Hey guys. I got a 24 on the ACT that I took in February and I want to get a better score than that. I really don’t know what to do because I don’t know some of the content on the test and I’m scared that I won’t do well. Can you guys please help me?
Sure. First of all, we need the subscores.
In general, you can self-prep virtually for free or you can pay for a class or you can pay for a tutor. Assuming that you are a junior, I would think that your target should be an August administration. Basically, you get the recommended prep books, and print off a load of legally released old ACTs that are in the public domain, usually found easily on Reddit, or you can buy a slightly out of date copy of The Official Guide to the ACT, which has 5 tests in it, and you study, take a section, and refocus your studying based upon what you got wrong.
Also, what about just applying test optional? Realistically, it would be tough to raise your score above 30 over the next 4 months, although it is possible, but it would take a lot of time and effort. If you’re applying to places that don’t require a score, and the rest of your application is great, you don’t need to do this.
ACT isn’t as much of a knowledge test as it is a reading test, even largely in science and math.
Get old tests and take one section at a time, with a timer. Then most importantly, go over both your right and wrong answers carefully with a fine tooth comb so that you why the correct answer is the one they chose. Do it as often as you can without getting in the way of your other obligations.
Correcting it is the most important part as that’s where you learn their patterns.
Good luck!
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My ACT math score is a 17, my science score is a 25, my English score is a 27, and my reading score is a 27.
I do test prep tutoring for the verbal sections of the ACT and SAT. For now, I suggest you focus solely on math. If you manage to raise that score to something similar to the other sections of the test, then try improving on those sections too. Your math score is dragging your composite score down.
I am not a math person at all, but please read these general tips, as they will help with all sections of the ACT.
Understand that the easy point is worth the same as the hard point. The ACT has a clear progression of questions, from easy to medium to hard. Spend enough time answering the easier questions, and don’t try to rush through to answer the hard ones. Spending too much time on hard questions just eats into your time to answer easier ones.
See if you can get this guide for the math section. You can buy it cheaply second hand, or maybe order it at the local library. https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Math-Richard-Corn/dp/1936214601/ref=asc_df_1936214601/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241995309321&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17347341332129114003&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9052039&hvtargid=pla-448850644026&psc=1
Do you have any idea of what schools you would like to go to? Does this ACT score match your GPA, or is it much lower than your GPA would predict? Are you hoping for scholarship money that is tied to your ACT score?
If the answer is that you want to go to your local state college, that your ACT score matches your GPA (maybe a 3.0), and that you don’t expect scholarship money, then why prep for the ACT? Just apply test optional.
If the answer is that you have a very good GPA, and a high ACT score would help you to get into your flagship state U, or a good private college that might offer you a lot of financial aid, or that you’re chasing scholarships tied to your ACT score, then you do need to prep and improve.
For math, The Best ACT Math Books Ever 1 & 2 helped my kid to bring their math score up from about a 30 on a home practice test to a 34 on their only ACT administration. They did all the review sections in the books, then did several ACT math sections, one by one, correcting, and going back and re-learning as they corrected. But still, they couldn’t finish the last few problems in time. After they’d had calculus, they said that it would have helped them to be able to get through the test faster, and they might have gotten a 36 on the math. It’s funny, because calculus is not supposed to be required for the ACT.
For science, it’s all about data interpretation, so you just need to do a lot of practice sections and correct them, and understand where you went wrong, and then do more science sections, until you are very familiar with all the ways in which they present the data.
For English and Reading, my kid instinctively knew how to do them, because they’d grown up in a house with highly educated, verbal parents who spoke grammatically correct English, plus kid had been a reader. But they did brush up a few points of grammar and punctuation as they did practice sections.
Here are the prep books recommended by a test prep tutor:
English: Erica Meltzer’s Complete Guide to ACT English
Math: Brooke Hanson’s Best ACT Math Books Ever (1 and 2)
Reading: Erica Meltzer’s Complete Guide to ACT Reading
Science: Hugh Hung Vo’s Master Key to ACT Science
Practice Tests: there’s a thread on Reddit that will have tons of legally released, legally in the public domain, ACT tests. You can also get an older copy of The Official Guide to the ACT, which has 6 ACT tests. If you’re going to take it on computer, you do need a recent book with online access to online tests, for practice.
You will have to do many, many hours of prep to bring that score up. It will rise proportionately to the time you put in. A test prep class might be a good idea for you, or a private tutor, if you can afford it. But you can do it on your own. My kid never saw a tutor, never had a test prep class, and got a 36 overall, just with independent home test prep.
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Yes, it can be more difficult for a dialect speaker who needs instructed on what the ACT considers grammatically correct English.