With ACT Approaching, Students Feeling the Pressure

April 22, 2009 - PRLog -- The ACT deadline is fast approaching, leaving 16 and 17-year-old students around America searching for answers.  How do I increase my score to get into the college I want?  Will it be enough?

Fortunately for them, private tutor and self-proclaimed ACT expert Robert Watson knows what it takes to perform well on the ACT, and he’s willing to share some of his best tips and secrets.  

“When it comes to performing well on a big test like this, you can’t overthink the process,” says Watson.  “Don’t be intimidated, and always remember, you can take the test again if you’re not happy with your score.”  

He states that taking private lessons, either through a tutor like himself, or through a preparatory class at High School can make worlds of difference.  He says that these programs teach you “how to take the test” rather than teaching actual information that is likely to appear, because even if you don’t know something, the ACT is structured to let you have all the info you need right there.  

“The secret to performing well on the ACT is to give yourself a lot of time to go back and revise your answers,” he says.  “Catching simple mistakes and rethinking complex problems is particularly important on the Math and Reading sections.”

Just how do you do that?

“Work on reading faster and with greater comprehension,” he says.  “Many students think that this is impossible, but if you take the time to learn basic speed reading habits, you can get through those tough passages and wordy questions much faster and have time to check your work on every single problem.”

Watson has set up a website at http://www.free-speed-reading.com which includes a free program you can use to test how quickly you read.  According to experts, students who are well prepared to enter college can read at over 450 words per minute, while exceptional college students can handle over 700.  Watson estimates that if you can increase your reading rate to that level, you should be capable of getting more than a 30 on the ACT.  

“Speed readers not only work faster, they also read with higher comprehension, since comprehension training is always included as part of course sequencing,” he says.  “The biggest mistake you can make is going in unprepared.”  Keep that in mind while preparing for the last few ACT tests of the school year.

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About http://www.free-speed-reading.com/: Our website gives you all kinds of free information about how to read faster, and a free test that will tell you exactly how fast you can read.