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About Knowledge Bytes Episode 1
On our first Knowledge Bytes podcast episode, our guest is Sumedha Kethini, an incoming freshman at Standford University who scored a perfect 36 the first time she took the ACT! We discuss all the ins and outs of the exam and some hidden tips you’ll want to hear so you can also master the ACT.
We discuss:
- What is the ACT and how is it different from the SAT?
- ACT scholarships
- Preparation and studying for the ACT
- A breakdown of patterns and techniques for each of the sections (English, Math, Reading, Science, optional Writing)
- How to avoid common missteps
- Tips for exam day
What next?
You can find Sumedha on Lessonpal and book ACT prep or Speech and Debate lessons (she’s an award winner!)
with her.
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Episode transcript
Intro
[00:00:00] Kaitlin: Hi, you’re listening to Knowledge Bytes, a podcast where we discuss topics related to the world of education so you can get your dose of new knowledge.
On this episode, our guest is Sumedha Kethini, an incoming freshman at Stanford University who scored a perfect 36 the first time she took the ACT. We discuss all the ins and outs of the exam and some hidden tips you’ll want to hear.
Before we jump in, don’t forget to subscribe wherever you’re listening to stay up-to-date with new episodes. Here we go!
Episode start
Hi everyone. My name is Kaitlin Fenn. I run marketing at Lessonpal, the affordable online tutoring marketplace. Today we’re gonna be talking about the ins and outs of the ACT. And our guest today scored a perfect 36 on her first go. She’s currently in high school, a high school senior in Ohio, and has been private tutoring students for the ACT for two years.
She also [00:01:00] loves competing in speech and debate, listening to Taylor Swift, trying her mom’s recipes, and going on impromptu walks. So I’m really excited to be joined today by Sumedha Kethini to talk about what you can do to master the ACT. So, welcome. How are you doing today?
[00:01:16] Sumedha: I’m doing great. How are you?
[00:01:19] Kaitlin: I’m good. A little sick, so I’m sorry about my voice, but we’ll, we’ll jump right in. So first, Sumedha we’ll start with some basics in case anyone listening or watching isn’t super familiar with the ACT. So could you just give us a little background? What is it? What’s the purpose? How long is it? Can you retake it?
What is the ACT?
[00:01:42] Sumedha: Yeah, so the ACT it stands for the American College Test, and it’s mainly for colleges to see whether you’re ready to go to that college and whether you’re prepared. So it’s an academic test, it’s a standardized test, and it has four sections. It has the reading section, the math [00:02:00] section, the writing section, and the science section.
So throughout the test, you’re really, your main goal is just showing the test graders and college board that you are prepared for college and for anything coming at you in life in the future. And a lot of people forget that. Another great thing that the ACT is good for is scholarships and financial aid.
So if you get a great score on the ACT, you’ll get more scholarships and you’ll probably get more financial aid and sometimes in the future. Even your future employers might ask way back to high school, what was your ACT or SAT score? So that’s why it’s really important to, to get your dream score.
Scholarships
[00:02:41] Kaitlin: Nice. I didn’t know that about the scholarships. Is that an automatic thing? So if you score a certain or if you get a certain score, you automatically entered in different scholarships? Or do you take that score and apply separately?
[00:02:54] Sumedha: Yeah, you definitely take that score and apply, but, but a lot of scholarships are specifically meant for [00:03:00] students with high ACT scores, so there are a lot of options out there.
[00:03:05] Kaitlin: Okay. Okay, gotcha. And how, how long is the test normally? So there are a few sections, but is it one hour, five hours?
How long is the test?
[00:03:15] Sumedha: Yeah, so it is pretty long. It’s two hours and 55 minutes without breaks. But once you factor in the official breaks that you’ll have in the actual test, it’s three and a half hours.
[00:03:25] Kaitlin: Okay, great.
And how many times can you retake it?
[00:03:29] Sumedha: You can take it as many times as you want. There is a deadline around November and December if you want to submit it for your college apps, November and December of your senior year. But other, other than that if you’re not like on the cusp of submitting college apps, you can retake it as many times as you want.
[00:03:48] Kaitlin: Okay, gotcha. And did you take the SAT too or just the ACT?
[00:03:53] Sumedha: So I took many practice SATs, but I never took the actual SAT.
[00:03:59] Kaitlin: Okay [00:04:00] nice. And do you know how exactly the ACT is different from the SAT? Because I know I, me personally, I did a lot of prep for the SAT and then took the SAT and then I took the ACT without even studying for it and did better on that one.
But going into it, I wasn’t really even sure what the, the differences were. So, yeah. What are the differences?
Differences between the ACT and SAT
[00:04:26] Sumedha: Yeah, so like you said, there are a lot of similarities. I also studied for the SAT and then I switched over to the ACT and I had a lot already done for me since I had prepared for the SAT.
The main differences I would say is that the SAT. I believe that it analyzes how good you are at analysis and reading things like thoroughly and answering questions thoroughly. On the other hand, the ACT, you have less time to answer more questions, so it’s more about like critical thinking and thinking on the spot with a lot of pressure on you.
[00:05:00] So I would say that the ACT is more about. pressure and thinking on the spot and thinking quickly. The ACT also has a Science section. One of the four sections is Science, and the SAT replaces that science section with an extra math section. So for the ACT, there’s only one math section and you can use a calculator on it.
For the SAT, there’s two math sections and one of the sections you can use a calculator. The other section you cannot. So those are the main differences between the two tests. Other than that, if you prepare for one, I would say you’re pretty much also prepared for the other one.
[00:05:39] Kaitlin: Okay. And are there typically recommendations for certain people to take a specific one?
So for example, if I’m really good at science is it recommended that I take the ACT or if I’m really good in English, for example, is it better to take the SAT or does it really matter?
Which should you take?
[00:05:59] Sumedha: Yeah, [00:06:00] so I would say if you’re really good at English and analyzing passages in that case, you are better suited for the SAT reading section because the SAT is a lot of, of analysis of literary essays.
On the other hand, the ACT reading section is more about how many like context clues can you pull out of this passage in a short amount of time. But as for science, I would actually say how good you are at science doesn’t really matter for either test, because on the ACT science section, it’s more about critical thinking and it’s more about can you analyze this graph?
And most of the times the questions aren’t really analyzing your science knowledge. It’s more about how many assumptions you can make or how good you are at looking at a graph and seeing what it’s trying to tell you. Hmm. But other than that, I would say that if you’re good at thinking on the spot, and if you think you can handle pressure in a time-based environment, I would see say the [00:07:00] ACT is better for you.
