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TOP 10 WAYS TO BEAT COLLEGE STRESS – pt 2

By crystal morgan posted May 9, 2012

After making the most of ACT questions and practice tests, you aced the ACT. You wrote terrific application essays, and did so well in your college admissions interviews, you had your pick of schools. Now, there are more tests ahead of you as an undergrad – not just French exams and history quizzes, but also physical, mental, and emotional stuff that will challenge you in ways you probably haven’t experienced yet.

In Part 1 of this article, we learned to keep busy with campus events to avoid homesickness; call old friends to feel connected and grounded; follow a schedule to keep on track; get away to a quiet spot to be alone; and visit the campus health center for more options. Here are five more ways to beat stress:

6. Keep in Touch with Mom and Dad

You’ll be dealing with lots of feelings about leaving home – excitement, apprehension, curiosity, insecurity, and plain old homesickness. And guess what? Your classmates feel the same way. So when you freak out as soon as your family drives from your new dorm – remember you’re not alone and you’ll probably see your family soon. Even if you don’t head home for the holidays, you can keep in touch with calls, emails, letters, and care packages (which you can hint about whenever you call).

7. Dorm Sweet Home

With your schedule of classes, study time, and free time posted on your wall and keeping you on track, the rest of your dorm room should be a place of comfort and retreat. After a long day of lectures, study groups, and/or exams, de-stressing will be a lot easier if you can collapse in your old beanbag with your grandma’s quilt. Fill your space with favorite photos, books, and posters. Whether you relax with old movies or Xbox 360, you’ll be able to take a deep breath and re-charge in your home away from home.

8. In with the Good, Out with the Bad

Meditation can be as simple as closing your eyes and focusing on your breath for ten minutes. You don’t need a special outfit and a CD of seagulls – just sit in a quiet place, in a comfortable chair, and think of nothing but your breath going in and out. You can seriously improve your mood, concentration, and level of stress by thinking: “I’m breathing out the nasty stress…I’m breathing in peace of mind…”. Read more »

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TOP 10 WAYS TO BEAT COLLEGE STRESS – pt 1

By crystal morgan posted May 7, 2012

You aced the ACT, after making the most of ACT questions, test prep, and practice tests. You wrote terrific application essays to the best schools for your field of interest. And you did so well in your college admissions interviews, you had your pick of schools.

Now, there are more tests ahead of you as an undergrad – not just English exams and biology quizzes, but also physical, mental, and emotional stuff that will challenge you in ways you probably haven’t experienced yet. Here are ten ways to beat stress in college:

1. Do Your Thing…But Maybe Not Everything

To keep your mind off missing home, keep yourself busy with orientation parties, campus events, and dorm mixers. The beginning of the year is a great time to check out lots of clubs and meet lots of people – but it’s also a stressful time if you’re constantly “on.” Don’t try to jump in and join everything – and don’t worry about finding your place and your people immediately – or you’ll totally drain your batteries. Relax. Be patient. You will feel at home, eventually.

2. Phone-a-Friend

While you’re having a terrific time exploring the campus, checking out organizations, and making new friends, you’re probably also going to have some lonely days and boring nights. When you have a rough day – or week! – that’s when it really helps to call or IM an old friend. Your high school and childhood friends know you best, and they might be the best people to get you feeling connected and grounded again.

3. Overworked? Don’t Get Overwhelmed

First: Check out the locations of your classes and how long it takes to get to each one, so you don’t show up late, breathless, and stressed. Second: Every prof seems to think that his or her class is your only one, and the work will be piled on accordingly – but the workload should balance out, and even if it doesn’t, your ability to handle it will improve. Third: Create a schedule of all your classes, study time, and free time and post it in your room. Stay on top of it, and you won’t get overwhelmed by it. Read more »

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ACT Math Practice: How to Graph Trigonometry Equations

By vivian kerr posted December 20, 2011

In order to graph trig functions, you need to understand some Trig basics. If you haven’t already, check out this quick refresher on SOHCAHTOA.

Sine, cosine, and tangent are the three main trig identities. They are usually graphed and expressed in degrees, but you may also see them expressed in radians. There are 2π radians in one circle. Each point on a circle corresponds to a certain number of radians. To convert degrees to radians, simply multiply by π/180.

