Quicksandslowly

I was wondering about people who scored 34+ how they prepared for the ACT and the resources they utilized.

Would ya'll please share, in detail, what ya'll did and how did ya'll score 34+ on ya'll ACT?

Give back to CC please?

Thanks!

JDHarms

I didn't study anything.

Scored a 34 my first time. I think the secret was that I used my lucky mechanical pencil.

Now, on the other hand, I'm going to study like a mofo to get a 35/36. Basically, the Red Book, and any other practice book I can find.

Quicksandslowly

^heh, can I borrow your mechanical pencil?

stl2cali2k1

lol i always use mechanical pencils.

do u get in trouble if they catch you?

JDHarms

They'll probably just ask you to use one of their normal pencils. I've never been asked to, though. Most proctors don't care.

Quicksandslowly

Wait, so mechanical pencils still work?

rmadden15

Would they be okay for the SAT alos?

obeythecougar

yes, they work. I only use mechanical pencils. No problems

I went from a 29 in feb. to a 34 in june. A lot of my improvement came from familiarity with the test. Ask a lot of top scorers on either test and they'll say "The questions are systematic. They're all the same after a while." Another important skill for the ACT is time management. I have no idea how I did it, but i got done with every section except reading with at least 5 minutes to spare.

Science--rarely read the passages, after you answer the easy graph questions you can figure out what the experiment is roughly. improve skimming ability for the few answers you need to read for

killersdeat0

I wonder how this post for high scorers became a loving post for mechanical penicls

highopes

I got a 34 the first time without prep.

I used CollegeBoard pencils that I stole from my SAT test center. They must be lucky - I suggest you take the SAT just to steal some

JDHarms

Time management and test familiarity are big factors. Just practice. That's all you can do, really, if you've paid attention in school for the past dozen years or so.

IWA1409

Frankly I studied hardly at all and got a 36 my first time but perhaps I just got lucky I'm not sure. Though I word certainly recommend time management skills, practice tests and familiarizing yourself with the science section as its a little different from what you might expect.

jptoor

You'll realize that the material is not hard. It is the time management. If you had an hour per section, I think 90% of the test takers would get 33+. You know the material, you should be familiar with the science section. I helped a friend with his CR for about an hour, and I looked at the question types (he was using the red book from last year) and saw how they worked, and what they wanted.

You don't need to know much information, you need to apply the info you have efficiently.

(35 btw) I missed 2 in English, 2 in Math, 1 in the other sections and got a 12 on my essay. I thought I did bad on the writing, as the prompt was really weird. Something about corporate influence.

sugar_sweet111

I went up from a 29 and a 32 to a 34 this year.

I second the time management idea. For most people English and Math aren't too bad time-wise so the students get a false sense of security. And then CR and Science come along, and BAM you just screwed up your chances.

I'd recommend the usual: take practice tests, brush up on math basics, learn to read well, hehe. And if you don't get the score you want, just take the test again. In my experience most people who take it a second time will do better than they did originally.

freezertennis

I got a 35 by taking past tests in review books to manage time & get used to format, in addition to reviewing english/grammar rules.