<p>E:30
M:28 (This is a major issue. On easy math sections I can 33-36, BUT on harder ones I rush near the end, because I run out of time.)
R:32
S:24 (Rather low, usually I 27)</p>
<p>One of the biggest problems for me is that there are no answers and explanations for me on tests, since I finished the red book. (I doing the released tests and some TIR from previous years). I feel that I know all the material but an effective, specific strategy is what I am missing. This is where I need the most help. If you guys could provide any suggestions or things that work for you, I’d really appreciate it. Usually, I read the questions carefully and underline key info, but I find this too time consuming and not very effective in increasing my score. I am a 4.0 student and this is really frustrating me. I really want a 35. I have all of summer to study so any advice would be great! </p>
<p>Get review books. I heard Barron’s review books are good. Its ACT 36 book is more for people who consistently score in the 30+ range so I would advise you get their regular ACT book. </p>
<p>IMO S & R are passage based if the answer choice you select does not have support within the passage then your answer is incorrect. </p>
<p>Math: try onlinemathlearning. com ACT math lessons they have videos for everything. </p>
<p>English: try Erica Meltzer’s critical reader blog and look at ACT punctuation rules. Or buy her guide to ACT english</p>
<p>@tola2015 I did read barrons and pr already. Should I reread them? It’s been a while.
I heard that review books are great for a start, but eventually people should find their own strategies. I wanted to know what strategies people were using. </p>
<p>Personally whenever I read anything (unless it is a book I’m reading for my own enjoyment), I highlight anything that I feel might trip me up. So say you come across a grammar rule you don’t know then highlight it. Or say you come across a math formula that you think you might forget before the test highlight it. When you actively read by annotating, notetaking, and highlighting you are more likely to retain information. So when you read either of them the second time through take notes and highlight things that might trip you up come test time. </p>
<p>Whenever I miss an ACT or SAT practice question I go back and rework the problem. Or if it is an English question then I go back and search the grammar rule that corresponds with the correct answer. </p>
<p>Here is how I am personally studying for the ACT</p>
<p>English: This was my worst section so I’m going kinda hard core on it. Since I am also studying for the SAT at the same time I’ve been compiling grammar rules and have been typing notes on word and color coding which rule applies to which tests. I got my ACT grammar rules so far (hopefully I’ll be done by today, so it’ll be easy to study for all subjects at the same time) Barron’s 36 and Erica Meltzer’s critical reader ACT grammar. </p>
<p>Math: I actually took a Real ACT practice test recently and got a 35 on that section;however, when I took it in April I got a 32 which may be attributed to the fact that I just finished pre-calc and trig this year. And the only prep book I’m really going to use for this section is Barron’s 36. </p>
<p>Reading & Science: You can possibly find a prep book to help improve your score on these sections, but personally I think the best way to get questions correct in these sections is to cross off any answer choice that is not supported in the passage. If you get stuck between two answer options go back to the passage and see which answer choice the passage supports better. For more strategies on these sections I would utilize Jeandevaches guide.</p>
<p>If you want some extra practice tests from the ACT creators then pm me. </p>
<p>Don’t listen to @tola2015 the regular Barron’s is garbage, get the ACT 36 book. It’s not like you have to score a 30 to be able to use the book. Maybe try looking at ACT Prep Red Book by Dr. Steve Warner, it has a bunch of math problems in it and shows you different strategies to do problems with.</p>
<p>@tola2015 Thanks for the help. But idk what to do for math. I just meltdown from a 33+ to a 30 because of pacing mostly when it’s a hard math section.
Is there is any specific strategies you use for each section during tests? You too @Ch1746 </p>
<p>a 35 is extremely hard to get…you would literally have to mentally lockdown on ACT prep for a while before taking this. If math is a major problem, you need to be exposed to more math sections, and you have to start hustling through them if time is a problem. English is a bunch of rules that hopefully isn’t too bad to improve on. Science is usually hit or miss for many people and being exposed to those questions would be helpful. Reading is practice.</p>
<p>The book to use is ACT 36. The key is absorbing everything you read in that book (and on the test!) and retaining it. It’s a hard task but you should give yourself some room for error. a 34 is virtually the same as a 35 to many colleges.</p>
<p>@kdiddy34 I understand the level of difficulty to accomplish this and willing to put in the time and effort.
