Hi.
I have been taking ACT mock tests for a while, and my score has plateaued around 34-35 (mostly 34), with Math plateauing at 32-33. (mostly silly mistakes instead of content gaps.)
I have a week until I take my ACT, and I really want a perfect score.
What can I do to prepare?
Things I have done so far:
Barrons ACT 36.
Mock tests and real ACT papers.
Aiming for a perfect score is pointless.
Colleges don’t distinguish between 34,35,and 36.
If you focus on that too much, they’ll consider that you don’t understand the real point of education, which is to learn new things, envision things differently thanks to the knowledge you gain, grow, master skills, etc.
Your test score will get 10 seconds from your reviewer : check? Or uncertain? With a 34 you get a check and theyvmovebon to the other parts of your application.
there is a point in getting a perfect score, there is somewhat of a difference between 34 and 36. but you probably have better things to do that would help you more
34 is a really good score, but if you want a 36 I’m not stopping you.
What subject brings you down the most? Or do you just have a 34 average for all of the sections? If the latter is true, then I’m afraid you’re just going to have to try to fix whatever common mistakes you have for each section.
@MYOS1634
Look at the middle 50 percent test scores of any college like MIT or Harvard and you’ll see your post is wrong. A test score that lands you in the 80 percentile of a school’s admitted students is sure to help you more than a score right in the middle or below average. 1400 out of nearly 2 million students get a 36 on the act. A 36 distinguishes you. The difference between being 1 in 20,000 and 1 in 2,000 is enormous when you’re at a very competitive level. Your idea that better scores somehow hurt you is ridiculous.
I apologize for being rude, but it really gets my goat when someone asks for help to improve their standardized test scores and they are met with answers like “a 33 is all you really need” or “there’s no difference”.
OP, I read this and found it helpful: http://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-a-perfect-act-score-by-a-36-full-scorer
basically take as many practice tests as you can, record any questions you’re unsure about then go back and catalog them in a journal with explanations as to why you got them wrong, whether it be unfamiliarity with content or careless error. Soon you’ll have a book full of mistakes you’re prone to make and you can study accordingly to correct them. If you get a question wrong without understanding why then you won’t achieve the perfection needed for a 36.
Those are the biggest takeaways from the article. My best composite score is a 34 so I cannot offer any firsthand advice. Just keep on trucking and work hard.