How much should my ACT score have gone up the second time I took it?

Test Preparation
1

<p>I took a practice ACT with my school for the first time in January and got a composite of 28, with a 34 in reading, 30 in English, and a 23 in both math and science. I've mostly been preparing for the SAT (the last time I took a practice test my score was a 1950), but I just took the real ACT in April. I felt really good about it; the first time I took the ACT I was really bewildered by the pacing because I was used to shorter sections like on the SAT, and ended up leaving almost half of the math and science sections blank. This time I got through the entire test, answered every question, and only had to guess on a couple in the math and science parts. I don't know if this is realistic, but I hope to ultimately get a 26-27 in math and science, and an overall composite of atleast a 29. I'm pretty happy with my reading/English scores, although I would hope that my English would improve since that's my best subject. How much do you think my score could have gone up, and are my goals realistic? Thanks!</p>

<p>Extra information:
- I'm currently taking Algebra 2/Trig, Physics Honors, and AP English.
- I would really love to go to Haverford, and I'm tentatively planning to apply ED in the fall.</p>

2

<p>I would think that your goals are very realistic. Depending on how much of the test you didn’t finish the first time a 2 or maybe even 3(stretch) point would be possible.</p>

<p>Good luck!!</p>

3

<p>1-2 points.
The best way to increase your score is to take challenging classes in high school. I got a measly 30 my sophomore year taking easy classes, and junior year I’m taking 4 AP classes (hard ones) and my score jumped up to a more respectable 33 without doing any prep for it.</p>