Take the SAT?

Test Preparation
1

So I’ve taken the act twice now.
First time- no prep
Math-24
Science-23
Reading-34
English-26
C: 27

Second time: did a lot of prep but obviously did it wrong
Math-24
Science-23
Reading-30 (the passages were really dull to me)
English-30
C:27

So I want to get a 30 more then anything and think it’s possible if I raise my math and science scores(duh). I have high reading comp. so why is science so hard? And how do I study for math? The frustrating thing is I probably put in 60 hours of studying in the month between and didn’t get any increase from math or science. I took an sat practice test and got a 1720 the first time. Should I just ditch the act or do I have a chance of getting a 30? - I’m a junior

2

And by studying I basically did a practice test each night and went over all my answer and had a notebook where I wrote down math formulas that I missed.

3

A 1720 is equivalent to a 25 on the ACT, so your ACT score is better than your SAT. However, the SAT has been completely redesigned this year, so I would recommend that you take a practice exam of the new SAT test to see where you stand: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests

A 27 on the ACT is equivalent to a 1220 on the new SAT, so if you score higher than that, the redesigned SAT may be better for you. Otherwise, the ACT is probably your safest bet.

For practice tests, did you use official tests released by the ACT (red book)?

4

Yea I’ve done all my practice work in the red book and printed 2 tests from the official act website.

5

What were your scores on the practice exams? Were they around 27, or were they higher?

6

And the 1720 was using the new sat I just converted it back to the old because I don’t understand the new scoring very well!!

7

Tip for science: it’s easier to read the question first and search for the answer in the passage than to read the passage and then answer the questions. Reading everything on the science section is a sure fire way to run out of time.

8

What was your new SAT score without conversions?

9

The scores were a bit lower maybe a 25-27. The weird thing is that I am finishing each section with about 5-10 min left on the practice test but crunching for time on the real one. I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong!

10

1150

11

When I took the test, I had the same feeling. Time pasts faster while you’re taking the real thing because your brain kind of panics under the importance of the test score.

Have you looked into ACT math books? The Ultimate Guide to Math ACT is a good one: http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Math-Richard-Corn/dp/1936214601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455906972&sr=8-1&keywords=richard+corn+act

12

A 1150 is equivalent to a 25, so I still think the ACT is better for you.

13

Ok thanks. I looked and is it still okay for the new act even if it was published in 2012?

14

take a new sat practice test on khan academy

15

The SAT and ACT experience is the worst of all. I am going through most of what you are going through and I was really frustrated. I tried improving my GPA and ECs and overall application so that it could reflect over my test scores and it did. I also applied to quite a few colleges that don’t require SAT. It is proved that the SAT and ACT are not accurate predictors of a persons potential for success at college and GPA is. I would suggest you try and apply to good universities that don’t require SAT. It depends on what colleges you are targetting. Even if universities have a score of 1800 or so, you could apply maybe. As long as you are above the 25%tile you should have a decent chance. Just don’t crack your head over these standardized tests, they are not worth it. You might like this link. http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional