24 to 32? Possible?

I just recently took the ACT for the first time, I’m a junior. I went into the test pretty confident, I thought I would score at least a 27 on the first time. But to my surprise, I didn’t get to finish any portion of the test completely. I recall not getting at least one column finished for each section. So I got my scores, and I was pretty disappointed.

Composite-24
Science-23
English-25
Math-18
Reading-28

Math is definitely my worst subject, and it did not help that I didn’t finish the math section. I know I could’ve done better on reading and English. This is far from the score I want, I am going for at least a 32. Is this an unrealistic goal? Any tips on how I can do so? Thanks.

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you “went into the test fairly confident.” Why? Were you averaging much higher on practice tests, or what? Was timing not an issue on your previous practice tests? Timing really got to me the first few practice tests I took. No, I don’t think that’s an unrealistic goal no matter what people say (increasing more than 4 points is impossible, yada yada yada) because I started out near there and got a 31 most recently (retaking though because i know i can do better).

The number of points you can raise your score has a lot to do with the amount of time you can put into studying. While raising your score to a 32 isn’t impossible, you would likely need to spend a tremendous amount of time this summer studying in order to reach that goal. If you don’t have a very solid, specific reason for scoring a 32, I would aim for a 28, 29 or 30. You’re going to be plenty busy your senior year, and probably won’t be able to take the ACT during the second semester. If you want to improve your score, first take one practice test with the set time limits, score it, and figure out why you missed each question. Read the explanations in the back of the test prep book, study with a friend who can help you when you get stuck, or find Youtube channels that explain how to answer ACT practice test questions. Do NOT simply take practice test after practice test without understanding and correcting your mistakes, or your score will not improve. Best of luck in improving your 24 to a 32!

Two questions:

  1. Can you work all math questions correctly with unlimited time?
  2. Have you been taking practice tests under test conditions, ie. Strict clock for each section and no extra breaks other than what's allowed?

In exactly 12 months, my daughter raised her score from a 23 to a 32. I would suggest lots of practice tests and possibly some private tutoring.

I went from a 30 to a 34 and I only studied about 6 total hours. The best way to study for math is just to take as many practice tests as it takes (I did and my math went from 29 to 36). Same technique for science. For english, take a practice test, and take notes on everything you get wrong. There are only so many different types of english questions, and every test is really similar. For reading, try to underline important facts that you think will show up in the questions. Never read the questions before you read the passage. I did and my reading went from 24 to 30.

it’s definitely not impossible! i took a proctored act practice test without studying (just to get a benchmark) and got 25. after a few months of practice, i took the real one and scored a 30. i know that’s not a 32, but i am currently working towards a 34 for the september ACT. i think (hope!!!) i can do it. just have the right mindset, practice, and pace yourself!!

Have you done full timed practice test? What is your practice score? If your original expectation of 27 is based on your practice score, it is quite possible to get 30+ after some more practice. To get a 5+ improvement will require a lot of work and may take a year.

Sophomore HS daughter went from 20 practice tests to a 27 real thing in 6 months. She did Barrons, Red book, videos, Science for Act, and 10hrs with a math tutor on fundamentals, about 6 timed tests.

“They” say 150 hours for 6-8 points. So, 6 hours a week for roighly 25 weeks.