Just Took The ACT

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JackJ

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I'm currently a junior and just took the ACT for the first time.

English and Reading are my strong subjects so I found both pretty doable.
I'm a decent math student but some of the problems were completely foreign to me. (Currently in Algebra 2)
Science has always been my worst subject so I really dragged through that section.

I'm curious as to what other members on the forum got on their ACT, and how many times they took it.

I'll probably take it again as I'm hoping to go to University of Wisconsin after high school. (I think they like students with at least a 27.)

Oh, and math progression in my high school is a little different than most others I've seen. Alg 1, Geometry, Alg 2, Pre Calc, AP Calc. You can also take a semester stats class.
 
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I am a senior in highschool and I never took the ACT but I think I would have done better at it than I did with the SAT. I only took the SAT twice, once while I was sick and ended up getting a 1510, and another last October where I got a 1950. My scores for Critical Reading, Math, and Writing were 690, 720, and 540(LOL).

I will be attending Indiana University next semester and plan to double major in some form of chemistry and environment science.

BTW, your schools math progression is normal. My schools is Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Pre-Calc., Calc., Calc AB, Calc BC, Multivariable, then finally independent math study or instructor supervised math study.
 
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Protip: the science section isn't really about science. It's about analyzing data quickly. Learn to just read the essential points of the charts and you'll do well.

I took the ACT twice, got 34 the first time and 35 the second. I'm not very smart, just good at taking tests for some reason.
 
I'm about to do the ACT for the first time officially in March. I'm probably going to take it again in June or something. I hope I get somewhere around 30+. I epic failed the SAT in October so I'm probably going to do that again in June too. For SAT I fail reading and essay and for ACT I fail everything other than math and sometimes english.

I always get 4 wrong on the science section for ACT.... usually 2 of the 4 I get wrong are on the scientists opinion on something so it's basically reading.
When you do the science section, read the first sentence just to see what it's about then jump straight to the questions while trying to understand the charts/graphs and use logic. Learn to read quickly and analyze data. I found just doing lots of practice tests and seeing why you get questions wrong and which questions you usually get wrong helps boost your score.
 
Noahaha said:
Protip: the science section isn't really about science. It's about analyzing data quickly. Learn to just read the essential points of the charts and you'll do well.

I took the ACT twice, got 34 the first time and 35 the second. I'm not very smart, just good at taking tests for some reason.
Click to expand...

35?... +respect.

which one do you all think is easier? SAT or ACT?
 
Noahaha said:
I actually never took the SAT. My college advisor said the ACT was better for me. I'm only a Junior though, so I may end up taking the SAT or going back to try to get a 36 =P
Click to expand...

Interesting. Maybe I'll attempt to do the ACT, since I've already done the SAT 4 times, and I'm a junior as well, haha.

You should do the SAT and see how you do, it never hurts to try, since your ACT score is already so high. You could always try for a 37... lol.
 
I took the ACT twice, once when I was a Junior and once a Senior. First time I got a 23 Cumulative with 35 Math Sub-score and second time was 25 Cumulative with 35 Math again. O_o I am terrible at the Reading and English portions and I honestly have never liked English. I was kindof pissed when I got a 35 Math score again because I really wanted a 36. :p I think Science I got mid-high 20s both times.

Also, regarding HS Math progression, my high school is really small but our math classes were 8th grade - Algebra I, Freshman - Geometry (Love Geometry :D ), Sophomore - Alg. II, Junior - Pre-Calc, and Senior - AP Calc (AB).
 
I took it four times.

Time 1) Spring of my 7th grade year. There was some program (Duke TIP?) that Duke ran that had 7th graders take the ACT. Then based on our scores, we were awarded medals. I sucked and didn't get a medal. Score: 16

Time 2) Spring of my Junior year, I didn't take any practice tests so I was ill-prepared. The Science portion was nothing like I had ever done in Science, so I bombed it. Score: 25

Time 3) Summer after Junior year. I did some science practice tests and did better. Score: 28

Time 4) Fall of my senior year. I honestly didn't put effort into doing well. Score: 25
 
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I find it so strange that Americans get to keep repeating their entrance exams until they get a decent score, and even stranger that they can take them when they're not even in their final year of school...
 
JasonK said:
I find it so strange that Americans get to keep repeating their entrance exams until they get a decent score, and even stranger that they can take them when they're not even in their final year of school...
Click to expand...

Also many Americans hardly even study for what you call an entrance exam. I myself had probably only studied an hour or so for mine and I got into a good college.
 
JasonK said:
So do your results in your actual subjects matter at all?
Click to expand...

To a small extent yes. Colleges here look at how well you do in math and whether or not you are taking appropriately difficult courses. But your highschool grades hardly matter, I myself who got a 3.1 GPA got into a collage ranked 76 out of ~2000. But I did have the advantage of going to the top school in Indiana where when they are looking at your GPA they add .5 to it so it is the GPA you would get at an average school.
 
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Just got my score yesterday.

I have taken it before and got a 23 I believe. But this time I got this (numbers in parenthesis represent the difference between test 1 and test 2):

Cumulative: 27(+4)
English: 26 (+6)
Math: 26 (0)
Reading: 25 (+4)
Science: 29 (+4)

I am extremely pleased with my progress, and I plan to take it again whenever the next one is. I think I may be able to squeeze out a 30.
 
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