Don't Give Up

Test Preparation ACT Preparation
1

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>Well after I got my September ACT scores back I'm now done taking the ACT. I just want to tell everyone that you can get the scores you want.
Back in the beginning of junior year I took both the PSAT and the Plan. On the plan I got a 179, definitely not what I wanted but when I got my Plan score back my PSAT looked godly... I got a 19 on my Plan. Of course I didn't think that I would take the ACT, so I studied and was tutored for the February SAT. I took the test and came out thinking "Yea baby 2200 and I'm never testing again." Well 1 month later I check my scores and see that I got a 1820. At this point in life I'm dead inside. What am I going to do with my life? I guess Community College isn't that bad, is it?</p>

<p>Well, I made a vow to myself to never go near that SAT again after getting ripped on my first try. So I decided you know what, all my friends are taking the ACT, I should give it a try. Well I didn't study near as much as I did for the SAT for my ACT but I went in praying that I could get a 30 (at the time, my friends and I believed a 30 was a golden ticket into Harvard). </p>

<p>I waited and waited for the scores, continuously posting on this site, and trying to figure out how bad I did. The night before, my pessimistic parents, of course, told me that I probably didn't get a 30 and told me that life goes on. Yup, that’s my parents, when it comes to school, lets just say they're not to optimistic. However, that night I waited up 1 a.m. desperately waiting for my scores. Finally it came down to me clicking on the "view scores" button and I couldn't believe what was in front of me... A 30. At this stage of the game I'm twitching more than a fat kid around chocolate. I'm screaming "THIRTYYYYYY" more than this kid screams "Nintendo 64444444" YouTube</a> - Nintendo Sixty-FOOOOOOOOOOUR . </p>

<p>That night I go to bed one of the happiest kids out there. However, I soon realized that a 30 wasn't going to cut it. One of my good friends, CCuser, was shooting for the stars when it came to the ACT and his persistence rubbed off on me. I always wanted a 33 but I never thought it was possible. But I decided I was going to do it. I might not be the smartest kid out there but a 33, this was like salvation.</p>

<p>So for the next month I did work, literally. I had the 170$ tutor twice a week. I studied at least 1 hour a day and did 2 practice tests a week. I was consistently scoring 32-33 on my practice tests so I became cocky. I went into the June test with the "I've gotten a 33 before and I can do it again. During the test the proctor doesn’t even let me use my stopwatch or write the times down. After the test I was even cockier than when I took the SAT. I'm thinking "mehhh a 33, I'm probably going to get a 35". Finally the night comes and I'm in an online chat with all my friends (remember the scores come out during the summer). Were all in the chat talking about how we got 36's and the scores finally come out. 10 minutes later my computer screen is broken, my foot is bleeding from kicking the wall, and my wallet is dry from paying 170$ p/h for a tutor. I got a 31. At this stage I'm having a freak-out that puts this to shame: YouTube</a> - Greatest freak out ever (ORIGINAL VIDEO) . And to top it all off, my good friend CCuser increases his score from a 33 to a 35. He put the knife in and twisted it.</p>

<p>Now, I know that I can't take the test again to September and I'm thinking that I shouldn't even take the test again. However, people on this site told me to not give up and go for it again. I'd gotten a 33 before and I could get it again. So I of course wasted the summer away without studying till the 2 weeks when I went on vacation to the BVI. I was going into the last test with a laid back attitude. On all other tests I'd taken I never was relaxed. I went in thinking about others around me and being very nervous. However, for this test I went in with a positive attitude (very much not like me). After the test I barley came onto CC trying to figure out my score. I figured I got a 31 again and was satisfied. I gave it my all and was willing to accept whatever I got. The 2 week wait for my scores went by very quick because I was distracted by school and Halo Reach (yes I'm a nerd). The night of the test I decided I wasn't even going to stay up. I watched the Jets vs Dolphins game (Man come on Henne you've played much better than that) and the new episode of Desperate Housewives (yea I know this is sad, but it's a good show.. trust me). I went to bed and of course ran down to the computer the minute I woke up. I checked my friends score first just to see how he did then looked at mine. </p>

