<p>I don't know what it is, but I'm starting to get really annoyed. I've been practicing the Reading section (and nothing else) for the past year,and my score range has not changed (25-32) one bit. I've consistently studied from Barron's, PR, Grubers, Amscos, Red Book, McGraw Hill, etc., but nothing is working! I've taken about 30 practice tests, and gone over the strategies in all of the books, but my score remains stagnant and I'm unhappy with it. I've looked over the explainations for all of the test questions, but they aren't helping. I can't even finish the tests on time! :( Can some of you 36ers please explain to me how you went about preparing for this test? It will be much appreciated (and I'm a freshman so I still have some time). THANKS!!</p>
<p>Honestly, you also have to read for fun in order to improve your score in addition to prep questions</p>
<p>I scored a 36 in reading, and honestly, you just need to have good reading comprehension skills. Trying reading some books like: Heart of Darkness, The Great Gatsby, and maybe even some John Green if you’re into easy feel-good reads. You also just have to relax. it’s just a test, and once you’re in college, none of this will matter AT ALL. I didn’t study reading, or anything for that matter, and I did just fine. You’re young, so you still have a lot of room to develop. If you’re really that desperate to get your score up, try taking AP Comp or lit when you’re old enough.</p>
<p>You’re too young to worry about this stuff. Just relax and enjoy the frivolousness that comes with being a freshman. There’s so much more to life than some stupid test.</p>
<p>Wow that is a huge score range for reading. I’ll say that no amount of test book prepping will completely give you the skills you need to ace the reading section. </p>
<p>As a freshman, I truly sucked at ACT reading (probably did worse than how you’ve been doing). I think what got me to a 36 was simply getting more involved in English class. You gotta love reading. That’s really important. Finding connections and being able to analyze why an author is doing something are <em>critical</em> for the reading section. A book that really changed the way I looked at literature is *How to Read Literature Like a Professor *- it’s not a super fun book, but definitely insightful. </p>
<p>Another thing I’d suggest is to constantly be asking yourself “so what?” when you read. Even if it’s not for the ACT. Whenever you read a news article, a short story, a poem even, ask yourself “so what?” constantly. Who cares if Johnny picked up an apple stealthily? Does the author want to show how Johnny is the kind of person who doesn’t want to get caught? Is it to show that Johnny is always hungry? etc. </p>
<p>Read and read more. It’s good that you’re only a freshman because this process isn’t an overnight solution. Do not expect it to be. I would say to chill about the ACT until you’re starting to really get in the groove of things in English class. Then see how you do. Take a practice test every other month instead of every weekend. </p>
<p>Most importantly, don’t read because you think it’ll help you on the ACT. If you think that way, you’ll expect results and be disappointed. Instead, just read for the sake of reading. Read closely and introspectively.</p>
<p>I got a 36 in reading and I even hate reading. I haven’t read a book for fun since preschool, but it is just one of the skills I have been born with. What also helped me significantly was my AP English class I took junior year. Late into my sophomore year I had a 32 in reading, but by the end of junior year I took the test in either april or june (I can’t remember which test) and got a 36. I probably gained a few of the points solely because of that class.</p>
<p>I found reading to be the easiest to improve as well. My score went from a 30 to 35 only because I picked up on a few techniques.</p>
<p>-Skim questions first then read the passages THOROUGHLY so that you remember what was actually in them, quickly marking things that remind you of the questions
-Pace yourself because some of the passages are tougher. If you don’t have time to read, skim the passage to see if any words show up in the questions, too.
-Practice using the practice book, take every reading test you can and learn to master the timing. Timing is everything.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>It’s hard to move your reading scores up (in my opinion). You have to be good at reading comprehension, so you basically just need to read a bunch.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any tips on reading faster so that I can finish the test on time? Thanks again.</p>
<p>Try different techniques such as skimming the passage or reading the questions before the passage. Reading in general outside of preparing for the test is a sure fire long term way to improve your reading speed, accuracy, and tolerance of the boring inhumane passages!</p>
<p>Like many have said, reading regularly college level texts is the best way to improve your reading ability and finish on time.</p>
<p>As for a specific strategy to give yourself a better chance of finishing on time, try the strategies at my page here:</p>
<p>[ACT</a> Reading Strategies: Tips for the ACT Reading Test »](<a href=“http://bestactprep.org/act-reading-strategies/]ACT”>http://bestactprep.org/act-reading-strategies/)</p>
<p>Specifically, do the reference questions first, then the non-reference ones, then the whole-passage ones. Mark the questions you are unsure about so you don’t spend too long on them, and then come back to them after you finish the rest.</p>
<p>But, mainly, work on reading a lot and developing your speed and comprehension. Look up speed reading (there is a technique for reading faster that involves using your finger/motion to force yourself to read at a faster pace than you are comfortable with).</p>
<p>I wish someone would have told me as a freshman the importance of reading. It’s obvious you want to get into a top college just by your ambition this early on in high school, and if that’s the case, then reading will get you far. It isn’t overrated. Not only will it get you the 36 on the ACT but it will make you much more interesting, much more knowledgable. Please read fiction, non-fiction. Get a variety. Magazines, websites, books- anything that interests you. I started with the classics and found a passion I would have liked to unearth sooner. </p>
<p>As for sole ACT advice, reading is the one section in the test where experimentation yields the greatest results. Try different methods for approaching the passage. What the prep books recommended never really fit my style, so I had to discover what fit me best. The first thing was switching the order I did the passages. 3,2,1,4. 3 and 2 were easy so i got those out of the way quickly (I stuck to a stringent 8 minute pace). 1 was the hardest for me just because there were a lot more questions about tone and voice, which I’m not terribly good at but after taking the tests you discover how the act wants you to answer those questions. I ended with 4 just because it was the easiest for me and if i spent more than 8 minutes on section 1 then I would be able to answer this passage without having to read it to much. It was also a nice transition into the science section. I would go to the conflicting scientists in the science section and treat that as my fifth passage of reading, using the same techniques.</p>
<p>I played around with many techniques, but at the end two worked the best. Keep in mind these techniques worked well for me but for you something else might work so pleasseee experiment. I would read the questions first, one by one. Without reading the passage I would try and eliminate the two answers that seemed outrageous and then guess which one was right. Then i would hunt the passage for words relating to the question and finalize my answer for that q. This method worked really well for specific questions. For big picture questions, I would have to wait until the end to read the whole passage and answer those lingering questions at the end. Another method that worked well for me was reading one paragraph at a time and then going back into the ten questions and seeing if I could answer any of them with the short part I had read. I liked this method because it kept me really focused on only a single part of the passage. It was harder to be tripped up by enticing wrong answers with this method. Play around with different techniques and good luck!</p>
<p>Timing is key! Aim for the 8 minute passages.</p>