<p>Hi well i just got my score back from taking the ACT in February and i got a 17 again!!! I used the Princeton Review- cracking the act 2012 and my score did not go up at all and this is my first time using a prep book. Does anyone know if i should use the Barrons ACT 36?!? i really need advice badly!!!! My scores were</p>
<p>19 English
17 Math
15 Reading
16 Science</p>
<p>HELP!!!!!</p>
<p>What grade are you in? What courses have you taken in school? Seems pretty low for having studied at all. I would get the redbook and spend a lot of time reading over the rules for some of the english grammar, and practicing the math. Focus on those two because you can memorize the most in those two while science and reading takes some natural ability.</p>
<p>I am a senior in high school and i am taking basics classes in high school none of them are honors. I was thinking about buying the barron act 36 book since i pretty much mastered most of the basics in the princeton review. Do you think i should use the Barrons ACT 36 and what score did you get</p>
<p>What did you do to study? Did you take practice tests and thoroughly examine mistakes? Since you used a prep book, you may need to examine how you study rather than what you study.</p>
<p>I replied on how i did well on the other thread about my score.</p>
<p>Yeah i took practice tests on the Princeton Review, but i think the Princeton Review prep books are too easy and straightforward espeacially in the english and somewhat the science. I mostly studied reading and math, but i can not seem to ever score in the 20s in anything. Why? I really need advice</p>
<p>Maybe a tutor might motivate you better since self-studying didn’t work.</p>
<p>Do you time yourself when you are practicing on your own? If you don’t practice pacing yourself, I could see that might be a reason you do better on practices than on the actual test.</p>
<p>I know what i did wrong because most people are suggesting i use the Real ACT Book and i didnt use it at all. I only used the Princeton Review, which isnt the actual format of the test and YES i did time myself i was finishing the English with 5 minutes left to spare. Is the Real ACT prep book the right book to use actually</p>
<p>I have a copy of it. It has 5 retired ACT tests in it. It is as authentic as it gets.</p>
<p>OOOOOOOOH!!! i never knew that. So if i use other prep books to teach me strategies and use the Real ACT book to take practice tests i should do good!! What score did you get</p>
<p>@neymar11 Maybe getting a tutor to help cover the basics of each section would help you? Sometimes people do better learning when they are being taught as opposed to self studying.</p>
<p>Well actually i know most the basics of things its just i wasnt taking practice tests from the 5 Real ACT book thats what threw me off. Have you used any prep books that helped you alot</p>
<p>While I agree that the real ACT book is the most accurate, having practiced with it instead probably wouldn’t have helped you to get 30s either. Since your scores are all below 20, there’s probably an underlying problem. Are you running out of time? That’s something you can work on with practice, no matter which prep books you use. Have you reviewed what type of problems you miss most often? Once you can pinpoint the main problem, your scores should increase. The fact that you haven’t been taking advanced classes in high school is probably part of the issue. There are things you just gradually pick up over the years (like grammar rules), and most of the people who get really high scores with little prep have been taking honors/AP classes for all of high school. You’re at a disadvantage, so my advice is just to try to figure out what is not going so well on your tests! Perhaps ordering your test booklet and the answer sheet would be beneficial, so you could see what type of questions you missed most often. I wish you luck!</p>
<p>Well the Princetown Review practice tests are way too easy and i pretty much get them all right, but the thing is i was never using the Real ACT prep book becuase like you said its the most accurate and thats what i need to use and take practice tests in instead of other prep books.</p>
<p>Any other ways i could maybe increase my english score</p>
<p>Yes. Learn the difference between “its” and “it’s”. Study punctuation in more detail, too.</p>