Starting ACT prep early

Test Preparation ACT Preparation
1

<p>I'm only a Sophmore in highschool, but I have decided to get a head start on my ACT preparation. I go to a very rigorous magnet school that stresses the emphasis of beginning to prepare for tests and colleges from the very first day you walk into the school. Also, my school just happens to have the top ACT average in the state and is apparently ranked highly nation wide. This is bringing tremendous amounts of stress on me because since freshman year they throw us practice tests but they never seem to explain exactly how to improve / correct our mistakes and many teachers assume that we'll just perform well in /everything / naturally. My relatives who have taken the test tell me to wait until the real test comes to ask for tips. But i realize that i am the type of person who absolutely must prepare for longer periods of time in advance to do well on anything i do.<br>
So far, i see that i have the ability to score in the high 20s and low 30s when it comes to English and reading. Those are not my biggest concerns because i know that i do have the ability to raise my score easily and gradually the more i practice.<br>
I butcher my science and math scores always. my scores never go above the low 20s and they always stay below. I realize that i have many problems with timing and pacing myself. I do not know a lot of basic math because before high school i was always in schools where the teachers had to spend the majority of their teaching time disciplining students. I have always struggled in math and many teachers have given up on me in early years. Once i entered high school, my freshman algebra teacher skipped most of the curriculum to better suit the other more capable students. I finished out with a B though i failed most tests.
I try to use resources and study guides but they never make sense to me. I have a hard time following symbols and numbers because i am a primarily "right brained" individual. I am an art student who was at a college reading level by the time i was in 6th grade apparently. Math is a completely different universe, which i cannot wrap my head around. </p>

<p>Are there any who would like to offer advice on ways i can help myself to improve my math abilities and offer strategies to raise both my math and science scores.</p>

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<p>That’s really absurd. Like, my friend got 35 on ACT without prep in the beginning of his senior year. He could do that, because he had built comprehension/reasoning skills + speed-reading through his classes, not prepping for ACT for four years. Although I got nothing near 35 (I got 32), but I think it’s not a bad score, and I prepped for 3 months. I didn’t have to spend whole lot of time for that. The school’s philosophy seems flawed, since education is not all about standardized test, and pressuring freshmen to get prepped for it? It’s just simply absurd. My friends who got 2250+ on SATs and 33+ on ACTs all started the prep in their junior year. If you don’t have the base (from your rigorous school courses), preparing for standardized test is a pure waste of time. </p>

<p>My advice here is, don’t be so stressed about what other kids get for now. You’re still a sophomore. Try to your best in your classes, read lots of great classics. And ACT math, it’s really not that hard if you pay attention in your classes. It rarely covers precalc. Go and talk to your teacher that her/his class is going too fast for you. If you have anything you don’t understand, ask. And even if you seem a little behind than other kids, it’s fine. Don’t waste too much time on ACT, seriously. Focus on your school courses, and start a real prep when you turn junior. And ACT tricks, you can get them online. But ultimately, you will have to find the trick that fits you by practicing over and over. But it’s too early to do that yet. None of my friends and I got a tutoring or even ACT classes (SAT is dominant where I live), but managed to get a decent score. If the school doesn’t tell you the trick, think “whatever” and start to find your own way.</p>