Raising ACT Score?

Test Preparation
1

Hi, I’m currently a junior in High school and I am planning on taking the ACT in October.

This will be my first OFFICIAL ACT test, but have been taking a ACT diagnostic test every week. I score roughly on average about 34 but wondering how I could get a 35+? I’m aiming for top schools like Carnegie, Stanford, MIT, etc for CS and/or EE.

I tend to always miss questions because of some silly careless mistake which is a known problem of mine…

How do I make sure I don’t make these? Especially on reading and science sections, I tend to read super fast because of the time crunch but then I lose maybe some crucial information that could help me in the problems.

Math is the easiest subject but I always end up missing like 1 due to some silly mistake.

I know 34 is a good score but, because I am and Asian male in a super competitive and tough school, 34 is nothing compared to my peers. People from my school always get 2300+ on SATs and 35+ on ACTs and I’m trying to get there.

Should I just take more practice tests? As a junior, school work is piling but its do-able. Thanks for the help!

2

Hi, I’m a senior who scored a 35 on the September ACT.

I would honestly say that a 34+ should be enough to be competitive for reach schools. However, since you are a junior and have plenty of time to prepare for standardized testing, I’d say go for the 35+. I’m Asian too, so I understand your struggle.

Writing: Should be no problem.

Math: Do the 3/4 of the test (the easy questions) as fast as possible (without making mistakes) so you can save time for the harder questions at the end.

Reading: My strategy for reading is to first skim the given passage and then answer the questions. While skimming, you should try to grasp the general concept of the story as well as the sequence of events. When you start answering the questions, look back at the passage. ACT Reading questions generally aren’t too in-depth, so most of the time you can literally find the answers in the passage.

Science: This was my worst subject (started with a 30 -> 36). Basically, DON’T READ THE PASSAGES AT ALL. Go directly to the questions, and remember to use visual aids. CIRCLE INFORMATION, UNDERLINE INFORMATION, DRAW LINES.

Ex. In general, the results of Study 1 suggest that peony seeds that are placed in a petri dish containing damp paper are most likely to germinate when they are maintained at which of the following temperatures?

Underline: Study 1, temperatures, peony seeds

Immediately go look at Study 1 (in this case, it is a table) and find the temperature that has the the most successful seed germination.

I know you probably think that underlining or circling won’t really help you (I thought this way too), but trust me, it makes a huge difference.

Sorry if I’m not that helpful, I tried. Good luck. (Luck is also part of getting a 35+)