Victory for the ACT Student Text 15e

E NGLISH T EST M ECHANICS • 19

PACING

Š‡ ‰Ž‹•Š ‡•–…‘•‹•–• ‘ˆ ϐ‹˜‡ ’ƒ••ƒ‰‡•ǡ ‡ƒ…Š ƒ’’”‘š‹ƒ–‡Ž› ͵ͲͲ ™‘”†• ‹ Ž‡‰–Š ƒ† ™‹–Š 15 corresponding items, for a total of 75 items. The time limit is 45 minutes. So, a fairly simple ƒ† ‡ƒ•›Ǧ–‘Ǧˆ‘ŽŽ‘™ ’Žƒ ‹• –‘ ƒŽŽ‘…ƒ–‡ ‹‡ ‹—–‡• –‘ ‡ƒ…Š ‘ˆ –Š‡ ϐ‹˜‡ ’ƒ••ƒ‰‡•ǣ TASK ALLOTTED TIME TIME REMAINING First passage and questions 9 minutes* 36 minutes Second passage and questions 9 minutes* 27 minutes Third passage and questions 9 minutes* 18 minutes Fourth passage and questions 9 minutes* 9 minutes Fifth passage and questions 9 minutes* 0 minutes *Approximately 36 seconds per question This schedule describes what would happen in a perfect world; but, of course, the ACT test does not take place in a perfect world. Some items are going to take longer than others, particularly those that ask about the overall development of the passage. This means that you’ll need to •’‡† Ž‡•• –‹‡ ‘ –Š‡ •‹’Ž‡ ‰”ƒƒ” ‹–‡•ǡ „—‹Ž†‹‰ —’ ƒ –‹‡ ”‡•‡”˜‡ ˆ‘” –Š‘•‡ ‘”‡ †‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž– ‹–‡• –Šƒ– ƒ”‡…‘‹‰Ǥ † –Š‡ ‘”‡ †‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž– ‹–‡• ƒ”‡ —•—ƒŽŽ› ’Žƒ…‡† ƒ– –Š‡ ‡† ‘ˆ ƒ ’ƒ••ƒ‰‡ because that’s where it makes sense to ask, “What is the main idea?” and “How could the passage be improved?” The schedule actually gives you a feedback loop that lets you know whether you need to skip some items. For example, if you are nearing the nine-minute mark and still have –™‘ ‘” –Š”‡‡ ‹–‡• –‘ †‘ ‘ –Š‡ ϐ‹”•– ’ƒ••ƒ‰‡ǡ –Š‡ •‹’ ƒ› ”‘†—…–‹‘ ‘ˆ ”‹–‹‰ ‹–‡• ƒ† ‰‘ straight away to the next passage. The Production of Writing items take longer, and there will be some simple grammar items waiting to be cherry-picked in the next passage. Remember, every item is worth one point.

Ace the Pace Synchronize your watch to test time. Set the minute hand or use a stopwatch to time each section and stay on track. Ace the Pace At the end of each passage, check your time. If you are taking longer than 9 minutes to answer all the questions with a passage, try guessing on the Production of Writing questions because those take the most time.