<p><strong>Question for persons scoring 2000+ on SAT or 30+ on ACT</strong> </p>
<p>Or did you prep @ all?</p>
<p>Inquiring minds want to know.</p>
<p>I prepped for ages and took the SAT twice. I wasnt breaking a 2000, so I decided to try the ACT as a last stand sort of thing. That way my colleges would see that I have not given up on making my apps. more competitive and more matching their admissions standards. </p>
<p>I found out my results yesterday. I scored a 31 on my first try, and I am pleased with it. (E:31, M:31, R:34. S:29, E+W: TBA)</p>
<pre><code>So, what I did to prep was use the ACT Redbook. I did a practice test and had my mentor time it. That way, I got used to the timing of the questions and the types of questions. I never felt a time constraint tbh. I think that If I did more prep, I might have scored even higher, especially on the science section. But I am still very happy that I have a 30+.
I think prepping for the SAT helped me a bit on the English section because I was able to recognize grammar rules. Other than that, my IB English class really helped because I have become a better writer- thus being able to recognize how to develop essays etc.
The Math section is pure maths IMO. Im in AP Calculus, and I took the harder Maths SL last year. It all seemed very easy. To that effect, if you are past Trigonometry the math section should not be too hard. Just review the types of questions. Because of this, it also shows to me more that the ACT is based on high school curricula.
Here, I group the Science and Reading sections together. Why you may ask? Because they are giant hunts. You must find evidence in the materials given to you that supports the best answer. Also, just reading more in general will help you.
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<p>Lastly is the writing section. Im putting it last because that way If you arent taking it, you wont have to read beyond this point.
In my opinion every essay should be done with this in mind- Point, Evidence, and Logic.( I must thank my IB Coordinator for that- she has pounded that writing style into our brains.) Your point is your idea, then you have evidence which is an example. Your logic then connects the evidence with your idea and ultimately connects with your thesis. If you do this, then you can develop a strong essay with clear lines of logic- which is something asked by college anyway (Its called academic writing). To make your essay even better, include a counterpoint, evidence and logic. Then in your logic, you poke holes in the counterpoint and then connect back to your thesis- showing why your argument is better.
Of course, have an introduction and conclusion and you should be good to go.</p>
<pre><code>So that is how I approached the ACT and scored a 31.
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<p>I got a 2130 in one sitting and prepped by doing all the practice tests in the big fat College Board book. That’s it.</p>
<p>I would’ve done better, but I’ve not done math at school for 2 years, so I only got a 650. I got 710 in reading and 770 in writing. I got full marks in the writing MC, but my essay brought me down as I had no way of knowing what to expect or what was good.</p>
<p>Did all the practice tests from the 2 versions of the blue books and took the strategies from rocketreview. For vocab, I got a few books, put all the words I didn’t know into quizlet, and studied them through cardcram.com.</p>
<p>read voraciously for the past 14 years. checked my work on the math section. did a few paractice sections/essays beforehand. 2330.</p>
<p>honestly, the tippy top scorers are likely to have done less specific test prep and more general “prep”- like reading.</p>
<p>Here’s what I did.
680 Reading. 780 Math. 760 Writing. I’ll only give you math and writing advice…for obvious reasons. =D
Math- do a TON of practice problems and don’t worry about the time. Grab that blue book and do ten probs a day. That’s it. Every day. I promise you will become better, faster, and eventually you’ll compete with youself just to do better. I started off with a 650 and went to a 780 with ten problems every day for two months. That’s less than fifteen minutes of work and ten minutes of corrections.
Writing- Same as Math, but time yourself. Just do a section a day. Then correct the section the next day. When you make a mistake, ALWAYS figure out what you did wrong. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>