ACT Aspire Practice Tests and Tips

It’s never too early or late to start preparing for the ACT Aspire with practice tests and tips. Many districts use the ACT Aspire program to assess understanding of common core standards, look for areas where students can improve, and prepare students for their futures. Designed to focus on creative problem solving, the test features a wide variety of question types your students will need to answer. Luckily, Pear Assessment (formerly Edulastic) is here to help! While ACT Aspire offers some practice assessments, Pear Assessment can help your students prepare for the test with a series of free practice tests for different grades and subjects. With ACT Aspire Practice Tests and top testing tips, Pear Assessment is here to offer test-taking support from the first day of class, all the way to testing day.

Top skills for ACT Aspire practice success

Understand technology-enhanced questions

With summative testing now being conducted online, ACT Aspire tests include a mixture of traditional multiple choice questions, as well as technology-enhanced items (TEIs). In the test, students should be prepared to drag and drop, fill in boxes on a table, highlight, select and deselect, use drop down menus, activate a video, and use online calculators. You can help your students avoid additional testing stress by giving them practice with TEIs early on. When students feel comfortable with the question type, they are more equipped to focus on the question’s content and rock the test.

Ensure students are familiar with their testing device

Replicating testing-day conditions is a great way to prepare students for the ACT Aspire test. Whether your students are taking their test on a Mac, iPad, PC, Chromebook, or other device, they should be familiar with the process of digital test-taking on their electronics. To reduce stress, students, teachers, and parents can read up on common device questions and testing tech tips to ensure they are prepared. As a general rule of thumb, students should know how to do the following on their testing device: operate web browsers and the TestNav application, use the keyboard, and operate the mouse.

Prepare for the test length

When taking standardized tests, students may feel like they have both too much and too little time. When taking the test, students should be prepared to sit in front of their device for at least an hour with no breaks — so make sure your students have all taken their snack and bathroom breaks before the test begins. At the same time, students may feel rushed as the test progresses. By preparing your students in advance with practice tests, you can ensure there are no surprises on testing day and your students feel equipped to complete the test in a timely manner. For example, ELA teachers may want to help their students prepare for essay questions by offering suggestions on how much time to spend at the reading, outlining, and writing stages of the question. Exposure to practice tests can help students build their test-taking stamina and manage their time better when taking the test.

For English Language tests:

Practice vocabulary, literary terms, and grammar rules
Encourage students to plan their essay-taking strategies in advance — including time to proofread their essays before moving on to the next section
Encourage students to read passages actively and carefully, and refer back to the passage as often as needed
Answer all parts of the question

For Math & Science tests

Practice memorizing formulas with students
Ensure students feel comfortable with the calculator they will need to use
Read the questions carefully — and pay special attention to any negative numbers in the question
Know what types of questions will be asked for different age groups

Ready to practice? Log into Pear Assessment and start assigning ACT Aspire practice assessments to your students!