<p>Ok, so I know most of you have taken them…Well, I haven’t, I am only a sophomore. I need some of you SAT/ACT experts to tell me the best way to study for them, how to ace them, and what I should be doing as a sophomore not even in his second semester to kick ass on the SAT/ACT. </p>
<p>e.g: prep books? practice test? SAT/ACT software? question of the day?</p>
<p>I am a damn smart guy, but lazy at times. Therefore, I have to kick ass on these test in order to look good.</p>
<p>Yes, I also need tips. I'm bummed; I just finished my 1st semester of 11th grade and my GPA only rose to 3.894, I was really hoping for a 3.9, but whatever. So I need to score much better on my next ACT than on the previous ones. Any tips? I take it in March, when should I begin to study? How can I raise a low reading grade (25)?</p>
<p>take it over and over again. practice tests. i woudln't even bother with those strategy guides. just go out, buy a book with 12 practice tests, and just go over them. a month or two before the test, take a practice test every week, and see your progress. some days, just do the problems and go over it. on other days, do it timed. really helps. just do it over and over and over. that's how my friend managed to score a 36 on ACT, and a 2320 on SAT.</p>
<p>Our kid's high school offers an ACT prep course that has been great for both of our students. It runs one week (5 days) after school from 3-7. See if any of the schools in your area offer this. Son's first ACT test as a sophomore was a 28, after the class as a junior his score was 33.</p>
<p>Here is what I told the other guy that asked about the ACT:
ACT tips: Don't worry too much or get stressed out. When you are done with a test, just relax. Stay "in the zone"- focused... ALL THE TIME! pay attention to grammar on the English, and you should have 10+ minutes to go over your English. I have problems with English, as I have a subscore of 27. Math, just give it your best shot. You are only a sophomore, and you won't know how to do every problem on there yet. I'm a junior in pre-calc and I still had a few where I threw a random guess out there. So far I've gotten subscores of 28 and 29 on math. Just don't spend more than a minute and a half on tough ones, and really re-read the problems, sometimes the first process that pops in to your head is more complicated than the quickest one. It makes you feel really dumb if you spent 2 minutes on a problem that could have been easily done in 10 seconds had you actually read the whole question. Math is tricky like that. Reading, it really varies for me. The first time I took it, I got a 32 subscore, second time was a 25. Yeah... variable. I dont know about you, but I am not a super-fast reader, so I have to skim the section, then do the questions. That all depends on your style. Science is easy. If you just read the graphs, you can easily answer 90% of the questions. The other 10% can be tricky, and only because of short amount of time given. I got a 34. Thats 1 wrong. If you need anything more, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>And Z4CHH: I know what you mean about smart but lazy. Just participate in anything and everything, play sports, and stay focused. The academy (actually all of them) weight academics heavily. You don't need an awesome GPA, just a good class rank, with CP or AP courses. Toughness of schedule is very important. If you take regular courses and have a 3.8, a kid with a 3.5 looks better than you if he takes CP and AP classes.</p>
<p>Quality SAT/ACT prep classes and tutoring really do help. Just don't expect just a few hours to help more than minimally. Study for the SAT/ACT like it was an additional full-time class. Some of the strategy tips in the major prep books really are right on, so don't ignore them. Of course, practice, practice, practice - just as penQuinz says. It will pay off. No one should underestimate the value of high scores on these tests. A low score will definitely make you non-competitive, and although a high score won't guarantee that you get in, it will certainly get their attention and give your defenders on the admissions board some quality ammunition to use on your behalf.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips everyone..</p>
<p>About class rank..I doubt I am to hot right now..my class is very competitive..and being lazy..well, I doubt I am top of my class...I did good considering I did almost no homework..and the only time I busted my ass was during school hours. </p>
<p>Well I have (3) semesters completed with decent grades in the "hard classes", mostly A's..a B or two here and there. </p>
<p>I don't think this is good enough at all. </p>
<p>Would you guys say, if I busted my ass....literally busted my ass for the next 5 semesters of high school, Could I have a chance?</p>
<p>Basically saying, is it to late to bust my ass and make it?</p>
<p>Ok, A's and a few B's! YOU are WORRIED! It doesnt matter if you are #3/4000 kids, just be top 10 to 20% in your class and you are golden! I have only a 3.69 but am top 10% of my class and I have a good shot given my ACT scores, man, there is nothing to worry about. Welcome to the USAFA.</p>
<p>^^^ bing bing bing, we have a winner. </p>
<p>However, I was worried up until the day, so I doubt that will go away. Then you get here and wonder why you weren't sent to a school for the mentally challenged for trying to get here. Kidding on that part. ;)</p>
<p>Why do the academies take class rank more seriously than GPA? My school is pretty competitive, having a 3.85 only places me in the 25th percentile. Isn't a GPA more indicative of academic aptitude than a class rank? Some schools can be a lot more competitive than others.</p>
<p>It shows how you match up to your peers. A GPA of 3 at one school may put you in the top 10%, at my school, it put you in the top half. Thus, your class rank more accurately shows how you do in your school. Keep in mind they have all the HS ranked so they get a number based on high school rankings and your rank in it.</p>
<p>Each school district have different grading scales in Virginia 100-93 is an A, 92-90 is B+ and so on 82 is a C+. Honors classes are not weighted, only AP/AICE/IB are given weight. The highest GPAs are of the top 5 people are about 4.3.</p>
<p>In Florida 100-90 is an A and so forth. The honors classes are given .04 and .08 for AP/AICE/IB. So the add .04/.08 for every class taken. It very strange if you take 5 honors classes they add .20 to your GPA. The top graduates' GPAs are 5.6.</p>
<p>So what is the best way to judge with very different grading scales?</p>
<p>For the ACT (any test really), I found I did the best when I could "zone in." If you can focus just on the problem at hand and work quickly, you should do well.</p>
<p>For reading, start reading a lot. Speed and vocabulary comprehension are big.</p>
<p>The big thing with the ACT with me was the time. Take timed practice tests to get yourself used to it and don't stress yourself out when you can't finish. It is designed to be like that.</p>
<p>How much time do I got until (I am sophomore just going into second semester) SAT/ACT.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Each school district have different grading scales in Virginia 100-93 is an A, 92-90 is B+ and so on 82 is a C+. Honors classes are not weighted, only AP/AICE/IB are given weight. The highest GPAs are of the top 5 people are about 4.3.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>In the county where I live in Virginia the grading scale is slightly different:</p>
<p>A+ 98-100
A 94-97
B+ 90-93
B 86-89
C+ 82-85
C 78-81</p>
<p>Honors classes are not weighted. AP and Dual Enrollment classes are weighted. Weighting for IB classes hasn't been decided by the school district yet.</p>
<p>You have until December of this year to get ready. As a junior, I took in in October too, but if you are more comfortable with more time to prepare, wait until December.</p>
<p>For me, I did practice tests and timed myself so I got each section timed right during the test so I had about 5 minutes left after I finished to go back and check through my answers. Also, remember on the science part there is really no science involved it is purely data interpretation where all you need is logic; science was the only thing I had trouble finishing on time.</p>