To those of you who have taken the ACT, what are your tips for the reading section? I’ve been practicing with practice tests online, but I’m not satisfied with the way I’ve been performing.
These books were recommended by an online ACT tutor:
English: Erica Meltzer’s Complete Guide to ACT English
Math: Brooke Hanson’s Best ACT Math Books Ever (1 and 2)
Reading: Erica Meltzer’s Complete Guide to ACT Reading
Science: Hugh Hung Vo’s Master Key to ACT Science
Practice Tests: Reddit is your friend - you can find literally dozens of legally in the public domain, legally released old ACT tests.
ACT’s English/reading section is generally considered to be easier than the SAT’s, so I think that you are right to be focusing on the ACT, rather than the SAT.
If you are in 9th or 10th grade, the solution is to read, read, read. Reading a ton is what increases your vocabulary, comprehension, and speed. However, if you’re in 11th (or worse yet, 12th), your best bet would probably be to work with an ACT English/reading tutor, who can quickly help you with your problem areas.
Erica is a pretty good material but I would advise you to practice techniques and strategies more than material. Some do good with speed so you can read an entire passage. My daughter used skimming method (2 min max) and go back to passage only for thick questions or inferences. Any material practiced with right technique can bump up your score significantly. My D22 had a 31 for the first time in reading which lowered her composite (she just took 2 practice test and went to the exam which was a mistake), Second time worked on her strategies and got 35. She could have gotten a perfect score if she was able to put in some more prep. Good luck for your ACT!