The DEC ACT will be my last attempt at the ACT and some helpful advice will be much appreciated!!
I’ve struggled with reading comprehension throughout my high school year; however, I do not want to let my struggles be an excuse to slack off and give up on my future dreams. My goal for the ACT reading is a score of 32 and I currently stand at a score between 22-24. Can you guys provide a few successful ways of prepping for the ACT reading and some strategies you’ve used previously on the ACT reading test pleaseeeee??? Thanks!!!
Try this:
Spend 2-3 minutes reading the 10 questions, then read the passage and look for the answers with the 6 minutes that are left.
You must move on after 8 minutes, there may be easy question up ahead and you do not want to miss them. Easy questions count just as much as hard questions.
You do NOT have to take the test in order.
A typical student will use this order: 1.Natural Science, 2. Social Science, 3. Humanities and 4. Prose Fiction.
THEN have to read CAREFULLY and PRECISELY for 6 minutes to answer the questions.
Put a box around the word NOT or EXCEPT. When you see this, it is especially important to read all answer choices and cross out wrong answers.
You cannot INTERPRET on the reading test. This is the OPPOSITE what you have been taught to do in high school, and the questions make it look like they want your opinion on the “best” answer. They don’t!!! There is only ONE right answer based on the passage.
You CANNOT add or subtract information from what is in the passage. All that matters is what is DIRECTLY stated in the text. Examples: Just because someone is “happy” does not mean they are “excited.” If someone is “sad” they are not “depressed.”
35 minutes, 40 questions. Spend 8 minutes on a passage and with the remaining 3 minutes, look over your answers and go back to a question if you had trouble with it the first time around. Don’t get stuck on one question because you can come back to it later without wasting time.
I bring my own watch just to keep track of time on my own without relying on the proctor.
Also, do the four passages in order of difficulty. Easiest to hardest. I personally just go through them as they are written on the test.
I got a 34 in reading on the October ACT.
What I do that works best for ME is…
- Read the blurb at the top of the page to understand the context of the passage.
- Skim over the passage while underlining key words, names, places, details, ideas, etc. I might even jot down notes on the side or star something important. Do this if you’re a fast reader. I do it because I don’t want to blindly search for clues in the passage after reading the questions; this just overwhelms me.
- Answer the line questions first. It’ll say “In line 4-5…” or something like that. These are the easier questions because they give you a specific place to find your answer in the passage. These should take you a minute or less per question.
- Answer the other questions. Leave the “except” and the big picture questions to do last.
- Answering the big questions last will be easier than answering them in the beginning because by the time you get to your last couple of of questions you’ll know the passage pretty well, therefore being able to answer the big picture questions easily.
Remember: Answer every question. Guess if you absolutely have to. Every answer is in the passage. Unlike the SAT or high school english classes, you shouldn’t infer.
I like your motivation and drive. I’m sure you can surpass a 24. Good luck! 
I got a 35 in Reading section.
I have always been strong in that section.
I spend a majority of my time reading over the essay and then memorizing the general tone. I would look over the passage, and made a visual note for the subject.
So in order read…think…summarize…look at the question…as said make note of except or qualifiers.
Also, here is a great hint. Grab the Ap lang practice test for their reading section. Do that section, and get good at doing those practice tests. and then complete an ACT practice section. It really improves your ability if you can handle the Ap lang one.
I received a 23 on the September ACT reading and a 30 on the October ACT reading. All I did was take like 10 reading practices between that time.