Is The ACT Science Based On Luck??

LadyHam
Wed, 02 May 2012 11:26:02 +0000

Hihghghg ~ I’ve seen that, too, where good students get lower scores and average students get high scores. I think that prepping properly for this test, along w/a little bit of luck in getting a test that is good for you as an individual, come into play.

Arghwhy ~ I do think a little bit of luck is involved. You still have to practice, and prep, and put your time in preparing the test, but if a little bit of luck isn’t involved, then how can you explain someone getting different scores on different tests? I think the test can be very inconsistent in difficulty level, especially in the science section and the reading section. My daughter can score anywhere from a 25 to a 34 on the science section depending on difficulty level. She spent a lot of time prepping for the ACT and probably has taken 7-8 practice tests, and 2 real tests. The reading is the same way for her. Her lowest score on reading was a 23 or 24 (on one of her earlier practice tests), but on the real test on April 14th, she scored a 31. Her highest practice on reading before that was a 29. I think the English and Math are the most consistent, but w/reading and science, it’s very inconsistent and varies greatly from test to test. The test my daughter took through her high school on April 24 had a science section that was so much easier (according to my daughter) than the one on April 14th. It will be interesting to see her score in science on that test and compare it to the other one. If she does score a 30 or above on science, then how can you explain a 5+ point increase from test to test from a student that has prepped themselves appropriately for the test? I can understand a couple of point drop in either direction from test to test, but if it is a significant increase or decrease, I think that just shows inconsistency in the difficulty levels of the various tests. And again, that is for a well prepared student. I am not talking about someone that went into the test cold and scored a low score and then put in a lot of prep time and then was able to raise their score significantly because of that. I just hope that when my daughter takes the test in June, that the stars align for her and she gets reading and science sections that she can do well on.