Help! Must make act score 34

Test Preparation
1

<p>Hello everyone! </p>

<p>This is in fact my first time posting here but when I use google and ask this same question, I somehow end up here, and it is actually very helpful!</p>

<p>I do not want to be discriminating, but people who HAVE RECEIVED AN ACT SCORE BETWEEN 34-36 ONLY PLEASE REPLY!</p>

<p>Here's the case: I am applying to college this November. In the next three months - July-September, I need to prepare like MAD and HAVE TO ABSOLUTELY MUST receive an ACT score of at least 34. </p>

<p>Those of you who have succeeded, can you please give me advice, tips, and anything you did to help me achieve this in three months? I owe my life to you... lol</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>I got a 34 and all I did to prepare was read through the sparknotes guide. It was good to familiarize myself with the type of questions being asked.</p>

3

<p>thanks for some input :)</p>

4

<p>also, how did you maintain pacing and accuracy/confidence of your answers on the test as a whole?</p>

5

<p>I’ve always had a problem with checking my answers. I find that on subjects other than math, I second guess myself and change correct answers. It took years of tests to gain the confidence I needed to not second guess myself. In math, though, it’s important because there are so many little mistakes that can be made. As for pacing, take timed practice tests to find what works best for you. In my case, I skip questions that will take too long to figure out and then go back at the end. Usually that’s only a small number though.</p>

6

<p>study a little bit and dont be stupid.</p>

<p>i got a 34
34
34
33
36</p>

7

<p>You do not need a 34, you want a 34.</p>

8

<p>practice tests, practice tests, practice tests</p>

9

<p>Step 1: show up to test
Step 2: force yourself to pay attention for a few hours
Step 3: get 35!</p>

<p>I definitely agree with blahblah9393’s comment; not a single college admissions officer will look at your app and say, “well, if only this kid had gotten a 34, (s)he would’ve gotten in. Oh well!”</p>

10

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</p>

<p>Why so dismissive? I’m positive there are kids with 33’s and 32’s that can tell you a lot more about the test than someone like me.</p>

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</p>

<p>As other posters have already stated, differentiate between a want and a need. Stating that you need a 34 is just going to put added pressure on yourself as well as set yourself up for potential disappointment.</p>

<p>Anyway, could you let us know the range of your scores now? If you just need a few point boost (1-2 pts), you can probably skip the Red Book and just get barons ACT 36 (or read sparknotes guide). However, if you’re scoring in the 20’s, you may find a prep course can help you make big score jumps (5-6 points, I wouldn’t expect anything more)</p>

11

<p>I got a 34</p>

<p>34 eng
34 math
36 reading
33 science</p>

<p>I took a revolution prep practice course, but honestly the actual classes didn’t help much–just the practice tests. </p>

<p>A couple helpful hints I’ve acquired over my practice tests:</p>

<p>English: ALWAYS CHECK TO SEE if the question asked “which of these is the WORST answer”…I know this SEEMS like it’d be obvious when you see it, but it’s not. sometimes, you are moving too fast to see it. And it’s terrible when you notice that you missed a ton off it.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Read all the paragraphs. don’t just skip to the underlined portion. more often than not, it will ask you in different tenses that will only make sense if you read the passage</p></li>
<li><p>know the difference between using dashes “–”, semicolons “;”, and colons “:”
I guarantee there will be more than one question on this; often they will trip you up</p></li>
</ul>

<p>-DONT PUT A COMMA WHERE IT “SOUNDS” LIKE THERE SHOULD BE A PAUSE
They do this all the time. If it’s grammatically supposed to be there, put it. If not, don’t</p>

<ul>
<li>it’s, its, they’re, their, there. KNOW THE DIFF.</li>
</ul>

<p>Math: buy a practice book. there are some tricky questions that I honestly wouldn’t have gotten if the book didn’t lay out some classic standardized-test math questions</p>

<p>Reading: It’s all in the passage. The only tough one is the fiction/story one (the first one) because it requires inference. This comes from practice (again, practice tests!)</p>

<p>-the other ones, it’s honestly all in the passage</p>

<p>Science: much tougher than it sounds. Interpreting graphs seems easy, but you need to handle many graphs at once, comparing data, etc., and it can be frazzling when under pressure. DO PRACTICE TESTS.</p>

<p>Essay (for writing part): Include 3 concrete DIFFERENT examples. Preferably, one example is a counter-argument (i.e. “Some may think this allows blahblahblah to happen, but in actuality, blahblahblah”) you know what i mean?</p>

<p>-clear, concise, thesis. spend a couple minutes before you write to calmly write out some ideas</p>

<p>-a tip to think of three concrete ideas: think of everyone involved in the question. If the question is about homework loads in school, you think teachers, parents, students. Then think of an argument from each person’s point of view</p>

<p>Hopefully this helps. Moral of the story: practice tests!</p>

<p>Moral of the story: practice tests.</p>

12

<p>I got 34s on both of my ACTs (35, 36, 32, 31, 10; 35, 34, 32, 35, N/A). I didn’t study at all for either one. I did have a prep class that my mom signed me up for, but I missed a couple of sessions (not quite on accident) and at the ones I did attend, I mostly played with my calculator, corrected the teacher, and talked to my friends. I felt it was below my level, since I also found myself on several occasions explaining topics to the other students and doing a better job than the teacher had.</p>

<p>Clearly, I’m not a great example of a diligent, motivated student, only of an intelligent yet lazy one who might’ve been able to pull off a 35 or 36 had it not been for his tragic flaw.</p>

<p>I’d recommend checking out a prep book from the library (buying one would probably be a waste of money), working through the tests, and trying to explain to yourself why every incorrect answer you get (assuming you’re not above getting anything but a 36-P on every single one) is incorrect and why it might have distracted you enough to end up being chosen.</p>

13

<p>lol I know that it won’t be the end of the world if I don’t get a 34 and above. I just want to have the ‘34 and above’ confidence on the test, even if I score a bit lower than that. the reason I’m being over dramatic with the ‘need a 34’ is because I want to apply to some prestigious schools, and my GPA is a little bit low (not too low, just okay) so I want to give the admissions the trust that still, I am academically strong. But anyways, thank you so much for the advice. :)</p>

14

<p>What college you go to doesn’t really matter in all seriousness as long as you learn what you need.</p>