<p>I took a practice test earlier today, with no prep whatsoever (2005/6 from the ACT website. I have newer ones but I want to slowly progress from older to newer ones aha.) and ended up with:</p>
<p>Composite: 24
English: 21
Mathematics: 24
Reading: 23
Science: 27</p>
<p>Because I scored myself, I could definitely see where my weakness were. For instance, I scored really well on the 'Usage and Mechanics' section of English but my score for 'Rhetorical Skills' was laughable. (Although this has always been a problem for me.)</p>
<p>Anyways, how good is this? Like a lot of people on this site, I'm shooting for some great colleges. And would you think that the ACT has gotten harder or easier since this 05/06 practice test?</p>
<p>That’s about the same score as mine when I first started out (except that I took the SAT and got 1670). You’re at a good starting point; just keep practicing. With a few months of practice, I was able to improve my 7th grade SAT score of 1670 (~24 on the ACT) to 1940 (~29 on the ACT).</p>
<p>Thank you both for your help! And do you both have any tips for the Reading & English sections? I’m a fast reader, but I have problems on answering questions about implied meaning. Is that something you can get better at?</p>
<p>Oh and do you think that I can raise it to a 34/35 by the end of Sophomore Year?</p>
<p>^^If you continue to take challenging courses in school (math, science and english especially), you will be exposed to the crititcal thinking and mathematics knowledge necessary to improve your scores. My DD had a 26 in 6th grade, and improved to a 35 by the end of sophomore year - after taking precalc, chem, bio & physics, and Honors English & Brit Lit (a prep course for AP English at our school). </p>
<p>You can’t improve that much by just reading ACT prep books and doing practice problems.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m going to finish all those (except for Brit Lit) during or before Sophomore year. Thanks!</p>
<p>I got a 23 in 8th grade (no prep), and a 35 by junior year. All I did for prep my junior year was a few practice tests out of the red real ACT book. Taking AP classes and reading a lot is the most important! Having a good understanding of material is a lot more beneficial than memorizing ways to take the test. So I’d say, you’re on your way!</p>
<p>Since you’re a freshman, just worry about doing well in your classes and being involved in your school and community. You’ve got a couple of years before you need to start stressing about college. Enjoy them!</p>