<p>The first time I took the ACT I got a 24, then a 27, then back to a 24! I studies more for this last ACT than any other one and I really thought I reached my goal of a 30! I don’t know what happened and I felt incredibly confident. Here are my two questions: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Should I pay the $45 fee to have my test hand scored?
I really feel like I did the best on this test, and I went back down to my original score.</p></li>
<li><p>Is it worth it for me to take the ACT one more time?
I’ve heard that colleges look down on you if you take the ACT more than 3 times, is this true? </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you and PLEASE feel free to respond, I NEED HELP :(</p>
<p>Plenty of people take the ACT 4 times. If you took it like 7 times I think it would be strange. If you really think you can do better than retake the test. If you don’t already have the Red Book then buy it. Also read <a href=“Jeandevaches' Guide to the ACT - ACT Preparation - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/1071765-jeandevaches-guide-to-the-act-p1.html</a>.</p>
<p>Also get a Barron’s ACT prep book and the 1296 (since I don’t want to retype everything I said to someone else I’ll just recopy it. These are some of the strategies I am currently using this time around since I didn’t even bother to study last time.)</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 (29) 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 (32): 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 (33) & Science (32): 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>Thank you very much for your fast response. Do you think it would be worth it for me to pay the $45 fee and get it handscored? It’s a hefty fee, but I thought this was the best test I had taken so far. Thank you, again! </p>
<p>If you honestly think you will get a better score then have it hand scored. I really don’t see how handscoring can boost it up 6 points to the score of 30 that you want though. Do you think maybe you miss-bubbled answers and that is why your score was lowered? Because if that’s the case then handscoring will not help.</p>
<p>I’m not sure. I thought this was the best one yet. I don’t think I miss-bubbled because I checked a lot and made sure I was on the right question. Thank you for your awesome advice and I will be taking it again in September! </p>
<p>I just wanted to let you know, I ended up taking it again in september and I got a 28! Thanks for everything!</p>