<p>Hey guys I have been having problems with the ACT. I am a straight A student with a 4.825. I take all AP classes, and I study really hard. My only problem is the ACT. On the past ACT I took I scored a 22 and I actual studied ( 24E 24M 17R 23S) I have the determination to at the VERY least get a 28. My toughest section is the reading, but can I get any tips to increase my score on all the sections? I bought a new book called Cracking the ACT 2014 as a supplement.</p>
<p>The same trouble here. I take school seriously but I freak out when it comes tot he ACT.<br>
I also have a question to ask you. You said that you take a lot of AP classes and I’m taking AP Language and Composition at the moment and I was wondering if you took the exam for it. I’m really scared of the test and I hope you would share some tips that would help me out. </p>
<p>And just wondering: Is it hard taking all those AP classes, I mean EIGHT!!! That’s really good! My school, unfortunately, only offers AP Lang because none of the other teachers offer to teach AP. But I’m planning to do it online, so I need to know if it’s really hard or not.</p>
<p>Oh by the way, I found this thread and I thought it might help you. :)</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/1366356-how-i-got-22-34-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/1366356-how-i-got-22-34-a.html</a></p>
<p>When do you plan on taking it again? Just out of curiosity, because some of the tips I have may take a couple months. But anyway…
The first thing I note about this is your determination. I’m just going to start right off and say that I think you absolutely can raise your score.
English–Make sure you know the grammar rules. I know it sounds basic, but I haven’t taken English Grammar since 8th grade, so I did a bit of review just to make sure I knew everything, i.e. the noun modifying verbs, pronouns, colons/semicolons, etc. Also, remember that usually the best form of writing involves packing as much punch in as few words as possible. The ACT loves having shorter answers. Don’t be wordy or over-think it. The simpler the better, as long as it makes sense. (I know the grammar rules thing seems a bit obvious and elementary, but I ended up with a 35 in this section, and only because I knew the rules. I definitely recommend doing that, even if you think you already know them.)
Math–oh my goodness. I ended up with a 24 too, because I took my own sweet time and then was only halfway through with 10 minutes left. I don’t know if that’s your problem, because personally I really need to work on that. If it’s just the concepts, use the Real ACT book if you’re not already. They have this really cool scoring thing that shows which questions you got wrong were from which sub-section (algebra, plane geometry, etc). I use Khan Academy as a good source for reviewing material. A lot of people seem to have problem with the trig section, which is actually my best part. So if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to message me. Or, I mean, anything. Where I live there’s 2 feet of snow and negative temperatures, and school is canceled for the rest of the week. I’m doing nothing, haha 
Reading–I may not be the most help for this, because I enjoy reading (and this section…I’ll go hide in my corner). In all seriousness, you should read a lot. Like, Wall Street Journal and your parent’s old college textbooks and classic books. The stuff on here is college-level, so you want to get used to comprehending it. Also, learn to speed-read. With good comprehension, of course. But there are lots of tests online that will tell you your current speed, and help you to get to a higher rate. Last month I was at 700 wpm with 75% comprehension. With a bit of practice, I rose to 1000 wpm with 90% comp. When you’ve got so little time, every little bit counts. (I truly don’t know if you read fast or not, but I’m a nerd and read so. freaking. much. so don’t feel down on yourself if you’re at like 300 wpm or whatever. ) When you read the paragraph, make sure you not the tone–is it friendly, casual, formal? Is the narrator scared, hopeful, unsure? What’s the main idea? What is the narrator telling you, what is the big idea information in the social studies, etc. sections? The last thing–this will sound weird–but pretend to enjoy the passages. I don’t mind the section as a whole, but I usually hate a couple of the passages. So what I do is I tell myself “I’m so interested in this passage about the intricate mating calls of sloths, hrm, hrm, indeed, quite.” Just try to get yourself in the mindset of really being interested in what the passage has to say because hey, sometimes it is interesting! If you enjoy it, you’ll retain the material faster, even if you have to trick yourself into it. I know this sounds super strange, but I got a 34 so it worked for me…can’t hurt to try!
Science–basically people either love this section or hate it. You have to be fast, though. Be sure that you’re not reading the graphs/experiments but just skipping to the questions. I didn’t need to read them at all, but just look at the questions and find the corresponding charts. Also, point your finger at the charts and graphs and everything. It avoids stupid mistakes and helps focus you. For the scientists’ opinions, you’re obviously going to need to read it. What I do is skim, underline what may be important, and get the main idea of what the scientist is saying. Then I’ll answer the questions and refer to the paragraphs as needed. Remember everything you need is right in front of you. Same with the reading section.
