<p>Title says it all. I got a good score on my first test without ever studying or anything (besides the PLAN sophomore year, but i bombed that). So now I'm shooting for a 36, and I'm wondering what people who have achieved that score did to get those last couple points. Plus I'm sure this will be helpful for other folks too</p>
<p>My son took it in the fall of jr year, and got a 32. He had to take the ACT w/out writing as part of standardized testing in the spring of jr year. Since it was w/o writing, and most schools we are interested in require writing, we chose not to have him study for it. Part of the reason was that he was preparing for SATI, 2 SATIIs, and 4 APs, all of which occurred in the same month.</p>
<p>So we treated it as a “throwaway;” even chose not to automatically send the scores to any schools and entered the code “considering college.” So then he pulls a 36 (that we can’t really use–how screwed is that?)</p>
<p>But it would not be correct to say he got a 36 without studying. He was studying for tests just as hard as he could. I just think his AP and SAT focused study had spillover benefits to the ACT.</p>
<p>I am not sure that this answers your question about getting the last couple of points, but I think of the ACT as being less tricky than the SAT (a lot of SAT qs are easier than they look if you know the trick), so a broader based study strategy (not just a zillion practice tests) may have merit.</p>
<p>Bummer! is he going to retake?</p>
<p>and I agree with you about SAT vs. ACT, my SAT score was far lower than my ACT</p>
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<p>I must disagree with the “tricky” description, though approaching questions strategically is certainly more important on the SAT than on the ACT.</p>
<p>^ I completely agree with silverturtle here.</p>
<p>I would say you are much better prepared to walk into an ACT test unprepared than you are to walk into an SAT test unprepared. ACT questions are generally more straightforward, and do not require strategy/“insider tips” that all the prep companies hock for the SAT. Hence, the SAT is usually the test you will study/practice more for. Some of the topics (especially in math) are a little more advanced on the ACT, but the questions are more easily-worded and to-the-point.</p>
<p>Just to clarify…if you don’t choose to send your ACT scores to any colleges, you can’t send those scores at all? You have to retake the ACT and choose to send your scores?</p>
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<p>No. You can send scores after-the-fact.</p>