performance in this surface area too.
4. Target your weaknesses with do
Now that you know your weak spots, you'll want to spend the majority of your written report fourth dimension focusing on those areas. This is where Piqosity's 70+ content lessons and personalized do options actually come in handy—you can create practice tests which specifically target the areas where you virtually demand improvement.
Of course, y'all want to make sure not to lose ground in your strongest bailiwick areas. One helpful strategy is to divide your time more than equally the closer you get to the exam mean solar day. If, for case, you had a month of prep time, you might spend the first calendar week working exclusively on practice questions targeting your weakest content areas. In the 2d week you would go along working mostly in those areas, but by the terminate of the month you would spend equal time preparing for all of the content areas. (Yous might even accept another full exercise ACT Reading test.)
Curious about the effectiveness of ACT prep? Read Piqosity's deep-dive article: Does ACT Prep Work?
7. If Applicative, Castor upwards on ACT Reading Strategies for Slow Readers
Everyone reads at a different speed, and if you're non a fast reader, the ACT Reading passages tin seem intimidating. Slower readers may be especially worried about running out of time reading the passages. Depending on how much time you have to set up for the Deed Reading section, there are a couple of Human action Reading tips for slow readers that tin assist.
If you are a slower reader: when you're faced with an ACT Reading passage, try to skim it for the essentials instead of getting bogged downwardly in a time-consuming close reading. While it is important to understand the passage in its entirety, it is not essential to retrieve every detail upon first reading. It is much more important to have a general understanding of the passage. Similarly, if you see a word with which y'all are non familiar, don't waste material time agonizing over its meaning; instead, endeavor to understand the main thought of the sentence from context clues.
Of form, the best way to increase your reading speed is but to read more—of anything! Reading increases your vocabulary and familiarity with unlike sentence structures and writing styles. When faced with a new passage to read, you will feel more comfy if y'all accept a broader range of past reading with which to compare it.
Exam Practice with Piqosity: The Ultimate in ACT Reading Strategies
Now that yous know how to improve your Human action Reading score, information technology'south fourth dimension to get studying! Whether you're a pupil who wants to amend their Act test taking skills, a teacher with multiple students wishing to give their scores a boost, or a tutoring company in demand of a test prep LMS that really works, Piqosity has you covered with quality, affordable exam prep materials.
Piqosity provides personalized practice test questions that aid you accost and improve upon your weaker test subject areas. Our software is engineered to help students study smarter, not harder. Nosotros offering a wide range of ACT prep materials, perfect for both tutored and cocky-guided Human action practice:
- 10 full-length ACT Practice tests
- Over seventy concept lessons, including tutorial videos
- Real-time Score prediction (both Composite and for each Discipline)
- Interactive interface assuasive teachers, tutors, or parents to assign and track student work
- …and much more!
The best office? Piqosity for the ACT is entirely gratis during the pandemic and is also typically available to effort for complimentary with our 7-day trial. Sign up today!
More Educational Resources by Piqosity:
- The Difference Betwixt the ACT & the Saturday
- ACT Writing Test Scoring, Tips, and Strategies
- Answer Explanations to the Official Deed Practice Tests
- How to Meliorate your ACT Score
- How to Manage Testing Feet
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