Monday, July 08, 2024

Geometry Hacks

Did you know you can use a ruler, protractor, and straight-edge on the SAT/ACT? 

Actually you can’t, at least not prohibited plastic or metal ones. 

"Too bad," you might be thinking. It would make answering most geometry questions a whole lot easier.

But you can easily and legally improvise each of these tools with materials you're allowed to use on the SAT/ACT. 

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Ruler

Along the edge of your scratch paper, mark the endpoints of a segment of known length taken from the given figure. Add a mark in the middle, to indicate the half-way point. Knowing the overall length of this “ruler,” and the length of the half-way mark, you can lay the ruler over the segment you need to find in the figure (on screen or on paper) to closely guess its length. Now, eliminate answers, and choose the best one remaining.

Protractor

You can create a “protractor” by using the right angle at any corner of your scratch paper. Carefully fold your scratch paper edge-to-edge at the corner. This forms a perfect 45 degree angle. Fold it again, like you’re making a paper airplane. Unfold and flatten the page. The angles formed are 22.5 degrees each. You’ve now created a “protractor” with angles 22.5 degrees, 45 degrees, 67.5 degrees and 90 degrees.

Straight-Edge

The edge of a sharply-folded scratch page makes an excellent edge for quickly drawing perfectly straight lines. In mathematics, neatness matters, nowhere more so than in the realm of geometry.

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Note: 

To form nice, sharp edges, run your pen or pencil firmly across the folds as you create each crease.

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Copyright © 2006-present: Christopher R. Borland. All rights reserved.

Monday, July 01, 2024

The New Online ACT

It had to happen. Following the lead of the SAT, the ACT has been streamlined and is now offered online.

In its new format, the ACT takes less time to complete (only 125 minutes), there are fewer questions in each section (with more time per question), math questions have only four answer choices instead of five, English and Reading passages are shorter, and the science section is optional.

Beginning in April 2025, students can choose to take the ACT on paper or online. The new format will be introduced in April 2025 for online ACT tests only. From September 2025 forward, all ACTs will be given in the new format.

Click here for complete official information about recent changes to the ACT.

ACT now provides students with practice in the new digital format. Unfortunately, only a single official full-length online ACT practice test is offered, separated into section tests (English, Mathematics, Reading, Science).

To find the sample test, go to ACT Official Online Practice Tests, and click the button near the bottom marked "Launch ACT Free Online Tests" (you'll first need to create a MyACT account). 

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Copyright © 2006-present: Christopher R. Borland. All rights reserved.