The SAT you’ll also need to be good at working under pressure, but you’ll also need that extra skill of analyzing reading passages in a way that’s a little more deep than the SAT goes.
[00:07:15] Kaitlin: Okay, great. And I’m sure there are practice tests that people can take to kind of gauge how it is for them. Is that right?
How to practice
[00:07:22] Sumedha: Yeah, for sure. And I would definitely recommend, even if you’re dead set on taking one or the other, please try taking the other test because I was so set on taking the s a t and then just like you, I took one ACT practice test and I automatically did so much better just because I’m more suited to not looking at questions deeply and instead working through them faster.
So there are practice tests online. If you just search up ACT official practice test, then you’ll get a list of at least three.
So those are always great resources.
[00:07:56] Kaitlin: Okay, awesome. And how did you do on your, on your first [00:08:00] practice test compared to, to your official sitting?
[00:08:04] Sumedha: Yeah, so on my first practice test, I think I got a 34, and then I did, so if you search up Reddit, ACT practice tests, so Reddit, then they’ll give you a list of like 10 or 20 practice tests.
They won’t have the answer keys, but they’re, they do, they won’t have explanations for the answer keys, but they have the answer keys. So I took probably like five or six practice tests and slowly I got my score up to like from a 34 to a 35, and then from a 35 to a 36.
[00:08:37] Kaitlin: Wow. That’s, very impressive.
Did you do any other, excuse me, any other preparation? Outside of the practice test. So did you use a tutor or any other resources to prepare?
How did Sumedha prepare?
[00:08:53] Sumedha: I wish I had used a tutor instead. I spent an insane amount of time kind of looking over my practices [00:09:00] and what I did was I would literally write down every question that I got wrong and then say like, okay, this is the actual answer.
This is what the answer should have been. This is what I have to do next time to get the right answer. And then on top of that, after I did that for like an. Entire practice test. I would go back and look for patterns. So for example, okay, this question has been appearing so many times and I keep on getting it wrong.
What’s the pattern? Or for example, these three questions all kind of ask the same like internal question, what is the pattern between these? Three questions. Is it this grammar rule or is it this math concept? So I would kind of go through practice tests and I would review them each practice test for like probably two hours, just trying to see like how to never make the same mistakes again in my next practice test.
So the only thing I did to prepare was take practice tests [00:10:00] and then spend an insane amount of time just reviewing them and analyzing what I got wrong and what I can do better.
[00:10:07] Kaitlin: Wow, that’s impressive. I guess that, that kind of segues into a little bit of what we can talk about next, which are what are some of the patterns or techniques, because I know you talk about, about that, that the, the ACT is kind of more about figuring out the patterns of the test than, than the actual solutions themselves.
So we can start with the English section. What are some patterns that you notice there and some tips that you would offer to test takers?
English section breakdown
[00:10:40] Sumedha: Yeah, so for the ACT English section, I almost think of it as a writing section ’cause it’s kind of asking you to go through and fix the author’s mistakes so you’re kind of writing over them.
This is my favorite section personally, just because I find it I find it easier to look and correct [00:11:00] the author’s mistakes just because I use this technique where I go through and I just read it aloud in my head, and when I do, I know what sounds right and what feels right, and then I use what sounds right as the actual answer.
So it’s not necessarily a lot of thinking for this section. Instead, it’s just seeing what sounds right to my. Mind and what sounds right aloud in my head. And I would say that for this section, a huge thing is using context. So a lot of students will just look at one sentence and say, okay, what’s the great, what’s the best grammar for this sentence?
But instead, you also have to look at the sentence before and the sentence after ’cause a lot of times they’ll kind of try to trick you by adding in a sentence before that kind of makes the answer different for the sentence after. So you have to look at all sides of the context for a given segment of the essay.
And then [00:12:00] based on that, then you have to read it to yourself in your head and ask, okay, what sounds. It’s right to me. And a lot about what sounds right is also based on how you train yourself to think what sounds right. So sometimes like grammar rules that aren’t really right are kind of built into our head.
So what you have to do is kind of keep on reading sentences that. From ACT passages, ACT, reading passages or something like that. And then by doing that and by really like internalizing the grammar rules and the sentence structure that they use, you’ll start to kind of think of those rules as the right rules rather than whatever rules you had in your head before.
Or the kind of re that section, Yeah. Kind of retraining yourself.
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah. Making sure that your mindset is like right in terms of what sign, what sounds right, and what sounds wrong. And a lot of times people will pick [00:13:00] the most like complex answer. That’s often case not true. It’s mostly just whatever answer you think sounds right, even if you might think it doesn’t sound professional or something like that.
[00:13:15] Kaitlin: Yeah, that makes sense. Okay, great. And then, yeah, so math, we can go math, reading, then science. So what’s up for, for, the Math section?
Math section breakdown
[00:13:24] Sumedha: I would say there’s no like specific trick, but I think that it’s all about practice for this section because in the end they’re gonna ask you the same concepts over and over and over.
I think they cover algebra, geometry, and a little bit of trigonometry, so they can’t ask you a wide scope of questions. It’s gonna be the same types. Questions maybe with different numbers or slightly different equations, time after time. So it’s really about just practicing and then when you get something wrong, There usually will be a rule for solving that question that you got [00:14:00] wrong.
For example, like if you’re asked a question about trigonometry and you look at a triangle and you’re like, how do I solve this? A lot of times there will be a rule out there that’s, that makes it really easy. For you to solve it. For example, a trig rule or maybe an equation that you have to memorize. So there will be some like memorizing rules and learning how to apply like formulas to these questions.
But once you get those formulas done and those rules down, it’s really about just solving the same questions over and over again again.
[00:14:34] Kaitlin: Mm-hmm. So practice and repetition. Awesome. And do you, how much time you get for the Math section?
[00:14:42] Sumedha: Yeah, so it’s 60 minutes to answer 60 questions. So like I said, ACT is very fast paced.
It’s not gonna ask you incredibly tough questions. Instead, all of the questions you get a calculator on and it’s seeing like, do you know this formula? Do you know how to apply this formula [00:15:00] to this problem? And things like that.
How is the ACT scored?
[00:15:03] Kaitlin: Okay. And then how is, is it scored? I’m trying to remember. Between the ACT and the SAT, I know one, you get penalized for answering incorrectly and another you don’t get penalized for, or, or maybe you get penalized for not answering. And then the other you don’t. So do you know kind of the breakdown of how it scored?
[00:15:26] Sumedha: Yeah, so I’m not entirely sure about the SAT, but thank god for the ACT because you don’t get penalized for scoring incorrectly.
