How to Get a 30 (or Higher!) on the ACT 9 Key Tips

How to Get a 30 (or Higher!) on the ACT 9 Key Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips A 30 ACT score is a solid goal to have for test day. But how difficult is it to get a 30? How many questions can you miss? And what kinds of schools can you get into with a 30? In this guide, we teach you how to get a 30 on the ACT with our nine top tips, covering everything from starting your prep through picking answers on test day. In fact, the tips in this article will help you even if you're shooting for a higher or lower score, like a 32 or a 29. But first, what are the benefits of getting a 30? Can You Get a 30 on the ACT? Why Aim for a 30? In short, yes, you can get a 30 on the ACT- as long as you're willing to dedicate a lot of effort to your prep. Be aware, though:getting a 30 will be easier for some students than it will be for others. How easy (or difficult) it is for you ultimately depends on where you're currently scoring and how much time you can commit to studying. But why 30?Is 30 a good ACT score? According topercentiles,an ACT score of 30is quite high. Data collected by ACT, Inc., shows that a 30corresponds to the 94th percentile. In other words, very few test takers- only 6 percent- score 30 or higher on the ACT, making it a great score to aim for on test day. Getting a 30 offers a couple of benefits to test takers. One isthat it can help make up for less impressive parts of your college application. For example, if you had a lower GPA, an ACT score of 30 could make your application more impressive to schools by showcasing your test-taking skills and proficiency in ACT topics. Another benefit is thatyou’ll have a better shot at getting accepted to competitive schools. With a score of 30, you’ll be just around average for admitted students to many selective private schools, such as Boston University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.You’ll also be in the 75th percentile (that is, at a very good advantage!) for numerous public universities, including UMass Amherst and UC Santa Barbara. On the other hand, a 30 is low for extremely competitive schools. For Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Princeton, a 30 places you below the 25th percentile, meaning you’ll have a very small chance of getting accepted. Too bad the ACT doesn't test how proficient you are in hitting people in Mario Kart. (Giancarlo Marseglia Ceccoli/Flickr) What’s Needed to Get a 30 ACT Score? A 30 ACT score means scoring highly on all sections of the exam (excluding Writing, as this optional section score does not affect your composite score). Because your composite score is the average of your four section scores (English, Math, Reading, and Science), you must aim for at least a composite ACT score of 29.5- or around 30 on each section. These section scores can vary. For example, you could aim for scores in the upper 30s on your stronger sections and scores in the upper 20s on your weaker sections and still get a composite score of 30. To do this, however, you'll always need to score at least 30 on two or more sections of the exam. Here are some ways you could get a composite ACT score of 30: 30s on all four sections. 30s on two sections and 29s on the other two. 32s on two sections and 28s on the other two. 32, 31, 29, and 28 on the four sections. (And so on.) So how many correct answers do you need to get a 30 on the ACT? In truth, the answer varies depending on what test you take. Since all ACTs differ slightly in difficulty,the number of questions you must answer correctly to get a 30 also varies slightly with each test. Below, we’ve analyzed five score conversion tables from official ACT practice tests to calculate approximately how many questions you must get right to get a 30 on each section of the exam. (Remember, you don’t necessarily need to get 30s on all four sections, but you will need to get 30s on at least two sections.) After averaging the conversions, here's what we discovered: To get a 30 on ... You’ll need an average raw score of ... Meaning you can miss around ... English 67 8 questions Math 51 9 questions Reading 34 6 questions Science 36 4 questions Once again, these numbers are allapproximations based on the average number of raw points you'd need to get 30s on five different ACT practice tests. The chart above indicates that you can miss the most raw points on Math and the least on Science. You can also miss several questions on English and slightly fewer on Reading to get a 30. Here is an example of anACT scoring chart, with score conversions to 30 highlighted: Overall, you can’t miss more than a small handful of questions on each section of the ACT if you’re hoping to score a 30. To avoid missing too many questions, you must ultimately learn what to expect on test day and how to study effectively for each ACT section. We teach you how to do this next. Tip #0: don't build a pillow fort to try to hide from the ACT. How to Get a 30 on the ACT: 9 Key Tips Getting a 30 isn’t easy, but it’s certainly not impossible- you just need to know how to prepare. Our top nine tips below teach you how to get a 30 on the ACT and give you the confidence you'll need for test day. #1: Create a Study Plan When aiming for a 30 on the ACT, you'll definitely want to use a study plan to guide your prep, ideally one that specifically prepares you for getting a 30. Start by taking an official ACT practice testto get your baseline score.This is the score you start out with before beginning any ACT prep. As you take the test, try to recreate real testing conditions to give yourself a more accurate indicator of your scoring ability. This means you'll need to minimize potential distractions, take the test in a quiet room, and time yourself using the official time limits. Once finished, use