<p>I honestly studied pretty hard with the Princeton review prep book I got and only got a composite of 25 :/ ( English:24 Math:29 Reading:21 Science:24) I literally almost started crying when I saw this. I am at the very top of my class and my GPA is over a 4.0. I need help or suggestions. I would especially want comments about Reading and English. Reading I freaked out and ran out of time. English is just idk. Math and Science I am fantastic at so im disappointed about those scores quite a bit. Anything im sure will help. Also do you recommend me to take it right away again in February? Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>PM me! I would love to help</p>
<p>You are I were once in the same boat.
I am at a high place in my class and the first time I took it I got;
C-25
E-26
M-28
R-21
S-25</p>
<p>I was absolutely devastated!</p>
<p>I retook it in March 2012 and only increased by 2 points.</p>
<p>So, what I did was I went out and bought the Red REAL ACT practice book. I read it and I did all 5 practice tests. I reviewed my answered and figured out how to approach each section. I recommend doing this, it really helps. </p>
<p>Now my new scores came out last night;
C-32
E-35
M-33
R-29
S-32</p>
<p>I swear, it works. :)</p>
<p>Okay thanks a lot! 
I was debating which practice book to get: Princeton or Real Act Practice Book and I guess I should have gotten the Real Act book! Ill let you know if it works for me!</p>
<p>Alrighty! Best of luck!!! :D</p>
<p>Get the real act test prep book since it has real practice tests. I used multiple books, and after doing some background reading on each section, I did part of a practice test each night. For example, Monday I might do a science test and Tuesday I might write an essay. The trick is to rotate what you practice so that you won’t grow rusty on a certain section. Practice every night. Make sure you only give yourself the amount of time you can take on an official test. Timing is half the battle. Good luck! I was able to raise my score by three points in about six weeks practicing like this. It was a commitment, but it worked.</p>
<p>For Reading, you can only spend about 8.5 minutes on each passage. Underline important parts of the passage and definitions as you go. Answer all of the easy questions first, then the hard ones. After about 8.5 minutes, guess on the unfinished ones and move on no matter what.</p>
<p>For English, make sure you know all of the grammar principles tested backwards and forwards. You may even get a grammar book. Once you know your grammar like a pro, only do grammar practice tests and make sure to time yourself.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>This is what I HATE about the cc. </p>
<p>You say you are top of your class and have pristine GPA. Yet you can’t manage a decent score on an ACT test which is very very similar to school tests. If you are truly a FANTASTIC math student then explain to me why you are scoring in the 77th science percentile and the 93rd math percentile. </p>
<p>You have to be honest and brute with yourself. Are you really top of your class? What does that mean? Why is that relevant in this post? Are you just bragging? Are you just a bad tester (get extremely nervous before and during)? </p>
<p>A book won’t help you at all, I’m sorry, until you figure out that. If you are posting a -8 on math or so, are you really a fantastic math student? Really?</p>
<p>Andrew, what’s the problem with his/her post?? You seem to be offended by someone’s sincere concern about their score. I know many “top students” with subpar standardized test scores, and that could be for a number of reasons. If you don’t have anything constructive to say, then simply shut it.</p>
<p>karatekid… suck a deezy andrew is right. these students know how to study the 1 chapter they are assigned per month and ace one subject test at a time. this does not make them fantastic at math and science.</p>
<p>Please if you dont have anything nice or good to say to me keep it to yourself. Dont waste you time. Thanks</p>
<p>Msabbagh:</p>
<p>Your generalizations are alarming and wholly inaccurate. </p>
<p>The ACT doesn’t test very much of anything, aside from how fast someone can answer questions. It says very little about depth of knowledge and virtually nothing about intellect. It’s a test that one masters through practice and tricks; if you think it’s anything beyond that, then you’re delusional. </p>
<p>And this is coming from somebody with a 34 on the darn test and a 36 on math…</p>
<p>I went from a 21 composite to a 31 composite. Being “fantastic” doesn’t guarantee high test scores until you get accustomed to the environment. However “good students” already have most of the knowledge required for the ACT so they only have to practice test taking skills. Unless you were lucky to actually learn to think on your feet in school rather than memorize lessons, you might need a little(LOT) more practice to get the potential of for your knowledge.</p>
<p>If on some of your practice tests you score relativity higher than on test day, in my opinion you should retake as you might have untapped potential (in regards to your knowledge) wasting away! Aka simple mistakes, concentration, etc…</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry Taytay. I think that doing well in school and doing well on standardized tests are two different things.</p>
<p>Dang, everybody is getting brutal. </p>
<p>The ACT isn’t a real test of knowledge, the REAL book even says that.
I, myself, have always excelled at math but the first time I took the test I got a 28 on math.
This time I took it and struggled with time and had to guess the last 4 math questions and guess what, I got a 33 (-4 on math).
Also consider that some of the math is going to be challenging because we haven’t seen it in so long. I take calc bc, therefore I surround myself with calculus, not double angle formula trig.
