Im currently a Junior who has 2 more times to take this Bloody Test and in one of those 2 times I REALLY need a 30. I really don’t want to have to go through the Review Admit for Texas A&M and just want to get the Automatic Academic Admit (I am definitely in the top quarter of my class). Ill admit, I barely studied for either of the 2 ACT’s I’ve taken so far, really only looking over simple tips and notes.
1st ACT 27 - Math 26, English 25, Reading 31, Science 26
2nd ACT 27 - Math 27, English 26, Reading 25, Science 29
Any recommendations… also any ideas on a score I should be able to reasonably obtain within these 2 Tests if I were to follow your recommendations?
Okay so I was aiming for a 34/35. Went from 32 to 36 using this method, so I feel like you should be able to improve by 3.
My strategy: Look up a list of ACT math formulas. Memorize it. Buy the ACT Red Book (It’s big. It’s red. It’s filled with practice tests from the ACT corporation, and I don’t know what it’s actually called. Take practice tests under real conditions (yes, you have to do it in one sitting so you’re not giving your brain extra recovery time between sections - that will skew your results). Grade your tests the next day, and in a notebook, write down every single mistake, and figure out why you messed up. If you don’t understand where the right answer comes from, look it up and ask someone else. Repeat the process every 2-3 weeks, maybe? Anytime you find a huge gap in your knowledge, look it up and teach yourself, maybe go to khan academy, and put all your notes in the notebook. If a problem requires a formula that you don’t know, add it to the formula list and the notebook. Read the notebook once a week.
My tips:
- Guess the same letter every time you have to guess unless you know it’s wrong
- in science and reading, read the questions before the actual material, or switch back and forth.
- keep in mind that science really isn’t science knowledge so don’t feel overwhelmed.
- if you’re struggling with grammar and punctuation, look up the rules for that stuff and read a lot if you can. when you read a lot, it comes pretty naturally.
- the week before the test, take your formula list and make flashcards, INCLUDE HOW/WHEN TO USE EACH
-make flashcards for anything else I guess, but idk what that would actually be tbh
- To get above a 34/35/36 (I know you’re aiming for a 30 but hey why not), work every problem. Chances are you’ll get something wrong no matter what, so you can’t afford to skip anything (obviously if it’s taking a really really long time, do others and come back later, or at least fill in the bubble)
Test day tip: the day of the test, stand with your feet shoulder width apart, hands on your hips, chin up, shoulders back, think positive thoughts for 5 whole minutes. This made me feel so ready and super hype.
Good advice above. You did well getting a 27 “barely” studying. Simply study by taking real timed prcatice tests, correct and learn from mistakes, and stick to an aggressive study schedule and you will be fine. Good luck.
@18college1111 Thank you very much for that advice. Really helpful and detailed all around.
@my2caligirls Yah, my “barely” studying included just looking for the format per test. Determining how much time I have per question. So I didn’t really look at the actual materials of the test.