Sine and cosine both have standard graphs that you need to memorize. The standard equation for sine looks like this: y = sin x. The “period” of the wave is how long it takes the curve to reach its beginning point again. The coefficient in front of “sin” (here 1), is called the amplitude. It effects how high and how low the wave reaches vertically. If that coefficient changes, then the height changes. For example, y = 3 sin x, would show a curve that reaches +3 on the y-axis and extends down to -3 on the y-axis.

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Measurement Concepts to Ace the ACT Math Test

By vivian kerr posted November 22, 2011

The ACT Math Test tests three distinct categories of measurement concepts: Perimeter, Area, and Volume. There are a number of need-to-know formulas you should have memorized as you start working on free ACT practice tests like the one offered at actstudent.org. Come Test Day, you’ll get better ACT Math scores if you can mentally recall them quickly and confidently. Remember that unlike the SAT, these formulas won’t be given to you on Test Day, so make sure to know them cold to ace the ACT!

Perimeter: The perimeter is the distance around any shape. For a triangle, the perimeter will be the sum of the sides. For a rectangle, the formula is P = l + l + w + w, or P = 2l + 2w. For a square, this becomes P = 4s. For other quadrilaterals, you need to know the length of each side in order to find the perimeter, unless you are given more information about the comparative lengths of the sides.

For a circle, the perimeter is equal to the circumference: C = 2πr.

Try this ACT math question for practice!

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How to Get Better Scores on the ACT with Approximation & Estimation

By vivian kerr posted September 27, 2011

When you encounter a question on the ACT Math Test that you don’t know how to solve, what do you do? Even if your Math skills are strong, you’re likely to see at least a couple of challenging questions on the ACT Math Test. Sometimes doing the Math is not always the best way to get to the correct answer – a strategy like Picking Numbers or Backsolving can be preferable. You can also use Approximation & Estimation on difficult test questions; this is especially helpful when you’re running out of time, or for questions where there is no applicable formula. Let’s look at how we can use this in our Test Prep to get better ACT scores on Test Day.

Figure ABCDE was drawn on a grid of unit squares, with each vertex at the intersection of two grid lines. What is the area of the figure in square units?

A 19

B 23

C 25

D 27

E 33

Since there is no formula to solve for the area of this 5-sides figure, we know that Approximation will be our best strategy here. The way to find the area of this figure is to divide it into sections, first counting the full squares, then the half squares, then the pieces of square.

Whole squares (blue) = 19 full squares

Half squares (green) 2 = 1 full square

Grey pieces = 1 full square

Pink pieces = 1 full square

Purple pieces = 1 full square

Adding together all the areas gives a total of 23 square units. The answer is (B).

When you approximate, let the answer choices be your guide. If they are very close together, then you will need to be more accurate in your approximation. However, if the answer choices are markedly far apart, then by all means round to the nearest integer. Let’s look at a more challenging question:

In the table to the left, the amount of hardcover and paperback copies sold in a given year for novels L, M, N, P, and Q is provided. For which novel is the ratio of hardcover copies sold to the paperback copies sold the greatest for that year?

To solve this question it is MUCH faster to approximate by rounding each number to make the comparison easier. L is 800,000/1,300,000, or 8/13. Following the same logic of approximating and estimation: M is 3/6. N is 8/10. P is 3/7. Q is 10/25.

The question asks for the greatest ratio. Notice how 3/6, 3/7 and 10/25 are all around 50% or less. That leaves only 8/13 and 8/10. When the numerator stays the same and the denominator shrinks, we know we are getting a larger fraction of the total. Therefore, 8/10 is greater, so the answer is Title N.

For more practice looking at questions where Approximation & Estimation is an appropriate strategy, click on “Create Game” in the Grockit ACT lobby and make a custom game using only the skill tag “Approximation & Estimation.”

Find 2011 and 2012 ACT test dates here!

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ACT Practice: How to Get Every Question on Factors, Multiples, and Divisors Correct

By vivian kerr posted September 15, 2011

Your ACT Math Test will almost certainly feature questions on factors, multiples, and divisors. Out of 60 questions, you can expect these concepts to play a role in at least 2 or 3 questions. This is everything you’ll need to know to get those questions correct on Test Day!

Test your ACT math skills with this ACT math practice question!

Factors

A factor, or divisor, of a number is a positive integer that evenly divides into that number. For example, 4 is a factor of 12 because 12/4 is an integer, 3.

All integers have 1 and themselves as factors. For example there are six factors for the number 12: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12.