While the math is technically ‘easy’ it is still made to be challenging.</p>
<p>Get off of your high horse and be kinder if you are going to be on cc. This is a place to help others, not a place to be a jerk.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t be sad, you rounded up with a 24.5! hooray! rounding >_></p>
<p>But seriously, I wouldn’t stress. I’m assuming you’re a junior, so you definitely have time to improve. You should naturally do be better as you retake the ACT, with a better idea of what to expect + time constraints. And of course, you can also do some prep/practice. Honestly, I feel like most people’s main downfall is rushing towards the end or spending too much time on certain questions. </p>
<p>You really need to learn how to structure your timing, and then the rest will fall into place. The first time I took the ACT, I had never encountered a science section before and did not break up my time efficiently. I then had to rush through the last part of the science section and randomly guess on 5 questions. I ended up with a 31 on science. The second time I took it (december), I made sure to keep glancing at my watch after every science passage/section and to mentally time myself. Ended up with a 36 on science. </p>
<p>Theoretically, a person could be capable of 5+ point improvement on each of the sections and the composite if timing is an issue. Or a more dramatic example would be superblast’s 10 point improvement although he did prep for it (I didn’t practice). btw I’m not advocating you twitch your eyes toward your watch every 3 secs either.</p>
<p>The ACT is considered an achievement test, while the SAT is more of an aptitude test. So while the ACT isn’t testing ‘real’ knowledge, it does tend to focus more on classroom taught materials as opposed to just reasoning/critical thinking. It’s a mix. I’d say that really the only section that might require significant studying/review might be the math portion. I know that I, like fluteman, neglected to review some of the material and it cost us. I had taken calculus last year, so I was not boned up on some of the geom and trig. Point is, whether you’re bad at math or advanced, it’s worth some studying.</p>
<p>All of the sections could probably be improved just by practice. Possibly review some grammar rules if you want. But yeah, practice and prepping so that you get used to working through the material quickly. Although I’m sorta talking out of my ass, I never did any practice but I assume it’s helpful.</p>
<p>And I can understand the whole ‘top of class but got 25 on ACT?’ thing. The OP could just be a bad test taker when it comes to the SAT/ACT though. There are some valedictorians that take it once and get a 36, and other that take several times to pull a 32. Or some may get a 2200+ on SAT but a 29 on ACT. It can be random, and even though most student’s scores usually reflect their level of GPA/rank, this is not always the case. But yeah it is a bit surprising for someone at the ‘very top of the class’ to barely pull a 25 ACT. Don’t stress out too much though, it’s hardly definitive in scaling a person’s intelligence. That’s why people can pull off such massive improvements given time and practice.</p>
<p>I’m sure it’ll be a lot better next time. I never did any practice/prep so I can’t really give any advice on that. btw on the December ACT I got a 35 (35E,33M,36R,36S) in case you were wondering. Good luck</p>
<p>Jeez, my post was negatively received. Thought OP would atleast take the time to consider the questions I posed not just throw them away – if OP is a bad test-taker in general the approach should be much different than if OP is a good test-taker obviously. Instead of patronizing the OP I’m trying to actually help, an objective assessment is essential.</p>
<p>A book won’t help you become a better test-taker. And a book helps a helluva lot more with the SAT than ACT since the SAT has more tricks and rules, the ACT is more straightforward and school-based. If the material is posing a problem for the OP w/ the ACT than you need to do schooling again ( I assume that is not the problem since OP is “fantastic” and “top of the class”) Therefore, it is reasonable to inference that OP does not have the timing down. It is hard to become an efficient fast test-taker, one usually is or is not. To do well in the timing dept one has to feel comfortable going at a very accelerated pace, hard to teach that with a book…if that isn’t the thing for the OP switch to the SAT, get 2 books, and study study study.</p>
<p>Yeah I agree with andrew on some points. If you want to grind it and figure out how to improve, you can’t be padding your situation or capabilities. You need to understand if you are really as versed in the material as you think you are, or if you are actually just average or below-average. Or it could just be that you’re a bad SAT/ACT test taker or were caught off guard.</p>
<p>I don’t really agree though when andrew said that a book won’t help you. Nor would a book help you more on the SAT than the ACT. They are equally studyable (I personally think the ACT is more studyable based on what others have told me). The fact that the ACT is more school-based, with greater amounts of straightforward knowledge makes it equally if not more possible to prep for it. Like reviewing that higher level trig or grammar rules. Or you can go with the more critical reasoning/problem solving route (ACT has a mix of the aptitude structure of SAT as well), and review how to analyze reading passages or make connections with science charts/graphs. And ofc just practicing with these strategies/materials.</p>
<p>With both, you can practice how to improve your timing if need be. It’s not a black and white scenario, where a person is unable to become an efficient test taker if they’re currently taking too long. With practice, you can manage your time wisely through utilizing testing strategies and being familiar with what to expect.</p>
<p>@andrew
I like your style though. I had some posts a few days ago that were a lot like yours, direct and brutally truthful, and I got totally flamed for it. Was called arrogant, rude, had a terrible personality, etc… People sometimes misinterpret and gang up. But don’t worry bro, I got ur back</p>