Hello everyone,
I am an ambitious high school student who really wants to get a 36 on the ACT. I’m willing to put the effort and time into getting a perfect score. Yes I know that a part of it is “luck”. I know that it also takes a certain level of intelligence to attain the score but I know that I can do it. I am being realistic with myself and I know what I am capable of. I know I can get the score I just need a little help getting there. So now I ask all of you, what do I have to do? I’m really looking for someone to tell me something that I don’t already know. How did you get a really good score? What did you do to in preparation. I don’t care if it’s something as unusual as doing meditation and Tai Chi. I’ve looked on countless websites, talked with numerous people. Tell me something that I don’t already know. I know that there isn’t a “magic key” to getting a 36, it just helps to hear advice. Thank you for your time.
What part of the ACT relies on “luck”?
@JustOneDad It’s the fact that at some point everyone guesses on some questions on the ACT. Sometimes those “guesses” determine the difference between a 35 and a 36. I’m not saying that the ACT relies on luck, it’s an achievement test based on all that you have learned in school. All I’m saying is that it takes hope to get a 36. Any advice on how to get that 36?
Don’t miss a question.
I seem to remember there were some flashcards, several timed practice tests and an ACT book which gave overall guidance, IIRC.
First of all, be realistic. Have you scored in the 99th percentile on other standardized tests you’ve taken throughout your scholastic career? On the PSAT?
A 36 on the ACT is in the 99.96th percentile. Have your past academic achievements made it reasonable for think you could score in that percentile on this test? Don’t forget that even a 33 on the ACT is still in the 99th percentile.
After that, the only advice I can offer is to be strategic. Since the ACT rounds up, you can score 35s on 2 of the sections and still get a 36 (provided you score 36 on the other two sections). So what’s your greatest strength? If it’s Math and Science, make sure you are regularly scoring 36 on those in the practice tests, and that will give you a little wiggle room to get 35s on the English and Reading and still score a 36 composite. Or vice versa, if Reading is your strength.
But, if you’re not already a 99th percentile kind of test taker, I would encourage you not to get your hopes up that you can suddenly become one on this test.
The ACT is a very learnable test. It essentially asks the same questions over and over again (conceptually), with a slight trend of increasing difficulty over the years. Pretty much anyone of reasonable mental quickness can practice enough to get a 34-36.
My advice to the OP is to take a lot of practice tests and work out a strategy for each section. Buy the Big Red Book; it has 5 practice tests. Those, and the practice tests in the semi-annual “preparing for the ACT” (second link) packets come directly from the ACT. They’re the only good ACT practice tests, IMO.
http://wannabe-blairwaldorf.■■■■■■■■■■/post/110405218048/act-resources
He asked about getting a 36. In 2014, I guess there were 1,407 people with enough “reasonable mental quickness” among the 1.85 Million that took the test to score a 36.
But, if you want to expand the range to include those scoring 34-36, that’s still just the top one percent of all test takers. I didn’t say it was impossible to score a 36, or even a 33, I just said it’s probably not likely for a test taker to achieve that kind of score unless he/she has shown similar acumen on previously taken standardized tests.
After making some college visits, S decided he wants to go to Michigan, Stanford or Cornell for engineering and wanted to have a good shot at it (which wouldn’t happen with a 33 and his math score) . He worked on improving his 2 lowest scores, going from 34E,31M,30R,36S to 36E,36M,35R,36S. He spent about 10 days studying 1-2 hrs per day just before the test, mostly doing practice questions in the areas where he didn’t do well.
He was astounded that he got a 36. No one expects that. He missed 3 questions in total on the test. Test date was April 2015.
A 36 is 35.5 or above, so you can get 36,36,35,35 or 36,36,36,34 too.
Get lots of sleep during the few days before the test and have a high protein breakfast.