<p>The feeling I experienced after I saw that 33 on the screen is un-explainable. I honestly almost had a heart attack. I ran up the stairs screaming and my mom thought the house was burning down (of course she didn't think I got the 33 again...). To say I'm happy is a blatant understatement. I honestly was going crazier than this kid: YouTube</a> - Excited Pokemon Kid . I had been waiting for this score since I started this whole test taking ordeal. I honestly never thought it was possible and neither did my friends or parents. Against all doubt I got the score. </p>

<p>The moral of my story is this. I shouldn't of gotten the 33. My PLAN predicted me to get a 24 ACT and my PSAT predicted I would get a 1790. Honestly I never thought it was possible and neither did anyone around me. What I'm trying to say is, you can do it. If you put your mind to it and you actually do the work you will get the score you deserve. I honestly have studied over 150 hours preparing for this test over the past year and it has finally paid off. If you think your "bad at standardized tests" don't. You just haven't put enough work into studying. And a last word of advice. TUTORS DON'T WORK!!!! I spent a lot of money on the best tutor I could find. Honestly all the tutor did was make me work. Until I got my 31 I had to have someone else push me to study. Your future is in your own hands and if your willing to work you will reap the rewards.</p>

<p>YouTube</a> - Don't Stop Believing Journey lyrics</p>

<p>P.S. If you guys haven't noticed, I have some what of a tongue and cheek attitude in this story. I really enjoy writing when I can write whatever I want and I absolutely love to exaggerate when I write. But the last paragraph is true. If you work for something you will get it. If you’re in the failures club on here leave it. I've been in it for the past year and it feels horrible. Your only a failure if you sike yourself to believe so.</p>

2

<p>First of all, congratz on achieving your goal dude, that’s awesome :)</p>

<p>I agree 100% with this post. The key to improving your score on the ACT is you simply need to force yourself to study. The first time I took the ACT, I went in with minimal studying and got a 28. I wasn’t happy with this score because I wanted a 30+ and also because my twin brother got a 33. The next time I took it, I studied a little bit in the days leading up to the test and ended up getting a 31. Still not good enough because I wanted to compete for the highest scholarships at Ohio State University, which require a 32+ ACT and top 3% of your graduating class. So this June, I took the ACT for third and final time. This time I studied more than I did the previous two times, and like you, I came in feeling more laid back and much less nervous. On Monday, I stayed up till 1AM to see my score and what did I get? A 35! Never in my wildest dreams did I expect I could get a 35 on the ACT, but through studying, I did. I try to tell my friends that all they need to do is study, but they never listen :/</p>

<p>So basically, 28–>31–>35 in less than a year simply because I was willing to study a bit. For anybody looking to improve their score, trust me if you just put a little time towards studying, your score will increase.</p>

3

<p>Thanks guys for posting! I read them both! Can I ask…when you say you “studied” what did you study? Which books did you use? Did you just keep doing old tests? Like if English is your downfall, what would you suggest? Just keep going over the books? Which ones? Barrons? Princeton Review? Which ones worked for you? When you did practice tests did you always time yourself?
Any input would be very much appreciated!
Both your stories are great! Congrats!</p>

4

<p>I also have a similar story. I started off taking the ACT in the beginning of junior about a year ago. I got a 26 :frowning: , I felt like an idiot, and it was depressing. Well I took it again at the end of junior year and got a 28. Once again, I was upset. I felt like I was better than these scores. Anyways I really studied a ton for SAT and got a score that I was very content with. But just for kicks I decided to give the ACT another shot, thinking I had nothing to lose, this September. Well I got a 32! Now I never really ever studied for the ACT, only the SAT. I studied for the SAT a ton, probably over 100 hours. And well anyways its kind of ironic that now my best score happens to be on the ACT. I think that the skills I learned from studying for the SAT just transferred over to the ACT. Anyways the moral of the story is, you can increase your score! No matter how poorly you felt you did previously, just get that score out of mind and keep working. 26->28->32!</p>

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<p>Taking the ACTs four times will definitely lower the benefit of your 33; was all that work really worth a ~1 point increase?</p>

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<p>^What evidence is there that taking the test four times will look poorly especially with an increase in score and even the option of using score choice?</p>

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<p>Congratulations UVA!
I agree that improvement is definitely possible if you’re willing to put in the work. I got a 22 on my PLAN freshman year and now I have a 35 ACT. Granted the time between freshman and senior year probably played a significant part in increasing my score but I worked really hard and I truly believe my ACT score is the result of that effort. </p>

