Hi guys, this is my first time on College Confidential.
I took a diagnostic ACT from the Real ACT Prep book a while back and got a composite 30.
35 on math, 25 on English, 27 on Reading, and 31 on Science.
At that point I was quite disappointed because I’m aiming for top schools and BS/MD programs and I knew a 30 was nowhere near enough especially since I’m Asian. Will need much more competitive scores.
After that I purchased Green Test Prep online and have been going through the program and am on page 9 of 46. I also purchased the Princeton Book, Kaplan, and the Red book with 5 act tests. The Princeton and Kaplan book are utter trash in my opinion but the Red book is fantastic.
Looking through PrepScholar, I also purchased the Black Book, For the Love of ACT Science, and the 2 Erica Meltzer books for Reading and English.
I want to get a perfect 36. I will study these books thoroughly but do you guys know any other programs that will help me?
i’ve heard of ScoreBeyond private tutoring that uses an App or program to constantly give you questions that you struggle on but does anyone know how accurate that is and how closely it reflects the real test? Also is the app good? How is the tutoring?
Are there any tutoring programs you’ll recommend better than ScoreBeyond?
I will first study these books and Green Test Prep and see how far I go but I also want to know if there are any other books/resources/tutors I can utilize.
Please any help will be appreciated.
The most recent time I took the ACT my composite score was a 32. 35 on math, 29 English, 32 Reading, and 30 Science.
In my opinion, it seems like you have a lot of good prep material already. I would shift the focus from buying more books to working through the ones you already have. It seems like your current possessions are enough to accomplish what you want. You just need to spend a lot of time studying.
Also, a 36 isn’t especially helpful for college admissions. A 34+ will get you where you want to go, as long as you don’t have any glaringly low individual subject scores.
I got a 36 first try on the ACT (36 R 35 M 36 E 36 S). If you want a 36 you have to aim for perfect in each section, but if you slip up a bit, you’re still ok because 35.5 and up is rounded to a 36 C. That means you could get a 34, 36, 36, 36 or a 35, 35, 36, 36, or a 35, 36, 36, 36 or finally a 36, 36, 36, 36.
I used the 5 free official practice tests you can find online to study and my first practice test and first time seeing the ACT ever (I think I read about the format a little, don’t remember) I got a 34. What I did to review is look at every question I got wrong and write down in a notebook the question and why I got it wrong. This helped me review so I wouldn’t make the same mistake over an over (I think this was prepscholar’s suggestion actually). I did this for the next 4 practice tests I took and I got another 34, then a 35, then another 35, then a 36. Then I got a 36 on the actual test.
Since you’re at a 32 right now, I would focus on getting up to a 34 first (99th percentile, and won’t keep you out of any college ever), then if you want to, try for a 36 (really not necessary though). Your lowest score is in English, which is actually pretty easy to improve, you just need to spend some time learning the grammar rules you don’t know.
Thank you Studious and Snowfairy!
@Studious99 I agree I wanted to just get all the necessary books so I have all the resources required when I finally find the motivation to dig hard at the ACT. For direct BS/MD programs, like the HPME at Northwestern, the average ACT is like a 35 so obviously it’s very difficult to be competitive. One thing I’ve learned is never be below the average line or else your application is viewed with a different perspective. So I’d need a 36 to be seen above average here.
@snowfairy137 That’s really amazing! All you used were the actual practice tests and you were able to drill down your mistakes. I will use the practice tests available in the book and drill down on my mistakes. Hopefully I can get a 36 like you did.
Any other material/advice for a 36? Prep programs?
What helped me was studying the style of the science section questions using the ACT prep program offered when you register for an exam, but that was free for me. I would definitely recommend snowfairy’s method as an alternative. Also practice timing, and keeping calm when you’re running out of time. 