<p>Yes, well like our SAT counterparts, many of us are taking the ACT in June. I'm a bit apprehensive--but hopefully things will work out. I ended up purchasing the "Real ACT" prep book, and wanted to know how helpful it is--morever how to utlize it. Yeah, Yeah--I know what your all going to say: "Just read it! What? you can't read?" or in laymen terms "What a dumba*s." I earnestly want to know what championed veterans of the test have done. I'm truly happy for everyone who scored above a 30--I just--well, want to join the club per se. In a nutshell, could someone tell me what I should focus on in the book; whether I should do entire tests over the weekends (to mimic a real test), or time particular sections instead. I mean, any advice would suffice and be greatly appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>Take a diagnostic, so you know where you stand.</p>
<p>Go over your mistakes, and go over areas you may be weak with a review book.</p>
<p>This is where it gets subjective,
I usually take subtests and time myself, only doing a section at a time.(because I cant find 3 hours to do an entire test in one sitting, it's hard to do).</p>
<p>I'm only a sophmore though, but I've managed to score a 30 composite on very first test, and I'm hoping to shoot up(scoring 32s on practice tests now).</p>
<p>Oh, and by the way, make sure you request the Test Information Release. It tells you what you got wrong, and lets your mind rest from the constant guessing of which one you marked wrong.</p>
<p>Once you get your 30, however I'm sure you'll want to go higher(with practice and time, this can be done). Plus, a 30 is only about a 1320-1350 on the old sat and a 1980 on the new one.</p>
<p>I took the ACT in February and did suprisingly well. I also used the red Real ACT book--trust me this is key. I'll give you a break down of what I did. </p>
<p>I first took one of the three practice tests as a diagnostic-I got a 31. I looked to see what I got wrong, and I went to the beginning of the book where they teach you stuff and learned the material I got wrong.</p>
<p>By the second practice test I already had my target score (33). I looked to see what I got wrong and made sure I knew it.</p>
<p>On the third practice test I exceeded my target score, 34, which is what I also got on the real thing.</p>
<p>My advice is that you MUST learn from your mistakes. Furthermore, you must get a feel of the test, so that you know the things that will repeatedly show up. Last but not least, practice under timed conditions. The ACT leaves you in a mad time crunch, so be prepared.</p>
<p>Ryanberry and pentasa--thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I don't think I have the time to sit and do an entire test, but rather do sections. So, I have approximately 2-3 weeks of preparation--is that enough? Oh, and also when I looked at the mean of students matriculated into apex schools, various sites transposed the scores between a "27-32." I know that's the average, but is a 27 actually a good score?</p>
<p>27 is actually a good score, but for some top tiers, or i should say ivies...you might not want to report things below a 30 (or maybe even a 32----99th percentile)</p>
<p>the biggest thing to be aware of when taking the test is the time constraints, which are far more of an issue than with the SAT. definitely do a lot of timed practice.</p>
<p>I used Barron's for my Feb12 ACT and got 31... and then used Thomson-Peterson's The Real ACT for Apr9 and got another 31. Even though I got the same composite, I felt The Real ACT prepared me better than Barron's did.</p>
<p>Here are my scores for the practice tests:
Practice Test 1: March 18: E33 M32 R33 S27 = 31
Practice Test 2: March 30: E30 M29 R31 S33 = 31
Practice Test 3: April 2: E35 M33 R30 S29 = 32
Actual Test Score: E36, M33 R31 S25 = 31</p>
<p>Basically what I did was take a test each weekend and then really sit down and go over what I did wrong and how I can fix it. I didn't really read the first part of the book-just the practice test part. I found that The Real ACT has really good explanations compared to a lot of other test prep books like Barron's.</p>
<h2>I stumbled upon percentiles for the ACT. In essence, a 29 is still "competitive" right? <a href="http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html</a></h2>
<p>Thanks for the feedback everyone, I appreciate it.</p>
<p>A 29 is like a 1300 SAT.</p>
<p>I feel like the ACT is much more predictable. The only prep I had was the PLAN test sophomore year. I didn't study for SAT either, but the ACT I felt doesn't penalize for not studying, if that makes sense. It's much more objective, the question is right there for you and the most annoying thing is the time constraints. A lot of people in my room didn't finish the science. There aren't any "tricks" of the test that trip you up- go in with a clear head and what you get is probably what may stick. My PLAN "predicted" a 34-36 (they give ranges) and I got a 34. No time to retake, and I'm relieved that I am in a decent score range! Good luck and don't fret! We've all got a place!</p>
<p>I just completed my first practice ever on the ACT; I'm doing one a week, with two weeks until the exam. I scored a 29/30 composite, which seems pathetic to almost everyone elses scores. I mean, I looked over the questions I got wrong and went, "Oh, my...how stupid..." or I refreshed my memory on things I did way back when. My question is, is there room for improvement? Has anybody seen improvement just by doing practice tests? Thanks for the feedback everyone.</p>