Hi! I took the Act fall of my freshman year and got a 27 for the composite I was wondering if any high scorers had suggestions on test prep and strategies. I did no prep before taking the ACT the first time and am currently working through the official ACT prep book and taking an ACT class. I need to improve my Math score the most as I only made a 21 on that section. Thanks!
I think you are in a good place to get your score up. A 27 in 9th grade is actually quite high for your age group. Both S19 and S20 scored a 28 unprepped as freshman and scored 36 and 35 with (significant) prep as juniors. Keep using official practice tests and really look at why you missed each incorrect answer. Definitely work with an ACT approved watch to get your timing down. Both kids prepped differently but in the end it was practice test after practice test. They both were kind of sick of it in the end but extremely happy to take it in December of junior year and then be finished with prep. Good luck!
You’re a freshman; you have tons of time before you need to take the ACT. What’s the rush?
What math are you in now? If it’s Algebra II or below, you’ll naturally improve on that section as you learn more in school. I wouldn’t waste time or money on test prep until you’re a little further along in your journey.
Knowing a couple of calculator tricks (https://education.ti.com/en/bulletinboard/2018/april/actips??utm_medium=gh_tw&utm_source=Social&utm_campaign=SeptBlog) can also help you save time and get more problems right on math.
I’m a big advocate for taking official practice tests (I think ACT releases about 6) under real-like conditions and learning from your mistakes that way. Remember, you lose just as many points through “silly mistakes” as having a lack of content knowledge, so don’t ignore those either. Keep a log of your mistakes to help avoid them in the future.
As far as timing is concerned, I recommend NOT reading the little paragraphs that come before the experimental data in the science section unless you’re absolutely sure that the answer is there. For reading, I actually found that I went faster when I slowed down and took the time to read the passages, underlining important lines. That way, I didn’t have to waste time skimming the passages several times while looking for the answers.
@mathhappy - didn’t even consider OP was still a freshman but I agree waiting makes a lot of sense.
As to why a ninth grader would take the ACT, there are many GT summer programs that are based off of SAT and/or ACT. My kids tested 6-9 for a regional GT program. They didn’t prep and test “for real” till 11th. That may be why the OP tested so early.