Brandon Twp.- The state board of education’s decision to replace the ACT college entrance exam with the SAT does not impact this year’s high school juniors or seniors and students planning to take the test in March can benefit from a seminar coming to the library.
Sylvan Learning Center of Oxford will offer an ACT Test Prep Seminar from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Feb. 7 at the library, 304 South St.
‘The higher the score they get on the test, the bigger the scholarships,? said Joanne Woolf, Sylvan Learning Center director. ‘Sometimes you can get a scholarship from the state and certain colleges require a certain score on the ACT. Students that don’t achieve the score may try a second or third time to get what they need.?
The ACT college entrance exam covers four subject areas? reading, math, science and English. During the seminar, students will spend three hours taking an actual ACT test. Prior to the test, presenters will give strategies for taking the exam, going over questions that will be asked and what to look for. In the reading section of an ACT, students will encounter four passages in which comprehension questions will follow regarding inference, cause and effect, and main ideas. The science portion of the test involves hypotheses, interpretation and comparison of tables and graphs, and questions about scientists. Math is tested from arithmetic on up to trigonometry, and the English portion involves grammar, punctuation, and editing of passages.
‘We’re not trying to cover 12 years of education, but trying to show them how to choose the best answer and what to look for,? said Woolf. ‘The ACT can be tricky, you have to know how to read the questions and choose the best answer.?
Results from the practice tests will be returned to students within a week, allowing them to see what kind of score they might expect as well as showing them where review is needed so they can raise the score on the actual test they will take.
Woolf said Sylvan has offered the ACT seminar for several years. Next year, they will change to offering an SAT seminar.
The ACT test seminar costs $10, and preregistration at the library is required prior to Feb. 7. Only 40 spots are available. For more information, call Robin Loughlin at 248-627-1462 or rloughlin@brandonlibrary.org.