On the February ACT I got English 34, Math 34, Reading 29, Science 29, Composite 32. But on all of my practice tests I was consistently getting English 34, Math 36, Reading 31/32, Science 34/35. Composite 34. I really don’t know what happened. Does anyone have any tips for Reading and Science to help boost scores?
My biggest problem is running out of time on Reading. And on the February test I ran out of time on Science which has never happened before (I know to skip the passages and go straight to the questions for Science)
i got a 31 in Feb. (35 E, 28 M, 32 R, 29 S). i have brought my math and reading up to around a 34 on practice tests, but I’m still struggling to be accurate on science questions 
really hope that Saturday’s science section isn’t too complex.
@aplangq for reading, have you tried doing the passages in order of your best to worst? for some this helps but for others it could be confusing. it personally helps me a lot because the ones that I am stronger in (prose and natural science) i can do fast, and then spend more time on the ones that are more challenging for me (social science and humanities). i guess having your own strategy for the reading going into the test is key. for instance, do you read questions before or after? if you do it one way now, try it out the other way on a practice test and see which works better. also if you skim the questions before, note any key terms or names. then try to circle and underline those while you read so you know where to reference when answering questions. hope this can you help out some! the best thing is really practice, so if you have been practicing then you will most likely be more than ready on test day! good luck! 
can i bring a stopwatch to the test? it makes a small beep @ the beginning but that should not really matter right
@asiandoctor yeah you can. sometimes proctors don’t allow the watch even if it makes the smallest of beeps (happened to me on SAT subject tests last saturday lol). check out this thread which gives information on how you can easily silence the beeping: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/391226-how-to-disable-beeping-on-your-digital-watch.html
Can anyone help me with this problem (first post yay!):
- In the equation x2 + mx + n = 0, m and n are integers. The only possible value for x is –3. What is the value of m ? A. 3 B. –3 C. 6 D. –6 E. 9
I had no idea how they got C as an answer.
@polarizes welcome! okay so the equation is in the form of a quadratic. if the only value or root for x is -3, then you know (x+3) and (x+3) must be the two parentheses multiplied to get the quadratic equation. if you multiply the parentheses out : (x+3)(x+3) or (x+3)^2, you will see that it expands to x^2+6x+9. thus, referring to the form x^2+mx+n, 6 would be your m and 9 would be your n.
@asappebble so what happened? did u get kicked out or something ?
@asiandoctor lol no they just told me to go put my watch outside the test room
Just sat down and took a past ACT (form 68A) at a local library and got:
33 English
Didn’t do math bc I forgot my calc lol
35 Reading
30 Science
It feels SO refreshing to see that all this studying is paying off (got a 29C on Feb and April). WOW im really happy rn
@asappebble I’m no beast on the science section but If you don’t already know, you should go STRAIGHT to the questions first. Don’t even glance at the paragraphs and graphs and stuff. This makes things SOOO much easier for me.
Has anyone used those downloadable ACT programs you can get for a graphing calculator? Is it worth getting? Math section is usually the easiest for me but should I get the downloadable program?
Is the red book (“The Real ACT Prep Guide”) known to be more difficult than the actual test? I have took more modern released tests from around 2012 to 13 and test is easier than the ones provided by the red book. Also the red books scale seem a bit harsh?
Are the Red Book ACTs reflective of the actual test difficulty?
Red book is actually easier than most new tests. And yes, the Red book has all old released tests so they are reliable scales.
Would you guys recommend for me to use past ACT test pdfs or the Red Book for practice tests? I’m a little skeptical to use the Red book since it’s apparently a bit easier than the actual ACT.
Hi guys!! Good luck to everyone. I am soo nervous. Hopefully, third times the charm
For the math section, would you say it is best to memorize the Surface Area and volume formulas or just guess those? I know basic formulas for triangles, circles, but what about cones, pyramids, etc?
Does anyone know an easy way to do this type of problem?
Bonokosi mixes 60 mL of Solution A with 40 mL of Solution X. Solution A has a 40% hydrochloric acid concentration; Solution X has an unkown hydrochloric acid concentration. When Bonkosi tests the resulting 100 mL solution, she finds that it has a 36% hydrochloric acid concentration. what is the hydrochloric acid concentration of Solution X?
A.19%
B.24%
C.30%
D.32%
E.38%
Don’t understand how to arrive to the answer: E) 38%.
@asappebble Are you sure the answer says that it is E? I remember a familiar problem like this but I arrive at answer C. when I solve it.
@Deferno54 Yeah it says that it is E but perhaps it is wrong or something. I too keep arriving at answer C) 30%. Here’s how I’m doing it:
Percent 1 x (Quantity 1) + Percent 2 x (Quantity 2) = Percent 3 x (Quantity 3)
.4(60) + x(40) = .36(100)
24 + 40x = 36
40x = 12
x= .3 or 30 %
Yeah same here. I actually remember the same exact problem (can’t seem to remember from where) but the answer wasn’t E. I’d assume that the answer is just wrong.