Also, one VERY IMPORTANT tip that saves a lot of time–don’t bubble in every question after you answer it! It saves a lot of time to not do that. I was unsure at first, but then I tried it, and it works. Instead, circle the answers and bubble them in later. So for English and Math, do the left/right pages, circle the answer in the test booklet, and bubble them in after the two pages. For reading/science, do it after every passage. That way, you don’t lose focus, either!
I hope this helps! By the way, I hope I don’t come off as condescending or arrogant. Sometimes my friends say I do, and I don’t mean to at all, but with Asperger’s I don’t really notice if I come off as rude. I really do want to help, so I hope I don’t seem like that! Also, feel absolutely free to message me with any questions, or just reply to this if you ever have any. I quite enjoy it, and it helps me to study too! Don’t be shy! :)</p>
<p>^Oh goodness, I didn’t realise how long that is. Sorry!</p>
<p>@unansweredwishes for the AP lang exam just PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Get cliffs AP lang as a supplement. Also it isn’t very difficult as long as you stay ahead of the game. For all my APs I usually study 3 hours a day overall. I am always ahead on assignment. You should try to do the same, it really helps.</p>
<p>@GB1904 I felt I did really good on the English section; I thought I would get 30+. I finished approximately 10 minutes early, and I reviewed some answers. I guess I just didn’t know my rules well enough. For the Math I had the exact same problem as you. For the Reading, it is not that I’m a bad reader, I am an extremely slow reader, so I will try to learn how to speed read. I love science, but when it comes to the ACT I take too much time on one question, and I do not end up finishing. Also, I am taking the ACT in February and again in April.</p>
<p>I am facing a tough situation right now. I am not scoring where I want and ran out of tests. I used the 4 from preparing and 5 Red book. Does anyone have theirs from the test information release option? </p>
<p>The best thing you can do is read. I’m a sophomore in high school and have loved reading all my life. I got a 34 on reading comprehension, and I think it’s just cause I really like reading, although I haven’t had as much time to in high school. What helped me to get through it was, if this makes sense, I kind of get into it when I read the passages if that makes sense. I have 3 sisters so I’m pretty good at tuning out distractions, which in my opinion helped a lot. Just tune EVERYTHING out and get into the passage. Even though they’re boring, try to trick your mind into thinking it’s super interesting and you want to know more! I know this sounds weird, but it works! You’ll get more out of the passages. Hope this helps(:</p>
<p>@GB904 On your tip on reading comprehension…Holy cow!!! I got a 34 too, and I think it’s cause I trick myself into getting into the passages and enjoying them! HAHAHA!!! That’s awesome!!! Hey it works.</p>
<p>But to prepare for the ACT reading, even though it’s pretty advanced, I wouldn’t torture myself with reading old college textbooks or something, I’ve never done that. When I took the ACT, I hadn’t had time to read a book recently, but I took the test in February and had finished re-reading the Harry Potter series over Christmas break. So personally I would recommend just reading something you enjoy, preferably a book(:</p>
<p>Reading was always my best score. I’m guessing your issue is pacing yourself correctly/ running out of time? Even though it is arbitrary, read everything you can get your hands on. Just start reading leisurely( this will also be relaxing during such a stressful time) and your speed will be sure to increase. Reading quickly and effectively is key.
Science is basically just analyzing charts and grafts. Don’t get caught up on reading the information, ESPECIALLY on the first couple of sections. A quick glimpse in combination with reading a sentence or two should give you enough information to boost your science score dramatically. Also, pay great attention in science class. Those tangents that science teachers love to go on could prove incredibly useful when they pop up on the ACT!
Math and English all comes down to studying simple rules and repetition. </p>
<p>Reading books helps so much. It helps with comprehension, speed, and by reading you learn what grammar is acceptable. </p>
<p>You could also if you needed to check out a grammar book from the library and it may help. Also, never pick an answer written in passive voice. Google that if you don’t know what it is, but basically it’s any answer with “by” in it.</p>
<p>The best thing you can do is practice. I took the ACT without any studying and got a 29. After at least 6 practice tests and lots of additional studying, I got a 33. If there was one specific piece of advice I would give, it is to bring a watch. It was very helpful when taking the ACT to think about how fast I needed to go to finish on time. (For math, 1 question every minute, etc.). </p>