<p>Please excuse my grammar/spelling. It probably won't be too good since I just got done have a panic attack.
Hello everyone. My name is G and I am currently a sophomore.
I am a really good student. I have a 4.0 gpa and I take the hardest classes available. I am in the gifted students program (you have to pass an IQ test to get in). I score well on tests in school. blah blah blah.. . you probably know the speech.</p>
<p>I am not going to be able to do well on the ACT and I know it. I HATE IT!!!. I wish the test would cease to exist. Everyone in my school district is required to take it in the Spring of his/her Junior year. I took the ACT for the first time when I was a Freshmen and I scored a 25.
A flipping 25!!! THAT IS PITIFUL. It hurts me to even say/type that number. I am so much better than a flipping 25. That stupid 25 is not an accurate representation of how good a student I am, or even how prepared I am for college. I don't think I am ever going to get a 33-36. Here's why:</p>
<p>The first time I took the ACT, I panicked. The English was easy, although, I know I made careless mistakes and had a few brain farts. (lesser vs fewer, effect vs affect. . .).
The Math was easy as well not including the stuff that I had not learned yet.
By the time the reading section came around, I was off in my own world. I could not concentrate on the passages at all!! I must admit that I do not read as much as I should. I am a VERY VERY VERY slow reader and that is not going to cut it when it comes to the ACT.
By the time the Science came around, I was already having an anxiety attack. I forgot to mention that I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder.I ended up bubbling the last 2 columns for the Science part in with random answers. During the last 10 minutes of the test, I cried my eyes out. Thank goodness I was at the back of the room and no one saw me. When I got home, I cried for hours. I am not exaggerating.
Here are my scores:
English - 27
Math - 25
Reading - 26
Science - 23
You do not even want to know how shocked I was to get a 26 on the reading section. I randomly guessed on so many of the problems. . . I guess I guessed correctly.
My friend got a 27. I was so ashamed of myself. I felt so stupid. </p>
<p>So i went out and bought the "RED" book and the PR 1296 ACT questions book. I have taken 2 math classes since that test. I consistently get 31 - 33 on the English and math sections. I usually get 28 - 30 on the reading. THE SCIENCE!!!!!! I just took a practice science test and I got a 21. I ran out of time and I got a 21. A 21!!! The highest I have ever gotten on a practice science test is a 28. I was having a really chill day that day. </p>
<p>I have rescheduled my ACT test twice. I was originally going to take it in October, then in February. Now it is set for June. It costs 22 extra dollars every time you reschedule. </p>
<p>I hear other people at my school talking about their 33s and their 34s. It makes me want to roll into a ball and cry. This website makes me feel like crap; there are so many people on here who talk about their 33+ scores. </p>
<p>Can someone give me some advice on how to deal with this?</p>
<p>**** I edited my post ****** sorry for the frantic original post. I was in a really really weird place.</p>
<p>Get professional help. Seriously if this post is not fake you really have some issues to deal with. I’m not being mean but your rambling about how unfair this is then be prepared for college life when an entire semester is graded by one test maybe two. You really need to talk to someone. </p>
<p>I really would like to get into a good college. This is a very big deal for me. gosh.</p>
<p>Read faster on your own with enjoyable novels and such. Take some anxiety pills prior to the test. Keep studying. If the science pulls you down, do ridiculously well on the other ones. You explained that a 25 doesn’t describe. Well, get 33-36 on the other areas to make up for a poorer science. If you’ve been delaying your ACT constantly, I take you’ve been studying for the ACT constantly instead. With your 4.0 GPA and rigorous classes, it’s clear you have the aptitude to get a 33-36 on the other sections. </p>
<p>Or focus on science and figure out what the problem is. Is it the science? Or anxiety? From what I can see, reading and science, both of which require a lot of reading and understanding of reading, seem to be weak points for you. Do you read often in general? </p>
<p>First off, why are you taking the ACT in your sophomore year? I’m a junior and my first time will be on Sunday. I never considered doing it earlier, capable or not, as I knew my brain would not be as developed as it is now, and I’d just be hurting myself in the long run, as, inevitably, I knew my score was going to improve.</p>
<p>Secondly, why are you complaining about a 25 in your freshman year? You do realize that a good three fourths of the senior population would absolutely love to have that score, and frankly, for a freshman, it is quite extraordinary. If you’re averaging a 28-29 on practice tests, I wouldn’t doubt that you have it in you to bring it in the 30s and even very close to a perfect score by the time your junior year hits. </p>
<p>Science was troubling to me too when I started practicing. I was averaging around 27-29 and time and time again having to rush through the last 10 or so questions. The best advice I can offer you for that is to simply trust your gut. I have a tendency to check over my work before I turn it in, and when I started I would look at the question three or four times before I felt confident. Now I simply go with my first instinct, and if I have any qualms at all, I simply write a little question mark next to it. More often than not I don’t even go back to check, even though I end up with quite a bit of time leftover. Of course, I do recommend checking your answers on the real thing; however, give it a few tries without checking and see how well you can score simply going off your first thoughts. My most recent score on the science using this method was a 35, and I’m certain if I spent a little extra time going back I could have nailed that question, as it was one I did indeed mark unsure.</p>
<p>You seem very capable. Wait until next year before you make any more attempts with it, and if that doesn’t go well, sign up for the SAT if possible, perhaps that will serve you better as it’s closer to an actual intelligence test.</p>
<p>@gibzster do not despair. Sometimes I feel badly on this site with my score of 25, but I have learned a lot here and that has helped me study and improve. I know many people who would love a 25!</p>
<p>You have plenty of time left. You can take the ACT 12 times if you have too! I bet you will not have to do that.</p>
<p>:-* </p>
<p>Seriously, don’t worry, I looked at practice questions my freshmen year, and I only got 75% right on everything besides math (50% right on math), which translates to about a 23-25. Sophomore year I probably would have gotten a 27-28. I am now hoping to get a 33+. </p>
<p>What works for me with science is reading the questions and looking for the answers, but not reading the entire thing beforehand. Science can be tough because of the graphs, charts, and wordy passages all at the same time. Don’t get thrown by the big words, you don’t need to understand them to get the right answer.</p>
<p>Since you are only a sophomore, I would say that you should focus on school, keep the 4.0 GPA first, then work on getting good test scores. Get involved in some ECs, hang out with friends, sleep more, do whatever helps you relax; don’t waste time fretting, save junior year for that.</p>
<p>Stop studying for act now.
In the early summer before jr yr, take a practice act from red book and practice sat from blue book.
If your act is better, then study in the summer and take act in fall. If sat is better, then study in the summer and take sat in the fall. And ask your school if you can not take the act if you take the sat.</p>