So basically if you don’t know an answer, just make an educated guess ’cause that’s gonna help you and not hurt you. And then for the overall score so it’s actually cool how they score it. You’ll get an individual score out of 36 on each of the four sections, and then they average it. So for example, if you get.
Like a 30 on reading and math, and then a 36 on right on the English section and on the science [00:16:00] section. Then they combine all, all four scores, divide them by four to get the average, and then you’re left with a 33. So the great thing about that is, first of all, they round up. So for example, if you get like a 35 and a 35 and then a 36 and a 36 on two other sections, and your overall score is a 35.5, they actually round up so you get a 36.
So that’s what I like about the ACT over the SAT. It’s less pressure to get every single question right on every single que. Every single section, you have a lot of leeway there. And also, you don’t have to get every question right to get a 36. Even on each individual section, they usually have a leeway.
So for one or two questions, science is the one section where even if you miss a question, sometimes they dock you down to a 35. But on the other sections, you do have leeway.
[00:16:56] Kaitlin: Okay. That, yeah, I’m sure that’s, that’s very good for people to [00:17:00] know. So just to repeat, answer every single question because you won’t get, yeah, you won’t get docked for that.
Awesome. Great. So let’s see. Yeah, next up the reading section. So any techniques for the reading section?
Reading section breakdown
[00:17:16] Sumedha: Yeah, so this is the section I have the most advice for students on, and I feel like a lot of students think it’s the toughest section. The truth is the ACT reading section, if you approach it the right way, is a lot easier, at least in my opinion, than the s a t reading section, because you have a lot less time to answer more questions, but the questions usually aren’t gonna go that in depth.
So what I always tell students is you have to. Skimm passages rather than looking for every single detail. What I did wrong on my first few tries was I read every single pass passage and spent way too long on them, and then I went onto the questions and I didn’t have enough time to answer [00:18:00] all of them.
And a lot of times the knowledge that I’d stored from reading the passages thoroughly was completely useless. So what I recommend to students is I would read the first. Three questions before you even get to the passage, and usually the questions are asked in chronical chronological order of the passage.
So the first question responds, corresponds with the first few sentences of the passage. So what I did was I read the first three or four questions, then I read the first. Paragraph or so of the passage, and I had the context of the questions in mind. So for example, if none of the questions asked about like Sarah’s scarf, for example, and then the passage spends two complex sentences talking about Sarah’s scarf, then I’m not gonna think about Sarah’s scarf because I know that they’re not gonna ask about that in the questions.
And then once I read that passage, that first paragraph, I go back to the questions and I’m like, [00:19:00] okay, which one of these can I answer based on what I just read? And usually it’s all of them because I read the paragraph with the context of the questions in mind. So I was looking for the answer to the questions while I was reading the passage.
And then after you do that, read the next three or four questions and then the next paragraph or two. So just keep on doing that. So, My biggest tip is kind of reading in time with the questions. So reading the passage while you’re reading the questions, and then spending less time reading the passage and more time just understanding the key points rather than the small details.
Hmm. So that can save you time too, and you can kind of pick out what’s important and what’s not.
[00:19:48] Kaitlin: Exactly. Yeah. Okay. Awesome. Anything else for the reading section that you would recommend?
[00:19:56] Sumedha: For the reading section along with all of the sections, I would say [00:20:00] my biggest advice that helped me a lot was don’t just follow the ACT time limit.
So they’ll tell you, for example, like you have 60 minutes on this math section, or you have like 45 minutes on this writing section or the English section. I keep on going it the writing section. When you have those overarching time limits, those are kind of too big to really let your brain be like pressured into going at a fast pace.
So what I did instead was I told myself, like for the math section, okay, I’m gonna spend, four minutes answering five questions, and then I would look up at the clock and if four minutes had passed and I hadn’t answered five questions, then I would really just like skim the next questions until I finished those five.
So it’s really all about timing yourself in these like micro bits so that you have more pressure. And when you’re doing that, don’t just say like, So for the ACT math section, for example, the ideal [00:21:00] time limit would be five minutes for five questions. But if you’re, if you don’t have enough time at the end, then you kind of screwed yourself over.
So what you have to do instead is put a little less time to give yourself. To answer each question. So for example, four minutes for five questions, which will leave you a couple minutes at the end just in case you haven’t gone through everything, or just in case you want to go back to a couple questions.
[00:21:29] Kaitlin: Okay that’s really smart. Yeah, because I feel like with any test teachers always say to give yourself enough time to check your, your answers. So yeah, that’s, that’s a great tip. Okay. Now for science, I feel like, I feel like the science section of the ACT is kind of this I don’t know, mystical enemy kind of that people people look at it and are kind of scared by it.
But what what tips can you offer for the science section that will make it more [00:22:00] manageable and digestible for people?
Science section breakdown
[00:22:04] Sumedha: Yeah, I agree. It’s completely like it’s, I don’t know, people think of it as a science section, and I think that’s the problem. It’s name, because it’s not really gonna test your knowledge of science.
A lot of the questions are centered around science topics, but once again, they’re not gonna ask you like, What’s the mass of the moon or something like that, because you don’t have to know that stuff. So it’s really all about just critical thinking and analysis of any graphs they give you. I would say for the science section, I would read the first, like they’ll usually have an intro to whatever lab they’re introducing or like article they’re introducing. Read like the first paragraph or so very thoroughly to understand the gist of what they’re trying to tell you in the future. And then, After that, they’ll usually have like, okay, here’s scientist a’s viewpoint and scientist B’S viewpoint.[00:23:00]
Then you can skim through those parts because those parts aren’t important for the gist of the passage and you won’t have to know every detail of those. And so once you get the general gist of the first paragraph, you usually know enough to go on to the rest. And I would say that just like the reading section for the science section, The, A lot of times they’ll split it into parts.
So it’s like scientist A, scientist B. So when they do that, you don’t want to write, you don’t want to read both of the scientists perspectives and then have to answer questions way back from scientist a’s perspective. So what you wanna do is, once again, just like reading, read the first, read the first few questions of the science section, and then read the first few paragraphs of the science section and then kind of do that.
Jump frog thing, where you go from the questions to the reading.
Kaitlin: Okay. Good tip. And are there any I know it’s a lot of graphs, reading graphs, are [00:24:00] there any patterns that you found when you were looking through, excuse me, my voice looking through your practice tests and preparing that you, that you noticed were common with the, the graphs or the, this, this section in general.
