<p>Hello, i'm a rising junior, and i am looking to be recruited to run at some of the ivies (yale or dartmouth hopefully). i have a 4.0 uw gpa in honors classes and ive been prepping for the SAT, but scored poorly on practice CR and writing sections i took at home.(580,550) this has gotten me pretty sad/irritated and has somewhat lowered my confidence :(
Maybe the ACT is the test for me? however i am not a a very quick tester, and i hear that would be a problem on the ACT. Any help with my situation, or advice is appreciated. (my goal is a 30 or 31+) what do you think?</p>
<p>you’re a sophomore?
when I was a sophomore I only scored around 1800 if I remember correctly. Junior year I got 1960 and 2110. I haven’t ever studied for the SAT besides taking a few practice tests in the blue book. I just believe I got better as I practiced on the practice tests as well as learning the material on it better in my math classes. Might be the same for you?</p>
<p>ACT would click with people who are very confident in their math skills, as the material in that section is more advanced than that of the SAT. The Reading section is similar to the SAT, except there are no vocabulary questions. The English (Writing MC for SAT) section is in a passage mode, rather than in random sentences like you’ll find in the SAT. There is also a Science section, but it’s more about understanding the data given than having concrete scientific knowledge.</p>
<p>There is also an essay portion, which is optional, but is required at most colleges. There is no penalty for incorrect answers in any of the multiple-choice sections.</p>
<p>Practice practice practice started out with similar scores as yours now I’m at 720 CR 800 writing. P.S. Writing was my weakest so I practiced that so much now I ace it in practice tests. Workin on math cause I’m only at 710ish.</p>
<p>i am a rising junior. so you guys would agree that scores typically just go up over time… and having substantial practice is the key? what do you guys think about my goal of a 31 ACT? and what about my slight speed issue? any solutions?</p>
<p>Speed issues are often overcome by general test practice. You should be fine.</p>
<p>act is much easier I got. 31 on it and a 1650 on my SAT. The act math isn’t necesserally more difficult its more straight forward and matches up with exactly what you learn in school. The ACT is more curriculum based. The other good thing about it is even if you get a question wrong they dnt dock points.</p>
<p>Definitely try the ACT. I didn’t score too well on my SAT but scored above average on my first try on the ACT with barely any studying (29). ACT felt a lot easier to me because there weren’t as many ‘tricks’ as the SAT and really the studying you do in school now helps you on the ACT in terms of reasoning and the curriculum within it. I without a doubt had issues with speed of reading, etc. I am taking a speed reading course to help with this–maybe you should look into the same? It has been quite helpful so far, my reading speed has doubled and I can’t wait to try a reading section on the ACT! Good luck on your test taking! And remember, you’re not just a test score or GPA when applying to schools!</p>
<p>thank you guys. i REALLY hope something like what alyssaz said can happen with me… it seems like the two tests can result in very different scores at times. i guess they suit different people…lets hope the ACT suits me! and scscience, i actually am taking a speed reading course! and i think i am getting faster, yet they have yet to teach us another speed reading strategy… they have only taught us to “use our fingers” and follow them as we are reading. what did they teach you??
Any other insight or advice on my situation is appreciated! please comment</p>
<p>Well I haven’t tried the ACT, but I think anyone who has taken a few history / social science courses will do very well on the SAT. If you have taken a few science courses, even better. I was lucky to see a long passage that was science related. Answered all of the questions easily after quickly skimming through the passage. I had read it before :). Needless to say my score reflected that xD</p>