your test’s scoring guide to calculate your section and composite scores. The composite score (out of 36) you get will be your baseline score. Next, subtract your baseline score from your goal score (in this case, 30) to see how many points you'll need to improve by to hit your goal score. Match this difference to one of the point ranges below to see the approximate number of hours you’ll need to study: 0-1 point improvement: 10 hours 1-2 point improvement: 20 hours 2-4 point improvement: 40 hours 4-6 point improvement: 80 hours 6-9 point improvement: 150 hours+ For example, if I scored 26 on a practice test, I’d need 4 points to hit my goal score of 30. Using the list above, we can see that this difference corresponds roughly to 40-80 hours of prep time. Once you’ve figured out the number of study hours you'll need to do, draft a study schedule that works well for you. You should try to study consistently every week until test day, so make sure to divide up your time appropriately. In addition, try to plan around any obligations you have in the time leading up to your test. #2: Use High-Quality Study Materials To get a 30 ACT score, you’ll need to use the best ACT resources currently available. This means no low-quality prep books, no sketchy websites, and no inefficient apps. By far the best resources to use are official ACT materials, many of which are completely free! Popular options include official ACT practice tests, sample questions, and The Official ACT Prep Guide, which currently sells for around $25 on Amazon. Be pickier when choosing unofficial ACT materials. I recommend only opting for those that are highly rated and contain realistic practice questions with comprehensive answer explanations. (Bonus if it includes helpful test-taking tips!) Our guides to the best ACT prep books, apps, websites, and vocabulary listscan give you more info on what unofficial resources to use. In short, always remember that quality beats quantity. There’s no point in getting tons of ACT resources if they’re not going to actually help you understand the test and get the 30 you want, so only get whatever you think will be most useful. #3: Track Your Progress Using Practice Tests An ACT study plan not only helps you space out your prep sessions but also allows you to track your progress. Throughout your studies, it's important to take occasional full-length practice tests to see whether your score is improving. How many tests you take and how often you take them depends on the amount of time you have left before test day. Generally, it’s helpful to take a test every few weeks (but never right before test day!). Once you’ve calculated your score for a practice test, use this to see whether your score is, on average, rising or staying the same. If it’s not rising as quickly as you want it to, consider what kinds of concepts or topics you can focus on more to help raise your score on another attempt. My biggest mistake? Eating eight boxes of Girl Scout cookies within a week. (brian/Flickr) #4: Analyze Your Mistakes When aiming high on the ACT, you’ll need to understand exactly what you’re getting wrong and what you can do to fix your mistakes. As you review your answers to ACT practice questions and tests, don’t just mark the correct answer and move on- take a few minutes to think deeply about why you might’ve missed a certain problem. I recommend doing this before you look at the answer explanation as a way to sharpen your problem-solving skills. After,re-solve the problem and usethe correct answer to guide your thinking. For example, if you thought the answer to a math question was 13 but it was really 36, go through the entire problem again, this time using a different approach to see whether you can find the correct answer on your own. #5: Drill Your Weaknesses Weaknesses will keep you from getting an ACT score of 30. They prevent you from getting certain questions right, even when you’ve studied the concepts. So how do you overcome your weak spots? First, by simply understanding what they are. To see what concepts you struggle the most with, go over all of the ACT practice tests and questions you've completed and try to look forpatterns in the questions you got wrong. For example, are you always missing geometry questions? Do you spend too much time on big-picture questions? Once you know what’s bringing down your score, you can then focus on drilling these weak spots in your prep. This means you’ll need to practice the questions you get wrong, review relevant strategies, and monitor your performance through practice tests to ensure you’re improving. #6: Get Key Strategies Down Pat No matter what score you're aiming for, you should always familiarize yourself with the most useful ACT strategies before taking the test. By "strategies," I mean test-taking approaches and tricks you can use to increase your chances of getting a high score (ideally, a 30!). Some ACT strategies target certain sections of the exam, whereas others apply to the entire test. Not all strategies will necessarily suit you (for example, it's best to pick just one passage-reading strategy that works well for you), but you should always try out all major approaches before choosing one to stick with. Before we dive into section-specific strategies, here are the three general ACT strategies you should be using on test day: Answer every question. There's no penalty for incorrect answers on the ACT, so try to answer every question, even if you have to guess. Because each question is multiple choice with four or five answer choices (only Math questions have five answer choices- everything else has four), you’ll always have at least a 20-25 percent chance of getting it right. Skip hard questions and return to them later. If you come across a question you can’t solve within a reasonable amount