Is It Possible To Improve My Score In Six weeks?

Test Preparation
1

<p>I'm a senior and the college I want to go to (not sure if I should say) told me to take the ACT one more time to qualify for a partial scholarship. My GPA is a 3.75 and I have over two hundred hours worth of community service (a few missionary trips).I have the Real ACT official test book along with Barron, Princeton, and Kaplan. Any suggestion would be most helpful.</p>

<p>Here are my ACT scores:</p>

<p>Feb 2014 (with writing)
Composite: 19
English: 20 (writing scored a 10)
Math: 15
Reading:21
Science: 21</p>

<p>I also took the SAT in March 2014 (score of 1400: CR 520, M 410, W 470 with essay score of 9) and I just took the SAT again on May 3rd.</p>

<p>April 2014 (no writing)
Composite: 20
English: 22
Math: 16
Reading: 22
Science: 21</p>

2

<p>Of course. </p>

<p>You can always improve and this is obvious, but it will depend on: </p>

<p>a) if you can be diligent about studying as much as possible before the test and </p>

<p>b) if you can focus on improving upon your weaknesses. </p>

<p>While there are many strategies, I would recommend focusing maybe on a skill every two weeks or one every 3 weeks and possibly in the last week before the test, review the 2-3 you covered. </p>

<p>While it would be great to improve on everything, I think it would be best if you focused here in the short term to maximize the improvement you can make in these areas. </p>

<p>Math looks to be your weakest scores in both tests. Work diligently on the problems in each of the books and review the answers and why you got them wrong. If you know what categories you are weak in, look up as many problems related to them online. </p>

<p>Science, in terms of the ACT is the 2nd lowest. Maybe you can do the same here. </p>

<p>I can be more specific, but these are my 2 cents for now. </p>

3

<p>I would recommend Khan for the SAT! <a href=“SAT | Test prep | Khan Academy”>https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat&lt;/a&gt; It helped me a lot. I would probably focus on the SAT since you wouldn’t have to worry about the science section. </p>

4

<p>Thanks for the tip, but I already took the SAT last week (May 3rd) and I can’t take the SAT again (the June SAT date conflicts with my schedule and I refuse to take the test next school year). I only need tips for the ACT (test date is June 14), but I really do appreciate any replies to this thread.</p>

5

<p>No problem. Keep us informed on how you do. </p>

<p>It’s always good to get a full history from question to test to results afterwards. </p>

<p>I think being diligent and also staying engaged will help you ultimately achieve your goal in the end: getting into a great college. </p>

<p>You seem to represent a good number of students. So, hearing about your “full” experience would be great. </p>

<p>Best of luck on the June test! </p>

<p>p.s. Keep practicing diligently every day! </p>

6

<p>@hkkid2014 Thanks so much! I will definitely tell you scores for both the May SAT and June ACT. </p>

7

<p>@StyleSavvy, not a problem! I used two books for the ACT and didn’t have much time to prepare, as I took it in desperation. I used The Real ACT Guide(The Red Book) and ACT 36(by Barron’s.) It looks like you have For the essay, I researched examples that I could use in the essay. You can watch video Spark Notes (<a href=“http://www.sparknotes.com/sparknotes/video/”>http://www.sparknotes.com/sparknotes/video/&lt;/a&gt;) to use impressive literay examples having never read the books. </p>

<p>For math, it depends on how you learn. If the books aren’t working for you, try YouTube. As ridiculous as it sounds, there are many helpful educational videos there.</p>

<p>For science, I can’t think of anything other than drilling ACT science. I did poorly on that section, having about a week to prepare for the section while preparing for other sections good as well. I’m good at “real” science, ACT science is completely different. </p>

<p>For reading and writing, what are the hardest parts for you? Timing,comprehension, or something else? </p>

8

<p>@Medgirl314 Thanks so much for replying to this thread! I’m not taking the essay part again, especially since the college I’m going to doesn’t require it. As for study guides, I use Barron’s: How To Prepare For the Act study guide, Princeton’ Cracking the ACT,McGraw Hill’s ACT Practice Test, and Kaplan ACT 2005. I just bought The Real ACT Guide on Amazon yesterday, so I can’t use that one yet. </p>

<p>For math, I have a hard time learning anything. I could easily learn 30 vocabulary words (I got all 19 vocabulary words right on the SAT), but I have such a hard time with math. I use YouTube all the time for help along with books. It still takes me too long just to learn one thing (e.i It took me three months to learn how to solve linear equations). My goal for math is to just get a 22 (which is the college readiness mark) and I really need the most help in math. </p>

