32 to 35 Advice

Test Preparation ACT Preparation
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The reason I need a 35 is because that’s the minimum for a full ride to my top choice university (merit scholarships are based off a matrix)

Here is my June ACT breakdown:

Composite - 32
English - 31
Math - 32
Reading - 33
Science - 33
(I didn’t take Writing this time. I got a 30 in February and I will take it again in September)

I improved a lot from February, which is surprising because the only section I prepped for was Reading (originally I got a 25) and somehow my Science magically improved as well (from a 27).

Normally, I score 34-36 in Math (based on my last 2 ACTs, I’ve never prepped this section). I remember not feeling motivated during that section while I was taking it, so that was probably the issue. I also thought that was the hardest Math section I’ve taken thus far. A little disappointing because I was one point away in any section from a 33 composite, but that’s okay. I would have taken it again anyway.

English I got the exact same score as last time.

Okay so here’s my issue now: I’ve been doing prep for the last week. I’ve managed to perfect my English score to a 36 via section practice tests. Finally, it just seemed to click with me. We will see how I do on full length practice though, haha. Reading I should be getting 34-36 but on the June ACT I remember I just felt a little flustered and I had to randomly bubble in one question I forgot to answer. Science is the big issue now! Even though I did remarkable well (for me at least) on the June ACT, I keep scoring a 28 on practice tests! I refuse to take full length practice tests until I feel satisfied with all my individual section practice tests, so this is extremely discouraging.

So if anyone has some life changing Science advice, I would love you forever!!! I don’t have a problem finishing, but I do feel like I guess more than I should. And I get tricked. The problem is mostly that I need to have a decent understanding of the passage to answer the questions accurately, but there isn’t enough time to thoroughly understand it. On practice tests I either get every question on a passage right or I miss 2-3 on a passage I didn’t really understand. (I’ve been missing around 5-6 questions total.)

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The science section is one of the shorter ones, so I understand feeling pressed for time. I got a 36 composite last October, so hopefully I can help! On my ACT I got lucky because I already knew the science in most of the passages, so I didn’t read them. If I remember correctly, there were also lots of graphs and charts to interpret. This section isn’t really about what you already know but how well you understand the passages and interpret the graphs. Keeping that in mind, I would say to practice reading the passages, taking more time if you need it. Taking a couple extra minutes to read will benefit you, and as you practice you will get faster.
Don’t forget mental preparation the day of! When you’re already in the high scoring range, even the slightest details can be the difference between a 34 and a 36. Best of luck! :slight_smile:

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@Ashley0729 I agree that luck has to do with it! On the June ACT I knew all the science and it was such a breeze. I think that’s why I did so much better than usual. But on all the practice tests I’ve been taking the science has been so obscure. I did one with enzymes the other day and I had to spend so much time making sense of the information because it gave specific points in the passage on how the enzymes operated in response to each other being “on” or “off.” But if I get another passage like that now I’ll be prepared. The science is pretty basic, but sometimes I feel very uncomfortable if I don’t have enough time to make sense of it, which isn’t good for those “what would happen if…” questions.