Sumedha: I would say there aren’t that many. There aren’t that many like pointable patterns because once again, it’s critical thinking. So they’re not gonna reuse the same questions since it’s more about how you can answer questions based on a new set of topics that you’re given. But I would say one thing that I saw was a lot of times they would give me a lot of superfluous information that I did not need at all to answer the questions. And then a lot of times, on the other hand, they would give me a tiny detail that was kind of hidden in the passage. And if I didn’t if I didn’t like think of that detail as important then in the question that asks about something else, that [00:25:00] detail would be like very important to answering the question. So what I kind of did was I underlined the passage and I kind of underlined parts that kind of seemed like suspicious to me. I was like, okay, this seems like something they might ask a question about.
And then that way I don’t have to spend a long time. Going back to the passage and then rereading it. So I would say underlining passages in places that seemed like they were gonna ask a question about was definitely something that helped me.
[00:25:31] Kaitlin: Okay, great. And then I know you didn’t take the writing section or that the essay because it’s optional it’s an optional section. Do you have any tips or anything you heard about that section that you can recommend to people? And if not, no worries.
Optional writing section
[00:25:47] Sumedha: But yeah, I don’t have any tips for that section because honestly I’ve never taken it, I’ve never even taken it in practice. I would look at the colleges that you’re applying to and [00:26:00] see if they require the writing section.
A lot of them don’t, none of my colleges did, but. If you’re applying to colleges that require one only then would you really have to take the writing section. A lot of people I know have never touched it either, so.
[00:26:17] Kaitlin: Okay, awesome. And then either for among students you tutor or in general, what are some of the biggest missteps or obstacles that students face with the ACT, and how can they avoid those mistakes? Or what advice do you give the students you tutor to avoid those mistakes?
Advice for avoiding common mistakes
[00:26:39] Sumedha: Yeah, so one thing is taking a practice test and then taking another practice test with no break in between. You should always leave yourself enough time to review every question you got wrong and even every question that you struggled with, but still got right.
So just, forgetting to review the questions is [00:27:00] definitely the biggest mistake I see students making. Give yourself enough time to go over all the concepts again. The other thing is, I’ve talked about this a lot already, but spending too long on the minute details that you don’t really need to know on the reading and science passages.
So just skim over those passages while you’re reading the questions, and that will help you so much. And the third thing is the micro bit thing that I talked about. So just micro time yourself, don’t time yourself for the entire section. That’s not necessarily gonna help you as much as if you timed yourself for little chunks that.
You know, like, okay, I have to get these questions done in this amount of time, and it’s only like a five minute chunk of time. So you know that you’re constantly on time.
Study resources
[00:27:50] Kaitlin: Okay, great. And so it sounds like practice and repetition is a huge part of getting a top [00:28:00] score on the ACT and you mentioned Reddit practice tests. Are there other resources? Either practice tests or just in general to prepare for the ACT that you would recommend or that you know of?
Reddit tests
[00:28:15] Sumedha: Yeah, so I would say the Reddit practice tests are the only resource that you’ll really need in my opinion because when I was practicing, I saw a lot of things online that were like 55 practice ACT questions, and honestly, I don’t know if those will help anyone because the main goal of the ACT is doing these questions in a short amount of time and in the context of the ACT when you’re already burnt out from answering like three other sections. So my biggest advice is Use those practice tests and don’t just do them like question at a time. Do them in full ACT section.
Sittings as annoying as it might be, I had this thing where I would wake up on Sunday mornings every week and I [00:29:00] would spend like from nine to 1230 just doing a full ACT because as gruesome as they are doing the full ones is the only real replica of. The things that you’ll face in the actual ACT.
So doing full ACTs off of Reddit usually in one sitting is really the best way.
[00:29:20] Kaitlin: Yeah, because that helps you, one practice for the test ball to give you, gives you confidence for the actual day of the exam because you, you know the timing, you know how you work and operate throughout the test. So that’s a great tip.
And I guess for, in terms of confidence too, do you have any other suggestions for people to boost their confidence the day of the exam? Because I know it’s nerve wracking and you wanna do well. So what would you recommend for people?
Test day tips
[00:29:52] Sumedha: Yeah, so I would say the day before, just take it easy.
Don’t stress yourself over doing an entire practice test.[00:30:00] I would say another big tip is, Once again, practice, but do so in a way that gives you confidence for the actual test. So practice until you get the score that you really want and keep on reviewing. And when you do those practice tests, those full one sitting practice tests, that makes you confident that, hey, this was the exact same as the actual test that I’ll be taking so I can get the score I want if I think clearly.
I would say another big thing is to just when you’re taking the test, make sure to have a clear mind. So deep breaths and it’s really all about the mindset that you have on the test. If you have a clear mind and if you are calm, then you’re not gonna fall under pressure and lose your focus.
So just having a clear mind. I think that’s really it in terms of confidence for the ACT.
[00:30:56] Kaitlin: Great. I think, well that advice and everything you’ve [00:31:00] shared I’m sure will be very, very helpful to anyone that’s preparing for the ACT or has taken it and wants to improve their score. So yeah, thanks for all of all of that advice.
That’s all I have for you in terms of questions. Is there anything else. You wanna share about the ACT that we didn’t get to? Or you’re welcome also to share which tutoring lessons that you have available if if people want tutoring.
Sumedha’s final Knowledge Byte
[00:31:28] Sumedha: Yeah. So for the ACT that’s really all I have to say.
Just know that you probably know everything it takes to answer all the questions on the test. It’s really about whether you can do it under the time constraint and under pressure. So once again, practice is key. In terms of my availability, I’m free on every weekday after 3:00 PM except for Thursdays.
And another thing that I tutor is public speaking or speech. So I’ve been competing in speech and debate ever [00:32:00] since freshman year. And I’ve given a TEDx speech and I’m top 100 in the nation in an event of speech and debate. So if you want to get better at public speaking and specifically impromptu or extemporaneous speaking, I would love to help you with that as well.
[00:32:16] Kaitlin: Wow, that’s amazing. Congrats on that.
[00:32:19] Sumedha: Thank you.
[00:32:20] Kaitlin: Yeah, I can, I’ll link your bio in the description of this video when we put it up so people can find you there and book, book lessons for ACT tutoring or speech and debate. So yeah, thank you so much again me that have a great rest of your day.
[00:32:39] Sumedha: Thank you. You too.
[00:32:42] Kaitlin: Thanks so much for listening to Knowledge Bytes. If you found this podcast valuable, please share a review and share it with a friend. Also, make sure you follow or subscribe wherever you’re listening to avoid missing any episodes. To get more episode content, you can follow Lessonpal on social media.
