I am currently stuck at a 24 math score both times I have taken the ACT. Both raw total scores were 29 and my superscore is 30. I have to bring my math up to a 28 to have a 32 superscore by March to be eligible for a huge scholarship in my state. I have tried taking practice tests and got the same scores even though I felt I better understood the material. I have my answer key from the June 13 test as well. Are either of these a good way to study? Or what would be better? Thanks!

I am currently stuck at a 24 math score both times I have taken the ACT. Both raw total scores were 29 and my superscore is 30. I have to bring my math up to a 28 to have a 32 superscore by March to be eligible for a huge scholarship in my state. I have tried taking practice tests and got the same scores even though I felt I better understood the material. I have my answer key from the June 13 test as well. Are either of these a good way to study? Or what would be better? Thanks!

When I was in high school, I thought a perfect ACT score would open a lot of doors.

I got a 36 ACT and was nominated for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, one of if not the most prestigious general academic award a high school student can achieve. Perks of winning include an all-expense trip to D.C. that involves going to museums, hearing major policy addresses by senators, cabinet members, officials from the Departments of State and Defense, and other federal agencies, as well as participate in meetings with the president and a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. You also get personally awarded a medal by the President of the United States of America, even if it's Trump currently.

I did the full IB Diploma with HL Math AA, Chemistry, and Physics. I spent two summers doing computational biology research, tutored standardized tests, volunteered for years, and had strong extracurriculars.

My cumulative high school average at the time I applied an A.

I still got rejected or waitlisted from every T40 school I applied to.

The rejection that hit me the hardest was Texas A&M. As an in-state student, I genuinely thought I'd get in. When I didn't, I was devastated. For a while, I honestly thought that if I couldn't get into A&M, I wasn't going to get into college anywhere I wanted to go.

Now that I've had time to reflect, here's what I've learned.

1. A perfect ACT is no longer a golden ticket. Thousands of applicants have near-perfect scores. It's impressive, but it's just one piece of the application.
2. Grades over four years matter more than one test. Even though my cumulative average before applying was above a 90, admissions committees care about trends and consistency. My junior year wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be, and a 36 ACT couldn't completely make up for that.
3. Admissions are holistic, whether you like it or not. Essays, recommendations, course rigor, institutional priorities, geography, intended major, and plain randomness all play a role.
4. You can do almost everything right and still get rejected. That's probably the hardest lesson. A rejection doesn't necessarily mean you weren't qualified.
5. Prestige means something, but definitely not everything. I ended up committing to a top 70 university with a half-ride. It wasn't where I expected to go, but it's still a place where I can build relationships with professors, do research, prepare for medical school, and create opportunities for myself.

Looking back, I spent too much time believing that admissions results determined my worth. They don't.

If you're applying this year, don't make the same mistake I did. Aim high, but build a balanced college list. There are far more qualified applicants than there are seats at highly selective schools.

Your acceptance letters don't define your potential. What you do after you enroll matters much more.

I'm still ambitious. I still plan to work hard. My path just looks different than I imagined a year ago.

This was my first time taking the ACT after preparing for roughly 3-4 weeks. I’m a rising senior and I’m desperate for a 36 in order to receive a scholarship at my state school. I will be taking the ACT again in September and I’ll probably just leave science as it is. Please give your best advice below (even if you didn’t score a perfect)!

Finally got the score I wanted !!!!!!

I'm a rising sophomore and I really want to get a 36 and improve my score. Any tips would be greatly appreciated

I’ve taken the sat a total of 3 times and have score between 1230-1310 but when i took the act once i got a 31 with my weakest section being math and science. I don’t know if my act studying would translate well if i took the sat again because i know the math sections are very different. should i double down and just lock in and take the sat a few more times or try studying for act math. not sure if its worth mentioning but my dream school has an average act rate of 32-35 so thats why act is more appealing to me.

Took the ACT twice already, both paper. Thinking about doing my next attempt digital since I want to improve my Math score and the built-in Desmos calculator seems like it could really help. Since all three would be Enhanced ACT just different formats, superscoring should combine fine across them, right? Anyone have experience with this or know if certain colleges treat digital differently?

Finally free…

Hi everyone, I took the digital July act, J09 I believe, and was just wondering when I can expect my writing score to release, is there a defined date like there is MCQ release?

pls let me know i’m so impatient

*The june test was digital and the july test was paper

I have gotten 30+ reading on J01, J08, and the MC series

I also do the 4,1,2,3 (passage order) strategy, mark the question #'s in the passage in the lines and take mental notes of what key terms the questions ask for first, then read the passage. However, I always run out if time, and skimming the passage doesn't seem to work.

I'm a rising senior. This is my 2nd test my math has been 26 and now 28. I am good with desmos because of SAT, is it worth switching to digital to fix math or is it doable on paper? Also should i focus more on reading to get that 34/35 superscore. Please help!!

