<p>you can sign up for sparknotes online and they have 3 or 4 free online practice tests for act and sat. it helped me go from a 32 -> 33</p>
<p>@dwei:</p>
<p>The “red book” is just a shorter name for this book:</p>
<p>[ACT</a> Test Prep : The Real ACT Prep Guide](<a href=“ACT Test Preparation | Test Prep Resources | ACT”>ACT Test Preparation | Test Prep Resources | ACT)</p>
<p>It’s considered the most accurate because it’s made by the ACT and the practice tests inside are actual retired tests.</p>
<p>Do you think that pairing the “RED BOOK” with Barron’s would be a good choice?</p>
<p>Barron’s is a good source of practice tests, but the general consensus is that practice tests from any Barron’s book are harder than the real thing. Most of the time, you go with Barron’s if you want to overprepare and shoot for a very high score.</p>
<p>I think it would work well with the Red Book. I can’t compare to books like the Kaplan’s ACT book and the Princeton Review book, but for the record, what I’ve used of the Barron’s ACT book and the Red Book has prepared me well so far.</p>
<p>I never used Barron’s but it sounds legit. Looking back, I probably should have taken tests from Barron’s to help get into the 30s but it’s too late now. Anyways, my 29 was enough to get me into DePaul’s honors college and honors accounting program. Not to mention the Dean’s Scholarship I earned :D.</p>
<p>Yeah! 35 on the ACT</p>
<p>Grats! I’m sure some of the CC members would love to know what you did to prepare for the ACT! Awesome job!!!</p>
<p>thanks for sharing. i’m in a similar situation… i got a 23 and i was expected 26 at least… im gonna take it again i really hope i get a 28 i only have 1 more chance this june</p>
<p>Hwpan888, I got a 35 too! I’m very satisfied :)</p>
<p>Great job everyone else, too! Your stories are great.</p>
<p>I asked my college counselor for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 ACT official student booklet they give to students every year. There’s one practice test on each exam, and they are really useful because they were made by the ACT board. My scores improved from 32 (using the practice exam from 2009) to 33.5 (using the practice exam from 2010) to 35 (on the actual exam). </p>
<p>Also, I’d think that the ACT quizbank from Kaplan would be pretty good, although I’ve never used it. In the end, do a lot of problems, and adjust your strategies to score higher. </p>
<p>Bailey42- congratulations! What did you get on your essay? I got screwed over on mine… :(. I’m hoping a high score on the SAT essay will counterbalance that score because I will definitely not be taking the ACT again.</p>
<p>thank you so much for sharing your story!
i just took my ACT this past april and recieved a 21.
i was shocked to see my score, mainly, because i am enrolled in two ap classes and a few honors classes. i have been working in the books, although, i cant see to get used to the time format. any suggestions? i tend to dwell on the questions, making sure i get them correct.</p>
<p>Great story, thank you for sharing this.</p>
<p>wow thanks:)</p>
<p>David2699. Seth You might Have been a smart kid in reform school. but unless you give me the money that you stole from me back, you won’t even be able to deliver pizza.</p>
<p>In case anyone is doubting this, I am replying to post #3 (the one that stated that it is practically impossible to raise your score once you get into the 30s). I had a friend who got a 30 the first time, a 31 the second time, and a 34 the third and final time. This reflects off of the original intent of this thread: don’t let anyone tell you that your score can cap out!</p>
<p>Improvements are possible at all levels. I also used real act tests from the red book and other sources along with the advice in DISSECTING THE ACT 2.0 to go from a 32 to a 36 composite.
What I did was similar to what the OP did. Here are the links:</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> DISSECTING THE ACT 2.0: ACT TEST PREPARATION ADVICE OF A PERFECT SCORER or ACT TEST PREP WITH REAL ACT QUESTIONS (9780984221219): Rajiv Raju, Silpa Raju: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/DISSECTING-ACT-2-0-PREPARATION-QUESTIONS/dp/0984221212/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1294876842&sr=8-1-spell]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/DISSECTING-ACT-2-0-PREPARATION-QUESTIONS/dp/0984221212/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1294876842&sr=8-1-spell)</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> The Real ACT Prep Guide: The Only Guide to Include 3Real ACT Tests (9780768926750): ACTOrg: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Real-ACT-Prep-Guide-Include/dp/0768926750/ref=pd_sim_b_1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Real-ACT-Prep-Guide-Include/dp/0768926750/ref=pd_sim_b_1)</p>
<p>Thanks so much! I really neeeded that story! I’ve been stressing out so much that I actually cried at school today and I was so embarrassed for it. I took ACT on June 2011 and got a composite of 23. Then I took it again on September 2011 and still got a 23. I was so upset because I prepared a lot for it. Now, I’m taking it again one last time in October 2011 and I pray that I do well. My aim is a 27-28. I believe I can do it and seeing your story makes me motivated to study harder. Thanks for the story because it really calmed me down.</p>
<p>I scored a 28 Composite on the September ACT (one point away from a 29)! I need at least a 31 for this October ACT. Anyone have tips on how to increase my science score? I had an abysmal 26-.-</p>
<p>what is the best study material to used to prepare?</p>
<p>There really is no “cap.” I went from a 28 to 35 in 10 months. If you practice, there’s definitely no cap.</p>