<p>How many practice test did it take you guys to achieve a 30+ score?</p>
<p>Zero, first time i took it i got a 30. 34 math 29 reading 29 eng 27 science. Didnt study, probably should have</p>
<p>I got a 30 the first time around as well. I don’t think I even took a full length practice test prior to the real thing either, even though I was given one of those official practice booklet things beforehand. Boy do I regret that! The science and math sections kicked my ass, and I was totally unprepared for the amount of fatigue that sets in near the end of the test. And I don’t think it really matters how many practice tests you do before taking the real thing. I’ve heard of some people that take 20+ tests, yet still plateau in the low/mid 20’s for their composite scores. What DOES matter is how good you are at learning from your mistakes and applying what you’ve learned when the time to take the actual exam rolls around.</p>
<p>First time I took the test, I used the official ACT red book, and did around 2 of the practice tests. I also bought Barron’s 6 ACT Practice Test book and did all of the tests. So around 8~10 before my first go which i got a composite of 34 in. That was October last year, and when I took it again in September this year, I got 36, even though I looked at only one practice. Take as many practice tests as you can, It’s the best way to prepare for ACT, and once you get a hang of it, you don’t even need much practice for the tests after that.</p>
<p>I agree with David. Take as many tests as you can and be sure to go back and understand you mistakes.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, I’m trying to raise my horrible score to 32, I’m now improving 1-2 points everyday by doing a past paper a day. </p>
<p>So should I read the explanations?</p>
<p>I always find it very helpful to know why you got it wrong and why the other answer is right so I’ say yes, read the explanations. Actually before you read the explanations, try going back and see if you can get it right( like mark questions wrong but don’t write the answer and go back to solve them) and if you don’t on the second try, read the explanations. </p>
<p>That’s just what I do when studying for ACT.
and good luck!</p>
<p>32 is NOT a horrible score. It’s just that the population is represented in a skewed manner to present most people on CC as around 31-35. Infact, out of the alumnis from my high school that went to Ivy’s, none of them got over 33 on their ACT, even through their SAT was 2300+. ACT is not an easy test by any means. Keep doing practice tests, and instead of repetitively looking at explanations, why not figure out specifically what topic in maths ur struggling with, or the grammar usage that you seem to always get incorrect? It’s a good tactic if you’re short on time. Good luck!</p>
<p>I mean raing my horrible score TO a 32.</p>
<p>I struggle with reading a lot, mostly I got around the 25-27 range and hoping I can raise it to a score of at least 30. I usually only do 3 paragraphs, get mostly correct (only at max 3 question wrong), and do a few easy question on the fiction passage(word meaning questions) and guess the rest. </p>
<p>For English, I don’t know why I can score a 30 on PR1296 and then get a 23-25 on the past paper. Really don’t know why I can score higher when doing a test that is more difficult than a real on. ***FFF…</p>
<p>Horrible tactic right?</p>
<p>@Wilsoncw the easiest way to get a good reading score is to just read for pleasure.</p>
<p>As for hitting the 30 plus realm I did on my third and final ACT. I did some prep, mainly looking at strategies but took zero full practice tests (though I did take a couple practice math sections). I attribute my score to my just being in school longer and be exposed to more of the material. Math went up quite a bit between my first and third test because when I took the third test I was in AP Calc and had recently reviewed a lot of those concepts. For English thing simple, I did no prep other than reading a tip saying to pick the most obvious/simple answer and it upped my English score 4 points. I can’t really give tips on science, it was my worst section (sort of ironic since I am an intended neuroscience major).</p>
<p>I am raising my score about 1-2 points for english, no improvement on math(always 34-36), reading 1 point, science dont know how to say. Is it a good progress for the oct 26 ACT?</p>
<p>I have taken at least 10 practice tests. Before my first ACT, I just took 2 with no real motivation, and I ended up with a 27. </p>
<p>Then, I took some 8 practice tests and on my next test, I made a 30, improved every single subscore and even the writing went up. This Saturday, I’ll be taking the ACT again (for the third time). </p>
<p>Basically, self-belief and determination are vital factors, along with a bunch of practice. And remember, students <em>are</em> making perfect scores on the ACT every time the ACT takes place, so it’s not impossible. You just have to try hard and believe that you can make the 36. </p>
<p>Good luck to everyone on this Saturday’s ACT! :)</p>