Coming tomorrow…To the junior

class of Simeon Career

Academy…

The PSAEThe PSAE

Prairie State Academic Exam• Wednesday, April 23

• A full-length ACT exam

English

Mathematics

Reading

Science

Writing

Prairie State Academic Exam

• Thursday, April 24

• Illinois State Board of Education sections

–ISBE Science

–WorkKeys Math

–WorkKeys Reading for Information

DAY 1 ~ The ACT•English•Mathematics• Reading

Comprehension

•Science Reasoning

•Writing

Overall Strategies• 215215

You You mustmust answer answer every question.every question.

• The Two-Pass The Two-Pass SystemSystem

You You mustmust go through go through every section twice.every section twice.

• POEPOE

You You mustmust use Process use Process of Elimination.of Elimination.

Process of Elimination Process of Elimination (POE)(POE)• Always look for Always look for

WRONG answers WRONG answers first; they’re first; they’re easier to find! easier to find!

• Physically CROSS Physically CROSS OFF wrong OFF wrong answers—you’re answers—you’re taking control of taking control of your test. your test.

• When you When you eliminate at least eliminate at least two answers, you two answers, you are in…are in…

……the HAPPY the HAPPY PLACE!PLACE!

When you’re in the Happy Place…

• You’ve got a 50/50 shot You’ve got a 50/50 shot of getting the answer of getting the answer right.right.

• You’ve increased your You’ve increased your chances of getting a chances of getting a right answer by 100%.right answer by 100%.

• If you get half of them If you get half of them correct, you’re already correct, you’re already at your college at your college entrance minimum of entrance minimum of an 18 on the ACT. an 18 on the ACT.

Overall Strategies

•Bubble in by the page, not one–by-one.

•Take control of your test. –Familiarity–Comfort–Confidence–Performance

Coach Chick’s 6 P’s

ProperProper

Preparation &Preparation &

PracticePractice

PreventsPrevents

PoorPoor

Performance!Performance!

ACT English: The Rules

1. ACT hates –ING2. Go Short!3. The Thumb Rule4. Exaggerate the Pause5. Be Active, Not Passive!

ACT English: The Rules

6. OMIT the underlined portion 7. Look Left!

8. The One-‘S’ Rule9. STOP / GO

10. 3 and 1

Go Short!

ACT hates wordy, superfluous language.

Go Short!Go Short!Always start with the shortest answer choice. If it works, keep it. If not, move to the next shortest answer choice and so on.

Go Short!Go Short!

The English test is rife with redundancies, irrelevancies, and just plain stupid stuff. Eliminate it and move on!

OMIT the underlined OMIT the underlined portionportion

OMIT is

because it is correct more than 50% of the time it is an option.

♥

3 and 1: Which of these is different?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ACT Math• 60 questions, 60 minutes

– 1 minute per question

• Now, Later, Much Later• What can I answer in the first 10

minutes?

ACT MathACT MathUse the TWO-PASS systemUse the TWO-PASS system ----In the first 10 minutes, find 15 In the first 10 minutes, find 15

easy problems you know that easy problems you know that you can do. Avoid long story you can do. Avoid long story problems and complicated problems and complicated diagrams. diagrams.

----On your second pass, recognize On your second pass, recognize that you now have 50 minutes to that you now have 50 minutes to handle some of the more difficult handle some of the more difficult problems.problems.

ACT Math ACT Math Attack PlanAttack Plan

Think of it this Think of it this way: way:

YouYou are handling are handling the math section the math section youryour way, doing way, doing the problems the problems youyou want to do, when want to do, when youyou want to do want to do them.them.

ACT Math Attack PlanACT Math Attack PlanAlways answer the question that’s Always answer the question that’s being asked, nothing else. being asked, nothing else.

Don’t rush to bubble in an answer Don’t rush to bubble in an answer just because one of the answers just because one of the answers looks rightlooks right. It may be a distracter. . It may be a distracter.

Story problems are not difficult Story problems are not difficult because of mathematics, but because of mathematics, but because of the enticing wrong because of the enticing wrong answers. These are distracters answers. These are distracters and are only there to confuse you. and are only there to confuse you.

ACT Reading Comprehension

It ain’t about reading…

It’s about scoring points!

ACT ReadingACT Reading

•40 questions•35 minutes•4 passages•10 questions per passage per 8.5 minutes

ACT Reading•Find your own Find your own strategy.strategy.

•Read only what you have Read only what you have

to.to. •Now, Later, LAST.Now, Later, LAST.•Use POE. Use POE. •Watch your time.Watch your time.

ACT SCIENCE

ACT ScienceThe most important thing toThe most important thing to

know about the ACT Science Section:know about the ACT Science Section:

It does not test your It does not test your knowledgeknowledge of science. of science.

