<p>Last year, I dedicated myself with the SATs. Then I realized there was an ACT.
So I have no books about the ACT, do I need to buy another series of ACT books to prepare for this test?</p>
<p>Take a free practice test without studying and see how you do. If you’re pleased with your performance, take the real thing without studying. If you’re not pleased, study before you take the real thing.</p>
<p>Know any practice test online ^</p>
<p>You have to prep for the science section - which is graph reading mostly. You also need to know the difference from the SAT - penalized for guessing, not penalized, etc.</p>
<p>I took the ACT without studying at all or knowing anything about the questions that would be asked. I still managed a 30 composite with a 36 on the science section. You definitely cannot hide your weaknesses on this test. I am not a strong writer (24) or a quick/effective reader (28) but I am particuarly strong in math (31) and science.</p>
<p>I like it more because it gives 50% weight to my strong suits (math and science) whereas the SAT gives 33% weight (just a math section). My 750 in the math section of the SAT definitely helped carry my score to the 2000 range.</p>
<p>So my answer is: it can be done.</p>
<p>You can find an online practice test in a PDF on the ACT site, and there’s also sample questions, which is basically another free test on the site.</p>
<p>You can try this test first
<a href=“http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/preparing.pdf[/url]”>http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/preparing.pdf</a></p>
<p>You can take a practice test and see if you are happy with your score. Sometimes your ACT score may just be your SAT score converted into ACT score.</p>
<p>Like other posters suggested, I think you should take a free practice test. See how that goes. If you do better than/close to your correlated SAT score, you should definitely consider studying to improve your score. Good luck!</p>
<p>Personally, I think the only section you can REALLY study for is the math section. Get the Princeton Review’s Cracking the ACT book to refresh your mind on all of the algebra, geometry, and little trig that is on the test.</p>
<p>Besides that, I would advise only one thing: TAKE PRACTICE TESTS. TIMED PRACTICE TESTS. The biggest issue on the ACT is usually the time constraint. Rarely do students do poorly because they don’t know how to answer a question; they’re simply too pressed on time to think straight. Get faster, and you’ll get better.</p>
<p>So I took a practice test.
And I got a 27.
Which is bad… So any ways to improve?</p>
<p>Honestly, I didn’t study for it at all, and I took it with a sprained wrist (the one I write with even haha) and I got a 32 composite and my lowest subscore was a 28 on the math portion… math has always been my weak point, I think perhaps I should’ve at least reviewed some things a little. But I’m also a pretty good test-taker, a very fast reader, and logically, I’m quick to pick out answers that just can’t be right… I know plenty of people that deserved a higher score than me but, because they weren’t good test takers/were stressed by time, got lower scores. So basically, I would say timed practice tests are definitely the best way to prepare…</p>
<p>I would have to say, too, that even though my lowest score was math, the science portion was the most stressful in that it really is a lot of reading graphs and other in depth information - and I think the most difficult part of that is absorbing and understanding the information they give you, not the questions themselves…</p>
<p>And - good luck on taking it!! (:</p>