The ACT is a well known, widely-taken test that has become the part of the lives of many high school seniors. Compared to the SAT, the ACT is broken into more numerous sections that more closely mirror the type of content you probably covered in your high school classes. You are more likely to see, for instance, a question that asks you to draw on a discrete fact from your high school math class on the ACT than you are on the SAT.

The idea that you will have to recall specific facts from your English class two years ago can make the ACT English exam anxiety-inducing. In contrast to other parts of the ACT, however, the ACT English test is likely to give you most of the information that you need to answer the questions. Your challenge is to access that information! Whether you need ACT English tutoring in New York, ACT English tutoring in Chicago, or ACT English tutoring in Los Angeles, working one-on-one with an expert may be just the boost your studies need.

The ACT English test is a 75-question 45-minute test that aims to gauge your language ability in four major areas: punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, and rhetorical skills. The first three types of questions will be about half of the total ACT English test. You will have to identify and correct mechanical and structural errors, and you must use information that you have learned over the course of your education. It probably won’t be helpful to start memorizing grammar rules in the days before your test. Instead, slow and diligent effort throughout your preparation will pay off, as you will have developed a deep understanding of English grammar and sentence mechanics.

The rest of the questions on your exam will be rhetorical, organizational, or informational; that is, the questions will be asking you about more subtle elements of message delivery, meaning, or organization in a passage or sentence. Here again, cramming is not likely to be a useful strategy. You will find that you have to analyze critically and consider the author’s approach to a series of unfamiliar sentences. How clearly are you able to identify the main message? What changes could be made to improve the delivery of the message?

A major principle to guide your preparation for the ACT English exam should be the development of your capacity to recognize that every question is designed to test your ability to think critically and analyze the provided material. You may want to consider working in study groups or with tutors, which gives you the opportunity to enhance your own skills while helping others. Consider that the ACT English test is fundamentally a test of communication. Whether you are being tested with a rhetorical or a mechanical question, the main purpose is to ensure that you have the ability to communicate clearly. To help you with your studies you may want to consider an ACT English tutor as well as taking a our free ACT English practice tests.

Communication skills are unusual in that they are applicable across disciplines in school and careers. Only surgeons may need to know how to remove an appendix, and only pilots may need to be able to land a plane, but both need to be able to communicate clearly and efficiently to those around them, as do practitioners of virtually every other occupation. Investing time in preparation for the ACT English exam can give you an advantage in almost every college course, as well as, ultimately, your career. A free digital ACT prep book is also available. 

Brushing up on your grammatical and editorial knowledge in preparation for the ACT is certainly prudent, and Varsity Tutors’ free ACT English Flashcards can help you review all of the topics that this section of the ACT covers. Each ACT English Flashcard is accompanied by a detailed and complete explanation of how to arrive at the correct answer, so any missed questions turn into valuable learning opportunities, allowing you to make sure you’re correctly understanding material as you study. Varsity Tutors’ free ACT English Flashcards are also organized by concept tested, allowing you to drill just the grammatical concepts that you most need to brush up on before you take your ACT. Our ACT English Flashcards are also available on the Varsity Tutors app, so you can study whenever and wherever, no matter how busy your schedule is. Start prepping for the ACT English section by brushing up on your editing abilities today with ACT English tutoring or Varsity Tutors’  free ACT English Flashcards!