How'd you manage to get that 35-36?

Test Preparation ACT Preparation
1

<p>I was reading runforfun529's thread and here's an excerpt of what he/she said:</p>

<p>"I got a 36 on the ACT, so I know a decent amount about doing well on it. Would it be helpful for anyone if I spent a bit of time writing out my own thoughts and ideas on how to get your best score possible?"</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/423206-regards-act-what-help-do-you-need.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/423206-regards-act-what-help-do-you-need.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>He/she never got around to writing a guide, but what about the rest of you? There's so many of you that achieved a 35 and the "1 in 4000" 36. Was it 1/2 intelligence and 1/2 luck? Did you get a tutor? Did you raid the nearest bookstore and read every ACT book for 16 hours a day? Or are you just that smart? </p>

<p>What are your ideas and thoughts and how did you manage to get such high scores?</p>

2

<p>I just prepped for the SAT. Really. And then I took a practise ACT Thursday night the week of the test, got 34.5, was like "holy crap", fixed my timing a bit on Friday, and got a 35.0 on Saturday.</p>

<p>Here:</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/420634-how-i-went-1860-2320-1570-14-months-vocab-list-10-sats-inside.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/420634-how-i-went-1860-2320-1570-14-months-vocab-list-10-sats-inside.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

3

<p>Surely the SAT is more "popular" than the ACT. I got 1920 twice on my SAT scores, but I felt that I did totally better on the ACT I took in December, though I still haven't received my scores yet.</p>

<p>Mika08, send me a pm or add me on msn- <a href="mailto:cyborgxxi@hotmail">cyborgxxi@hotmail</a>.. I'll be glad to help out in a way</p>

4

<p>I got a 35.</p>

<p>I didn't prep much, but what helped me the most was doing lots of science practice sections. Once you get used to the timing, it's not too bad at all.</p>

5

<p>Yea, the main problem is the timing. The majority of the test is easy compared to the SAT in my opinion. Get used to the science section; you must work quickly. What helped me was bringing a watch to the test and keeping track of time.</p>

6

<p>36.</p>

<p>I didn't have so much trouble with timing, but with focusing on the science. And my parents made me raid Barnes and Noble for about 4 hours a day for 3 months.</p>

7

<p>^thou art a poor soul.. that's really sad 4x90 = 270 hours..</p>

<p>As again, Mika, there is no big trick to the science section. Interpret the graphs, find out what they're asking you of... get familiar with the graphs in prep books or practice material (which you can get from their website).</p>

8

<p>Thanks for the advice. What do you suggest I do for reading? Read questions first then read the passage or read over the passage and then answer the questions?</p>

9

<p>Depends. If you can remember much of the passage after you read it I'd do that first. Questions --> passage takes a good deal longer, which is not good if you're pressed for time now.</p>

10

<p>I got an 18 in 7th grade for the Duke TIP program...</p>

<p>I got a 30 last year as a sophomore without studying/preparing just to see how much I could improve from 7th grade...</p>

<p>This October, I got a 35, after spending 2 hrs. daily for 2 weeks before test day reading and working out of an Arco prep book</p>

11

<p>I got in the mid 2200's on my SAT, and was very pleased with that score. I probably wouldn't even have taken the ACT had my state not required all high schoolers to do so. Glad I did: 35. I spent a lot of time studying for the SAT, but virtually none studying for the ACT, so I guess to a large degree it was luck/natural ability. But I think just being relaxed, knowing no one would likely see the scores had something to do with it too. To that degree, being comfortable with the test should help you out a fair bit.</p>