I just got my April Statewide ACT results and I got a 20 on the reading section (a 5 point decrease from the last test I took). However, for the Social Studies/Sciences I got a subscore of 14 (81 percentile) and on the Arts/Literature I got a 7 (24 percentile)! Any serious strategies/tips for improving my ACT reading score, especially on the Arts/Literature section? It’s strange that I have a low ACT reading score and a 30 on the English section. Aren’t the English and Reading sections supposed to give similar results?
First I’d just like to say that for the most part, English and Reading test completely different skills. What problems do you experience in the reading section? Running out of time? None of the answers seem right?
I’m pressured to go through the test quickly so I don’t get to completely understand the passages. I always have to rush for the last passage and end up guessing on most of the questions. I just don’t get how people can do so well on this section if they only have 35 minutes! It seems impossible! This has always been my worst section. Anyways, I’m only aiming for like a 27 on the reading section.
Maybe your test taking strategies aren’t right. Try reading the questions and skimming thru the passage to find where the answers might be. It’s funny that I’m recommending this to you because I have never used this strategy. It just doesn’t work for me. I read thru the passage and answer the questions. There’s no penalty for guessing wrong, so if you’re stuck on a problem for too long, mark it and come back later. Another tip: when you read the question, think of what the answer might be before looking at the answer choices. Chances are that they’re there and it’ll save you a few seconds here and there.
Wish you good luck
If it’s REALLY hard for you, you can skip one of the passages and fill in one answer for it. Then you can use the 35 minutes for 3 passages and it should be a lot more manageable. If you do well on the 3 passages that you actually pay attention to, it’s very possible to get a 27.
Get the red Real ACT prep book and the Barron’s ACT 36 book. Practice by doing one section each day, spacing them out until test day. Those should help you improve your scores.
Also you should keep practicing until you only spend 8 minutes on each passage. If you do that then you will have time to finish the entire section.