Each section of the ACT comes with its own set of  challenges, but one of the most daunting is the ACT Reading Test.

This section measures the most important skill you can have: your ability to comprehend what you read.  As such, you can be sure that the questions in this part of the ACT will be rigorous. Each involves reading a passage and answering related questions to test your reading comprehension skills.

While that may seem straightforward, there are a few tricks the test writers use to add another level of challenge.

Those can really trip up any student that is otherwise unprepared. And, to add even more pressure, there is also an extremely tight time limit that requires each question to be answered in less than a minute. 

So, how do you make through this part of the ACT without making careless errors that seriously hurt your score? 

The only way to score high in the ACT Reading Test is to know  how the test is written and how avoid being rattled by those tricks the writers put on the test.

That's why Counterpoint's ACT Reading Test Academy has 13 lessons to cover all the types of questions you’ll find on the Reading section of the ACT, as well as an overview of how the test is written so that you know what mistakes to avoid, even under the pressure of stress and time. 

"If you get these down, I'm confident that you will feel and be fully prepared to ACE the ACT Reading Section." 

Dr. K, Master Teacher and Counterpoint Test Prep Co-founder

Introducing the Self-Paced

ACT READING TEST ACADEMY

Developed and taught by National Board certified Master Teacher, Dr. Kay Van Der Burg

The ACT Reading Academy was created to be the most thorough and powerful ACT Reading prep course available. I designed it to show students the most common reading section mistakes and how to use our Pinpoint Advantage® system to help avoid them.

How it Works

On the ACT, three passages are single in format, and one passage is paired, that is, you are given two passages to compare and contrast. You will have practice in both formats using Counterpoint's Strategic approach as follows:

1. Reading Passage: Each lesson begins with a reading passage written by National Board certified Master Teacher, Dr. Kay Van Der Burg. 

2. Independent Practice: Each passage is followed by a series of independent practice problems. These questions are to be completed in real-time for immediate feedback on student strengths and gaps for learning.

3. Video Explanations for Each Independent Practice Question:  An in-depth analysis follows each independent practice set, highlighting the skills and strategies needed to arrive at the right answer.  And because you can learn as much from the wrong answers as you can from the getting of the right answer, each explanation explores the reasoning around why each answer is right and wrong.

4. Advantage-Point Strategies.  Each lesson concludes with an additional instructional video by Dr. Kay summarizing the reading strategies used for that particular passage, along with examples of each.

The Counterpoint Advantage-Point Strategy

With Counterpoint ACT test prep courses, students can learn our proprietary Advantage-Point Strategy. This is how we set ourselves apart from other test prep services, and it’s how students can learn test-taking skills right alongside the actual subject content. By applying three essential points, students can find the best answer to any ACT question and ACE the ACT Reading Test. Here's how it works:

• Pinpoint. Since ACT writers like to word questions awkwardly, this is where the student makes the intent of the question clear.
• Checkpoint.  The student applies specific strategies and test knowledge taught in the course.
• Endpoint. Having applied this knowledge, the student is able to confidently choose only the correct answer. 

With our unrelenting commitment to education and successful history of high student scores in the past, students can rightfully feel confident after taking one or more of our test prep courses. If you want to see your or your student’s ACT score improve, there’s no better way than by taking an online test prep course from Counterpoint. 

At Counterpoint, we offer comprehensive courses for each section of the ACT that were specifically designed by test taking and teaching experts rather than simply people who performed well on the exam. With our unique approach, students will be better equipped to avoid errors and ACT the ACT conquer the ACT!

The ACT Reading Test Academy Covers Exactly What is on the ACT Reading Test

The reading section features 40 multiple-choice questions. While that may not seem an imposing number, there’s a strict time limit in which to answer them all. Test takers have just 35 minutes to complete all 40 questions, leaving less than a minute for each one. Because of that strict limitation, it’s not uncommon for students to rush through and make careless errors that seriously hurt their score.

Counterpoint's ACT Reading Test course provides 13 powerful lessons, each emphasizing the skills necessary to answer the 5 main types of questions on the ACT Reading test:

• identifying main ideas.
• interpreting purpose and voice.
• locating details within specific lines.
• interpreting vocabulary words.
• identifying the reason the author included specific information/text, and what effect that inclusion has on the overall passage.

This Academy takes a scaffolded approach to boosting your score on the ACT, dedicating multiple lessons to teaching and reinforcing each skill to know for the test.

Counterpoint's Reading Academy Prepares You for the ACT Reading Section with Two Unique and Specific Strategies 

There are four topic areas on the Reading section of the ACT: social science, prose, humanities, and natural science.  Three passages are single in format, and one passage is paired requiring you to compare and contrast information.

You will have practice in both formats with the Counterpoint ACT Reading Academy. Let's look at the strategies we will work together on in this course to help you to ACE the Reading section of the ACT:

Strategy #1 - Understanding How the ACT Reading Test is Structured

Within the ACT reading sections, questions are divided into four subsections. Each subsection features a small passage or pair of passages at around 800 words and 10 questions, making it a nearly even split between the 40 total questions.  With just 35 minutes to complete this part of the test, unprepared students often find themselves rushing through, making basic mistakes under the stress and time pressure.  

Fortunately,  you can help alleviate all that if you know how the test in structured, and how to avoid the common mistakes. Counterpoint's ACT Reading Academy is a comprehensive test prep course that offers all the information and practice students need to find success on this important exam.

Strategy #2 - Knowing How to Avoid Common Reading Section Mistakes

The reading section is the perfect environment for test writers to add unnecessary fluff in an effort to trip up students. While you must read the entire passage, being able to recognize what’s important and what’s not is key to answering the questions correctly.  The ACT Reading Academy focuses on strategies to help you avoid these common pitfalls: 

• Speeding through the questions.
• Missing keywords.
• Overlooking trigger words that clue you into the right answer.
• Failing to find direct evidence.
• Passing over topic sentence and conclusions
• Ignoring the nuances of language.
• Making (incorrect) assumptions.
• Skimming too broadly.
• Being unprepared.
• And so much more!

Having a tool kit full of proven strategies specific to the ACT ReadingTest will give you a distinct advantage and help you to avoid making these common mistakes. And following these tips in general can make it easier for students to earn a higher score on the ACT...

Get Started with Counterpoint's ACT Reading Test Academy Right Away!

If students want to avoid making the most common Reading Section mistakes on the ACT, Counterpoint offers all the preparation they need. With our commitment to education and a history of enabling successful students, students can feel confident that their scores will improve after using our comprehensive courses. 

Take advantage of everything we offer!

Satisfaction Guarantee

All of Counterpoint courses and tutoring comes with an iron-clad 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you're not satisfied, I'm not satisfied.  After going through the lessons and finding that you aren't totally thrilled, simply contact me, and I'll make it right. If not, I will happily refund your investment 100%.