My biggest tip is guess on the ACT, don't guess on the SAT! (There is a penalty for guessing on the SAT, but not the ACT.) Vocabulary is especially important to the SAT, whereas grammar and mechanics are important on both. Here are some resources to help with each of these challenges.
This website offers tips for the English portion of the ACT test. (You would call this a grammar or writing section because that is those are skills it tests. There is also a Reading section of this test, and this website offers tips for it as well.) There are also practice tests offered at ACT-SAT-Prep.com.
This website contains a list of the grammar and mechanical rules that you "must" know to succeed on the ACT. It is just a list, but you could use it in conjunction with your Writers Inc. book for review.
This is a unique webpage. It is sort of a rubric for what you probably know if you earned a certain score on the ACT English section. The information seems to be provided for college personnel to understand what students understand with regard to grammar and mechanics. However, I think you could use the information to point out what you should know to earn a higher score on the ACT English section. (This would be most helpful if you've already taken the ACT once and know what your score was.)
ACT will add an optional 30-minute writing test in February 2005. See act.org for more detailed information on what the test will involve, as well as which colleges will require the essay score.
SAT Vocabulary Hangman This was so much fun! It might not be the best use of your time to play hangman to learn SAT words, but it is enjoyable. There are 10 definitions and you play hangman to discover each SAT word.
Mostly Bright Ideas is an interesting site. They’re trying to sell you a book, but what they offer as a sample is pretty interesting. It is worth a look. Especially see: look-alikes and sound-alikes. strange words, and words you know but don’t know you know. Also see 500 SAT words and if you go back to the homepage, there’s a quiz with answers at the bottom.
SAT Vocabulary Quizzes 10 free multiple choice quizzes with 15 words each. Good words—just the right level. It's easy to get results.
Take SAT.com offers sort of free, SAT materials. Touted as a free source for SAT materials, you can find a lot of valuable information at this site. You can even take a practice test and get the results. To have your “wrong answers” explained however, costs $10. Hmmm. . . The site does have multiple practice tests though—for both the verbal and math sections of the SAT. There are ten 10-15 question practice tests for EACH section of the SAT (sentence completion, analogies, and critical reading).
More SAT quizzes are available at this useful site with mini-quizzes for various subjects, including SAT Verbal sections. The handiest feature I found was that there was a timer at the bottom of the window so you would be able to gauge your speed. There was also more than one way to get results—just scored, or scored with answers. You can also keep participating in activities easily. The worst part of this site was the annoying pop-up ads. There was a way to remove banners on the page though.
Increase your SAT vocabulary with 5000 free vocabulary words and definitions. It’s a pretty overwhelming list, but they’re all there.
Neat SAT Vocabulary Games I really liked the word games available at this site. I was frustrated by not being able to get feedback on whether my answers were correct or not. There is a word bank, for those of you who live for word banks. You need to register at this site, but it's free.
| This website contains a very thorough listing of
types of analogies that are common on the SAT. However, there is no
explanation and only one example of each one.
This site contains a few types of verbal analogies that you may see on your SAT. These types are explained well. |
|
A 25-minute persuasive essay is being added to the SAT. The prompt will give you one or two quotes and ask you to state your opinion in regard to the issue in the quote(s). When sharing your views, it is important for you to give specific details in support of your opinion. Solon English teachers are working to make sure you're well prepared for this new assessment.