<p>I would also agree tutors are ineffective for the most part. My friends who studied on their own had just as much improvement and sometimes even more improvement than my friends who paid $2000 for a tutor. If you’re motivated enough to be on this site, I would bet you can do it yourself.</p>

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<p>Anyone want to jump in and tell me what books helped them the most? :)</p>

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<p>I used the Red Book and 1296 by the Princeton Review. I think 1296 is a little harder than the real thing but both of those review books were incredibly helpful.</p>

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<p>Great! Thanks for your response EastofEden…I appreciate your input and feedback…hopefully it will help me too!
UVAorBust or Browinez? How about you guys did you use the same?</p>

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<p>^I actually used 1296 and the Red Book like East of Eden did. I also agree that the 1296 is a bit harder than the real thing. I found that some of the English questions were a bit unfair and the math was more time consuming than the real ACT math, however, it has a lot of practice tests, so it’s a great resource.</p>

<p>I also agree with UVA and others that tutors are not worth it. Imo tutors are for people who can’t motivate themselves to study and prep.</p>

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<p>@UVAorBust,
“I checked my friends score first just to see how he did then looked at mine.”</p>

<p>Thanks . . . dick</p>

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<p>Great. Thanks Browniez. I will get them both. I heard from a friend that his brother used 1296 and that there were some mistakes in the book. He was bugged by that. Did you find that? Other than that I have heard good things about Princeton Review for other things too like AP tests.</p>

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<p>I’d argue that tutors are definitely not a waste of money; on the contrary, they are most effective for people who are looking for top scores. Most good tutors have an abundance of practice tests and have worked with hundreds of kids in the past. The worst part about them is the cost, as the ones in my area are around $150 dollars an hour. </p>

<p>And PR’s 1296 book is generally understood as being a little easier than the actual test, not the other way around.</p>

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<p>^^Yes, occasionally it listed wrong answers in the answer sections, but it’s not that big of a deal.</p>

<p>^I guess it depends on the person, billabongboy. Personally, I think it makes more sense to go out and buy some prep books (new or used) and then just take practice tests yourself rather than paying $150 an hour for a tutor. I guess for people who have are willing to spend a lot of money though, tutors could be a tangible route.</p>

<p>As for the Princeton Review 1296 questions, honestly I found it to be harder than the real ACT. In the days leading up to the September test on which I scored the 35, I was getting 32’s and 31’s in 1296’s English sections, 28-30’s in their math sections, and 26-30’s in their science section (didn’t bother with reading practice tests because it is my strongest subject). When I actually took the ACT, I got a 35 on English, a 31 on math, and a 36 on science (36 reading if it matters at all). Some of this can be attributed to luck, but I personally found 1296 questions to be a decent amount harder. Once again, I guess it depends on the person though.</p>

<p>Edit: Also on my first post in this thread (post #2) I said that I scored a 35 on the June test, I meant September, sorry. It won’t let me edit that post anymore though.</p>

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<p>Hey UVA, congrats on your success man!</p>

<p>ive been seeing your posts since like june </p>

<p>i also have a similar story that I have posted!</p>

<p>long story short: I took it 5 times, never gave up, and got a 32 from a 27.</p>

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<p>ROFL, are you my friend TJC, :slight_smile: you had more ridding on it than I did. Gotta check yo out</p>

18

<p>Alright look I’ll be frank: at this stage of the game, we could be friggen enemies. You two-timing, tag-teaming, potbelly, good for nothing, worthless, secretive, gum on the bottom of my show, helpless, plebeian, sap of a man. Let’s just say, consider yourself lucky if I don’t give you the beating you’ve long, LONG, deserved.</p>

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<p>If a mod deletes this thread because it has a youtube link, I will laugh</p>

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<p>I would give you the beating you long long deserved, but the ACT score you just got did that for me. OUCHHHHHHHHHH, like toast thats been left in the toaster to long, you’ve just been burnt. Tommy, seriously, you need to do work on the next ACT. QUIT TRACK, and go to the library from 4-5 every night. It will pay off and you will get a 30 and you will go to Emory and you will throw the acceptance in my face. You low life, dirt eating, whoresome insolent noisemaker, plebious, track loving, Carney sucking, dirtbagging, sly dogging, secret keeping, Scranton applying, scoundral.</p>

<p>And ***, “potbelly” lol that is actually a really good one.</p>