of time (see #7), mark the question and proceed to the next one. Then, once you finish the section, go back to any marked questions and try to approach them with a fresh perspective. Use the process of elimination. Not sure which answer choice is correct? Narrowing down your choices can dramatically raise your chance of getting the question right. For example, by eliminating three answer choices for a math question, your possibility of answering it correctly rises from 20 to 50 percent! For additional ACT tips and strategies, check out our individual section guides: English The Top 9 ACT English Strategies You Must Use The Best Way to Approach ACT English Passages How to Get 36 on ACT English: 9 Strategies From a Perfect Scorer Math Plugging in Numbers: a Critical SAT/ACT Math Strategy Plugging in Answers: a Critical SAT Math/ACT Math Strategy How to Guess Strategically on ACT Math How to Get 36 on ACT Math: 8 Strategies by a Perfect Scorer Reading The #1 Critical, Fundamental Strategy of ACT Reading The Best Way to Approach the ACT Reading Passage How to Answer ACT Reading Questions: 5-Step Guide How to Get 36 on ACT Reading: Strategies From a Perfect Scorer Science The 5 Best Strategies for Reading ACT Science Passages The ACT Science Strategies You Must Be Using The Hardest ACT Science Questions and Strategies to Solve Them How to Get 36 on ACT Science: 13 Strategies From a Perfect Scorer Writing ACT Writing Rubric: Full Analysis and Essay Strategies ACT Writing Tips: 15 Strategies to Raise Your Essay Score Why You Shouldn’t Copy Skeleton Templates for the SAT/ACT Essay How to Get a Perfect 12 on the ACT Writing Essay The #1 strategy for Monopoly? Flip the board into the air and play Sorry! instead. #7: Use Your Time Wisely Another key strategy we didn't mention above is to use your time wisely on each section of the ACT.Being able to allocate your time appropriately means you won't be spending too much (or too little) time on certain questions. The chart below shows how much time you have per question on each ACT section. These limits are estimates in that they assume you'll spend the same amount of time on every question. ACT Section Time Per Question English 36 seconds Math 60 seconds Reading 53 seconds Science 53 seconds As you can see, you’ll have the least amount of time per question on English and the most on Math. But even a whole minute can fly by on a math question, so you'll need to know how to approach ACT problems fast yet effectively.For tips on how to pace yourself, check out our time management guides for ACT Math, Reading, and Science. As I mentioned in tip #6, it's a good idea to answer every question since there's no penalty for incorrect answers. But thetime crunch is one of the most challenging parts of the ACT, often making it difficult to finish certain sections in time or get lengthier, more complicated questions correct. Therefore, if you're aiming for a 30, it may be better for you tospend a little more time trying to get questions rightthan to worry about trying to solve every question. You know you'll be missing a few points anyway, so use the time you would've spent answering tougher questions on solving the questions you're absolutely certain youcan get right with a little extra time. Then, just guess on the few you don't have time for. #8: Avoid Careless Errors and Double-Check Your Answers High scorers on the ACT primarily miss questions due to careless errors- that is, questions you misread or misinterpreted, answer choices you didn't fill in correctly, or answer choices you didn't confirm were correct before moving on to the next question. These types of errors, though frustrating, are entirely avoidable. The good news is that these errors mean you’re not struggling with the content of the exam, but the bad news is that you’re losing points on questions as a result of mere hastiness. The best way to avoid making careless errors is to double-check your answers.This means you'll look over each answer before proceeding to the next question. So on a math question, you could quickly double-check your answer choice by plugging it back in and re-solving. Or on an English question, you could reread the sentence you’ve corrected to ensure it sounds accurate. If you have extra time at the end of a section, goback through each question to check that you’ve answered all of them and have marked the appropriate answers on your answer sheet. Here are some additional tricks you can use to prevent careless errors: Read all questions carefully. If you skim, you might misunderstand what the question is asking you to do. For example, on Math, this could mean you accidentally solve for the wrong algebraic expression. Therefore, always read every word in a question. Reread any part of a question you don’t understand.You can't expect to get a question right if you don't get what it's asking you to do. If there's any phrase or word throwing you off, reread the question until you're pretty sure you know what it means. Read all of the answer choices before choosing one.Don't just go straight for the answer choice you think is right- often, what sounds correct isn't actually correct, as many plausible answer choices are included in order to mislead you. Read through all of the answer choices so that you can be certain you know which is right. Write neatly.If your notes are sloppy or confusing (especially when solving for math problems), you'll likely struggle to make sense of what you've written and might even choose the wrong answer as a result. Always write cleanly and coherently so that you don't accidentally foil your own efforts on test day. #9: Don’t Psych Yourself Out Last but not least, don’t let the pressure of the ACT freak you out. Getting a 30 takes hard work, but you shouldn't overwhelm yourself or feel as though your future