<p>I'm a senior. I'm going to graduate at the end of this May. I feel like I shouldn't have to justify why I set such an objective, but I will anyways because someone is inevitably going to point out how absurd I am. Without disagreeing, I'll lay down some facts. As a freshman undergraduate applicant, your chances of getting into certain schools increases at an exponential rate with the increase of score. I'm going to assume the same applies to transfer applicants. Finally, I want to just because I think I can.</p>
<p>So why am I here? Because I need your help. All the prep books seemed designed for individuals who have scores under the threshold I stand at. I'm looking for an alternative to my current plan of brute-force study (drill drill drill). </p>
<p>I've taken the ACT 3 times (32,33,34) respectively. As a Sophomore, I scored a 24 on the PLAN. I have not taken any special courses or even done much practice; the improvements are a product of increased familiarity with the test. As such, I feel I have potential for further improvements. Here are my score ranges:</p>
<p>English: 33-34
Math: 35-36
Reading: 27-35
Science: 27-35
Essay: 7 - 9
Superscore: 35</p>
<p>Weaknesses:
- ADD. I refuse to ask for extra time. I believe my condition is the main cause of the variant reading/science sections. I begin to loose focus towards the end of the test. In comparison, my SAT scores are highly variant in ALL sections because the sections are mixed. </p>
<ul>
<li><p>The rhetoric section of English. I've always scored 18 on the other section but cannot seem to score above 16 in rhetoric. My most common mistakes are in sentence placement. </p></li>
<li><p>Highly variant science section. On two of the tests I took, there was a single section one each which I could not comprehend properly in the time given. </p></li>
<li><p>Timing in the reading section. I NEVER have time to check my answers or review the "iffies", and I occasionally run out of time to properly read the final passage. My strategy has always been: Quick (but detailed) read of passage, read question, and quickly jump to relevant section of passage to find answer. </p></li>
<li><p>Math: I usually make my mistake in the pre-algebra or geometry section. On rare occasions, a difficult questions hinders my ability to finish checking my answers. </p></li>
<li><p>Essay. I spend about 25% of my time on the thesis. I follow a generic rubric - introduction, 3 body paragraphs with 2-3 examples, and a half-assed conclusion. The length has been between 1.75-2.5 pages. My target score is a solid 10. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>You need to realize that most of it has to do with luck. People have scored 34 multiple times in a row; it just has to be a test written for your strengths.</p>
<p>If you’re already practicing a lot, there’s not much else you can do.</p>
<p>Well the thing is, I haven’t ever practiced much.</p>
<p>I moved from 32-34 which is what I consider a notable difference. I think that studying would possibly extend this upper boundary even further. My current plan of action is to take as many practice tests as possible and proceed from there. I’m just wondering if there’s any kind of studying method I can use that is more tailored to my personal attributes (and shortfalls).</p>
<p>Excessive compulsive much. Why don’t you spend your time more wisely on something like helping Habitat for Humanity build a house or something. You would get more out of that in terms of learning.</p>
<p>Same reason why you’re here, presumably to increase your chances of attaining academic goals. Either that, or you’re just wasting your own time reading these threads, and nothing more than a hypocrite. </p>
<p>Granted, I’m not here to learn. Granted, I may have spare time on my hands. Regardless, I’m here to game a very flawed system. It’s statistically evident that an increase in score (especially at this percentile) makes drastic differences in college admissions. Oh, and rest assured, I have plenty of extracurricular activities planned for my summer.</p>
<p>If you’re here to game the system take extra time.</p>
<p>I’m not interested in extra time.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t get it. You want to find tricky ways to increase your scores that don’t require actual knowledge but you won’t do the thing that is actually enabled by the ACT and get extra time because of ADD. You’re here to game the system and life is handing you a sh it ton of lemons but you want to find a different way to get a better score? Why wouldn’t you be interested in extra time?</p>
<p>If you want to raise to a 36, you’ll just have to be perfect. It sounds obvious, but there is really no way around it. You’ll have to get close to everything right. You have your weaknesses listed there, so find ways to improve those. It looks like a lot of them deal with timing, which is understandable. I ran out of time when I took the test, but scored a 30 nonetheless. So timing is tricky, but not ultimately detrimental to a good score. You’re trying for a 36 though, so timing is everything. Continue working under strict time conditions. Other than that, I noticed you have math down as a weakness. Go back and learn everything you can about basic geometry and pre-algebra. I hope this helps somewhat.</p>
<p>A diagonosis of ADD does not guarantee extra time. You have to go through the guidance counselors and among other reasons, I will not involve other people for this rather selfish goal. I’m here to game them, not my school or my pyschiatrist. </p>
<p>Mistakes are only partially avoidable. But the ACT does give you room of 2-4 mistakes to achieve perfect score. I’m looking to prevent avoidable errors.</p>
<p>English is very hard to get to a 36 on, you might end up with a 35 though. Your Math looks good, just make sure you can get a 36 on it (this could make the difference between a 35 and 36 composite). For Reading and Science, you must work on getting to the higher end of those incredibly wide ranges you gave. Since you don’t have much time, try to take as many practice tests as possible. A specific strategy for Reading is to read the question while not looking at the answers, go back and find your answer in the passage and then compare to the given answer choices. Science (in my experience) only comes with practice.</p>