<p>As stated in the title I got a 31 on the ACT and would like somewhere around a 34-36. I have already done a lot of practice test, and am not sure how to procede with trying to bump up my score 4 points.
Here is my detailed score:
English 32<br>
Usage/Mechanics 16
Rhetorical Skills 16</p>
<p>Sorry that you didn’t get the score you wanted! Just work harder. Explore the concepts of math and English as those are the easiest to improve on. For science, it’s either you get it or you don’t. Take an untimed practice test to see how they want you to arrive at the answers. I did that once and got a 35, but timed tests are usually nerve-wrecking.</p>
<p>Also, the title should’ve been capped to 36, unless you are aiming for 35… Just brush up on some skills, and you’ll get there eventually. I’m taking my own advice as well.</p>
<p>@TommyD36 Haha I’m not sure it is realistic since i only have like a month and a half but yeah ill just practice everyday and hope for the best! Good luck to you too!</p>
<p>Do you have exact strategies you are using to attack the ACT? If you feel you understand most of the material, that may be where the problem lies.</p>
<p>I’ve found it most useful on the science section to just read the questions and go back to the passages and information if necessary. Most of the info required is in the charts, tables, graphs, etc. They try to trick you with all the unnecessary information they throw at out - 75% of it you will not need to solve any of the questions. Save the conflicting viewpoints for last, because it’s the most reading intensive and is more qualitatively challenging than just pulling data from graphs.</p>
<p>Also be very careful on how the questions on those science things are worded and make sure you are checking the right graph and the right X Y values or whatever. I’ve found I have missed several practice questions on things like that because they want you to miss the question.</p>
<p>@Ctesiphon Thank you! I think that is where my problem lies, I am almost positive I understand everything the test is testing over. Over the next few day I will play around with different strategies and timing to see what works the best. I also tend to make a lot of stupid mistakes especially math but I dont know how to fix that :(. I guess ill just try to practice being more careful.</p>
<p>the way to reduce stupid mistakes is to writing out the steps of the to the solution on paper rather than doing it in your head or on a calculator. also good to label figures with angles, lengths, etc</p>
<p>@VaishS I feel like you should realistically aim for a 32/33 on the next one. Taking it one step at a time helps soo much! I went from a 29 to 32 and I’m hoping for a 34 on my next one. Writing down your goals for each act helps a ton. Every time you take practice tests make sure you get a specific score and keep taking tests until you reach it. Hope I helped :)</p>
<p>@Flowerchiid Yup, Indian! Why? And yeah, I honestly think it’s doable cuz last time I got the detailed analysis and the stuff I missed was all like adding wrong and skipping over a word and stupid stuff. I just have test anxiety lol</p>
<p>I am too lol it honestly sucks bc we go under the Asian category when we apply to colleges and it’s much harder to get in in between testing never talk to others about the test, just go to the bathroom if you need to and take a healthy snack with you. Talking with people in between just gives me more anxiety and I do worse on the second half @VaishS</p>
<p>My D increase her ACT score from 31 to 35 in practice score within 4 months or so by doing 20-30 practice tests. You said you did a lot of practice already. If you have reached a plateau, there is probably not much room for improvement. Remember, not everyone can achieve top score in ACT through thorough preparation as it is not a test for the amount of preparation.</p>
<p>Not worth bothering with. ACT of 31 is high enough. Improve the other aspects of your resume to get admission. As long as you meet school thresholds, you will be fine.</p>
<p>31 is about the 25th percentile or better for most Ivies. (That means 25 percent of the admitted students did WORSE than that) Once you get in the ballpark like that, they are more looking for what sets you apart. A few more points on the ACT or SAT does not set you apart. The scores are not the reason these kids get into those schools. Once you get into the 30s it is more about the other aspects of your resume. The fact that many of the students do what you are trying will skew the numbers upward, but the universities are not really going to say…well candidate A had 31, but candidate B had a 32…or a 36. They are going to say both candidates had sufficient scores to show they are capable. What else did they do?</p>
<p>Math: Check your calculator, you should be using the most powerful one allowed, typically a Ti-84 Plus Silver or the like. Download some ACT programs. They can really speed things up. You can also store notes and equations. </p>
<p>English: Say the sentence out-loud (under your breath) for the grammar problems. If it doesn’t sound right, chances are it’s not. Also you NEVER use a semicolon as a replacement for anything else. </p>
<p>Science: Focus on reading the questions BEFORE looking at the chart. The right answer is often the “odd man out”. </p>
<p>Reading: Read some novel for fun. Like Star Wars, Twilight, Harry Potter, whatever you’re into that is FUN. This will speed up your reading comprehension and help on both reading and english. </p>
<p>Writing: Always use 3rd person, write it VERY formally. Include examples.</p>
in between testing never talk to others about the test, just go to the bathroom if you need to and take a healthy snack with you. Talking with people in between just gives me more anxiety and I do worse on the second half @VaishS</p>