depends on an ACT score. As long as you’ve got a solid study plan and quality ACT resources, you’re well on your way to getting a great score. Additionally, try to remain calm on test day. A little anxiety is expected, but letting your nerves get to you can make you lose both your concentration and confidence. If you don’t get a 30, remind yourself that it’s not the end of the world; you can always retake the exam or work on improving other parts of your college application. Your chances of college acceptance aren't determined solely by your ACT score, so don’t assume you’re doomed with anything below a 30! Don't look like this after you take the ACT. Seriously. Don't magically turn into a dog. Conclusion: How to Get a 30 on the ACT Many students aim for a 30 on the ACT, but is 30 a good ACT score? Absolutely! In fact,a 30 ACT score is very competitive- in the top 4 percent of test takers, to be exact.This score gives you a solid shot at getting into many moderately competitive universities, such as UC Santa Barbara and Boston University. To get a 30, you mustscore highly on all four sections of the exam (excluding Writing). Specifically, you’ll need to get at least a 30 on two sections and a composite score of 29.5 (which rounds to 30) or higher. This means you can only miss a handful of questions on each section. Above, we taught you how to get a 30 on the ACT using our top nine tips. As a reminder, here are our tips again: Come up with a foolproof study plan Obtain high-quality resources (official ones are a great place to start) Track your progress with practice tests Analyze your mistakes on tests and questions Drill your weak spots so that they don’t bring down your score Learn and practice all major ACT strategies Use your time wisely Avoid making careless errors by double-checking your answers andreading more closely Focus on doing well without psyching yourself out Armed with these tips, you'll be on your way to getting a 30 in no time! What’s Next? Want to aim even higher- say, for a perfect 36?Then check out our in-depth guide to getting a perfect ACT score, written by a real full scorer. What's considered a good ACT score?Our expert guide goes over what ACT scores and percentiles you'll need to aim for in order to be considered a competitive applicant for your schools. What about bad ACT scores? How low is too low?If you're not sure where your score stands, read our guide to low ACT scoresto learn what's considered a poor ACT score. Then, get tips on how to improve. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Logics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Logics - Term Paper Example Brow includes the three theories by Professor Rich Savin- Williams which has given a totally different flavor to the article. These theories are used to understand why the concept of gay and lesbian has become so widely accepted today. He blames it on the openness that exists in the work and leisure environment today. Williams believes that since the gay and lesbian members of the community have openly accepted themselves as gays and lesbians, the other members of the society can do little to discriminate against them. The article moves on to describe a very controversial concept which deals with why only the men are accepting their gay nature so openly and why women are still conservative when it comes to this. Brow brings in what he calls the â€Å"ceiling effect† to describe this. Brow concludes that there is no philosophical reasoning to why men are more acceptable to such notions, it is just that men are catching up to women and there may be a time when tables turn over w omen. Towards the end, Brow also touches gay and lesbian marriages and says that even though such members are acceptable in the society; their open relationships are still not welcome in the US. Gay marriages are still a controversial topic in the US and Brow thinks that it would continue to be so until the next few years. Although Brow begins with a very instinctive approach towards gays and lesbians by stating that the topic that he has considered and the facts that he has gathered are â€Å"stunning† just to emphasize how magnificently faulty they are (Bergmann, 1997). It gives the reader a feel that Brow is not very happy with the notion of accepting such members in the society and particularly military in a free fashion. However, as the article proceeds, Brow changes his approach to be a more analytical one. He states theories by Professor Williams and he uses statistics and

Individual or Issue Related to Africana Studies Essay

Individual or Issue Related to Africana Studies - Essay Example Similar to the arts of all individuals in the world, African art illustrate thought, attitudes, and values which are a result of African experiences in the past. Therefore, the study of African art gives an avenue for learning about the history of Africa. Through the study of African Art, individuals can find answers to the questions which have been engrossing the continent for long. Nonetheless, it is not only African art that can assist people get information on the past of Africa. Other elements, for example, lifestyle and stage of African development can also assist people gain additional information on the status of Africa in the globe. As individuals search information on Africa and its past, they must also take into consideration how Western view of racial and race differences has had an impact on views of the African history (Said 8). This paper will look at the impact of slavery and the slave trade era on the development of Africa. The ideas of race and racial differences ha ve always assumed, black people are inferior compared to their white counterparts. This notion begun in Western regions as the people from these regions attempted to rationalize their enslavement