I want to apply for CS at like big engineering schools (GT, UIUC, MIT as a long shot lmao) so I really wanted to hammer in the math and I’m not completely sure but I’m guessing a 35 is probably enough. The elephant in the room is science, but since it’s optional, I was planning on not reporting it in case that’s not like a super big no no. The main thing is I don’t know about is if my English and Reading is sufficient enough for the schools to not care too much about them (e.g how I’ve heard that MIT focuses a lot on having perfect-ish scores for SAT math but isn’t too heavily focused on RW as long as you get 700+) so I just wanted to know what people think the move would be.

Hi everyone! I’m taking the ACT at the end of September and I need some major advice. It has been a very long time since I’ve done any math— I graduated high school 12 years ago and basically don't remember anything. I took the ACT last year and got a 19 on math, but that was literally from guessing on almost every single question. I know they changed a lot of things with the new enhanced ACT format. Here are a few questions I have as prep for the new format:

1 . Where do I start?
2. What topics pop up the most on the enhanced ACT math section that I should prioritize?
3. I know the ACT doesn't give you a formula sheet on test day. Which math formulas are 100% essential to memorize?
4. What are the best free tools, apps, or YouTube channels for learning math from zero as someone who’s been out of school for a bit?

So basically for my superscore I have a 35 in math that it takes from my June test but I also got a 35 in April and I would rather take it from there since my science and english also come from April so then id only have to submit 2 scores is there a way to do that in myACT? Or can it only be done when applying and how do i do it when applying?

Also, is it true that they will see the entire score for the dates put into the superscore like for July my reading comes from there but then my science is july was really low and I dont them to see it so do they see the entire score? Sorry if these are stupid questions cause im only a rising junior so Im not too familiar with the application process and how the portals look.

I took the July 11th act and got a 25/27 on the reading. I've seen posts from other people who had that same score but ended up with a 35. For context I had the passage with albert and the music lessons, the dude comparing translation and making crossword puzzles, a lady watching as a new couple moves in and paints the house white, and the duel ab one about cells and memory.

I scored a 35 on the June ACT. Here's my top tips!

1. Learn how the test works. The Black Book by Mike Barret is worth it, even though it's old.

2. Practice only with tests made by ACT.

3. Focus on learning from mistakes rather than taking more tests.

4. Read everything carefully. Every question counts.

5. English tests mostly grammar rules and is an easy section to improve on.

6. Most math questions are simple but presented in a complicated way.

7. Every reading answer should be found in the text.

8. Know your calculator and use it to your advantage.

9. Bring an analog watch and set it backwards so it counts down time remaining. For example, English has 35 minutes, so you would set the watch to 11:25 and start it at the beginning of the test. Your time will be up when the watch says noon.

Good luck!

How is this for an engineering major? I’ve taken the test several times and 30 is my highest. I’ve had private tutors for English and Reading, and done all the practice tests in the books, my English hasn’t moved at all. I score in the 32-34 on practice tests but always 28 on test days. Timing was an issue, but July I finished the test, still 28.

Advice on other ways to increase English? Last attempt will be Sept.

I am a rising senior who spent the last year trying to improve her own math score. I got it up from a 17 to a 31. Im still stuck at a 21 on the English and I can't get out. First time I took it I got a 23. The past two have been a 21. How can I increase my score on the english? Also, feel free to give me tips on the reading because I want to at least get a 33+ on the reasing.

Tips? Advice? Pep talk?

Hi guys, I’m a rising junior and i’m gonna take the September ACT and I really need help studying. I’ve bought a few prep books and I did one of the practice tests on the ACT website (I’m saving practice test 2 for a later time). I’ve mostly been focusing on English and Math, but Math was frustrating me so I decided that I would just study English, Reading, and Science for the rest of this month and than lock in on Math during August. I’m having trouble with timing on the english section and can’t seem to find good resources to study from. I also always second guess “No change” and I don’t know how to fix it. I just feel like I keep making the same mistakes, and I have an error log but I feel like I just keep writing the same things down. I’ve never studied for a standardized test before so I’m having a difficult time.
My goal is a 33 composite. When I did some practice tests, my baseline scores were like a 25-26 on English, 34/36 on Reading, and like a 39/40 on Science. Math was like a either a 24,25,or 26 too. Math and english are mostly stressing me out, especially math since i haven’t taken precalc or alg 2 yet, but i’ve been using khan academy and Youtube to familiarize myself with the topics. I just need so useful tips because this test is stressing me out. Thanks!

Hi, I currently have. 36 math 34 reading and 30 english. Does anyone have recommendations for website I should use for english?

The July ACT was my second time taking the ACT. Initially, I got a 29, so I studied for the whole of June and July, doing practice tests. I was consistently getting high 30s on my practice tests. I even took a full practice test the day before the test, and I got a 34. However, my scores have come back, and I got a 28. 27-Math, 30-Reading, 28- English, 29-Science, 9-Writing. I feel like I have tried everything. How do I get better, because I know I can get a high score? Thank you for your advice.