<p>For science, I am having a hard time breaking away from the score of 21. I really love science, so it always seems weird to me how the ACT science is more similar to math. I could use a lot of help with that. I just need two more points to be college ready according to the ACT.</p>

<p>For English, I do have a few issues with grammar. In all my practice test, I usually get 22-24’s. I think I may have problems with pronouns and prepositions. I just took an ACT English practice test today and received a 22. I know I have to increase my speed a tad bit, because I’m usually do the first 45 problems in 30 minutes and the last 30 problems in fifteen. I would love to get an English score of 26.</p>

<p>For Reading, I am a very slow reader. I think over the course of studying for the May SAT that I have increased my reading skills. I never have time to read all four passages, so my younger sister was teaching me how to fast read skim. Also, certain things I had a little trouble with comprehending , for example, with the SAT the reading passages was a lot harder for me than the vocab. </p>

<p>Considering that I just finished studying for the SAT on May 2nd, I just begun studying for the ACT on May 5th. I have been watching Radical Prep and Grocket on Youtube for help. I haven’t taken a full practice test yet, since I was trying to really correct my errors in English. I felt that would be the easiest to correct and help me ease back into the ACT.</p>

<p>I could use any extra tips for any of the four test. I think that skimming will help me for Reading and a better understanding of grammar will help for English. I know that I need to really increase my math skills, but it takes me so long to learn and retain information in that area. And in science, I know I need to comprehend stuff better. Any other suggestion would be wonderful.</p>

9

<p>No problem! </p>

<p>Come to think of it, would check out Khan’s SAT math anyway, even though you’re taking the ACT. The concepts may help you. He explains it pretty well, but if you don’t get the way he teaches it, don’t waste time on it. </p>

<p>I agree for the science. I learned that it’s easier to read the questions and find the data in the passage, instead of skimming first. </p>

<p>For English, I would check out “Barron’s ACT 36”, even if you’re not aiming for a perfect score. They break down questions and give new strategies that I found helpful.</p>

<p>For Reading, I would keep in mind that every single question is worth the same amount of points. Maybe instead of skimming the passage first, look for the questions the reference a particular line. (For example, "In context, ‘buoyancy’ in line 36 means…’) You can usually guess fairly well without reading that passage. I think in your case, after you answer those direct questions you should skim the passage. Maybe research what number passage usually has the most questions, and do that one first so that if you get stuck, you’ve at least answered ten questions instead of five. If that makes any sense. </p>

<p>I think you’re on to something with correcting your English errors. If I can be honest, I find it surprising that that is one of your troubling sections, because you’re writing pretty well for this thread. What is particular gives you trouble? Do you get hung up on remembering grammar rules? </p>

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<p>@Medgirl314 I will definitely study Khan’s SAT math along with Spark-note ACT and SAT math. I think the best way for me to learn math is to enforce the same knowledge over and over from multiple sources. I noticed that I do need to study the basic math formulas and rules. I also need to review math vocabulary mainly in Geometry.</p>

<p>For the science, I know I need to practice that more. I know I study the English, Math, and Reading a lot more than I do science. I think practicing the ACT science may be the key to getting a few more points.</p>

<p>For English, I think the main problem is the form that the English is presented in. If I had more time, I could get all the questions right. I noticed that I get more questions wrong when I rush and I usually rush towards the end. Perhaps I need to devise a better plan for my speed and accuracy. I know that I need to reinforce grammar, so I can spot out errors more quickly.</p>

<p>For Reading, I am appreciating your tips. I really didn’t think of doing the line referrals first. It makes sense, especially when I’m trying to raise my score. Now I need to practice this new technique.</p>

<p>Thanks again for your suggestions. I always considered myself a decent writer, so I surprised myself that I have issues in English. I know if I really dedicate myself to studying, I can overcome my problems in English. I feel that English and Reading will be the easiest subjects too improve. I’m am spending this week really working to overcome my problem areas, so I can spend the rest of the month working in math. </p>

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<p>@stylesavvy, I feel your pain. I learn the same way, kill and drill. Not with mnemonics, not by studying in a new, fun way, just pure torture. </p>