of Africans and the consequent colonization of the African continent. Historians and other professional studying African issues have now established that views of racial inadequacy have led to the conviction that African people in the past existed in a condition of primitive barbarism (Said 11). In addition, these professionals have also recognized that a large number of European works on the past of Africa, for example, stories by 19thcentury travelers and missionaries are stained by the similar view points of African inadequacy. This recognition has made historian and other experts studying the past of Africa to search for different sources of information that is less or not inspired by European or foreign concern with racial disparity. These different resources comprise oral traditions f ound in Africa, works by Africans, the physical evidence unearthed by archeologists, African art, and structures and vocabularies of the African language. These different sources, unlike European or foreign sources, will assist individuals comprehend the history of Africa from the African point of view.

Estimation With Cost Significant Elements In Malaysia Construction Essay

Estimation With Cost Significant Elements In Malaysia Construction Essay The construction estimation is an important content of the feasibility study of the projects. The accuracy of the cost estimation directly affects the decision of project, scale of construction, design scheme and economic effects, and affects the proceeding of projects. It is significant for the management and control of the project estimation to process the estimated practically, speedily, and exactly. Construction cost is an important element that should be monitored at different phases of the process of a building construction. It is also a factual process designed to give a reliable estimation or prediction of its financial cost. Cost estimating is a fundamental activity which combines a mechanical process and a subjective expertise undertaken to assess and predict the total cost to execute the construction works. It consists of an application with an appropriate method to estimate and to measure the final quantities of the building. The purpose of construction cost estimation is to provide information for constructors which include areas in the procurement and pricing of construction, establishing contractual amount of payment, and quantity control. Cost models serve a variety of purposes. It can be defined as the symbolic representation for a system, expressing the content of that system in terms of the factors which influence its costs (1). It is a procedure developed to reflect, by means of derived processes, adequately acceptable output for an established series of input data (2). Besides that, techniques used in the cost modeling can also forecast the estimated cost of a proposed construction project (3). Therefore, every method, technique or procedure used by quantity surveyors for cost estimation or cost forecast may be termed as cost models. All procurement systems require a contractor to predict the cost of a project, and to determine a price for the work within the constraints of time and to maintain the required quality without compromising to the wellbeing of other projects. In the traditional procurement system, Bill of Quantities (BQ) is an essential part of tender document that lists all the items of work to be co mpleted in a project which is to provide a mean of comparing bids from several contractors on a like for like basis. Since BQ has become an important tool for project costing and tendering it is also a document for architects and other consultants to have a sense of control on their projects in term of cost and finance. Today BQ are also used for cost planning, projected cash flows and budget, for valuation of interim payments and variation orders, and for settlement of final account. The objective of this paper is to present a formal method, the Cost Significant Element (CSE) method to accelerate the tendering process in the construction industry. The CSE has existed in the industry for a long time and has been used by many project stakeholders to deliver the project and to meet the specified targets and objectives set by the clients. Previous Studies The construction projects in Malaysia are getting more complicated and their scales are getting larger as the industrial development directly affects the construction sector. Hence it is getting more difficult to complete the projects within quality standards, budgeted cost limits and on time. Most of the time, decisions to be taken may be delayed due to the risk and uncertainties met by managers during the construction process and as a result some difficulties are arisen. One of these difficulties is caused by the lack of cost data whenever needed and in demanded quality. Therefore, the budgeted cost limits are often exceeded. However, it is well-known fact that the earlier cost planning is started on resulting in the more suitable outcome are obtained. In construction industry, Cost significant Element (CSE) method is a way to build up a simple cost estimate model by using historical bills of quantities (BQ) which the document that states how much is to be spent on each functional element of a proposed building in relation to a defined standard of space and quality. It is also an organized breakdown of cost data into the standard elements of a building. CSE facilitate the comparison between projects and the development of recording cost data for future cost planning in a simple way. It is important to identify the cost significant item in the research on CSE method. A research project has been carried out in Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Architecture intending to estimate most probable building cost in the early stage