The GCF, or greatest common factor, is the biggest factor that two numbers have in common. Think of GCF questions as: what is the biggest number that divides evenly into both?

What is the GCF of 36 and 108?

The answer is 36, because 36 is a factor of itself, and 108 is a multiple of 36.

A prime number is a special kind of integer that has exactly two factors: itself and 1.

Remember that 1 is NOT prime, because it only has one factor, itself. 2 is a special number because it is the smallest prime number and the only even prime number.

The first few prime numbers are: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29.

Multiples

A multiple is a number that is evenly divisible by another integer. For example, 6 is a multiple of 3. 10 Is a multiple of 5. The multiple is always larger than the other integer. The other integer would be considered a factor of the multiple. Every number is a multiple of itself.

For example, for the number 12, possible multiples are 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, etc.

The LCM, or lowest common multiple, is the smallest number for which both given numbers are factors.

What is the LCM of 12 and 9?

9 = 3 x 3, and 12 = 3 x 4, so the LCM must be 3 x 3 x 4 = 36. By saying that the LCM of 12 and 9 is 36, you are saying that 36 is the SMALLEST number that both 12 and 9 will divide into evenly. Notice how the LCM is not necessarily just the product of the two integers.

Divisibility

Here are the Rules of Divisibility to memorize for the ACT!

A number is divisible by 2 if it’s an even number.

A number is divisible by 3 if the sum of the digits is divisible by 3.

A number is divisible by 4 if the last two digits are divisible by 4.

A number is divisible by 5 if the last digit is either 0 or 5.

A number is divisible by 6 if it’s divisible by BOTH 2 and 3.

A number is divisible by 9 if the sum of the digits is divisible by 9.

For more practice with these rules, click on Create Game in the ACT lobby and create a custom game using these skill tags at the difficulty level of your choice! You can also message any of the Grockit ACT tutors to set up a private tutoring session for more help. Find out more by clicking the Tutoring tab in the Grockit lobby.

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How to Analyze Information on the ACT Science and ACT Math Tests

By vivian kerr posted August 30, 2011

Data Analysis is heavily tested on the ACT Science Test and occasionally on the ACT Math Test, especially for Data Interpretation and Research Summaries questions. You will often be presented with a graph or a table and required to answer relevant questions. (After all, you’ll need to analyze a lot of information in college, so it makes sense that the best schools want ACT students to start now!) Make sure to take notes on your ACT Science practice tests and on the various ACT online resources as you study. It will help you improve your ACT score if you review your ACT Science and ACT Math practice questions in a set right after you complete them. Try to apply this strategy to your ACT Test Prep for better ACT scores on Test Day!

1. Analyze the data first. Don’t jump to the question and then go back to the data to look for an answer. Read all of the labels on the presented graph or table. What is in each column? What is in each row? What is the range of values? Does the data have a direct or indirect relationship? Do the lines have positive or negative slopes? Where was there the most change or growth? Where was there the least? With this kind of discipline, you will already understand what is being presented. The question becomes almost an afterthought, and you’ll know exactly where to look for the correct information.

2. Ask yourself: what data do I need to solve? Graphs and tables often give us extraneous information. You will not need everything to solve. Chances are the correct answer hinges on just 1 or 2 numbers from the data. Most ACT students get ACT Science questions and ACT Math questions involving data analysis wrong because they do not know what data to use to solve, not because the Math itself is difficult. You will likely only be performing calculations as simple and easy as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

3. Approximate when possible. Let the answer choices be your guide. If they are very close together, then you will need to be more accurate in your approximation. However, if the answer choices are markedly far apart, then by all means round to the nearest integer.

Let’s apply these test day tips to a sample data table from Grockit’s question bank:

Analyze: When we analyze this chart, we can see that it represents figures for 5 books. In general, all of the books sold more in paperback then they did in hardcover.

What data do I need?: We’ll need to divide the number in the 1^st columns by the number in the 2^nd columns to express the “ratio.”

Approximate: Round each number to make the comparison easier. L is 800,000/1,300,000, or 8/13. Following the same logic of approximating and estimation, M is 3/6. N is 8/10. P is 3/7. Q is 10/25.

For more ACT practice create a custom game in the Grockit lobby to focus in on ACT Science and ACT Math questions only, or contact one of the Grockit tutors to set up a 1-on-1 private tutoring lesson. Hours can be purchased on the Tutoring tab in the Grockit lobby and each lesson can be fully customized to your needs. Happy Grockiting!