<p>Just a suggestion, I haven’t tried it myself, but maybe you could set the timer for English practice to only 3/4 the time you would normally have. That way when you take a practice test or the real test, maybe it’ll feel like you have more time. If you are spending too much time on an answer, keep in mind that there is not a guessing penalty on the ACT. Mark your best guess, or even a totally random answer(I pick “A” or “C” for random answers, but that’s just me.) MARK THE PROBLEM IN CASE YOU HAVE TIME AT THE END, and move on. </p>

<p>How much time do you have to practice? </p>

12

<p>That’ s not a bad idea! Giving myself less time on practice test is a great way to ensure that I’ll have more time during the real test. </p>

<p>When it comes to box questions or referring to the passage as a whole, I spend way too much time on those. I admit that I’m not as time conscious on English than Math, Reading, or Science. I usually find myself at question 45 when I have fifteen minutes left. Then, I use my last fifteen minutes to answer the remaining 30 questions. By guessing, I have a 25 percent chance of getting the answer right. If I eliminate one choice, I have a 33 percent chance of getting the answer right. It’s more beneficial to guess than waste time finding the perfect answer.</p>

<p>Now let’s talk about studying. I am studying longer and I am always thinking about my ACT test. I’m so focus on the test that I didn’t even realize Spider -man 2 was in theaters. Lately, I have forced myself to study for about three hours per day. I know that I can increase my studying to five hours. Now I just need to focus on the areas that need the most attention and are the easiest to fix.</p>

<p>When I first took my ACT, I had drilled myself with a full length practice test everyday. I’d go over the wrong answers and take another test the next day. During the three months of preparation for the first ACT test, I took a total of 24 practice test. I had read my ACT guide books and watched Grocket prep videos. At that time, I didn’t know how to study for the test effectively. Also, I rushed myself in English during the real test and I took too long on the Reading test. </p>

<p>The next time I took my ACT, I had just finished studying for my SAT.I was exhausted and I didn’t start studying until two and half weeks until my real test. I crammed myself with everything I though I needed. I took five practice test during this time and the average of those five test had equal my final score.</p>

<p>Now, I have taken two ACT test and two SAT’s in the last four months. I have learned a lot about taking test and I have learned that I have to studying harder. Writing this thread has helped me realize a lot of my weak areas and I learned beneficial tips. Now I need to take a full length practice test and see where I’m at and what other areas need attention.</p>

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<p>Good strategy. Same, I get caught up in being a perfectionist when I need to move on and end up wasting a point. </p>

<p>I want to be really careful with the advice I give you about studying. I study. A lot. Oftentimes, I end up disappointed with my scores or grades anyway, because I set my standards too high. I’m not saying slack off. But keep in mind that if you’re not going to a prestigious college (Which is fine, I’m not starting at a prestigious college either. Don’t listen to CC members who criticize you for it), then you don’t need a perfect score. Study, but make sure it’s for the right reasons and you won’t see it as a waste of time when you get your scores back. DO NOT increase to five hours, unless you have absolutely no other schoolwork to do. Even so, three or four is fine. </p>

<p>Don’t spend quite so much time on practice tests. It’s beyond impressive, but go for quality, not quantity. </p>

<p>Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor! ;)</p>

14

<p>@Medgirl314 I just want you to know that my SAT score came back. My May SAT score is:</p>

<p>Total: 1560
CR: 590
M: 440
W: 530 </p>

<p>My SAT score is equivalent to a 22 on the ACT. Now I’m know that my ACT score will be a lot higher than the my previous scores. Practice makes perfect and I really see the benefits of retaking the test. </p>

<p>I haven’t increased my study time to 5 hours, because I couldn’t keep myself focus for that long and I needed my sleep. Instead, I learned to study more efficiently by focusing on one subject until I learn it. I had to reevaluate my decision towards the college I initially wanted to attend. The college was a private school that was thirty minutes away from my house, had a high tuition rate, and only allowed students with high GPA and high ACT/SAT scores. I found a better school that was only six minutes away from my house, with a cheaper tuition rate, and only asked for a 22 ACT score or a 1030 SAT score. Besides, this is a public school that allows late admission dates and the school has more classes and degrees in my field (Journalism).</p>

15

<p>That’s pretty great!!! It’s okay to change plans. When I first entered high school, I was convinced that I had what it took to get a 2300 on the SAT, a 4.0 GPA, take all the classes possible, write a brilliant essay, and get into Harvard. Nope. Life happens. Congrats!!! A 160 point raise is pretty great!</p>