Homeschool High School ACT Prep
Do you have a high schooler looking towards college in the coming years? Have you thought about what college prep is needed? Is your child planning on taking the SAT or ACT? If so you will want to check out this collection of homeschool ACT prep resources, along with detailed information about the ACT.
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ACT vs. SAT
Many colleges require scores from the ACT or SAT tests as a part of the admissions process. Taking one or both of these, and doing well, is a key component to the college admissions process.
One way to decide if taking the SAT, ACT, or both tests is right for you is to take a practice test of each type. (ACT, Inc. makes one full-length printable ACT practice test available for free. It is kept up to date so it will more closely resemble the test you will take than any other resource.) Since the content and style of the SAT and ACT are very similar, factors like how you handle time pressure and what types of questions you find most challenging can help you determine which test is a better fit.
There are differences between the SAT and ACT that can make one or the other legitimately easier or harder for test takers.
The main differences between the SAT and ACT are:
- ACT includes a Science section
- SAT includes one SAT Math Section on which you may not use a calculator
- The SAT is scored on a scale of 400-1600 and the ACT is scored on a scale of 1-36
About the math:
While the SAT and ACT both emphasize algebra questions in their math sections, the ACT’s Math section typically tests a wider range of mathematical concepts—such as logarithms, graphs of trig functions, and matrices—that the SAT doesn’t cover.
The ACT also has significantly more questions dealing with geometry and trigonometry than the SAT does.
In addition to testing a wider range of math topics, the ACT doesn’t give you any math formulas at the beginning of the Math section. On the other hand, the SAT gives you most of the major math formulas you’ll need.
About the science:
The “science reasoning” section of the ACT (about 25 percent of the test) can be very intimidating and is the section that homeschooled students score lowest on. This section has little to do with science knowledge and is more about reading comprehension, critical thinking, and reasoning.
For students planning to be science majors in college, doing well on the “science reasoning” section of the ACT is especially important. It’s also the section that has the largest potential for improvement with appropriate preparation.
Comfort with scientific terms and experience gathering scientific data from charts and graphs will give you a greater advantage on the ACT.
About the ACT
The purpose of the ACT test is to measure a high school student’s readiness for college, and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants. It is currently administered by ACT, a nonprofit organization of the same name.
The ACT test covers four academic skill areas:
- English
- mathematics
- reading
- scientific reasoning
The ACT is 2 hours and 55 minutes long. If you choose to take the ACT with Essay, the test will be 3 hours and 35 minutes long.
Registering for the ACT
ACT Tests are usually given in June, July, September, October, December, February, and April.
Consider choosing a test date at least two months ahead of the application deadlines of all the colleges and scholarship agencies you might want to apply to.
Scores for the ACT are normally reported within 2–8 weeks after the test date. If you take the ACT with writing, scores will be reported only after all of your scores are available, including writing, normally within 5–8 weeks after the test date.
You can use this ACT Test Center Locator to find a test being given near you.
FREE ACT Test Prep Guide – This guide was designed to make understanding all things ACT as simple as possible. With information about ACT test dates, fee waivers, and test prep, you’ll find everything you need to succeed on test day.
Homeschool ACT Prep Resources
College Prep Science offers an online ACT Bootcamp that allows your student to study from the comfort of their own home, with the option of live class interaction or watching the recorded videos on their own time.
ACT Bootcamp from College Prep Science
Give your kids a leg up on the ACT with the College Prep Science ACT Prep Bootcamp!
This bootcamp focuses on techniques and strategies for preparing for and taking the ACT. Consisting of 4 online classes, students can take it live or watch the recordings.
There are 5 ACT practice tests with real ACT questions, along with ACT strategy homework which is scheduled out over 4 weeks.
Students will have a substantial (5 to 7 hours) weekly homework assignment with homework to be turned in.
Each student will earn 1 semester credit of test taking and college study skills for this course.
A Few Great Things About College Prep Science Classes
My daughter has had the opportunity to participate in multiple College Prep Science classes.
You can see our thoughts on some of those in these reviews below:
Also check out this video where I talk about consistent features of the College Prep Classes that I really love!
The College Prep ACT Bootcamp Covers Things Like:
The College Prep ACT Prep Bootcamp focuses on ACT strategies, technique, familiarity, trend keys, question analysis, layout, question trends and similarities, etc.
- What the ACT is really testing and how to use that to your advantage
- The predictable aspects of the test you have to be aware of
Where to focus subject area studying - How to recognize wrong answers that are designed to look like the right answer
- How to practice and the advantages of doing it in a way that builds confidence
- Basic math formulas you should know
- Study skills that will serve you well for this test and for college tests
- How to exploit the “standards” in this standardized test
- The critical importance of timing and how to manage it
- Strategies for choosing an answer when you don’t know the answer
- ACT patterns – if you recognize them you win
- How to prepare for the science reasoning section
- How to structure your ACT preparation
- When and how often to take the ACT for optimal scoring
Science Freebies for Homeschool Moms
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More High School Resources
