I’m planning to study for the ACT to boost my score from a 30 to a 34 or 35.
Current score (based on the two tests I’ve taken):
E: 30, 29
M: 35, 36
R: 23, 23
S: 31, 33
W: 24, 22
Materials: Several released ACT practice tests; Red Book; ACT Online Prep; Barron’s ACT 36 (Have studied this, but it’s always nice to revisit the materials); Princeton 1460; Kaplan Premium
How should I organize my summer to most effectively prepare for the ACT in Sept. before my college application starts? Please help!
*Also, I’ve been using several of the official practice tests, but my score isn’t improving (as you can see, duh). Is there something wrong with the way I prepare for standardized testing - I just study, then do practice, correct them, and repeat?
The key is whether you are internalizing your mistakes and fully understanding what went wrong. The best option might be to hire a good tutor locally and see if they can target your areas of weakness and address them. Also, stick with official ACT sources, the rest are not worth your valuable time.
I advise using the ACT Black Book. I used it with the Red Book and Barron’s ACT 36 and was very pleased. (I’m not being paid or anything to say this. (: The black book is just really straightforward and I think it really helped me.) The author talks about the underlying structure of the test and how every question is based on predictable premises. He says that understanding the questions and practicing dealing with them with that mindset are key.
What year are you in high school? If you’re a junior you only have like one or two more shots at this thing, so there would just be more weighing on good prep.
Re: study plan, if I were you, I would first read the first part of the Black Book. You could take the ACT this June just to see how the author’s strategies play out if you wanted. Then over the summer I would spend 3-4 weeks each on the reading and English sections and maybe 1-2 weeks on the science section, spending perhaps 1-2 hours every few days practicing and getting a better understanding of the questions/skills. For each section, I would do a few timed sections. Then I would tackle the writing section. Be aware the ACT modified it so now you have to evaluate other people’s perspectives. I’m not sure how to exactly handle prep for this, but I would at least break apart the ACT sample essay answers and practice writing my own essay, getting down how I should structure my easy, and figuring out how I’ll handle the prompt on test day. The month before the test I would spend about a week reviewing each section, including math, and finally do one or a few full practice tests to see how you do when the sections are put together.
And one tip: I think it helps to develop a really good sense of the flow of writing and a really inherent sense of grammar. I don’t really know how to explain it, but it provides a really good base for ACT Reading and English and even probably the Writing part. I think you develop it through just reading–business articles, fiction, whatever is fun (and and just not like blogs or anything). The author of the Black Book would probably disagree with me, so no stress if it doesn’t sound like you.