I didn’t find any threads for the December test, so here it is.
I’m an international student, and I’ll be taking the ACT for the first time in Dec.
Any first-timers? What about internationals?
What are you guys doing for prep?
The complaints about math+science sections on the October test thread have scared me quite a bit. However, my weakest section is reading, so I think I’m focusing my prep on it.
As for the math and science sections, it seems like they are getting harder and harder. It’s somewhat stressing. Any ideas?
Some say it’s a good idea to do some prep for SAT Math Level 2 just for the sake of getting as many questions right as possible on ACT math; don’t know if that’s worth it at this point. What do you think?
Also, any tips will be appreciated!
Ok I just took the October ACT, and let me say it was NOT pretty. I think the ACT creators really really wanted to highlight the fact that using the old Redbook is not acceptable anymore. I only used the Redbook and ■■■■■■■■.com and was getting in the 30s for every section. So, essentially, I felt very prepared. I get in to the test and English was a joke, I may have gotten a 36. Then comes math. My oh my I bombed that section. I basically felt like the Redbook gave all of these math questions that I eventually trained my mind to do very well. Then on the October Test I felt like all of the problems went like 1 or 2 steps further from the Old Redbook, which made the test that much more difficult. I guessed on the last 8 (randomly bubbled) and 4 problems in the middle. Honestly, it was just awful. Reading was the same. Science was so so so so so bad. So bad.
Apart from that rant, you also asked what you should use to prepare. As stated above, I believe the creators really suggest getting the new ACT prep book, as it contains all of the new updates that have happened. Although the ACT Math has not been “changed” according to the creators, it definitely has become considerably more difficult in the past year. Hint: Study conics and hyperbolas, because although it is not stated that you need to know them, YOU DO! Also, go on ■■■■■■■■.com and PRINT OUT the past few months of tests. ONLY the ones from the NEW ACT. You do not want any of the old tests. (The new ones have the conflicting viewpoints passages). AND TIME YOURSELF WITH UTTER EFFICIENCY! Do not, DO NOT, lack on timing yourself. Every practice exam, you need to time yourself accordingly. IT is better to fail in practice than on the actual exam. And start prepping NOW. You wont be doing yourself any favors come December. I am retaking it on December, and as said above I will be using the NEW Redbook as well as a few of the NEW ACT Tests from ■■■■■■■■.com.
GOODLUCK! And if you have ANY suggestions for me in terms of math, please provide them. Honestly, I have been using “The Ultimate Guide to the ACT Math” by Richard Corn, and it seems to be a bit outdated. I usually get an exact 30 on the practice exams, which does not mean much since I used the Old Redbook exams. I really need to get in the 30s, math is just my low point.
And i do not suggest prepping using the Math Level 2. The tests are widely different and will not allow you to get a full sense of what is on the ACT Math section. They cover some similar material, but are asked in a widely different arrangement. Also, topics are much more widespread in the Math level 2.
Hello @DennisMammo ,
Thank you very much for the tips! Although I have no idea how international tests were on the October test date, I do really hope that we won’t get a terribly hard form in the upcoming test.
Seems like a good plan to practice with newest materials possible. It’ll help us a lot (hopefully).
Better luck next time!
@DennisMammo do you still think the old redbook is worth using for someone just getting into the act? I bought the old one to get a general feel before getting into the new one
While this doesn’t necessarily pertain to the December ACT in particular, I figured I’d post it here for future test takers. This is my current take on what the test looked like. This may or may not apply to future tests but it may be worth reading.
English-Pretty easy so long as you don’t overthink some rules/concepts. High 30s should be easy if you know ALL rules. For some reason I forgot the rule about name separation and decided to split the difference (half what I thought was right, half what I thought was wrong but was the next best answer). Overall I still feel like i got mid-high 30s which would correlate with my practice scores.
Math-A lot harder than any practice I’d ever taken. I would say that time management and your ability to think quickly are key for these newer tests. There were 2-3 questions I did not know how to do, so I just made my best guess and moved on. Apparently others felt that even the basic problems got more time consuming. Overall I feel like I did alright on this section, but definitely below a 34 which does not correlate with my practice scores (all 35+).
Reading-Pretty normal. I don’t think they’re changing this section as much. I usually struggle with this the most, but feel as though I did alright on the October test. Make sure to answer what is supported in the passage (the only question I think I got wrong).
Science-A lot harder than any practice I’d ever taken. Science is usually one of my stronger sections. On the two practices I’d taken before this, I scored 32 and 34. This test I literally think I got a 27-30. Be ready for this section. Obviously the common advice holds true. Stay awake! I cannot stress how important tjos is. I’m not sure if the science will be hard for the future tests, but this section demanded much more attention than the practices. Be prepared to move quickly and realize what passages you may have to skim the introduction.
Overall:Math and science seem to be getting harder. Move quickly, manage time, and be confident in your answers.
My son has taken the ACT several times. His September score was a 33 (Superscore 34), but he too felt the October test was harder than normal, especially the math. He scored a 35 on the September math section but said he ran out of time on the October test. He didn’t randomly bubble but had to make educated guesses on 3-5 bc of time restraints. He has not spent hours on studying but he did take a few practice tests from the red ACT book and I think it helped. Using a timer is imperative!! Taking the practice tests increases stamina while providing a good example of what to expect on the real test. He took 1 full test- 3 hours long- for 3 weekends before the test. For some reason, he usually scores better on the real tests (probably less distraction) so I believe the red book is worth using. There is usually one AWFUL section per ACT, though it varies from test to test, one easier section, & 2 moderate sections, but this is a generalization. I think that is why it is a little harder to raise the composite score. Time restrictions are a huge factor, especially on science and reading, and apparently math. Hope this helps! Good luck.
btw i agree with @DennisMammo about the english math and the rest harder than it should have been. I still expect high 30s on english and low 30s on math, but the rest is up to luck for me. TELL ME MORE
Yes definitely! I would say do all of the tests in there, as we have limited tests available. Then after all of that practice, use the New Redbook. My scores just came in… 35 English, 29 Math, 29 Science, 29 Reading. So the curve is definitely generous. Seems to me the tests are getting more difficult with a more generous curve. GOOD LUCK!
I’m taking the ACT for the first time in December without studying beforehand… I want to see what my raw score is and how I can improve based on that (I’ll study for my final ACT in April). I scored pretty well on the Aspire test (pre-ACT) so I’m hoping the estimated range they gave me is accurate.
Has anyone taken the ACT without studying? And how did it go? I’m getting nervous now that I might do terribly.
Thank you for your insights. The NEW Red Book has some versions of the Old Red Book. I just wish that there is an updated Black book to go along with the NEW Red Book. My S also use Mometrix Test Prep Guides. https://www.mometrix.com/ His Math score went up 5 points.
Keep in mind that on some test dates, Math and/or Science will be “easy” while on other dates “hard”. There is no set date that determines when you get easy or hard.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter. The scales adjust for the differences.
So stop worrying about how the ACT is getting harder. Just prepare for it and take a few shots at it. Chances are you’re going to have an “easy” test thrown in the mix.
For example, this past Sept, the Sci was easy, but in Oct hard.
Does anyone know if we need to know residuals for the ACT? It was in the red book but I’m in Calc AB and don’t know what residuals are AND my teacher didn’t even know it. Plus, I can’t find residuals online. Please help haha!