of the construction process taking the advantage of recent developments in the information and communication technology (ICT) [Orhon, 1996], [Tas and Yaman, 2002]. The main objectives of this research were collecting building construction cost data, processing data and transforming it into building cost information, storing and retrieving the cost data and information, connecting private and public sector data as well as information through a database, saving time and minimizing mistakes, by avoiding reproduction of the information that has already been stored somewhere in the sector. BQ is the traditional method that is commonly used by construction companies to predict the cost of a project in the detailed design phase and throughout the construction period. It will usually result in similar significant items being identified across different bills, but with each item having a minor difference. In order to overcome this problem, once the identification of cost of the elements, quantity or resource significant items is completed, the BQ items are aggregated into significant work elements. Whereas, it is one of the most important components of the tender documents along with technical drawings, specifications, conditions of contract, etc. Once a project is defined in detail, every item of work needed to complete the project is listed and priced by estimators. BQ for building work is counterproductive and leads to ambiguities and differences in interpretation, creating a potential for dispute. An acceptable level of simplification can be achieved through the aggreg ation of work items, presently required to be measured separately (Edwards and Edwards, 1995). The process of developing cost significant models has tended to consists of several steps. These include finding the cost significant items, grouping similar items together, and calculating a cost significant factor. The cost significant items to be identify in a project uses a technique proposed by Shereef (1981) where items are considered as significant when their value is higher than, or equal to, the mean bill value. Other than that, research at the University of Dundee has consistently shown that BQ analyses using this technique are successful in identifying the 20% of significant items that constitute 80% of the cost (Horner and Zakieh, 1993). However, it has long been recognized that in the value of the research work identified in the second stage of this process will not associate to the full cost of the trade. In Paretoà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s principle (commonly called 80:20 rule), when 80:20 rule is utilized the assumption is made that the 20 per cent of items are contributing 80 per cent of the value, and consequently the cost of the work packages identified in stage two equate to only approximately 80 per cent of the total cost of the trade. A model factor has to be applied to the total value of the work elements to determine the cost of the trade as a whole, to include a value for the 80 per cent of items not costed during this process. This factor is termed the cost model factor and is calculated by establishing the average proportion of the total cost of a trade that is accounted for by the significant work elements. The total cost of a trade can then be established by dividing the total cost of the si gnificant work elements by the cost model factor (Munns and Al-Haimus). Research Methodology In order to achieve the objectives of the study, there are two approaches to be carried out in this research. Firstly, primary data collected from a number of the construction companies in Johor Bahru area of Malaysia. Primary data are those data observed or collected directly from first-hand experience. It shows the advantage towards the accuracy of data since the specific information has been collected by the person who is doing the research. Twenty-five high cost double storey terrace housing projects historical BQ were collected in the data analysis. In this particular research is to develop a building cost estimation model based on cost significant work elements. Several important steps came to establish this model. These were including finding the cost significant work items in BQ, grouping similar work items together to select work packages, and calculating a cost significant value factor (CSVF). Cost significant element models rely on the well documented finding that 80 per cent of a billà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s value is contained within the 20 per cent of the items which are most expensive (Barnes 1971; Skinner 1981; Ashworth Skitmore 1983; PSA 1987). Projects which have similar features, the cost significant items are roughly the same. This model has covered the criteria that need to be considered and getting the result to prove the 20:80 rules in the estimating practice. In developing the model, literature reviews are adopted as secondary sources, and as such, it does not report any new or original experimental work. Cost-significant items can be grouped together, using a variety of techniques, into a smaller number of cost-significant element work packages, which within any given category of project consistently represent a fixed proportion of the total cost, usually close to 80 per cent. The total value of the project can then be calculated simply by multiplying the total price of the cost-significant work packages by an appropriate factor. The value of the factor varies slightly that to determine from an analysis of historical data (Poh, P.S.H. Horner, R.M.W.). Accuracy of the result in this model can be varied by coarsening or refining to match the quality of data available at each stage in the projectà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s life when calculating of the cost significant model factor.

