<p>For those of you who scored 33-36 ACT composite, how do you study for the ACT? Can you tell tips for each section including the writing. Is there any background info to know before taking the test? Any prep books/websites? How do you guys speed up on reading and science? Anything else? Thanks</p>
<p>I scored a 34 and it was my first time. I didn’t study much but I did take an ACT Reading Prep class from this company (<a href=“http://bettertestscores.net/index/”>http://bettertestscores.net/index/</a>) but they also have online classes and I found it really helpful! I also have the McGraw Hill book, but I was not very impressed by its questions/answer explanations so I wouldn’t recommend it. </p>
<p>A lot of people say not to read the science passages (only the graphs/questions), but I found myself wanting or needing to read the info to fully understand the questions. Surprisingly, science was also my best section (35) so if you are a quick reader you might want to consider at least skimming the explanations.</p>
<p>For the reading, don’t be afraid to just circle a problem and MOVE ON! Come back to it at the end of the passage and make a decision. I would also recommend using a watch and knowing when you need to move on, I think its about 8:30 a passage. </p>
<p>My school has a required ACT prep class during homeroom from now until the April test date so I’m hoping to improve to a 35-36 :)</p>
<p>Also, I would assume this is somewhat obvious but write on your test! All of my teachers say that many kids taking the test don’t circle or cross out incorrect answers and it is very hard to go back and check w/o them. </p>
<p>Oh, I just thought of another tip from the class I took. When crossing out incorrect answers, cross out the entire answer. That way, when you look at the possible answers, your brain will automatically ignore it b/c it isn’t “open” (if that makes sense). </p>
<p>I took the February 8 test as well for the first time the results were this:
Composite: 34
English: 33
Math: 32
Reading: 34
Science: 35</p>
<p>I took about 2 months of SAT prep and then a week of ACT prep. </p>
<p>Some great tips for the ACT are this:
Take practice tests and time yourself. This keeps you under pressure and lets you know how good you will do on timing in the real thing.
Scan the science reading sections before answering the questions, then look and go back. Many people say it is a science section but its really a bona fide reading comprehension and data analysis
Do not pay attention to other peoples body language around you. They could be at a different part on the section.
If you run out of time fill in the rest of the bubbles. DO NOT GUESS. Pick one letter (ie C) and fill it in all the way down.
Stay calm, and if you have prepared, be confident in yourself.</p>
<p>Source:
I am an assistant for a standardized testing tutor.</p>
<p>I took the Feb 8 test without much prep and got these scores:
English: 36
Math: 30
Reading: 35
Science: 34</p>
<p>I think the best tip that I would have for you is for the reading and English sections, just read everything you see up until the test. For example, I read the news on my phone every morning at breakfast and after each article I would try and summarize it, pick out the main idea, and determine the bias.
For math, I don’t necessarily have many suggestions for you as my score was a little low but just work on doing math under pressure, you’ll get faster eventually.
For science, do not read the passages, just scan over the charts and tables. Then read the questions and go back to the correct table, all of which are identified in the question.</p>
<p>Other general tips:
Go over your basic grammar rules (semicolons!) because sometimes the small things can trip you up.
Always keep an eye on the clock, and make sure to write down your start time if your proctor forgets to.
If a question is taking too long, skip over it. This is said a lot but realistically if it’s not complex math and it takes you more than 30 seconds, skip it and come back.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I only got a 32, but it was my first time taking it ever (33 English and Reading, 32 Math, 29 Science). I took lots of practice tests. The more exposure you have the better. I used the old tests provided by the ACT website.</p>
<p>For tips: My English teacher always told us that in the English section, the shorter the correction, the better. Given the choice between two options, one being long and one short, pick the more concise one. Oh, and make sure you know your basic comma rules.</p>
<p>Reading: I read the first and last sentences of each paragraph. You get the main idea, and everything works out well.</p>
<p>Math: LEARN ABOUT CIRCLES. Circles always pop up on the ACT and the more you know about them, the better. And a big strategy I use in math is substitution. If you’re given a weird equation involving a bunch of variables, plug in a 2 wherever an ‘a’ is and a 3 wherever a ‘b’ is. Works wonders for me and allows me to get the answers to more complex problems quicker and easier. This especially helps when dealing with the trig problems.</p>
<p>Science: Honestly, I hate science. Learn to read graphs. That’s really all I can say.</p>
<p>The ACT is really a test of reading comprehension and speed than anything else. If you are not already a fast reader, read a few fun novels (Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc) to get your speed and comprehension up. </p>
<p>For Math, make sure you are using the most powerful calculator available and download some programs on it. These can give a speed boost to formula based questions and help you avoid stupid mistakes (sign error,etc). Make sure you know about circles and trig functions. When in doubt, make a proportion and/or plug in answers.</p>
<p>For Science, the key is speed and not over-thinking it. I remember when I took the science section about 1/3 of the way through, I looked at my watch and the number of questions left. I realized that at my current pace I was not going to finish. I decided to go for a “Fast and Furious” approach, reading very fast and cursory, ignoring the graphs and going straight for the questions/answers. I did finish, although I had to work right up until the proctor called time. I actually thought about having my test cancelled because I thought I did so badly. I was like “Gee, I’d be lucky to get a 25 on that Science”.</p>
<p>A couple weeks later I got my scores back. I didn’t even want to see the science. It was a 35. Go figure.</p>