Again, thanks for listening and see you next time![00:33:00]
About Knowledge Bytes Episode 1
On our first Knowledge Bytes podcast episode, our guest is Sumedha Kethini, an incoming freshman at Standford University who scored a perfect 36 the first time she took the ACT! We discuss all the ins and outs of the exam and some hidden tips you’ll want to hear so you can also master the ACT.
We discuss:
- What is the ACT and how is it different from the SAT?
- ACT scholarships
- Preparation and studying for the ACT
- A breakdown of patterns and techniques for each of the sections (English, Math, Reading, Science, optional Writing)
- How to avoid common missteps
- Tips for exam day
What next?
You can find Sumedha on Lessonpal and book ACT prep or Speech and Debate lessons (she’s an award winner!)
with her.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for new weekly episodes, or listen wherever you get your podcasts (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, etc.). We’ll be publishing weekly on Wednesdays.
If you find this episode valuable, leave a 5-star review and share with a friend!
Episode transcript
Intro
[00:00:00] Kaitlin: Hi, you’re listening to Knowledge Bytes, a podcast where we discuss topics related to the world of education so you can get your dose of new knowledge.
On this episode, our guest is Sumedha Kethini, an incoming freshman at Stanford University who scored a perfect 36 the first time she took the ACT. We discuss all the ins and outs of the exam and some hidden tips you’ll want to hear.
Before we jump in, don’t forget to subscribe wherever you’re listening to stay up-to-date with new episodes. Here we go!
Episode start
Hi everyone. My name is Kaitlin Fenn. I run marketing at Lessonpal, the affordable online tutoring marketplace. Today we’re gonna be talking about the ins and outs of the ACT. And our guest today scored a perfect 36 on her first go. She’s currently in high school, a high school senior in Ohio, and has been private tutoring students for the ACT for two years.
She also [00:01:00] loves competing in speech and debate, listening to Taylor Swift, trying her mom’s recipes, and going on impromptu walks. So I’m really excited to be joined today by Sumedha Kethini to talk about what you can do to master the ACT. So, welcome. How are you doing today?
[00:01:16] Sumedha: I’m doing great. How are you?
[00:01:19] Kaitlin: I’m good. A little sick, so I’m sorry about my voice, but we’ll, we’ll jump right in. So first, Sumedha we’ll start with some basics in case anyone listening or watching isn’t super familiar with the ACT. So could you just give us a little background? What is it? What’s the purpose? How long is it? Can you retake it?
What is the ACT?
[00:01:42] Sumedha: Yeah, so the ACT it stands for the American College Test, and it’s mainly for colleges to see whether you’re ready to go to that college and whether you’re prepared. So it’s an academic test, it’s a standardized test, and it has four sections. It has the reading section, the math [00:02:00] section, the writing section, and the science section.
So throughout the test, you’re really, your main goal is just showing the test graders and college board that you are prepared for college and for anything coming at you in life in the future. And a lot of people forget that. Another great thing that the ACT is good for is scholarships and financial aid.
So if you get a great score on the ACT, you’ll get more scholarships and you’ll probably get more financial aid and sometimes in the future. Even your future employers might ask way back to high school, what was your ACT or SAT score? So that’s why it’s really important to, to get your dream score.
Scholarships
[00:02:41] Kaitlin: Nice. I didn’t know that about the scholarships. Is that an automatic thing? So if you score a certain or if you get a certain score, you automatically entered in different scholarships? Or do you take that score and apply separately?
[00:02:54] Sumedha: Yeah, you definitely take that score and apply, but, but a lot of scholarships are specifically meant for [00:03:00] students with high ACT scores, so there are a lot of options out there.
[00:03:05] Kaitlin: Okay. Okay, gotcha. And how, how long is the test normally? So there are a few sections, but is it one hour, five hours?
How long is the test?
[00:03:15] Sumedha: Yeah, so it is pretty long. It’s two hours and 55 minutes without breaks. But once you factor in the official breaks that you’ll have in the actual test, it’s three and a half hours.
[00:03:25] Kaitlin: Okay, great.
And how many times can you retake it?
[00:03:29] Sumedha: You can take it as many times as you want. There is a deadline around November and December if you want to submit it for your college apps, November and December of your senior year. But other, other than that if you’re not like on the cusp of submitting college apps, you can retake it as many times as you want.
[00:03:48] Kaitlin: Okay, gotcha. And did you take the SAT too or just the ACT?
[00:03:53] Sumedha: So I took many practice SATs, but I never took the actual SAT.
[00:03:59] Kaitlin: Okay [00:04:00] nice. And do you know how exactly the ACT is different from the SAT? Because I know I, me personally, I did a lot of prep for the SAT and then took the SAT and then I took the ACT without even studying for it and did better on that one.
But going into it, I wasn’t really even sure what the, the differences were. So, yeah. What are the differences?
Differences between the ACT and SAT
[00:04:26] Sumedha: Yeah, so like you said, there are a lot of similarities. I also studied for the SAT and then I switched over to the ACT and I had a lot already done for me since I had prepared for the SAT.
The main differences I would say is that the SAT. I believe that it analyzes how good you are at analysis and reading things like thoroughly and answering questions thoroughly. On the other hand, the ACT, you have less time to answer more questions, so it’s more about like critical thinking and thinking on the spot with a lot of pressure on you.
[00:05:00] So I would say that the ACT is more about. pressure and thinking on the spot and thinking quickly. The ACT also has a Science section. One of the four sections is Science, and the SAT replaces that science section with an extra math section. So for the ACT, there’s only one math section and you can use a calculator on it.
For the SAT, there’s two math sections and one of the sections you can use a calculator. The other section you cannot. So those are the main differences between the two tests. Other than that, if you prepare for one, I would say you’re pretty much also prepared for the other one.
[00:05:39] Kaitlin: Okay. And are there typically recommendations for certain people to take a specific one?
So for example, if I’m really good at science is it recommended that I take the ACT or if I’m really good in English, for example, is it better to take the SAT or does it really matter?
Which should you take?
[00:05:59] Sumedha: Yeah, [00:06:00] so I would say if you’re really good at English and analyzing passages in that case, you are better suited for the SAT reading section because the SAT is a lot of, of analysis of literary essays.
On the other hand, the ACT reading section is more about how many like context clues can you pull out of this passage in a short amount of time. But as for science, I would actually say how good you are at science doesn’t really matter for either test, because on the ACT science section, it’s more about critical thinking and it’s more about can you analyze this graph?
And most of the times the questions aren’t really analyzing your science knowledge. It’s more about how many assumptions you can make or how good you are at looking at a graph and seeing what it’s trying to tell you. Hmm. But other than that, I would say that if you’re good at thinking on the spot, and if you think you can handle pressure in a time-based environment, I would see say the [00:07:00] ACT is better for you.