Canadian Trade Balance Analysis :: essays research papers

Canada   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Canadian economy and the United States economy tend to move together because of the amount of transactions that take place within the two nations due to their geographical proximity. With the United States recently experiencing a downturn in the economy, analysts estimate that the Canadian economy will not be far behind. However, in the past 10 years the Canadian economy and especially the trade balance have been very healthy. Current Account   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since 1992, Canada has increased their amount of exports of goods year-in and year-out until slight downfalls in 2001 and 2002. However, between 1992 and 2000 they raised exports from $135 billion to $289 billion, an increase of 114%. Imports of goods also rose consistently over that nine year period from $128 billion to $244 billion. The key fact there though is that imports rose only 90% compared to a rise in exports of 114%. This has allowed Canada to maintain a very healthy trade balance, which has also risen consistently except for a few decreases in 1997, 1998, and 2002. They have not run a trade balance deficit on goods once since 1992.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Canada’s trade balance for services is similar to their trade balance for goods from a growth perspective, but with fewer breakdowns. Both exports and imports of services took very small hits in 2001. Overall, between 1992 and 2003 exports and imports of services rose 105% and 65% respectively. However with services the Canadian economy continually ran a deficit over this 12 year period.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Canada’s overall balance of goods and services also rose every year except for 1997, 1998, and 2002. They initially were running an overall deficit in 1992 and 1993 from a larger deficit in services than surplus in goods. The most common trend that is evident is that every trade category dropped in 2001 and/or 2002. There were no real substantial drops and the declines were quickly met with increases in the following years. It is likely that Canada’s economy felt at least some of the effects of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 because they are such a large trading partner of the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The statistics indicate that Canada has primarily been an investor abroad, with substantial amounts of cash flows leaving the country. Again, both of these accounts grew almost every year. Between 1992 and 1997, funds received dropped only once in 1993. Likewise, funds invested abroad dropped only once within this time interval in 1996.

Ideas for Young Activists

Transparency International, 2014 Philippines: A Million New Inspectors About 1 million boy and girl scouts in Philippines have counted textbooks and conducted quality inspections throughout the country. Working hand-in-hand with government and non-government agencies, the programmer discourages theft of textbooks and helps promote long-term transparency in the country schools.The Department of Education provided an open door to programmer organizers, including access to budget information, contracts, and delivery points, as well as providing inspection sites. Local organizations and volunteers that include schoolchildren also carry out the monitoring – including surprise inspections – during the textbook production process. The programmer has proved successful at reducing corruption In the textbook distribution process. India: I Paid a Bribe On www. Liberated. Com. Citizens can report their experiences of corruption.The site received almost 22,500 reports between 2010 a nd 2012, some of which were kicked up by the media and resulted in arrests and convictions. On the flipped, citizens can also report positive experiences they've had with honest officers. Solomon Islands: Comics against Corruption The Solomon Islands government, in partnership with Transparency Solomon Islands, ran a programmer that used comic-style posters and comic strips in newspapers to increase awareness of corruption in the country. It encouraged Solomon Islanders to say â€Å"Nap Ana! To corruption by reporting anyone they believe to be involved In corrupt practices. The comic was timed to coincide with International Ann-corruption Day on 9 December. Each comic told the story of average Solomon Islanders In everyday situations, and how their lives can be deeply affected by seemingly simple acts of corruption. The campaign covered the topics of bribery, favoritism, misuse of funds and what you can do to stop corruption. The series of anti-corruption comics ran in all three of Solomon Islands' major newspapers – and was even available as a pull-out poster insert in the Solomon Star.Afghanistan: Kabuki's Corruption Marathon Afghan youth Atari Equatorial uses marathons to fight corruption. He sees sport as the best way to spread awareness among Afghan youth, so he organized his first big marathon against corruption. The team was able to gather around 500 young Afghan boys and girls In one of Kabuki's many dusty