I currently have a 22 ACT score and I would really like a 26. I have studied extremely hard, meaning practice tests every week, reviewing my answers, mini tests during the week, and I’m taking an act prep course, and my scores aren’t budging! I can’t figure out how to improve my score… I have heard of the score plateau, but I simply haven’t moved my scores at all after 2 months of significant preparation.
ACT Red Book is key
@edwards020 It sounds like you’re doing a great job with preparation. The most important parts are that you care and that you’re trying. Here are a few things that should make your score move upward:
- Identify English and math concepts that you're consistently getting incorrect and make a list of them.
- Review English grammar/punctuation rules every day for 15+ minutes.
- Review math concepts that you struggle on every day for 15+ minutes.
- Learn how to speed read or at least read a bit faster
- Redo every question you've ever missed on previous practice exams a week or two before your test so you're reminded of what you've done wrong in the past and what you've learned from it.
- Get to know the dozens of quirks of the ACT exam. For example, the ACT loves to test repetition on the English section.
- Prep courses are notorious for only increasing students' scores an average of 1 point. If you can get a partial refund and stop taking that class, I would invest the money elsewhere.
- Read some stellar test prep books and re-vamp your strategies.
- Learn the question types so you can identify them before you even begin to solve the question (this is thinking like a test-maker or a tutor and can be extremely powerful).
- Get a tutor with a great reputation and proven results (average 4+ point increase and/or minimum 3 point increase).
I hope this helps!
-Jon