Could I improve?

Test Preparation ACT Preparation
1

<p>So I got a 31 both times I took the ACT. I didn't really do much preperation between them, so the equal scores sort of makes sense. Anyway, could I improve? Here is the breakdown:
E: 31
M: 36
R: 25
S: 31
Ess: 10
Comp: 31</p>

<p>E: 32
M: 35
R: 29
S: 28
Ess: 10
Comp: 31</p>

<p>I realize I have to improve reading, and I'm pretty sure I can get the English up to almost a perfect score with more practice. What can I do to improve the Science, English, and Reading scores? Would I be able to improve if I rented maybe the Barron's and PR from the library and went through them for the September ACT? Should I also just buy the Real Book from Barnes and Nobles?</p>

2

<p>Of course you can improve, I am an example of someone who has improved dramatically. In the beginning of Junior year I got a 26, and currently I get a 34+</p>

3

<p>NuclearPakistan, what did you do to improve? If you don’t mind me asking.</p>

4

<p>I too would like to know. That’s a huge improvement!</p>

5

<p>If you havn’t done the red book yet, get it for sure.</p>

6

<p>Well, basically I took over 20 practice tests. I know that seems like a lot at first, but it really isn’t if you look at it from a different perspective. I took 2 sections ( timed) a day, so I completed 1 test in two days. I didn’t take any breaks, so I got 20 tests completed in 40 days. ( I have no life…) Here are the books that i used in order from what I finished first, to what i am currently finishing, to what I have to finish. </p>

<p>1) Red Book
2) PR 1296
3) Barron’s 36
4) Barron’s Math and Science
5) Barron’s Reading, Writing, and English
6) Princeton Review 2009 edition
7) RB ( again, to gauge myself since these tests are most accurate)
8) Few more books…</p>

<p>Okay, so it seems like a lot, in terms of a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of blood and tears. I always wanted to get into NYU, and I only have a 90-ish GPA, so I need a really good ACT score to balance out the GPA, so that really fuels me. I usually just read some books at Barnes and Nobles. One Saturday, I went to B&N and basically read an entire book on the ACT and did some questions in another composition notebook that I brought with me. I live in a suburban/rural area, and no one really cares what you are doing at our B&N. I just buy some tea, sit down in their lounge area, and spend 2-3 hours doing problems. They just assume I am another college student, but I really just took their book off of their shelf, and did the whole thing cover to cover without paying. ( I am cheap…so what?) You really need to practice as much as you can. Personally, I only trust PR and Barron’s for the ACT. I suggest you all use my “Barnes and Noble” approach lol. </p>

<p>PS. DO NOT study at home. Work in libraries, B&N, anywhere else where you are forced to focus your mind. Their are many distractions at home. Cell phones, computers, ipods, just leave it all behind and go somewhere where you see other people studying. This forces you to concentrate in many ways. By seeing other people studying and getting better, you also feed off of their will and try to get better yourself. Your biggest enemy is yourself. I study for 2+ hours a day, and still have time to volunteer at my local hospice, play a sport, and maintain a good social life. This ACT “routine” has helped me get from a 26 to a 34+. I worked from the beginning of my Junior year, up until now. ( July 21st) I see a lot of people saying how you can’t improve any more, or you can’t get better than the score you currently have. It is all nonsense. I am proof you can score as high as your will can take you.</p>

7

<p>“34+” might be misleading, you 34-er ;)</p>

8

<p>Thank you NuclearPakistan! Which books would you readily recommend though. So which ones helped you the most?</p>

9

<p>Salve!: I really don’t know, all of the books have different opinions and pseudo “predictions” on what will come up on the ACT and what types of styles of questions you might need to know. You just take what you need, and forget the rest, and then do that cycle again. I remember in the PR 1296, the answer was ALWAYS the most succinct answer out of all the answer choices. In PR Cracking the ACT 2009 edition, the answer wasn’t always the most succinct answer…maybe only 75-80% of the time. Although, this doesn’t mean the PR 2009 was any less “accurate.” This only means that the individual test writers are forming different opinions on what students will see on the ACT. This seemed misleading at first: how could the same company have two different ideologies in two books? But I just realized that this was true for Barron’s as well. </p>

<p>Well the book that I would readily recommend would probably just be the red book, or PR 1296. Those two books are the most accurate out of any ACT books on the market.</p>

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<p>Thanks again NuclearPakistan! I will look into the ones at the library (sadly the barnes and nobles is about 30 minutes away).</p>

11

<p>^ It’s 3 hours from me, so you be thankful for what you have. ;)</p>

12

<p>haha, egbert, that’s sad :frowning: I feel bad for you.
Do any of you have parents who look at you like your crazy when you say you want to retake a 31 ACT, because mine did. Apparently to them there is no reason too, but I want to.</p>

13

<p>whats the red book?-is that the Real ACT Prep Guide made by ACT?</p>

14

<p>yes. the red book is the Real ACT Prep Guide by ACT.</p>

15

<p>Wow! I am really impressed by that jump. I need to get studying and your improvement is motivating me to do it. I currently have a 31 and I am not happy. Science and reading are my worst sections… so if I can get those up and improve a little in math I’ll be happy.</p>

16

<p>My ds took the ACT without studying and got a 30. Promised us he would study for the next one. Two-three months later, he got another 30 without studying. He took it one more time and we said that was it…either you study or you pay for the test. He studied, using the Red Book and jumped to a 33. I think he prepped for 2-3 weeks, not everyday, but most days, taking practice tests.</p>

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<p>“Wow! I am really impressed by that jump. I need to get studying and your improvement is motivating me to do it. I currently have a 31 and I am not happy. Science and reading are my worst sections… so if I can get those up and improve a little in math I’ll be happy.”</p>

<p>*** are you talking about. His composite stayed the same, and nothing much happened.</p>

<p>It’s actually one of the least significant improvements I’ve seen, if you would even consider it an improvement, that is!</p>

18

<p>^^haha, Egbert, I was thinking the same thing. My reading improved some, but my science went down. I don’t consider that very good…</p>

19

<p>^No, my composite went from 26 (sept 2008) to 34 (June 2009).</p>

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<p>to be honest, reading is luck in that you pray that they give you sections that you will find interesting because I highly doubt that anyone here cannot read, it’s simply that the passages are dry as dirt and you can’t focus to save your life</p>

<p>to evidence that…I jumped from 27 reading in sept (2008) to a 36 reading in october (2008)</p>