<p>So I just took the ACT about a week ago and I'm pretty sure I won't be anywhere near where I want to be in terms of scores, because I hadn't studied science and reading that much beforehand. I think my last ACT testing date I'm willing to take is October. What kind of time table of preparation should I set up in order to do well on the test? Keep in mind I'll be able to do more during the summer. Please help I'm really gearing towards going to a college like UMich and other colleges out in the northeast that would accept a 29/30. </p>
<p>Since you’ve taken it before, you’re already familiar with the format, so that’s good. I’d recommend to start studying for it about a month in advance. You don’t want to start studying too far out or else it’s not going to be that helpful, at least in my opinion. About one month before the test is when I would start practicing for it - two months tops. I’d take at least one full practice test each weekend, and one specific subject’s test each weeknight. </p>
<p>I’ve taken it three times, and before the third time I’d never finished the math section. I bought a copy of McGraw Hill’s “500 ACT Math Questions to Know by Test Day” and just worked through all of them, making sure I knew how to do each one. I managed to finish the math section on this past ACT. Another good book for actual practice tests is the big red ACT book, “The Real ACT.”</p>
<p>I think the reading section is the easiest, especially if you’ve taken AP Language. To improve your reading section score I would honestly just read more books during these 6-7 months.</p>
<p>The science section is definitely my worst section, just because I can barely finish it in time, and usually have to rush through the last few questions. McGraw Hill also has a 500 question ACT science book that comes out sometime in May I believe. I know that if I’m not happy with my 3rd ACT’s score then I’m surely going to pick up a copy of this book. </p>
<p>You’ve got plenty of time before you need to take the October ACT, and I’m sure you’ll do great on it with a little prep. Good luck! :)</p>
<p>Thanks amt. I have taken AP language but I still have a lot of trouble with the reading and science sections. Why don’t you think it’s a good idea to start studying early? I have access to a lot of practice tests so I could start testing in reading and science early?</p>
<p>Well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to start this early and just keep trucking through. If you’re willing to put in the effort for the next six months then go for it. I tend to study for things as they approach, so that’s why I waited until about a month.</p>
<p>One more thing to do is to practice the tests with less time than you’ll actually get. Every time I took a practice test I would give myself 43 minutes for english, 58 minutes for math, and 33 minutes for reading/science. I think this helped out immensely. </p>
<p>I definitely would advise reading books, too, and if you notice that your reading score isn’t improving, consider talking to your AP Language teacher and asking them for their advice!</p>
<p>Amt,
Thanks for the tip. I’ve heard of the time restriction technique for studying. How do you usually manage the reading section? Is there something specific you do?</p>
<p>I don’t think I do anything specific, really. I try to read through the passage very fast, and underline anything I think might be question-worthy. I know some people like to read the questions first and skim the paragraphs looking for the answer, but I think reading the passage first is better. It works for me. </p>
<p>With 6-7 months to prepare, as long as your previous score was over 20 (and maybe if it wasn’t) you should have no problem realing in a 30+!</p>
<p>The key is to practice and take it seriously. The two books of tests I would use are the McGraw Hills 10 ACT tests and The Real Guide to the ACT. You can also find four tests online. Mcgraws book has fake tests but will work. The Real Guide book has 5 real previously administered tests and the 4 online tests are real. Here’s a timeline I would suggest:</p>
<p>First 4-5 months: Take the 10 McGraw tests. 2 per month. Follow the guides posted below. Every time you miss a question, research it on Khan Academy. You will definitely need to be a pro on sin/cos/tan/sec/csc/cot, periodic functions, rules for angles in figures, quadratic equations, exponential rules, etc. Learn from your mistakes.</p>
<p>Math is straight forward that way. English is too, but at a lesser degree. Memorize comma rules and when to use different punctuation. </p>
<p>For reading, the test is measuring you comprehension. Now, most people can handle the inference questions and other non factual questions IF they have more time. You only have 35 minutes. You will need to read each passage in about 3.5 minutes to leave you with about 5 minutes for 10 questions. It is to your advantage to be able to read quickly while retaining much information. Over the first 4-5 months, you need to spend sometime every week reading novels and practicing capturing the feelings of the books.
In the reading test there are 4 passages. Prose Fiction (mostll questions on feelings, mood, and relationship) Humanities (comparisons) Social Studies (events) and Natural Science (facts.)
For science, during the first months it can help first of all to have a knowledge a wide variety of topics such as stoiciometry, meiosis, etc.</p>
<p>Now you have a strong background and are ready to tackle some hardcore prep in the last 1-2 months. During these months use the Real Guide and online tests as they are the real tests. They will be harder. Learn from all your mistakes and study them. At this point it is essential that you analyze yourself and your mistakes to find trends in your greatest weaknesses. Make full use of the guides below and throw yourself into your prep and I KNOW you can make a 30+!! </p>