streets. Their message was loud and clear: â€Å"Don't pay or accept bribes†. The participants did not run a long distance, but a large crowd noticed the group. Strider also involved local radio stations in his outreach helped them convey their message to an even larger audience.India: The â€Å"Zero Rupee† Movement The â€Å"zero rupee† note was created by an Indian physics professor who was harassed by endless extortion demands. He handed out the â€Å"zero rupee† notes as a polite way of saying â€Å"no† to officials who held out their hands. Printed on the note was â€Å"Eliminate Corruption at all levels† and â€Å"l promise to neither accept nor give a bribe†. When a corrupt official suggests to a citizen that they should pay a bribe to get something done, the citizen can hand over the â€Å"zero rupee† note and its effects have taken hold.The Indian MONGO 5th Pillar has now distributed more than 1 million bills in five languages since 2007. Solomon Islands: Clean Election Pledge A group of young volunteers established the â€Å"Clean Election Campaign† in the Solomon Islands. Their approach was to gather voter pledges, each being a promise to not take part in corrupt activities during that year's election. Their pledge states: â€Å"l pledge that I will reject all bribes. I will not accept any false promises. I will not sell my vote. I will not involve myself in any corrupt activities during, before and after the elections.And also I pledge that I wi ll use my full conscience to decide on my vote and ask God to help me to decide my vote. And I pledge that I will only vote for an honest leader. † Kenya: Mapping the Election Jacuzzi is an open-source platform designed to courseware information via SMS and online messaging and appears on an interactive map. Pioneered in Kenya after the fall-out of the deadly 2008 elections, the website had 45,000 users in Kenya reporting on both instances of electoral fraud and acts of integrity during the following presidential elections.Activists launched the platform to courseware data via Twitter, SMS, Android, e-mail and the web. More than 4,500 reports were cast – and a staggering 58 per cent of these claims have been verified. The findings were referred to by Jenny's electoral commission and international media. Venezuela: Tweeting the Election Twitter is a simple way to monitor elections with your friends and community. Use or create a credible twitter name so that fellow tweet ers know whom to contact for details on election monitoring. Design a washrag so that voters tweeting claims of election fraud are streamlined (e. #Pomegranate or #Cafeteria). In Venezuela, civil society organizations came together to cast a watchful eye on the national elections via Twitter. They received tweets – including photos – from around the country to gather data on election violations at the polling stations through several hostage. They received more than 1,000 tweets claiming electoral fraud. These strategies do you think be the most effective in dealing with corruption? Choose two and explain why. 3. What other strategies do you think local people could use to deal with corruption in their government?

The United States Of Americas Economy - 1937 Words

The United States of America’s economy is one of the largest and the most differentiated national economies of the world. For this reason, the US is considered the engine of the world economy. A key feature that separates the US economy from others is the focus on making technological advancements and scientific progress. This often leads to dependence of other countries from the United States in science and technology and determines foreign policy of the state (Block, 2009). United States’ Brief History At the end of the World War 2, the â€Å"golden era† for the U.S economy had begun. This was the time frame in which the economic productivity and activities were raising, which gave birth to the baby boomer generation and increased the income of the middle class families. The US GDP grew at an average rate of about 4% from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. During the 1970s, there were many structural changes in the economy ranging from services to industry and manufacturing. Nonetheless, after couple decades of growth in the economy, the US began to show signs of slowing. After the increased global competition and the oil crisis of the 1973, the US economy entered a period of inflation and stagnating growth which is referred to as â€Å"Stagflation.† The decade following this, 1980s, President Ronald Reagan encouraged a more supply sided economic growth. The main goals of these series of polices was to lower the government regulatio ns and spending, along with tighter money supplyShow MoreRelatedUS Power reflected on the global political economy Essay1167 Words   |  5 Pages Yohanan Zemichael PSCI 2602: A03 October 11, 2012 The framework of global political economy has evolved through a series of historical periods. For this paper, I will be comparing the overall structure and organization of the global political economy during the Bretton Woods period (1945-1975) and the Contemporary period (1975-2010). 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