<p>Hello, my name is Jeremy Langford, and I am from Etowah TN. I am in the need of some important advice that could very possibly influence how I live my life in the future. I am in a bind of sorts, or I am close to finding myself in one if I do not take some preemptive measures. I am a junior in a small high school in South East TN, and I need to get my ACT score up to a high 20, or possibly even a low 30. So that I can get into a good school that will help me get ready for a career in computer hardware engineering. (Georgia Tech would be great, but the University of TN has good programs also) I have already taken the test twice, and the first time I scored a 25, but the second time I only scored a 23. I have a relatively low GPA of 3.4, (although I take mainly honors classes and one duel enrollment class). My greatest strengths it would seem as far as a college or scholarship is concerned are my extra curricular. (I am not great athlete, but I am willing to stick through anything it would seem) I have played varsity football since my first year, (I am currently a junior), I wrestled one season, and am currently in track, and plan to do it again next year. In addition to this, I am an officer in my local FBLA chapter, and I placed second in the state in Cyber Security. I am currently preparing for the National FBLA National Leadership Conferences in Anaheim CA this year. So that I can compete in cyber security on the National level. In addition to this, I will also be attending the Institute for leaders, which includes seminars in IT. After I get this out of my way, I want to prepare for the ACT like a maniac. What always drag me down the worst are my scores in mathematics (Ironic is it not? I want to be an engineer, but I hate math), and my timing on the science test, I know everything on there; I just take to long to finish. I am confident though that with the proper preparation though, that I can make a satisfactory score, so that I can start applying for scholarships. I need to know, what is the best book to help someone prepare for the ACT that is not in a rush. I am prepared to spend 30 minutes to an hour a day this summer to help me get ready for the ACT this fall, so that I can make a great score, and possibly win some scholarships. Therefore, I need to know, which book, or books would most likely serve me best?</p>
<p>I got a 33 on my first ACT test using a combination of The REAL ACT book (the red book) and the Barron’s ACT book (be aware that this one is harder than the real thing, but in my opinion it helps make the actual test easier) If you need even more practice, the Princeton Review book seems to be the other really good one, but I don’t have any personal experience with it. Good luck to you on all of this!</p>
<p>You are likely not going to improve from your original two scores given the fact that the ACT is an achievement test. This makes it more difficult to improve than the SAT, which is the same concepts and tricks.</p>
<p>Have a nice day.</p>
<p>^don’t listen to him. you definitely can improve. the name of the game is practice. take practice tests, check out your mistakes, and work on the kinds of things you are missing. if you need to review an old algebra concept, do that. if you need to learn a new grammar rule, do that, etc.</p>
<p>just as an example, i took the december test cold and got a 24. just a month later, i took a Real practice test and got a 27 from absolutely no prep. since then ive been going up and up (with more and more prep). i took the april 4 ACT and am confident that i didn’t get lower than 30. basically, the more you know what to expect, the better you will do. if you are actually going to spend that much time a day working on ACT, then you are bound to do great. personally, I don’t spend that much time at all.</p>
<p>another side note: it is good to work on stamina by taking full length practice tests in one sitting. taking a science section by itself is helpful for learning the section, but for actually improving on it, you should definitely take it after working your brain on the other 3 tests because that is how it will be on the real test day. best of luck.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice so far, what would you rate my chances of getting a decent scholarship if I was to score a 27-30 on the ACT with my given GPA and Extra Curricular?</p>
<p>Well you probably wouldn’t get a full scolarship (keep trying though) but I think that you’ll get a great scholarship</p>
<p>i would guess that most people on this forum aren’t familiar with the types of packages recruited athletes get. search around the financial aid and scholarships section:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/</a></p>
<p>I should add for the record, the likely hood of me being recruited are slim to none, to go to the kind of school I wish to go to. It’s more of something I do for the fun of it, and to stay in shape. Not to mention It makes me appear to be more “well rounded”.</p>
<p>Scholarships typically look for three things: academics, community service, and leadership. Because there is little you can do to change your Gpa now, really focus on this ACT. The ACT is beatable! You can make a 36 if you put your mind to it. </p>
<p>Do community service. Volunteer at a hospital or something. Community service is essential. Document date and hours worked because they will want to know that info! </p>
<p>I wish someone would of told me this last year.</p>
<p>I couldn’t agree more with jax90291, the more you practice, the more you get acquainted with the style of the test, its sort of like running 30mins a day every day of your life for 1 year, at some point you get so efficient at it, it’s like a walk in the park.</p>