help help help ACT reading and english section

<p>okay, i need to improve my reading and English score bad...
1st ACT: composite 26, english 23, math 31, reading 23, and science 26
2nd ACT: composite 26, english 22, math 32, reading 20, and science is 30
any advice for english? and reading especially. i couldnt even finish 2/4 passages in the reading section. i would like to raise them to at least to the high twenties...
is that possible?</p>

<p>no one??? no replys???</p>

<p>also looking for help on the reading section</p>

<p>My advice for English and Reading. My English score went up to a 33 after I started texting and typing with proper grammar. My reading score went up to a 32 after I started reading books more often. As for the actual test, just practice practice practice. With reading, I skim the questions for specific things and then speed-read the passage. English is just knowing specific rules. Get an ACT book and read the English portion.</p>

<p>For reading:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>There are 4 passage types. Take several practice reading sections and get comfortable as to which types are easier, and which types are harder, then rank the passages in order easiest to hardest. For my son, he ranked them in this order: natural sciences, social studies, prose fiction and humanities. On test day, do the passages easiest to hardest.</p></li>
<li><p>I think most high schools students are not yet skilled enough to read the questions first, then the passage. I advise a good, thorough read of each passage first, then do the questions. Skip around within each set of passage questions if you are comfortable doing that, doing easiest to hardest.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Read the questions first only if you are comfortable doing it and it does not cause you to get manic during the test.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>It may be wise to do the questions within a passage first that refer to certain line numbers or paragraphs. Those questions tell you specifically where to look for the answer so you should be able to do them easier than some of the others.</p></li>
<li><p>Do tons of practice questions. Initially, do the questions un-timed, and focus on getting the right answers rather than doing everything on time. Later, move in to doing timed questions.</p></li>
<li><p>After you grade your practice tests go back over each wrong answer and try to determine why you missed it and where the answer was in the passage.</p></li>
<li><p>I read this elsewhere on this forum and it really helped my son: Remember most of the time the actual answer is plainly reflected in the passage. For almost all of the questions when you pick an answer, you should be able to cite a sentence or two from the passage that directly supports the answer you have chosen. If you cannot do that, you probably have not chosen the right answer.</p></li>
<li><p>Sometimes you can tell the likely correct answer just because the other options are worded in a nonsensical or confusing manner. Oftentimes you can eliminate 2 of the 4 answers in that manner.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>For reading:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>There are 4 passage types. Take several practice reading sections and get comfortable as to which types are easier, and which types are harder, then rank the passages in order easiest to hardest. For my son, he ranked them in this order: natural sciences, social studies, prose fiction and humanities. On test day, do the passages easiest to hardest.</p></li>
<li><p>I think most high schools students are not yet skilled enough to read the questions first, then the passage. I advise a good, thorough read of each passage first, then do the questions. Skip around within each set of passage questions if you are comfortable doing that, doing easiest to hardest.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Read the questions first only if you are comfortable doing it and it does not cause you to get manic during the test.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>It may be wise to do the questions within a passage first that refer to certain line numbers or paragraphs. Those questions tell you specifically where to look for the answer so you should be able to do them easier than some of the others.</p></li>
<li><p>Do tons of practice questions. Initially, do the questions un-timed, and focus on getting the right answers rather than doing everything on time. Later, move in to doing timed questions.</p></li>
<li><p>After you grade your practice tests go back over each wrong answer and try to determine why you missed it and where the answer was in the passage.</p></li>
<li><p>I read this elsewhere on this forum and it really helped my son: Remember most of the time the actual answer is plainly reflected in the passage. For almost all of the questions when you pick an answer, you should be able to cite a sentence or two from the passage that directly supports the answer you have chosen. If you cannot do that, you probably have not chosen the right answer.</p></li>
<li><p>Sometimes you can tell the likely correct answer just because the other options are worded in a nonsensical or confusing manner. Oftentimes you can eliminate 2 of the 4 answers in that manner.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>thank you for the advice mr keystone, i think i’ll read the passage throughly then go to the questions the next time i take it. thats what i did the first time and i tried to improve the score, so i used my friend’s advice of skimming the passage and then the questions, the second time and it didnt work out too well…haha</p>

<p>^</p>

<p>General advice in picking tips:</p>

<p>The tips that will be most useful to you are the ones coming from people who have similar, but higher scores (or who started where you are and improved).</p>

<p>i didnt just decided to do what one friend said, it was multiple. i also read alot of tip and advices online and most of them said skim passage then questions, or “do direct line reference questions then skim the rest.” i guess im just not a good skimmer…</p>

<p>I tried skimming the passage for key phrases on the first passage on the Feb. 12th test (the passage about South Boston) and I got soooo confused. I guessed on a lot of questions. I thoroughly read the other passages before doing the questions for the rest of the passages and I did much better. I even had time at the end to thoroughly read the first passage and fix some answers…I guess it’s different for every person.</p>