It tests your ability It tests your ability to to deal withdeal with science. science.

ACT Science40 questions, 35 minutes = OUCH!

• 33 Data Representation Data Representation passages

• 33 Research Summary Research Summary passages

• 11 Conflicting Viewpoints Conflicting Viewpoints passage

ACT Science•Find questions that point.

•Spend your time interpreting charts and graphs, not reading BORING material.

•Paraphrase questions and use POE.

ACT ScienceACT Science

•Do not be afraid of the “scary” pictures—they are only there to frighten you into giving up!

ACT Science

33 Data Representations ~ Data Representations ~ interpret chartsinterpret charts

33 Research Summaries Research Summaries ~ understand design of understand design of experimentsexperiments

11 Conflicting Viewpoints Conflicting Viewpoints ~ resolve disputes between resolve disputes between competing theoriescompeting theories

Data RepresentationThese are the These are the “Charts and Graphs” “Charts and Graphs”

passages. passages.

•Don’t be afraid!Don’t be afraid!•Do these first! They Do these first! They are often the easiest.are often the easiest.

Data Representation

• 3 passages, 3 passages, 15 questions15 questions

• Allow Allow yourself five yourself five minutes per minutes per passage. passage.

Research Summaries•3 passages, 3 passages,

18 18 questionsquestions

•Once again, Once again, you get you get only 5 only 5 minutes per minutes per passage.passage.

Conflicting ViewpointsConflicting Viewpoints

•1 passage •7 questions•Two opposing views of a scientific topic.

♀

♂

ACT Science SummaryACT Science Summary• Interpreting Interpreting

charts, graphs, charts, graphs, and tables is and tables is key to key to success.success.

• NO FEAR!NO FEAR!• Stay focused.Stay focused. • Watch your Watch your

time.time.

ACT WritingACT Writing • 30 minutes30 minutes• 1 essay prompt1 essay prompt• Requirement is Requirement is

to create one to create one persuasivepersuasive or or expositoryexpository essay in essay in response to the response to the promptprompt

If you need If you need to write ato write a persuasivepersuasive essay, pick essay, pick ONE side ONE side

and and support it!support it!

If you need to write an If you need to write an EXPOSITORYEXPOSITORY essay, keep essay, keep

your focus on the topic and your focus on the topic and EXPLAIN it completely! EXPLAIN it completely!

Make sure that you address Make sure that you address the opposing side.the opposing side.

ACT Writing ACT Writing • Spend 5 minutes using Spend 5 minutes using

a a pre-writing pre-writing strategy to strategy to organize your organize your thoughtsthoughts

• Begin with a strong Begin with a strong thesisthesis

• Use paragraphing Use paragraphing and transitions to and transitions to keep essay keep essay togethertogether

• REMEMBER! It’s a REMEMBER! It’s a rough draft!rough draft!

Day 2 – PSAEDay 2 – PSAE

•ISBE ScienceISBE Science• WorkKeys WorkKeys

MathMath• WorkKeys WorkKeys Reading for Reading for InformationInformation

ISBE ScienceISBE Science• 45 multiple-

choice questions

• 40 minutes

• 75% of the questions come from Illinois State Goal 12

• Check www.isbe.net for sample science items

Day 2 ~ WorkKeysDay 2 ~ WorkKeysMathematicsMathematics

• 33 questions 33 questions • 45 minutes45 minutes• Five levels of Five levels of

difficulty—difficulty—

3 to 7 3 to 7 • CalculatorsCalculators• Formula SheetFormula Sheet

Reading for Reading for InformationInformation

•33 questions33 questions•45 minutes45 minutes•Five levels of Five levels of

difficulty—difficulty—

3 to 7 3 to 7

For both WorkKeys sections…• You must answer the

questions in order.

• Each level has a hard ceiling…

• If you answer too many questions incorrectly for any level, you will be unable to achieve higher than that level’s score…

For both WorkKeys sections…FOR EXAMPLE:FOR EXAMPLE:

Say in Say in LEVEL 4LEVEL 4, , you answer only you answer only 22 out of out of 55 questions questions correctly, and correctly, and then answer then answer everyevery question correctly question correctly for for LEVELS 5 LEVELS 5 through 7through 7, your , your score will still be score will still be at at LEVEL 4LEVEL 4! !

Throughout the entire ACT and PSAE exams

Most of all, remember to…

RTFQ!

RTFQ

•If you fail to RTFQ carefully, you will fall for traps that ACT has set for you.

Take command of your test!!!

ACT

Get to the Happy Place!

And have a sense of And have a sense of humor!humor!

You can do it, Juniors!You can do it, Juniors!

Thank you!