The SAT you’ll also need to be good at working under pressure, but you’ll also need that extra skill of analyzing reading passages in a way that’s a little more deep than the SAT goes.
[00:07:15] Kaitlin: Okay, great. And I’m sure there are practice tests that people can take to kind of gauge how it is for them. Is that right?
How to practice
[00:07:22] Sumedha: Yeah, for sure. And I would definitely recommend, even if you’re dead set on taking one or the other, please try taking the other test because I was so set on taking the s a t and then just like you, I took one ACT practice test and I automatically did so much better just because I’m more suited to not looking at questions deeply and instead working through them faster.
So there are practice tests online. If you just search up ACT official practice test, then you’ll get a list of at least three.
So those are always great resources.
[00:07:56] Kaitlin: Okay, awesome. And how did you do on your, on your first [00:08:00] practice test compared to, to your official sitting?
[00:08:04] Sumedha: Yeah, so on my first practice test, I think I got a 34, and then I did, so if you search up Reddit, ACT practice tests, so Reddit, then they’ll give you a list of like 10 or 20 practice tests.
They won’t have the answer keys, but they’re, they do, they won’t have explanations for the answer keys, but they have the answer keys. So I took probably like five or six practice tests and slowly I got my score up to like from a 34 to a 35, and then from a 35 to a 36.
[00:08:37] Kaitlin: Wow. That’s, very impressive.
Did you do any other, excuse me, any other preparation? Outside of the practice test. So did you use a tutor or any other resources to prepare?
How did Sumedha prepare?
[00:08:53] Sumedha: I wish I had used a tutor instead. I spent an insane amount of time kind of looking over my practices [00:09:00] and what I did was I would literally write down every question that I got wrong and then say like, okay, this is the actual answer.
This is what the answer should have been. This is what I have to do next time to get the right answer. And then on top of that, after I did that for like an. Entire practice test. I would go back and look for patterns. So for example, okay, this question has been appearing so many times and I keep on getting it wrong.
What’s the pattern? Or for example, these three questions all kind of ask the same like internal question, what is the pattern between these? Three questions. Is it this grammar rule or is it this math concept? So I would kind of go through practice tests and I would review them each practice test for like probably two hours, just trying to see like how to never make the same mistakes again in my next practice test.
So the only thing I did to prepare was take practice tests [00:10:00] and then spend an insane amount of time just reviewing them and analyzing what I got wrong and what I can do better.
[00:10:07] Kaitlin: Wow, that’s impressive. I guess that, that kind of segues into a little bit of what we can talk about next, which are what are some of the patterns or techniques, because I know you talk about, about that, that the, the ACT is kind of more about figuring out the patterns of the test than, than the actual solutions themselves.
So we can start with the English section. What are some patterns that you notice there and some tips that you would offer to test takers?
English section breakdown
[00:10:40] Sumedha: Yeah, so for the ACT English section, I almost think of it as a writing section ’cause it’s kind of asking you to go through and fix the author’s mistakes so you’re kind of writing over them.
This is my favorite section personally, just because I find it I find it easier to look and correct [00:11:00] the author’s mistakes just because I use this technique where I go through and I just read it aloud in my head, and when I do, I know what sounds right and what feels right, and then I use what sounds right as the actual answer.
So it’s not necessarily a lot of thinking for this section. Instead, it’s just seeing what sounds right to my. Mind and what sounds right aloud in my head. And I would say that for this section, a huge thing is using context. So a lot of students will just look at one sentence and say, okay, what’s the great, what’s the best grammar for this sentence?
But instead, you also have to look at the sentence before and the sentence after ’cause a lot of times they’ll kind of try to trick you by adding in a sentence before that kind of makes the answer different for the sentence after. So you have to look at all sides of the context for a given segment of the essay.
And then [00:12:00] based on that, then you have to read it to yourself in your head and ask, okay, what sounds. It’s right to me. And a lot about what sounds right is also based on how you train yourself to think what sounds right. So sometimes like grammar rules that aren’t really right are kind of built into our head.
So what you have to do is kind of keep on reading sentences that. From ACT passages, ACT, reading passages or something like that. And then by doing that and by really like internalizing the grammar rules and the sentence structure that they use, you’ll start to kind of think of those rules as the right rules rather than whatever rules you had in your head before.
Or the kind of re that section, Yeah. Kind of retraining yourself.
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah. Making sure that your mindset is like right in terms of what sign, what sounds right, and what sounds wrong. And a lot of times people will pick [00:13:00] the most like complex answer. That’s often case not true. It’s mostly just whatever answer you think sounds right, even if you might think it doesn’t sound professional or something like that.
[00:13:15] Kaitlin: Yeah, that makes sense. Okay, great. And then, yeah, so math, we can go math, reading, then science. So what’s up for, for, the Math section?
Math section breakdown
[00:13:24] Sumedha: I would say there’s no like specific trick, but I think that it’s all about practice for this section because in the end they’re gonna ask you the same concepts over and over and over.
I think they cover algebra, geometry, and a little bit of trigonometry, so they can’t ask you a wide scope of questions. It’s gonna be the same types. Questions maybe with different numbers or slightly different equations, time after time. So it’s really about just practicing and then when you get something wrong, There usually will be a rule for solving that question that you got [00:14:00] wrong.
For example, like if you’re asked a question about trigonometry and you look at a triangle and you’re like, how do I solve this? A lot of times there will be a rule out there that’s, that makes it really easy. For you to solve it. For example, a trig rule or maybe an equation that you have to memorize. So there will be some like memorizing rules and learning how to apply like formulas to these questions.
But once you get those formulas done and those rules down, it’s really about just solving the same questions over and over again again.
[00:14:34] Kaitlin: Mm-hmm. So practice and repetition. Awesome. And do you, how much time you get for the Math section?
[00:14:42] Sumedha: Yeah, so it’s 60 minutes to answer 60 questions. So like I said, ACT is very fast paced.
It’s not gonna ask you incredibly tough questions. Instead, all of the questions you get a calculator on and it’s seeing like, do you know this formula? Do you know how to apply this formula [00:15:00] to this problem? And things like that.
How is the ACT scored?
[00:15:03] Kaitlin: Okay. And then how is, is it scored? I’m trying to remember. Between the ACT and the SAT, I know one, you get penalized for answering incorrectly and another you don’t get penalized for, or, or maybe you get penalized for not answering. And then the other you don’t. So do you know kind of the breakdown of how it scored?
[00:15:26] Sumedha: Yeah, so I’m not entirely sure about the SAT, but thank god for the ACT because you don’t get penalized for scoring incorrectly.
