<p>I took the ACT for the first time on April 12 ( I am a junior) I as freaking out because I thought that all juniors who where planning to apply to colleges in senior year were supposed to take it in spring in order to meet the deadlines. I got my scores but I am not very happy(I got 21 on all the tests , it's crazy, 21 on each?) because I know that next time I will do better because I will be more prepared. So I registered to take it in june, but now I am freaking out again because I think I made a big mistake, I shouldn't have registered for june again, should I have registered for fall? I'm so confused and so misinformed. I plan on applying to University of Florida, State, and maybe Carnegie Mellon for CS ( I know it's hard but I ill try anyway). </p>
<p>BEFORE. Otherwise what are they going to judge you on? Your previous score. Which you don’t want. Carnegie Mellon is not happening with a low ACT score.</p>
<p>The schools you apply to are often determined by the scores you get on the ACT/SAT, so taking it in June makes sense. For example, if your scores don’t improve, applying to CMU with a 21 for CS is pretty much setting a torch to your application fee. You need to do the best you can on the tests, then adjust accordingly.</p>
<p>First of all, march up to you advisor, sit him or her down, and stay there for as long as it takes to explain the system.</p>
<p>Second, before, and u didnt make a mistake signing up for June with a 21 you just need a little practice and u can improve easily…key word being PRACTICE. Study like an hour every day or 2 days or even half an hour a day ( 1 hr+ is better since there is only 1 month left) and if u do, u can gauruntee urself at least a 23 but it should be higher with an hr a day. Buy an ACT book or check out from library.</p>
<p>Important: TIME URSELF…many ppl dont and mess up on dat and guess on the questions u dont kno, but fill out an answer for every question ( lol hey u could get lucky on a guess)</p>
<p>Lol and while im at it, u might want to check those universities websites, u dont want to wait till late fall. </p>
<p>Chin up u have a whole summer plus another ACT in october (or sept.) so I’d be surprised if u didn’t get at least a 25</p>
<p>To reiterate what’s been said: Do not depend on fate to improve your scores, and don’t think that anything you learned in school between April and June will help you do better. Get some ACT books and spend some serious time identifying and correcting your weaknesses between now and the June test. A lot of people stare at the book and go, “Uh huh, uh huh.” That won’t work. You really have to dig in: work the problems, take notes, and write out the sample sentences. Take as many practice tests as you can.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>In “The Perfect Score Project”, although it’s about the SAT, the author makes the point that in order to train for the ACT/SAT, you need to do two things that many students get wrong - </p>
<ol>
<li>Use REAL tests, not SAT/ACT-like tests. You have a limited supply of these, so use them carefully.</li>
<li> Take the tests under test-like conditions, NOT one section at a time. The SAT/ACT is an endurance test, and taking it a section at a time is like training for a marathon by doing wind sprints. So take your REAL tests on a Saturday morning, timed, with exactly the breaks you will have on a real Saturday test. You can use the rest of the week to go over each section and work out why you got any one particular question wrong. Then repeat the next Saturday.</li>
</ol>
<p>It is best to take the ACT and SAT (preferably both) in your junior year, so that you can have a better idea of what colleges are realistic for your application list. Also, it gives you extra chances early in your senior year to try again to improve the initially-higher of the two.</p>
<p>FYI. 21 in ACT is the national average. It would be fine if you apply to average college.</p>
<p>With your June and maybe Sept ACT scores in hand, you can clarify your target list of colleges. BTW: you’ll need +32 or so (+33 in the Sci and Math subsections) to even be in the ballpark with CMU – it’s that competitive.</p>
<p>Always before hand (in my opinion). Some colleges require it with your application where as some don’t. Unless you inquire if your Go-To colleges dont need them, I’d take the SAT pre-hand.</p>