So I just took my first practice ACT not so long ago without preparing, just to see where I was at. I felt good about it and was so excited to see my score. I was very disappointed, to say the least, when I saw I had a composite score of 28: 27 in English, 31 in Math, 28 in Reading, and 25 in Science. The Science score should be easy to bring up as I didn’t even finish that section due to a lack of sleep, but can I raise my composite score to a 31? I’m taking Princeton Review classes which I think should help, but will it be enough? And are the practice tests very similar to the real deal? Thanks.
I agree. You are overreacting to a mediocre score that you got with no preparation. With prep, you could easily bring your score up a few points.
The English section is the easiest one to bring up. By memorizing how punctuations work and proper grammar in general, you could bring the English section up to the 33 range.
The 31 in Math shows that you have a strength in this section, so to bring this score up, I suggest underlining main parts of each question (which is just an overall good test taking strategy) and taking more practice tests. After each test, figure out why you got questions wrong and also determine what other math skills you need to learn. If you are taking precalculus junior year, then you will learn a lot of skills for the ACT in that class.
The Reading and Science sections are very similar. They require you to move fast and to search for information within a complicated text. Underline main parts of the passages, which will help you retain more information, and look for key words in each question that will give you hints to where to look in the passages.
Those are a few tips that I learned when I took the ACT. If you are still struggling to raise your score, then I recommend finding a personal tutor that knows the ACT very well. That is the best way to learn the strategies to do well on the ACT.
I recently took the Princeton ACT course for the June ACT. I started with a 29 and ended up getting a 33. the class is a great help, especially if you willing to do more than they ask you to. Good luck.