Hello, I am a Junior in HS and I am preparing for the ACT and PSAT at the moment and, I bought a Real ACT practice book. On my first practice test I got a 28 on my ACT ;-(. I am working really really hard to try to get a 29-31. Do you think I could raise it that much? Or is it usually really difficult to raise it 2-3 noches? I want to go to: UNC, UF, FSU, Stanford, Duke, Wake Forest, Boston College, Penn state, Vassar, UCLA, and my dream- Stanford. I am more common sense & real world entrepreneurial smart than geometry and calculus smart. Do you think I could raise my practice ACT score from a 28 to a 29-31? Also, If I did end up getting a 28 on my ACT, would that be pretty shady for all the above listed schools? Thanks so Much for your time!
It’s too early to judge. The conditions in the place you’ve taken your FIRST test will be completely different than where you’ll be at the test center. FWIW, you have only taken one, and thus one cannot judge what score you will have at the end of your faithful preparation.
Yes, a 28 is shady for the schools above. However, you have a lot of time. Be done with your testing by the end of your junior year so you can focus on college apps. Like xiggi says, only long but methodical preparation works.
P.S. my first practice test I got a 25. My last real ACT? 31.
@BeCambridge wow! Thats amazing that you got a 31 on the actual test but only a 25 on the practice. Good for you, that gives me hope haha. Quick question: what are your tips for doing good on the ACT/ what did you do to get a 31? Thanks so much!
@mmmkkk2 I honestly don’t know, I just kept practicing and practicing. I didn’t even get to do all of the remaining real material from the ACT. My mind got used to the ACT as I kept doing more and more of it. The math questions which I got wrong started to repeat and then I’d get them right. As for English, it’s purely grammar.
The two sections which I believe are more to “skill” are Reading and Science. For reading, one has to critically and fastly read and at the same time understand the main idea and purpose of the passages. Regarding Science, it was the MOST brutal section for me. What I did was this: I kept practicing SO much for Science that I started doing corrections for EACH question (Right or Wrong). My Science score jumped from low 20s to a solid 30.
First practice test i got 29 and ended with a 34 after about two months of prep. You are fine as long as you work hard.
@camrun what did you do to prep for the ACT?
I got a 35 from practicing for a couple weeks! Math is definitely my weaker subject so in addition to taking full length practice tests I did some specific math prep. Don’t throw in the towel because your first practice test wasn’t what you expected! You can definitely improve your score with some practice!