![\"smiling](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/one-month-act1.png\")
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so you have one month until your act test date<\/a>, and you are ready to commit to some serious studying. you\u2019re aiming for scores that demonstrate your highest potential\u2014average act scores<\/a> just won\u2019t cut it.<\/p>\n sound like you? then check out the one month act study plan below! if you follow this plan, by the time you walk into the testing center, you will have completed six full act tests and hundreds of additional practice questions\u2014that\u2019s some pretty good prep under your belt!<\/p>\n (if you have more or less than one month to prepare, we have other act study schedules<\/a><\/strong> as well, ranging from three months all the way to one week before the big day!)<\/em><\/p>\n this schedule assumes that you have at least 3 days a week to devote to your study and about 2-3.5 hours on each of these days (2-4.0 hours if you\u2019re preparing for the essay). it also assumes that you will be able to set aside 4 to 4.5 hours on a couple of weekends for a practice test, plus some review time. hopefully, this is a manageable amount of study time balanced with your schoolwork and activities.<\/p>\n note: if you are taking the test with extra time, you\u2019ll need to build in more time based on whether you have received time-and-a-half or double time\/multi-day testing. <\/em><\/p>\n if it seems like too much, you can adjust the plan to focus primarily on reviewing your weaknesses and taking practice sections, or you can divide each day between two days, so that you are doing about an hour to an hour and a half of prep a day. if you are unable to set aside a 4-5 hour chunk of time on the weekend, you can split this up into two sessions. it\u2019s not ideal, but it is certainly better than nothing.<\/p>\n each week, there are 3 things to do, along with some optional practice suggestions:<\/p>\n watch our lesson videos for strategy and background information. if you\u2019re completely comfortable with a topic already (for example, with triangle properties), you might want to skip through a lesson quickly. that\u2019s all right, to an extent, but never pass over a lesson completely because there might be very helpful tips and tricks you didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n click the \u201cpractice\u201d tab at the top of the page from within your magoosh account, and you can customize a practice session that contains the topics mentioned for each week. for each and every question you get wrong, watch the explanation video<\/strong>. this is the most important part of your preparation\u2014you need to isolate where you make mistakes and learn how to avoid them.<\/p>\n one day a week, you\u2019ll need either approximately 1.5 to 2 hours (for a half test) or 3.5 hours (for a full-length practice test) using the official released act tests or magoosh tests. this is massively important for building up your stamina. the act is a marathon\u2014you need to train to feel comfortable taking such a long test.<\/p>\n throughout the schedule, we’ll link to act blog posts and additional videos<\/strong> that will provide you with additional test tips and strategy advice. they\u2019re a great supplement to the lesson videos. a quick note:<\/strong> to make this plan as easy as possible to navigate, we have hidden the content of each day, so that you can see it when you’re ready for it. just click on a given day to see the corresponding tasks and click the heading again to hide them when you’re done!<\/p>\n familiarize yourself with the structure, timing, and strategies of the test. (1 hour)<\/p>\n learn which math concepts you will be tested on. (1 hour)<\/p>\n in addition to the above, watch these essential math strategy videos to learn some tricks for solving act math questions in a \u201cnon-math class\u201d way. (30 minutes)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n act math facts and formulas<\/a><\/p>\n remember, unlike the sat, the act does not have a list of geometry formulas at the beginning of the test!<\/i> watch these essential magoosh act english video lessons<\/a>. (60 minutes)<\/p>\n answer 30 magoosh english practice questions<\/a> by clicking on custom practice and choosing english for the section. (20 minutes)<\/p>\n review the magoosh text and\/or video explanations for any questions you got wrong, and start keeping an error log with notes on the questions you struggled with. in your error log, list each question you got wrong, noting (1) why you got it wrong, (2) what the correct answer is, and (3) what you would do next time to avoid making the same mistake. (30 minutes)<\/p>\n watch these essential magoosh act science video lessons<\/a>. (35 minutes)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n take a break and then answer 40 magoosh act science questions<\/a> by clicking on custom practice and choosing science for the section; make sure to review your error log before you begin so you can be on the lookout for the same question types that tripped you up the first time. (35 minutes) watch these key magoosh act reading video lessons<\/a>. (30 minutes)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n answer 40 reading questions<\/a> on magoosh by clicking on custom practice and choosing reading for the section. (35 minutes)<\/p>\n review the magoosh text and\/or video explanations for any questions you got wrong and continue to update your error log. (15-30 minutes)<\/p>\n take a break and then complete the science practice questions available online from the act<\/a>; make sure to review your error log before you begin. (35 minutes)<\/p>\n check your answers and update your error log. (15-30 minutes)<\/p>\n if you are taking the essay, check out this blog post for advice on approaching the act essay question<\/a>, and watch the following essential magoosh act writing lesson videos. (90 minutes)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n practice outlining an essay for this sample act writing question<\/a>. then, review the essay scoring guidelines<\/a> and read the sample essays<\/a> for this prompt. pay attention to what gets an essay a high score. there is a complete practice test at the end of preparing for the act<\/a> that you can use for this diagnostic. i\u2019m scheduling this practice for the weekend because most students will likely have more time today than on a weekday. if it\u2019s better for you to take a practice test during the weekday, you can move your practice tests to any day during the week.