So basically if you don’t know an answer, just make an educated guess ’cause that’s gonna help you and not hurt you. And then for the overall score so it’s actually cool how they score it. You’ll get an individual score out of 36 on each of the four sections, and then they average it. So for example, if you get.
Like a 30 on reading and math, and then a 36 on right on the English section and on the science [00:16:00] section. Then they combine all, all four scores, divide them by four to get the average, and then you’re left with a 33. So the great thing about that is, first of all, they round up. So for example, if you get like a 35 and a 35 and then a 36 and a 36 on two other sections, and your overall score is a 35.5, they actually round up so you get a 36.
So that’s what I like about the ACT over the SAT. It’s less pressure to get every single question right on every single que. Every single section, you have a lot of leeway there. And also, you don’t have to get every question right to get a 36. Even on each individual section, they usually have a leeway.
So for one or two questions, science is the one section where even if you miss a question, sometimes they dock you down to a 35. But on the other sections, you do have leeway.
[00:16:56] Kaitlin: Okay. That, yeah, I’m sure that’s, that’s very good for people to [00:17:00] know. So just to repeat, answer every single question because you won’t get, yeah, you won’t get docked for that.
Awesome. Great. So let’s see. Yeah, next up the reading section. So any techniques for the reading section?
Reading section breakdown
[00:17:16] Sumedha: Yeah, so this is the section I have the most advice for students on, and I feel like a lot of students think it’s the toughest section. The truth is the ACT reading section, if you approach it the right way, is a lot easier, at least in my opinion, than the s a t reading section, because you have a lot less time to answer more questions, but the questions usually aren’t gonna go that in depth.
So what I always tell students is you have to. Skimm passages rather than looking for every single detail. What I did wrong on my first few tries was I read every single pass passage and spent way too long on them, and then I went onto the questions and I didn’t have enough time to answer [00:18:00] all of them.
And a lot of times the knowledge that I’d stored from reading the passages thoroughly was completely useless. So what I recommend to students is I would read the first. Three questions before you even get to the passage, and usually the questions are asked in chronical chronological order of the passage.
So the first question responds, corresponds with the first few sentences of the passage. So what I did was I read the first three or four questions, then I read the first. Paragraph or so of the passage, and I had the context of the questions in mind. So for example, if none of the questions asked about like Sarah’s scarf, for example, and then the passage spends two complex sentences talking about Sarah’s scarf, then I’m not gonna think about Sarah’s scarf because I know that they’re not gonna ask about that in the questions.
And then once I read that passage, that first paragraph, I go back to the questions and I’m like, [00:19:00] okay, which one of these can I answer based on what I just read? And usually it’s all of them because I read the paragraph with the context of the questions in mind. So I was looking for the answer to the questions while I was reading the passage.
And then after you do that, read the next three or four questions and then the next paragraph or two. So just keep on doing that. So, My biggest tip is kind of reading in time with the questions. So reading the passage while you’re reading the questions, and then spending less time reading the passage and more time just understanding the key points rather than the small details.
Hmm. So that can save you time too, and you can kind of pick out what’s important and what’s not.
[00:19:48] Kaitlin: Exactly. Yeah. Okay. Awesome. Anything else for the reading section that you would recommend?
[00:19:56] Sumedha: For the reading section along with all of the sections, I would say [00:20:00] my biggest advice that helped me a lot was don’t just follow the ACT time limit.
So they’ll tell you, for example, like you have 60 minutes on this math section, or you have like 45 minutes on this writing section or the English section. I keep on going it the writing section. When you have those overarching time limits, those are kind of too big to really let your brain be like pressured into going at a fast pace.
So what I did instead was I told myself, like for the math section, okay, I’m gonna spend, four minutes answering five questions, and then I would look up at the clock and if four minutes had passed and I hadn’t answered five questions, then I would really just like skim the next questions until I finished those five.
So it’s really all about timing yourself in these like micro bits so that you have more pressure. And when you’re doing that, don’t just say like, So for the ACT math section, for example, the ideal [00:21:00] time limit would be five minutes for five questions. But if you’re, if you don’t have enough time at the end, then you kind of screwed yourself over.
So what you have to do instead is put a little less time to give yourself. To answer each question. So for example, four minutes for five questions, which will leave you a couple minutes at the end just in case you haven’t gone through everything, or just in case you want to go back to a couple questions.
[00:21:29] Kaitlin: Okay that’s really smart. Yeah, because I feel like with any test teachers always say to give yourself enough time to check your, your answers. So yeah, that’s, that’s a great tip. Okay. Now for science, I feel like, I feel like the science section of the ACT is kind of this I don’t know, mystical enemy kind of that people people look at it and are kind of scared by it.
But what what tips can you offer for the science section that will make it more [00:22:00] manageable and digestible for people?
Science section breakdown
[00:22:04] Sumedha: Yeah, I agree. It’s completely like it’s, I don’t know, people think of it as a science section, and I think that’s the problem. It’s name, because it’s not really gonna test your knowledge of science.
A lot of the questions are centered around science topics, but once again, they’re not gonna ask you like, What’s the mass of the moon or something like that, because you don’t have to know that stuff. So it’s really all about just critical thinking and analysis of any graphs they give you. I would say for the science section, I would read the first, like they’ll usually have an intro to whatever lab they’re introducing or like article they’re introducing. Read like the first paragraph or so very thoroughly to understand the gist of what they’re trying to tell you in the future. And then, After that, they’ll usually have like, okay, here’s scientist a’s viewpoint and scientist B’S viewpoint.[00:23:00]
Then you can skim through those parts because those parts aren’t important for the gist of the passage and you won’t have to know every detail of those. And so once you get the general gist of the first paragraph, you usually know enough to go on to the rest. And I would say that just like the reading section for the science section, The, A lot of times they’ll split it into parts.
So it’s like scientist A, scientist B. So when they do that, you don’t want to write, you don’t want to read both of the scientists perspectives and then have to answer questions way back from scientist a’s perspective. So what you wanna do is, once again, just like reading, read the first, read the first few questions of the science section, and then read the first few paragraphs of the science section and then kind of do that.
Jump frog thing, where you go from the questions to the reading.
Kaitlin: Okay. Good tip. And are there any I know it’s a lot of graphs, reading graphs, are [00:24:00] there any patterns that you found when you were looking through, excuse me, my voice looking through your practice tests and preparing that you, that you noticed were common with the, the graphs or the, this, this section in general.