What strategies do you use for each section? </p>
<p>English: I’m pretty familiar with all the grammar rules and stuff so its a matter of applying them. I would make sure to be good at that because those are lay-ups. Rhetorical Skills are the only place where I lose points…You have to go with your gut feeling on those. There’s always 2 real answer choices to pick from. You have to pick whichever one can be substantiated for DIRECTLY from the passage. When I did practice tests and missed a question of that nature, it would piss me off because there was information supporting the answer I didn’t pick directly in the passage. Realize that ACT isn’t trying to trick you, it literally gives you all you need for each question in the passage. Use that to your advantage.</p>
<p>Math: I’m a math person. I’ve won numerous state and national math awards and I usually finish the math section in 15-20 minutes so I’m not the right person to give you advice for that. All I would say is prior exposure and speed are key.</p>
<p>Reading: Once I started immersing myself in the passage, I started doing much better. If you can really absorb the passage, then questions that ask for the mood or tone and stuff will become easy. However it’s hard to balance that with limited time. And also like english, the answers are always in the passages.</p>
<p>Science: This is tough for a lot of people because they’ll become mentally fatigued and they start to lose it. Thats why simulating test conditions and taking full timed practice tests will be very helpful. Science KILLS everyone on time so unlike reading, I wouldn’t worry about knowing what they’re talking about. Just know what the graphs and charts show, pay attention to the key and any scale it has, be able to find a point on the graph when it tells you to. Outside information is usually very basic so don’t worry about that.</p>
<p>I’ve found that practice tests and exposure to similar questions help you a ton with every section. Find as many as you can and try doing them in a timed controlled setting where you’re not on twitter every 5 seconds. Good luck!</p>
<p>I’ll copy/paste a couple reading tips I typed up in another thread:</p>
<p>The point/answer to the question will generally be in the first or last sentence of the paragraph, and the summary of the main topic will be in the first or last sentence of the first or last paragraph.</p>
<p>Also, if you get the adjective pair questions (something AND something, something OR something) describing the author’s tone, it will always (100%) be one of the AND ones. One will be positive, one will be negative. Choose the one that matches the author’s overall tone.</p>
<p>Thick, hard to read paragraph? Skip it. There probably won’t be a question on it and it’s just there to slow you down.</p>
<p>I have a lot more for all 4 sections, but ■■■■, I’m too lazy/it takes too long to remember them all and type them all out. Sorry :/</p>
<p>@aizwootler Thanks for the useful reading tips. It’s cool if you can’t post all of your tips, but I get some for science? I really think your method is great. </p>
<p>Don’t read the descriptions/understand the experiment unless you need to, because a lot of the questions are just going to ask you to read the graph or chart and just spit out the corresponding answer. It’s a waste of time, unless you absolutely have to.</p>
<p>If there’s an answer like “there is no correlation” or “no relationship,” it’s going to be that the vast majority of the time, so pick it, but mark it to make sure you go over it when you check your answers.</p>
<p>The last few questions in each of the 7 subsections are harder, so make sure you do the early ones fast.</p>
<p>For the different viewpoints section (on the June one I think it was 3 students with different opinions), just skim it, mentally highlight the differences, and move on to the questions.</p>
<p>If there’s something you 100% know is true from prior outside knowledge, just pick it. You aren’t required to know anything beforehand, but it can help, as the answer will never be factually incorrect in real life.</p>
<p>I know I have more, but I can’t come up with them off the top of my head right now. Sorry.</p>
<p>Also, I got a 36 composite, if you were wondering. Missed one question on Math (pre-algebra and elementary algebra section, I have no idea how I messed that up) but got everything else 100% correct. First time taking the test, but I definitely did prepare for it.</p>
<p>A combination of figuring them out myself and an “insider” who helped me prepare who had previously worked for ACT, Inc. to produce tests and knows exactly how each type of question works.</p>
<p>You can PM me, but no guarantees that I’ll respond - I rarely check CC and this account is linked to an email I don’t use regularly.</p>