<p>i took a practice test today, i scored a 35 on english, math, and reading, and a 34 on science.</p>
<p>i feel like i can make a 36 on E, M, and R, but i always seem to make careless mistakes. i was surprised that i scored high on science, because it is my worst subject and i have trouble with time. </p>
<p>the real problem i have, though, is that i am taking two classes at a university that are Mo-Fri. its not that the homework is particularly arduous or time consuming, but that i am usually pretty exhausted when i come home and i spend a lot of time just relaxing. so exactly how should i go about studying for the upcoming ACT? the difference between a 35 and a 36 can be just a couple of questions, and im not exactly sure if taking more practice tests is going to help me very much. it's not that i don't know the material, it is just difficult to get every single question right out of 215. like i said before, my science skills are very poor, would it be worthwhile to learn some science topics that may appear on the ACT? (ie. force and motion, chemical bonding, etc). from the practice tests i have taken, it seems like it is 10x easier to understand the passages and questions in science when you have background knowledge</p>
<p>Atrocious grammar, horrible sentence cohesion, and erroneous vocabulary. You looked up thesaurus to use “arduous” in a terrible context followed with a repeating statement. My guess is you scored a 24 on the ACT, and therefore bound to work at a fast food restaurant for the rest of your life. </p>
<p>Perfect36, I’ve posted a number of strategy tips within this ACT forum over the last few days that might help – just work your way down the page. Many of them come from my son – who did get a perfect 36.0 on the ACT… twice.</p>
<p>wow he got it twice? did he have to take it again because it was state mandated? i hope you dont mind me asking- how much did his perfect score help in college admissions (he’s a senior im assuming)?</p>
<p>Yea, he had to retake the test as a junior as a graduation requirement; the first one was as a sophomore. He got into Brown, Williams, Amherst, Northwestern and UIUC. Got rejected by MIT, Yale and Princeton. He chose Brown.</p>
<p>A few states, including Illinois and Colorado, make the ACT mandatory for all juniors. Unfortunately, there’s no way to take writing with the state mandated tests.</p>
<p>I’m in much the same situation. I’m taking physics at a community college in the morning, and have to take my practice tests in the evening. IMHO, it doesn’t make sense to study in-depth for science with the time you have left. If you still have your answer sheet and the source material from the practice tests, use those. I’m working through the last two tests in Red Book and just analyzing my mistakes.</p>
<p>Hi 36ACTbrah and LorenIpsum, are the ACT tests on McGraw Hills and on the ACT website (<a href=“http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/preparing.pdf[/url]”>http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/preparing.pdf</a>) hard enough to give a good shot at 36? I’ve only got McGraw Hills and really don’t want to spend more $ on test prep D: Do you know of any other good online prep thats free? Thanks.</p>
<p>There are some interesting problems on that linked pdf, but I wouldn’t count on a single exam to test you on everything that might come up. Also, there are no explanations provided. Explanations help – you should look them over to see if they suggest a shortcut that will save you time. Finding shortcuts is a key part of getting a 36, because the more time you save, the more time you have left for error-checking or to tackle those one or two really tough problems.</p>
<p>ANY test prep guide will help, although none except the ACT Red Book are perfect. I would recommend you head over to the nearest thrift store, church book sale or used bookstore clearance section and buy some old editions for a buck or two each. Or head to the library; they should always have a reference copy to use there and often there are older editions to take home. Don’t worry about older by a few years – the contents are 99% the same as the latest edition, it’s just a marketing scam to let you believe it’s new with the latest improvements – seldom do they even fix their old typos!</p>
<p>Thanks for replying. Unfortunately, the red Real ACT Prep Guide isn’t available in any national libraries here in Singapore and neither is it stocked in leading bookstores (so frustrating!). There’s only Kaplan’s, Princeton Review and McGraw Hills. Whats your opinion on McGraw Hills questions? Hard enough to get 36? There are free online ones here that i’ve been practicing on, timed, but they seem too simple?? [McGraw-Hill:</a> Practice Plus](<a href=“http://www.mhpracticeplus.com/act.php]McGraw-Hill:”>McGraw-Hill: Practice Plus)</p>
<p>Pretty much every test prep book and online test we’ve played with has had some typos or missing details on one or two or three questions that screw with your time because you assume that you can answer the question, so you keep trying. This does not happen in the actual ACT or the book that contains old real ACT tests, because these problems have already been tested on hundreds of thousands of students.</p>
<p>Also, tests tend to run harder or easier than the actual ACT. I think the Barron’s runs harder and the McGraw-Hill runs easier. In either case, it’s tough to get the timing down and your ability to its maximum if you’re shooting for a 36. The ACT Big Red Book is the best prep guide to take right before the real exam, and your scores should be on target with the real exam.</p>
<p>Thanks. Sigh. International shipping (second hand from Amazon.com) of the Red ACT book costs more than $50 in Singapore dollars. Not worth it IMO. Shall just try my best with McGraw Hill. Hopefully I won’t do worse than 34 on the actual thing. Appreciate your help LoremIpsum.</p>
<p>Dinosoar, I must have missed the Singapore reference. I think the Princeton Review is better than Kaplan. You might also consider sharing the cost of the Red Book with several like-minded friends. The book can be used over and over, as long as everyone writes his answers on a separate sheet of paper.</p>
<p>You do realize that the science test requires little to no prior knowledge, correct? Just read graphs and charts and use common sense, easy to ace.</p>
<p>If you can get a 35, you can get a 36. And to be completely honest, I think the difference between the two is often luck. You’ve obviously got the strategies down. The only thing that will eliminate careless mistakes is more practice.</p>