ACT 30(no study) to a 34+

Hello! I am a rising senior and plan on applying to some competitive colleges next year and the only area I am lacking in is testing. As I can only submit one last ACT before applying ED, I really need help in raising my score by a lot for the September ACT. I have not really intensely studied the ACT but desire a 34+ score. I currently hold a composite of 31 (Math/English), 30 (Science), 28 (Reading), and a 8 (Writing). Please list very helpful, but inexpensive ways to prepare down below. Thanks a lot!

Wow, I am in a very similar situation! (30 writing, 31 math, 32 reading, 28 science 30 composite) I hadn’t really studied hard for that, and it was my first time with the ACT’s. I’m also going to take the acts in September and will try for some competitive schools. Would you be interested in partnering up to keep each other accountable in studying for the September test and passing along tips and stuff? Sorry, this response doesn’t really answer your question, I was just struck by the similarities!

I’m no expert but I believe that it is definitely possible to make the improvement that you want. I got a 36 on the first try, but that came from a 32 on my first practice test. For english, I recommend familiarizing yourself with grammar rules and maybe looking around online for tip articles (articles that say stuff like, “don’t choose the redundant answer”). I could try my best to list tips like that, but I’m sure that there’s an article somewhere that’s less likely to leave something out, so again, google it. For math, look up a list of ACT math formulas, make flashcards, and study those. For reading, there are a few different strategies to use and what works for me may not work for you. You could try reading the whole passage then answering the questions, or reading the questions then reading the passage, or something in between. But figuring it out will require trial and error. For science, I liked to read the questions before reading the situation described so that I would know what to pay attention to, but like the reading section, this strategy may not be perfect for you. I personally feel that your writing is fine and I did pretty poorly there so I shouldn’t give advice on that hahaha.

Aside from all of that, I believe that the best way to perfect your score is to take practice tests. The ACT company sells a book with actual, accurate, realistic tests, but you should probably be able to find some free tests to print out online if you don’t want to buy that book. From there, try to take a test 1-2 times a week. Review the test, write the questions that you missed in a notebook, and write down why you missed it (ex: I read too fast and missed a detail, I didn’t know how to factor this, etc.). This way, you’ll be less likely to keep making the same mistakes. Then, every few days, review the notebook. Work some of the questions, especially math. Keep reviewing your flashcards, too.

Also - completing pre-calculus before the ACT was very helpful to me. If you have not taken it, try khan academy’s tutorials for precalc topics (it’s free).