<\/p>\n as i mentioned at the beginning of this guide, if you are really struggling to find enough time in a day, you can split this practice test over two days. it\u2019s not ideal, but doing at least two sections back to back will help you practice the endurance and mental gear shifting required by the act more than just doing one section at a time.<\/p>\n make sure that you can find a quiet space with no distractions. no tv, no internet, and no cell phone. notify people in your household that you are taking a practice test and hang a \u201cdo not disturb\u201d sign on your door. even better, enlist a parent or other responsible family member to act as a proctor and come in to periodically announce \u201ctime\u2019s up\u201d for each section.<\/p>\n on the act, the essay section is optional. if you are taking the essay, make sure to plan and write a full practice essay in the allotted time. if you are not taking the essay, you can skip the essay on this practice test. ask a parent, teacher, or literary older sibling or friend to read over your essay, provide you with feedback, and score it using the act essay rubric<\/a>.<\/p>\n complete the following tasks as you review:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/details>\n tips & strategies<\/span><\/p>\n watch stress reduction techniques<\/a>.<\/p>\n watch 5 magoosh act math lesson videos<\/a> on the math concepts you most need to review. (30-60 minutes)<\/p>\n review the magoosh text and\/or video explanations for any questions you got wrong and continue to update your error log. (15-30 minutes)<\/p>\n complete math practice questions from the \u201cimproving your math score\u201d chapter in the official act prep guide.<\/i> (~35 minutes)<\/p>\n check your answers and the guide\u2019s explanations and update your error log. (15-30 minutes)<\/a>table of contents<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>materials and resources<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>how this study plan is organized<\/h2>\n
magoosh lessons<\/h3>\n
magoosh practice<\/h3>\n
practice test<\/h3>\n
optional practice<\/h3>\n
\nyou will also see links to short quizzes<\/strong> at the bottom of some lesson groups; these will help you practice specific concepts and skills.<\/p>\n![\"back](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2017\/08\/back-to-top-button-1-e1502493700147.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>the act one month study plan<\/h2>\n
<\/a>week 1<\/h3>\n
\nday 1 (2-3 hours)<\/summary>\n
introduction<\/h4>\n
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math<\/h4>\n
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![\"video](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/geometry-cta.png\")
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![\"video](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/assumptions-estimation.png\")
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review this list of act math formulas to know:<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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. (15 minutes)<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n<\/details>\n\nday 2 (3 hours)<\/summary>\n
english<\/h4>\n
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![\"video](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/commas.png\")
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![\"video](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/subject-verb-agreement.png\")
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![\"video](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/verb-tense.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nscience<\/h4>\n
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![\"video](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/using-key-terms.png\")
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![\"video](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/pacing-act-science.png\")
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\n<\/details>\n\nday 3 (4.0 hours if you\u2019re taking the essay, 2.5 hours if you\u2019re not)<\/summary>\n
reading<\/h4>\n
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![\"video](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/approaching-passages.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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![\"video](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/basic-strategies-600x214.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nscience<\/h4>\n
essay<\/h4>\n
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![\"video](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/click-here-to-watch-video.png\")
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\n<\/details>\n\n<\/a>weekend (4.5-5.0 hours)<\/summary>\n
take a practice test (4 hours with breaks)<\/h4>\n
review your practice test (30 minutes to 1 hour)<\/h4>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>week 2<\/h3>\n
\nday 1 (2-3 hours)<\/summary>\n
math<\/h4>\n
![\"video](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/percents-and-ratios.png\")
<\/a>
\nanswer 25 math questions<\/a> on magoosh by clicking on custom practice and choosing math for the section. you can further customize these questions to your weaknesses by selecting categories to practice, such as coordinate geometry or trigonometry. (25 minutes)<\/p>\n
\n<\/details>\n\nday 2 (3-3.5 hours)<\/summary>\n
science<\/h4>\n
![\"video](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2019\/10\/figures-graphs-tables-600x214.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n