Sumedha: I would say there aren’t that many. There aren’t that many like pointable patterns because once again, it’s critical thinking. So they’re not gonna reuse the same questions since it’s more about how you can answer questions based on a new set of topics that you’re given. But I would say one thing that I saw was a lot of times they would give me a lot of superfluous information that I did not need at all to answer the questions. And then a lot of times, on the other hand, they would give me a tiny detail that was kind of hidden in the passage. And if I didn’t if I didn’t like think of that detail as important then in the question that asks about something else, that [00:25:00] detail would be like very important to answering the question. So what I kind of did was I underlined the passage and I kind of underlined parts that kind of seemed like suspicious to me. I was like, okay, this seems like something they might ask a question about.
And then that way I don’t have to spend a long time. Going back to the passage and then rereading it. So I would say underlining passages in places that seemed like they were gonna ask a question about was definitely something that helped me.
[00:25:31] Kaitlin: Okay, great. And then I know you didn’t take the writing section or that the essay because it’s optional it’s an optional section. Do you have any tips or anything you heard about that section that you can recommend to people? And if not, no worries.
Optional writing section
[00:25:47] Sumedha: But yeah, I don’t have any tips for that section because honestly I’ve never taken it, I’ve never even taken it in practice. I would look at the colleges that you’re applying to and [00:26:00] see if they require the writing section.
A lot of them don’t, none of my colleges did, but. If you’re applying to colleges that require one only then would you really have to take the writing section. A lot of people I know have never touched it either, so.
[00:26:17] Kaitlin: Okay, awesome. And then either for among students you tutor or in general, what are some of the biggest missteps or obstacles that students face with the ACT, and how can they avoid those mistakes? Or what advice do you give the students you tutor to avoid those mistakes?
Advice for avoiding common mistakes
[00:26:39] Sumedha: Yeah, so one thing is taking a practice test and then taking another practice test with no break in between. You should always leave yourself enough time to review every question you got wrong and even every question that you struggled with, but still got right.
So just, forgetting to review the questions is [00:27:00] definitely the biggest mistake I see students making. Give yourself enough time to go over all the concepts again. The other thing is, I’ve talked about this a lot already, but spending too long on the minute details that you don’t really need to know on the reading and science passages.
So just skim over those passages while you’re reading the questions, and that will help you so much. And the third thing is the micro bit thing that I talked about. So just micro time yourself, don’t time yourself for the entire section. That’s not necessarily gonna help you as much as if you timed yourself for little chunks that.
You know, like, okay, I have to get these questions done in this amount of time, and it’s only like a five minute chunk of time. So you know that you’re constantly on time.
Study resources
[00:27:50] Kaitlin: Okay, great. And so it sounds like practice and repetition is a huge part of getting a top [00:28:00] score on the ACT and you mentioned Reddit practice tests. Are there other resources? Either practice tests or just in general to prepare for the ACT that you would recommend or that you know of?
Reddit tests
[00:28:15] Sumedha: Yeah, so I would say the Reddit practice tests are the only resource that you’ll really need in my opinion because when I was practicing, I saw a lot of things online that were like 55 practice ACT questions, and honestly, I don’t know if those will help anyone because the main goal of the ACT is doing these questions in a short amount of time and in the context of the ACT when you’re already burnt out from answering like three other sections. So my biggest advice is Use those practice tests and don’t just do them like question at a time. Do them in full ACT section.
Sittings as annoying as it might be, I had this thing where I would wake up on Sunday mornings every week and I [00:29:00] would spend like from nine to 1230 just doing a full ACT because as gruesome as they are doing the full ones is the only real replica of. The things that you’ll face in the actual ACT.
So doing full ACTs off of Reddit usually in one sitting is really the best way.
[00:29:20] Kaitlin: Yeah, because that helps you, one practice for the test ball to give you, gives you confidence for the actual day of the exam because you, you know the timing, you know how you work and operate throughout the test. So that’s a great tip.
And I guess for, in terms of confidence too, do you have any other suggestions for people to boost their confidence the day of the exam? Because I know it’s nerve wracking and you wanna do well. So what would you recommend for people?
Test day tips
[00:29:52] Sumedha: Yeah, so I would say the day before, just take it easy.
Don’t stress yourself over doing an entire practice test.[00:30:00] I would say another big tip is, Once again, practice, but do so in a way that gives you confidence for the actual test. So practice until you get the score that you really want and keep on reviewing. And when you do those practice tests, those full one sitting practice tests, that makes you confident that, hey, this was the exact same as the actual test that I’ll be taking so I can get the score I want if I think clearly.
I would say another big thing is to just when you’re taking the test, make sure to have a clear mind. So deep breaths and it’s really all about the mindset that you have on the test. If you have a clear mind and if you are calm, then you’re not gonna fall under pressure and lose your focus.
So just having a clear mind. I think that’s really it in terms of confidence for the ACT.
[00:30:56] Kaitlin: Great. I think, well that advice and everything you’ve [00:31:00] shared I’m sure will be very, very helpful to anyone that’s preparing for the ACT or has taken it and wants to improve their score. So yeah, thanks for all of all of that advice.
That’s all I have for you in terms of questions. Is there anything else. You wanna share about the ACT that we didn’t get to? Or you’re welcome also to share which tutoring lessons that you have available if if people want tutoring.
Sumedha’s final Knowledge Byte
[00:31:28] Sumedha: Yeah. So for the ACT that’s really all I have to say.
Just know that you probably know everything it takes to answer all the questions on the test. It’s really about whether you can do it under the time constraint and under pressure. So once again, practice is key. In terms of my availability, I’m free on every weekday after 3:00 PM except for Thursdays.
And another thing that I tutor is public speaking or speech. So I’ve been competing in speech and debate ever [00:32:00] since freshman year. And I’ve given a TEDx speech and I’m top 100 in the nation in an event of speech and debate. So if you want to get better at public speaking and specifically impromptu or extemporaneous speaking, I would love to help you with that as well.
[00:32:16] Kaitlin: Wow, that’s amazing. Congrats on that.
[00:32:19] Sumedha: Thank you.
[00:32:20] Kaitlin: Yeah, I can, I’ll link your bio in the description of this video when we put it up so people can find you there and book, book lessons for ACT tutoring or speech and debate. So yeah, thank you so much again me that have a great rest of your day.
[00:32:39] Sumedha: Thank you. You too.
[00:32:42] Kaitlin: Thanks so much for listening to Knowledge Bytes. If you found this podcast valuable, please share a review and share it with a friend. Also, make sure you follow or subscribe wherever you’re listening to avoid missing any episodes. To get more episode content, you can follow Lessonpal on social media.
Again, thanks for listening and see you next time![00:33:00]
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