<p>I just took a practice ACT this morning with the whole timing + scantron.. and I realized I had major time issues on the reading section - I didn't even get to look at the fourth passage! </p>
<p>I read the first two passages completely then quickly zipped through the questions, and realized I was short on time by the 3rd passage and skimmed it and tried to answer the 8-or-so questions I got through.</p>
<p>Anyone have any advice on how to go about the reading/make it go faster?! </p>
<p>Practice alone will help your speed. But also try to 1. Work at a speed where you can answer all questions correctly (even if you only do half) and then 2. Work at a speed where you can have a chance at answering -not just random guessing - every question (even if you only get half of them correct). Eventually you can find the in-between pace that will allow you to maximize your score.</p>
<p>While I was taking the ACT in April, I noticed that most of the answers to questions were stated in the passage (as opposed to the SAT, where it's inference or rephrasing). This indicates that you can probably just forgo reading the passage, look at the questions, and scan the passage for the answers.</p>
<p>There's no harm in trying different strategies for it, such as the one suggested above, skimming and then answering questions, outlining (reading only the first sentence of each paragraph to get an idea) and then answering, or just pushing yourself to read faster.</p>
<p>But, by all means, it's possible to read slowly and still do well. I took 10-12 minutes per passage, which leaves... no time for the last passage and I ended up guessing on the last 6 or so questions and still got a 34.</p>
<p>I took this ACT prep shop, and they told me a pretty good strategy if you are only aiming at about a 24 or so on the section. He said to take your time and do a good job on the first 3 passages. He said if you can take your time and get 8/10 on each of the first 3 passages, and blind guess your way through the final passage and get like 2/10 your score will be a 24. </p>
<p>I just took the April ACT, and tried to actually go through all the passages, and like most people I talked to none of us really got enough time to fully complete it. I have taken recent practice tests after the ACT, and have been improving my score by reading the questions first. On most tests there are at least 3 questions that tell you what line the answers are in. Otherwise you can quickly fly through the passage looking for key words. After looking up and answering the questions, you should be able to answer the first question which usually asks you what the main idea of the passage is. </p>
<p>I'm about an average reader based on speed, but I can get a 29 without reading the passages. I recommend you at least try this method to see if it works.</p>