Sample ACT Comprehensive Syllabus

This syllabus provides a full, in-depth overview of all major topics covered on the ACT. It is split into 16 sessions, each covering a different set of topics. In between each session, students are expected to spend time engaging in the material on their own. Students should aim to complete all assigned practice questions. The tutor will work with the student to clarify challenging concepts, work through practice questions, and reinforce proper exam techniques.

Sample Sessions

Targeted support where you need it most

Your plan will be customized to where you are in the process, but this will give you a sense of how we work. For the most effective program, we recommend meeting your tutor once or twice weekly for 90 minutes per session

1

Introductions & Overview

In session

  • Introductions; discuss goals, academic history, and standardized testing experience
  • Introduction to the ACT
  • Reading: strategies and practice
  • Review Math section diagnostic
  • Integers, primes, digits
  • Fractions
  • Mixed numbers and remainders
  • Order of operations
  • Scientific notation
  • Percentages
  • Averages

Homework

  • Practice test 2: Reading
2

Reading, Science, & Math

In session

  • Review homework
  • Science: strategies and practice
  • Introduction to math strategy and content
  • Parts of speech
  • Apostrophes 
  • Complete sentences vs. fragments
  • Connecting complete sentences: punctuation, coordinating conjunctions
  • Punctuating relative clauses (which, that, who)

Homework

  • Practice test 2: Science
  • Practice test 2: Math
  • Official ACT Prep Guide: Reading test 1
3

English

In session

  • Review homework
  • Commas
  • Colons
  • Dashes and parentheses
  • Subject-verb agreement and verb tense
  • Pronoun-antecedent agreement
  • Pronoun case

Homework

  • Official ACT Prep Guide: Science Test 1
  • Practice test 2: English
4

English

In session

  • Review homework
  • Adjectives and adverbs
  • Comparisons
  • Modifiers
  • Parallel structure
  • Relative pronouns

Homework

  • Official ACT Prep Guide: Math Test 1
  • Official ACT Prep Guide: English Test 1
5

Math & Writing

In session

  • Review homework
  • Essay strategy
  • Angles and lines
  • Triangles
  • Circles
  • Polygons
  • Solids
  • Slope

 

Homework

  • Practice test 3: Reading
  • Practice test 3: Science
  • Practice Essay
6

Mixed Review

In session

  • Review homework
  • Select content based on progress

Homework

  • Practice test 3: Math
  • Practice test 3: English
7

English

In session

  • Review homework
  • Concision/redundancy
  • Vocabulary in context
  • Transitions
  • Relevance
  • Sentence and paragraph order
  • Writer’s goal

 

Homework

  • Official ACT Prep Guide: Test 2 and essay
8

Mixed Review

Halfway check-in!

In session

  • Progress discussion with student based on practice test results; reorientation of areas of focus
  • Review most recent practice test

Homework

  • Practice test 4: Math
  • Practice test 4: Reading
9

Math

In session

  • Review PT 4 Math
  • Review PT 4 Reading
  • Content module or strategy review as needed
  • Potential Math topics: sequences, absolute value, exponents and radicals, quadratic equations and parabolas, translations and reflections, functions, logs, matrices, complex and rational numbers, polynomial division

Homework

  • Practice test 4: English
  • Practice test 4: Science
10

Math

In session

  • Review PT 4 English
  • Review PT 4 Science
  • Content module or strategy review as needed
  • Potential math topics to cover: counting and probability, sets, statistics, word problems, trigonometry

Homework

  • Practice test 5: Reading
  • Practice test 5: Math
  • Practice Essay
11

Mixed Review

In session

  • Review PT 5 Reading
  • Review PT 5 Math
  • Review practice essay
  • Content module or strategy review as needed

Homework

  • Practice test 5: English
  • Practice test 5: Science
12

Mixed Review

In session

  • Review PT 5 English
  • Review PT 5 Science
  • Content module or strategy review as needed

Homework

  • Official ACT Prep Guide: Test 3 and essay (in mock test conditions)
13

Practice Testing

In session

  • Progress discussion based on practice test results; reorientation of areas of focus
  • Review practice test

Homework

  • Official ACT Prep Guide: Practice Test 4 
14

Practice Testing

In session

  • Review most recent practice test

Homework

  • Practice test 6
15

Practice Testing

Review practice test and recap important content

In session

  • Review PT Test 6 sections
  • Recap of important content, such as: persistent weak areas or areas of focus, math formulas, grammar rules, etc. 

Homework

  • Official ACT Guide: Practice test 5
16

Practice Testing

Final session!

In session

  • Review most recent practice test
  • Test day expectations and advice
  • Continue recap of important content

Homework

  • Independent light content review
  • Go out there and crush the ACT!

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