<p>So, I had special testing for the ACT and I just got my scores back. Sadly it was a freaking 28 :( I'm pretty upset right not really because of the composite, but because only the sections that were my best (Reading and English) I did worse than on my practice test (which were in the high to mid 30s range, on the test I got a 32 in Reading and a 31 in English).Science was also awful at a 24 when on the practice tests I was at least getting a 32. Math is only one I'm not really disappointed on. I set my goal to be 25+, which I was okay with as long as the other 3 scores were in the high 30s. But that didn't happen:( </p>
<p>To be fair, I did only practice the math section super heavily and I let my arrogance that I was naturally good in the other three be my downfall. I basically went into this with barely any practice except on math because I'm not a math person. I had a bit of a problem with timing, especially on Science. I'm still super disappointed though :( I would really really like to get a score in the 31-33 mainly because I'm African-American and when I'm applying to college I want to make darn well sure I'm not resting on the "hook" of being a URM. Plus, I feel like I'm letting my parents down. I know some people say that it hard to jump from a 28 to a 31 or above, but I'm really hoping that it can be done. I'm a 4.0 student, so I know I can do better. </p>
<p>Are there any strategies that anyone could give me so that I can improve? Science is my main trouble mostly because it bores me and the language is sorta confusing. What can I do to improve? I already have the PR and the Red Book, so are there any other good books out there that will help me to my goal? Has anyone ever made this kind of improvement before? Any help and advice would be appreciated, I feel pretty cruddy right about now :(</p>
<p>Mate, take it easy. You’re better than you think you are. You need confidence, but not overconfidence. That’s something which I struggled with - either I was low on confidence which would make me do bad, or I was too confident which would make me lose focus. My sequence of ACT scores: 27, 30, 28, 32. Just practice more and more importantly, review your mistakes and learn from them. That’s all! :)</p>
<p>As for strategies, see what you’re weak in and look for patterns. That way, you could do certain sections first and others later. Personally, for the Science section, I always did the contrasting scientists’ views passage last, because it would take more of my time, whereas I did the other visual passages (with graphs and tables) first where I scored more.</p>
<p>I got a 25 on my first practice test. I took 3 real tests and scored 27, 29, and finally 31. My science score went from 23 to 27, and my reading score went from 24 to 33. </p>
<p>@IlariaCaelestis, sounds like you know exactly what’s going wrong:</p>
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<p>So why did your scores drop from your practice exam? Maybe it was a bad day. Maybe you got a little nervous. Maybe you didn’t have enough to eat. But it doesn’t really matter. The fact is you have already demonstrated that you have the ability to get the score you want, all you lack is consistency in your performance.</p>
<p>The trick to that is simple. Follow your own advice, be humble and practice all the sections. You will improve your score and your consistency. Then go in to the exam fully prepared and ace it.</p>
<p>I know how you feel… I haven’t taken the ACT Yet but i will soon. >.< and I need to be able to score 32+ so i can get in medical programs. Im a rising sophomore. Whats the best strategy/ prep book? thank you practice makes perfect :)</p>
<p>@banjoandstuff yeah you’re right, for the second time around I need to make a more structured study plan and stick to it. Maybe go to sleep much earlier and eat a little more too and try to be less nervous and more confident while still being humble. Are there any strategies that you could recommend to me? I have a lot of difficulty with science and timing because it bores me, so I get caught up in the language, get confused and run out of time. How can I deal with that? And are there good books you can recommend to me?</p>
<p>@DoctorMD I can definitely tell you wanna be in med school by your username by any chance are you a fan of House? Haha. I’m not to sure with strategies right now since I have to regroup after this first test, but I can tell you that a GREAT book to get is the Real ACT book aka the “red book”. It’s choc-a-block full of act practice tests and pretty good explanations. I’m waiting to hear back from other posters about good books so hang on and I’ll let you know.</p>
<p>@elitepwnage haha thanks mate, I’ll try and relax. Maybe I put too much pressure on myself to do super “hit it out of the park” amazing the first time and I psyched myself out idk. Do you have any other good strategies and what are some good books I can use?</p>
<p>In terms of prep the day before, I’d treat it like an important race. Get plenty of sleep, eat good, and relax. Don’t try to study the night before just like you wouldn’t do a bunch of running the night before a marathon.</p>
<p>In terms of nerves, own it. You are going to be amped up. You can call it nervousness and try to fight it, or call it excitement and realize that all of that adrenaline is your bodies way of preparing you to give 100%. Force yourself to put on a big smile and ride the feeling.</p>
<p>In terms of science, I totally understand what you mean. Boredom is killer and it will turn your mind to mush. I think you gotta to try to break that feeling. Take it slow, just one section at a time, don’t let yourself get burned out. Try to learn how to make it interesting to yourself. For example, I’ve never learned needle point and it sounds kind of boring right now. But if I wanted to I could find it interesting. I can imagine how there are all sorts of interesting needlepoint tricks, things that can go wrong, small tools, and a history which makes a fascinating story. The same is true for science, it can be interesting if you make it come alive in your minds eye. But if you hold strong to the belief that it can only be boring then you will never discover the beautiful side of it.</p>
practice makes perfect :)</p>