<p>So I have retaken the ACT twice and have had a lot of trouble coping with the fact that I couldn't accomplish an ACT score above a 30. The first time I took the ACT was my junior year in the spring when everyone takes it and I scored a 25, and had a terrible night before, so I thought I would score better if I retook it. So I spent a LOT of time over the summer before my October test date taking practice tests and reading in my free-time. I tried to prepare myself because I was planning on scoring at least a 30. (Note I'm a typical AP student with a 3.9/4.0 GPA and basically all of my friends score in that range so I was just assuming how I would score, plus my PLAN test said I would score between 28-32 ----which is a pretty reasonable estimation right?!).<br>
Anyways, I retook it in October of my senior year (this year) and scored a 27 (32E, 30M, 26R, 23S) and I actually felt good after I took the English and Math but knew I messed up on the Reading and Science because I basically had a mental breakdown (long story short: I ran out of time on the reading and basically spent the rest of the test bashing myself).
I was happy about improving so much on the English and Math but thought I could improve on Reading and Science if I retook it again, AND all the colleges I wanted to apply to accepted the December test date. I also hadn't accomplished my goal so I retook it and scored a 27 again! (27E, 27M, 28R, 26S). Even though I improved in Reading and Science like I wanted, my Math and English went down significantly!
I always score between 30-33 on my practice tests and I just think so poorly of myself because I couldn't reach my goal. Did I set my goal too high? Should I retake the ACT again to try and prove to myself that I can score above a 30? or should I just forget it? I have already applied to all the schools I want to and if I do retake and score higher it won't matter for colleges, but I just want to prove it to myself. (I would probably take it in April or June.)</p>
<p>Thanks for reading this confusing story-I hope it made some sense! Please let me know what you think-I am really struggling with this.</p>
<p>Clearly your a smart student and like to achieve high.
I think that your issue is that you study to learn short term instead of long term. I used to do the same, and it proved to do more harm than good–some may say. Well, lets think… You said that you have till April or June, so that’s plenty of time to improve. If you are burdened by school work to try to fit in study time for ACT, then simply take the test in June. I recommend devoting a portion of your summer time to make sure that you understand the concept as a whole. I recommend that you devote time to study with pure concentration, rather than jumping to the conclusion that you understand the concept by answering a couple of questions.</p>
<p>Long story short, I believe that you could greatly excel (esp. knowing the fact that you have a great GPA for being an AP student). Practice makes perfect, I can’t stress how much importance that has.</p>
<p>Anyways, you can improve! and trust me, I had a lot of friends that had similar issues and improved in the end!
Good luck!</p>
<p>Have you thought about trying the SAT? Some people are just better at one test or another–it’s all about the structure. I scored a 29 on my ACT (June 2013) but a 2200 on my SAT (May 2013). The ACT obviously was not the test for me. Try some SAT practice questions and get to know the test. Good luck! </p>
<p>I agree with AquarianExpo. Although my DS was exact opposite and did significantly better on the ACT compared to the SAT. From him, I understand the ACT required him to be much more disciplined in time management and stamina. He actually came out of the ACT thinking it was way harder for him than the SAT, but ended up doing significantly better. The Science section - which is more like graph interpretation - really helped his score average because it was his very best score. </p>
<p>Have you taken the SAT? Do the schools you are looking at prefer ACT? </p>
<p>So are you saying I should try the SAT and convert my score? </p>
<p>Try taking the ACT one more time, and if you dont reach your goal, I highly recommend you take the SAT. In the meantime keep practicing and studying thoroughly, but change your study habits. If you keep studying and you don’t get the result you want, do something different and try other methods.</p>
<p>since you a senior, it is too late to effect RD appellations. The next test date is in April, so scores will not be available until May. Thus, retaking is a moot point. (The only advantage a higher score might be is a WL.)</p>
<p>@bluebayou I understand that even if I get a higher score it won’t affect my applications, however, I was just trying to reach a personal goal. I just want to see if I can get a 30 but can’t decide if it’s worth it.</p>