<p>My score was:</p>
<p>C:29
E:29
M:35
R:28
S:25</p>
<p>English: My problem is UM. I get around 68-69/75 on the English tests, and almost all(all but one) is due to UM, how can I improve here, what books should I get? I have ACT 36 by Barrons, and it helps a little, but is there a better book?</p>
<p>M: I'm good.</p>
<p>R: I lose focus very easily because I simply do not care about the passages. I did well on the Natural Sciences portion(16) but did poorly on the Arts/Literature(12). How can I read faster? How do I tackle the difficult questions when there seems to be two very correct answers but still can't decide(even when justifying which one can be wrong) which one is correct?</p>
<p>Science: How do you improve, I am good at math, but for some reason, some of the graphs on the ACT look very daunting, usually the ones with the multiple curves or with the lines that don't look like functions that we studied in class.</p>
<p>I am a Canadian and I am trying to get into Cornell. My school isn't highly ranked, I am the only kid in my school taking the ACT to get into a top/ivy league school so I can't study with friends. Which books are helpful, I am looking for non mainstream books such as Pr and Kaplan. However, if there are great books, please share. Otherwise, I would like to know any other tricks, tips, or strategies you guys used, is there a website where I can learn the grammar rules on the ACT?</p>
<p>@yomyomf usage/mechanics</p>
<p>Many people say that the Red Book by the ACT company is good because there are five real tests. I have that and Princeton Review Cracking the ACT which is pretty good for grammar review. But also on Sparknotes they have a complete grammar review and all other tpoics. i flipped through the reading section on PR and it looks helpful to me! For the reading section some people find it helpful to skim the questions before reading the passage. I think if you keep practicing with practice tests and passages for the reading section you are bound to improve. Again same thing with the science portion, but maybe look up SuperMagnetMan on Youtube. He has videos about tips for the science ACT.</p>
<p>And could i ask you how you prepared for the Math section of the ACT?</p>
<p>I used ACT 36 by Barron’s as well, and I found it was a great tool. If you find independent studying isn’t really helping, consider taking a class. They are avalible online or at tutoring centers.
Here are my strategies:
Reading- In my experience the best strategy is to underline and take notes on the side. You have to read through quickly and answer accurately. Time is the biggest concern, so skip questions you are unsure about and revist them at the end. It is critical to answer every question (even with a guess) because sometimes you will get lucky.
Science- I used the “5,6,7” trick. Answer passages with 5 questions, then 6 questions, and then 7 questions. The 5 question passages are data analysis and graphs. These are the easiest so you work them first. The 6 question passages are harder, and the 7 question passage (conflicting viewpoints) is the hardest. This strategy is explained well in the science section of the act 36 book.
English- knowing the grammer rules on from the ACT 36 book really helped me. I also did a lot of practice questions. </p>
<p>Good luck! I hope some of these suggestions are helpful </p>
<p>HOW did you prepare for the Math section? 
teach me your ways!</p>
<p>My English: 35
Math: 29
Reading: 32
Science: 33</p>
<p>Honestly, English just comes to me really easily; I had an obsession with writing throughout middle and high school and I’m an online author. The experience of writing and constantly trying to improve or fix my grammar REALLY helped me on the English.</p>
<p>For Reading, I look for key words in the questions and search for them in the passage. That’s really all I do.</p>
<p>For Science, I read over all the graphs to understand what in the heck is going on. Then I visit the questions. People advise you to read the questions first but if you’re anything like me, then that doesn’t work at all. If anything, that strategy brought my score DOWN on practice tests.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>@snowboardchick97 soz i didnt read in time, how’d it go?</p>
<p>It wasn’t too difficult. I think I could’ve done better if I’d begun preparation for the test earlier. But hey, I’m happy with the score I had before so this one doesn’t matter too much to me anymore B-) </p>
<p>You? :)</p>
<p>For grammar rules and for the English section in general the best book (especially for a motivated student) is Erica Meltzer’s The Complete Guide to ACT English. It is in its first edition so it has a few mistakes but it covers every single thing that would appear on the ACT English and does so in a very comprehensive way (including exercises to reinforce all the major concepts)</p>
<p>@snowboardchick97, i found reading hard af, but everything else went well. I am expecting a 36 in math(unless i made silly errors), 32 english, and possibly a 36 in science, i feel as if i got 40/40, but on practice tests i got 38/40. Reading i dnt have a clue.</p>
<p>LOL I’m the exact opposite of you :)) I feel like I got a 36 on the English and about a 33-34 on the Reading. I don’t even know why I always freak out on the Math and Science sections. I do fine on practice tests, but when I go in to take the actual test, I’m just BLANK.</p>