For those 36 scorers in the reading section, hit me with the best tips and hacks out there to help me score a 36. This is currently my lowest score whenever I take the ACT (Math is the highest), so I wonder if there are any high math scorers that also brought their ACT Reading up.
Help will be much appreciated, thanks!
Def
Skim, then go back. The great part is, the answers are not only on the MC, they’re in the text! So, skim to get the idea, and then when you don’t see the answer jump out at you, go back and check again, because they’re all there. (35C, 36 R)
bump
By the way thanks! @16108510 just saw that reply right as I was typing.
I took 4 minutes to read the passage and 4 minutes to answer the 10 questions related to the passage. Make sure you read just thoroughly enough so that you don’t have to go back and search for details that you might have missed… that is the biggest time waster. This process gets better with continued practice.
There is also a bit of luck required as well, as passages that interest you will make the reading easier and potentially increase your score. Reading was always my weakest ACT section (I usually got 33s and 34s), so I decided to focus only on the reading section prior to my last testing. The effort paid off, as I got a 36 on the reading section. Anything is possible if you are willing to put your time into it.
Good luck! 
Thanks! @azwu331
The formula is really simple. It’s the same as for attaining mastery at an instrument/sport, losing weight, saving money, etc.
For me, it was literally doing 100s of practice exams. Barrons, Kaplan, etc. Then, hopping over to the MCAT’s when that was done. Actually taking MCAT/LSAT versions helps tons. They don’t test vocab, much like the ACT’s and are generally harder (which is good for practice). When doing practice tests get out a timer and be super strict on time. Split the sections evenly and set the timer to 30s-1m less than what you would normally have.
Keep fighting the good fight. Overprepare, but only slightly. There’s no substitute for practice.
Thanks! I will be sure to take all of this into account. @PassEdge
Bump.
I got a 36 after 3 tries.
Im sure that there are lots of different ways of doing well
For me, I just had to learn to actually read the passages. All of the skimming/different types of note taking/process of elimination sort of stuff helped get me to a 33, but it wasn’t until I just read the damn passages top to bottom that it got easier.
And practice tests, too. But mostly just actually reading.