went from a 31 in math to a 25 *** is happening to me

<p>Every time i take the act i constiantly score lower and lower in math. I started with a 31 last year, then i went to a 29 and now i have a 25. I am not bad at math, as it is easy for me to understand it. All i know is that on the last act my heart rate was super high because of teh adderall i was taking.</p>

<p>You guys think that is what keeps on destroying my math score? When i made a 31 i didnt take the adderall. And the scores are 6 points diffrence, which is way to high for the standard deviance. </p>

<p>So am i just getting stupider, or is the ACT math getting harder, or is it both?</p>

<p>careless mistakes?</p>

<p>maybe check to see if they can rescore or score by hand? I know the SAT does this. When they score it by hand, they can see if you made the mistake of skipping one problem which effectively throws off all the rest of your answer choices.
...just a thought.</p>

<p>also, i am wondering if you can explain exactly what effect the adderol had on you, because i was considering using it for the Dec test. Now that you said this, I'm not so sure anymore.</p>

<p>well i have really bad ADHD. And when i do things like the ACT i start to think of other things like centripital force and special relativity. If i am actually able to concentrate i can get solve diffrent parts of a problem but i cant put my thoughts togehter. </p>

<p>But when i take adderall it makes you feel like you are ready to get stuff done. Even if it seems really really boring. It is a mircale drug for those all nighters.</p>

<p>Now the bad thing is that it elevates your heart rate. For me it elevates my heart rate so much that i become extremely nervous during the test. If i dont know 1 problem my heart beets even faster and faster, then it is harder for me to get the next problem right. So things start going from bad to worse exponentailly, because i know that i am missing problems because i missed the problem before and before. Then i miss the next problem then the next becausue i get to nervous and my heart seems like it is going to explode. Also if the ACT wasent such a big deal to me, im sure my heart rate would stay fine. I dont get nervous when i take a history test on adderal (lol)</p>

<p>Now adderall works diffrently for everybody so you might not even realize a change in heart rate. Just test it out and see. </p>

<p>But it does help you to concentrate, that is for sure. It really helped me on the reading</p>

<p>While your math score has gone down, what has happened to your other scores? Is it possible that since you got your highest score, you've moved on to math topics in school that aren't covered on the ACT or aren't covered as heavily?</p>

<p>Are there times when you don't normally take the Adderall, like on the weekend, or can you skip it one day? If so, maybe you could take a practice test without it and see how you do? And then maybe take another practice test with it as a control? If you do think the Adderall is bringing down your score, maybe you could try a lower dose on ACT day (pour some of the capsule out), which would give you some help on the other sections but wouldn't raise your pulse so much. Or try timing your dose so it doesn't fully kick in until after the math section. Or come up with a relaxation technique. You know, take a deep breath.</p>

<p>Another thought: Are there special accommodations that would help you, that could be justified by your ADHD? For example, extended time, or being allowed to take each part of the test on a different day? You can apply for things like that with documentation from your school and/or doctor.</p>

<p>since i was not diagnosed with adhd as a child, i dont think i can recieve accomodation. I have decided just to screw the adderall and see what happens. I have a week off of school and i am going to do a bunch of practice tests and see if my math score gets better or not.</p>