Find out how Grockit can predict your performance on the SAT.

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ACT Pre-Algebra Cheat Sheet

By vivian kerr posted August 24, 2011

Need a quick refresh on the basics of Pre-Algebra tested on the ACT? Print out this handy cheat sheet and review it often to quickly improve your ACT Math foundation. The more you practice, the better your scores will be!

Basic definitions:

A variable is a symbol representing a numerical quantity. Variables are represented by letters in the alphabet such as x, a, b, y, etc. The number that the variable represents is called a value.

A constant is a symbol that represents a definite quantity (such as pi).

A term is a product (multiplication) with an unspecified number of factors, made up of either variables or constants. Terms that have the same factors which differ only in their numerical coefficients are called similar terms. For example, 5y and 9y are similar terms.

An algebraic expression is a mathematical statement which often uses constants and variables. For example: 75x + 12

Because of the distributive property, similar terms can be combined into one term. The new term has the same factors as the similar terms, but its coefficient is the sum (addition) of the coefficients; this is commonly known as combining like terms. 3xy + 2xy = 5xy

Some concepts to know:

Test your ACT skills with this ACT practice math question. Read more »

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Top 5 Tested Intermediate Algebra Concepts on the ACT

By vivian kerr posted August 22, 2011

1. Quadratics – Quadratic equations have three terms and are in the form ax² + bx + c. An example of a quadratic is x² – 5x + 6. To find the factors of this equation, we must set up our set of two parentheses: ( )( )

The first term in both parentheses must be x, since x multiplied by x is the only way to get x². Then we look at the coefficient of the second term, -5. It’s important to include the sign in front of the integer as part of the coefficient. One of the rules of quadratic equations is that the second terms in the two factors must add together to equal the middle term’s coefficient. So we need to think of two numbers that add together to give us -5.

Already, we can think of many combinations: -6 and 1, -2 and -3, -200 and 105. So which pair is it? Now we have to look at the integer that’s the third term of the quadratic. Here it’s + 6. Another rule of quadratic equations is that the third term of the quadratic equation will equal the product of the second terms in the two factors. So not only do we need the two numbers to add together to equal -5, but we need them to multiply together to equal + 6. Therefore the factors must be: (x – 2) (x – 3). The “roots” or the “solutions” for this quadratic would be 2 and 3.

2. Systems of Equations – The ACT will often present you with two or more equations with multiple variables. Remember the “n equations with n variables rule.” If there are 2 variables in an equation (for example, x and y), then there must be 2 equations that each contain those variables in order to solve. The two common ways to solve are Substitution and Combination. Jordan Schonig reviews each method in detail here.

3. Functions –It’s helpful to think of (x, f(x)) as another way of writing (x, y). For many function questions, you can Pick Numbers for the variables to solve! Read more »

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When is the ACT offered in 2012?

By crystal morgan posted August 15, 2011

The ACT is offered 6 times a year in most states. Before you schedule your ACT test you should be aware of the college application deadlines and what it means for rolling admissions and early action deadlines. You should give yourself enough time for ACT test prep to give you the best advantage in achieving the highest ACT score possible.

2012 ACT test dates:

Exam Date: Register By: Late Registration:

*2/11/2012 1/13/2012 1/20/2012

4/14/2012 3/09/2012 3/23/2012

6/09/2012 5/04/2012 5/18/2012

9/08/2012 TBD TBD

10/27/2012 TBD TBD

12/08/2012 TBD TBD

Test your ACT skills by answering this ACT reading question. Good luck!

* Note: There will be no ACT test offered in New York for the February test date.

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Grockit SAT ACT Prep

ACT Math Posts

TOP 10 WAYS TO BEAT COLLEGE STRESS – pt 2

TOP 10 WAYS TO BEAT COLLEGE STRESS – pt 1

ACT Math Practice: How to Graph Trigonometry Equations

Measurement Concepts to Ace the ACT Math Test

How to Get Better Scores on the ACT with Approximation & Estimation

ACT Practice: How to Get Every Question on Factors, Multiples, and Divisors Correct

How to Analyze Information on the ACT Science and ACT Math Tests

ACT Pre-Algebra Cheat Sheet

Top 5 Tested Intermediate Algebra Concepts on the ACT

When is the ACT offered in 2012?

2012 ACT test dates:

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