Hello… I’ve taken the ACT once back in April 2016… and these were my scores
ACT
Composite: 32
English: 34
Math: 36
Reading: 24
Science: 35
Writing: 23
As you can probably tell…Reading is the one category that I need improvement on…
I was wondering how it’d be possible to bump up that score
I’ve tried to read the passage first, then tackle the questions…
I’ve also tried to skim through the questions then go through the passages…
What is a better technique? What’s the best technique to save time and best way to know the little detailed questions?
Any advice would be much appreciated…
Also if you have tips on how to write an ACT type of essay (I’m really good with regular essays at my school), any advice would be awesome.
Best
On my first ACT I ran out of time (didn’t even have time to bubble in random answers, had to leave around 3 blank) by reading the passage then answering the questions. I found that actually reading through and underlining the questions (not just skimming) and then reading the passage (answering questions while reading the passage as well) helped me save time (only had to guess on 1 or 2 questions on the ACT yesterday). This really helped with the detail questions because the ACT usually uses the exact same wording in questions/ answer choices as they do in the passage, so as soon as I recognize some words from the passage, I jump over to the corresponding question and answer it ASAP (thus eliminating time wasted after reading the passage to search for such specific details).
As for the essay, I just have each perspective be one body paragraph. By the way, always choose one of the perspectives, don’t make up your own (saved time for me at least). For each body paragraph, I introduce the perspective, then if I agree with it, I give an example why, and then the two I disagree with, I provide examples of counterarguments. Then, in my conclusion, I say how my perspective relates to the others and then do one sentence of actual conclusion (like regular essay type conclusion, you know).
I hope this was helpful!
@Darthjt
Thank you for your feedback!
For the questions in reading, what should I specifically underline?
First of all, good job! A 32 is really good.
Just remember that the ACT reading section always has 4 types of passages! For each of those passages, there are going to be certain things that the questions will ask you about. For example, Prose Fiction will focus on tone, characters, and events. On the other hand, Natural Science focuses on the facts and details of the passage. It’s always good to know what to look for!
In terms of losing time, I’ve learned this new strategy that I personally enjoy. I read the passage, and then answer 2 pages worth of questions. What I mean by this is that I will circle my choices in the answer booklet. Once you answer 2 pages, go ahead and fill in the bubbles. This allows you to focus without interruptions and gives you a quick ‘break’ between the passages. Check out “Best ACT Prep” on Youtube, who I learned the strategy from.
No problem! I’ll take some examples of what I underline from my red book.
“The passage implies that for researchers, the biggest obstacle to learning more about the new squid is the:”
“The language of the first paragraph is most likely intended to convey a sense of:”
“According to the passage, Architeuthis is a name for:”
etc. (* * = underlined portions). Essentially, I just look for buzz words that I could easily remember if mentioned in the passage. Also, if you see a question refer to a specific line number, mark that line before reading the passage so that when you come across it, you know to go right back to the question. Additionally, this should be a relatively quick process (usually takes up 45 seconds to a minute for me); try not to dwell on the questions too long (and don’t try answering some questions before reading the passage, from what I’ve experienced, I just end up getting super confused and wasting a good 30 seconds to a minute trying to figure 1 question out when the answer was clear after getting some context from the passage).