Hi everyone I could really use some advice. So, I took the April ACT and scored a 30. Great. But, I really wanted a 31. On the April ACT I got a 33 english, 29 math, 32 reading and 26 science. This was with the help of tutors. For the June ACT I studied a lot for hours every week. I went to see a math tutor once a week and therefore took an old math ACT EVERY week. I didn’t really care too much about science so I did not study for it at all.
Today, I received my ACT scores. I got a 30 AGAIN. How frustrating. What’s more frustrating is the subscores. I got a 34 on english, 25 on math, 32 reading, 27 science. Yes, 25 on math. The score I had worked time and time again to improve. I’ve never even received below a 27 on a practice math test. I have no clue what went wrong. Yes, I did think it was hard the day of but I would have never imagined receiving a 25.
Now I am at a crossroads. I don’t know what to do. Should I take the test in September and try again or will i just get the same score. If I take it again, how do I study? Do I not study at all? Switch math tutors? Self study from a book? I am away most of the summer so I would only be able to study in August.
It’s up to you, if September is the last time you want to take it, go for it! But don’t ever not study! Especially for the math section. I received the same score on the math section as you did. Personally, I thought the June ACT math was very hard to prep for, not hard material just questions I hadn’t necessarily studied for. Which could have contributed to your drop in points. I was very tired on that day from staying up late worrying about the ACT, so that didn’t help either. But I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself. If the college you are aiming for wants a 30 or your other stats make up for it, apply with that score! Don’t aim higher unless you really think you can prep for the next one. If you’re doing this for a scholarship check out when you can raise your score by to get it. It’s all about personal goals. If you have a tutor, please talk to them about more strategies for the math section. YOU CAN improve! And you WILL with practice.
I recommend doing practice problems in sets, like timing 10 math problems for 10 minutes. Doing things like this can help with pacing. If material is the issue, you can always look at books that go over the act math section by topics such as elementary algebra, trig, and functions. And by doing LOTS and LOTS of word problems you can become familar with the test format. Looking up strategies also helps!
Your superscore of the two tests is a 31. I think you just had a bad test day. It happens. From anecdotes on the internet I understand that June was anomalous, that there were some types of questions that hadn’t appeared on previous versions.
If you’re already signed up for another go then you should do it, but I wouldn’t overstress about it. Take a practice test the weekend before, have a good dinner and a good breakfast on your third test day, plan something pleasant and mindless to do that afternoon. Before you start the test, tell yourself that you already have your goal score and that this is the test to put the icing on your cake.
The 10 problems in 10 minutes advice is good.
But my main advice is, don’t beat yourself up. You have a respectable score, and on another test day you would have that 31 in hand.
Each test session uses a different version. Hence, tests at one sitting may be harder or easier than prior tests. The ACT, and the SAT, differ from school based test because the content in a particular area on these tests is unknown unlike the content of classroom tests. Second, taking a classroom test for a second time should result in a better score because of content knowledge and improvement on previously difficult items. Because the ACT and SAT measure overall college preparation and so so using separate tests at each sitting, students may find different scores individually and collectively. Dramatic improvement in scores becomes less likely as scores increase. At the upper end, there is a rarified group of test takers, making it difficult to break into by taking another version. Finally, please note. Students at the high end of the scores demonstrate excellent academic preparation and excellent test taking skills. They did not score well because they are just good at taking tests.