Most effective way to improve ACT/SAT

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workinhardkid

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Feb 20, 2019
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Hey everyone! Thank you for making this site. It's really helpful. It's my junior year and I've been working hard getting my resume as strong as possible and it seems to be coming together. The admissions people have been very helpful to me on advice. My ALO, admissions and nomination people all think my resume is very competitive but I need to keep getting those ACT/SAT up. Where I live is supposed to be 'hyper competitive'. Not sure what that means but I need to ace everything evidently. Looking online there are a lot of options Kahn Academy, ACT Online, private tutors, books, etc. What's the best method to help me get these up? I don't have much money to hire private tutors and am good at putting in the hours but I want to use what is best for my time. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!
 
For many candidates, these are impactful yet cost effective strategies.
  • Take both the ACT and the SAT and focus on the one you do better at.
  • Focus on test-taking skills and familiarity with the format of the tests
  • Add a vocabulary prep application to your SmartPhone...practice when you are waiting in lines etc.
  • Khan Academy for free SAT prep.
  • Purchase a quality SAT or ACT Prep Book and take as many practice exams (timed test in an environment that closely mimics actual conditions) as possible.
 
I would echo 23LT and AROTC-dad: determine what area you wish to improve and take both the ACT and SAT. They are different and oft times, one will perform better on one than the other.

Take the test you perform better on multiple times, with special emphasis on the area or areas you need to boost. The academies will superstore you. Also, West Point requires the written portion while USAFA and USNA do not.

You can improve your scores without the expense of purchasing a course or paying a tutor. You mentioned you are disciplined enough to put in the hours. My grandson was similar--low on funds but high on discipline. He put in many hours a week utilizing online resources with timed tests. His weak score was math where he had a 29 the first time. He took the ACT 3 times, ending up with a 33 in math while boosting his overall score from a 33 to a 35.

Put in the hours and you will see the results. Very best of luck to you!!
 
Uworld is a great resource in my opinion. It has A LOT of problems with explanations that are in depth. The math and writing (grammar) are the best but reading is still good practice on uworld. I would definetely recommend. It cost $50 for a 2 month subscription. I was able to finish all the math and writing problems within a month of studying.
 
Take as many practice tests under test conditions as possible! IMO the ACT/SAT don’t measure your intelligence as much as your ability to take a test. So if you get familiar with the flow/rhythm of the questions you can almost predict what they’re going to ask. My first ACT last year I scored a 25 and by the end I worked my super score up to a 35. If you put in the practice, like you said you’re willing to do, you’ll do great! Best of luck!
 
alwayshungry8 said:
Take as many practice tests under test conditions as possible! IMO the ACT/SAT don’t measure your intelligence as much as your ability to take a test. So if you get familiar with the flow/rhythm of the questions you can almost predict what they’re going to ask. My first ACT last year I scored a 25 and by the end I worked my super score up to a 35. If you put in the practice, like you said you’re willing to do, you’ll do great! Best of luck!
Click to expand...

What tools and method did you use to get from a 25 to 35? Thank you.
 
workinhardkid said:
alwayshungry8 said:
Take as many practice tests under test conditions as possible! IMO the ACT/SAT don’t measure your intelligence as much as your ability to take a test. So if you get familiar with the flow/rhythm of the questions you can almost predict what they’re going to ask. My first ACT last year I scored a 25 and by the end I worked my super score up to a 35. If you put in the practice, like you said you’re willing to do, you’ll do great! Best of luck!
Click to expand...

What tools and method did you use to get from a 25 to 35? Thank you.
Click to expand...

I went into my first ACT pretty cold and didn’t really know what I was doing. So I attended a class which was slightly helpful in the strategies they would talk about here and there, but I stopped after about a month. What I think made the difference was taking practice tests constantly. I’d rotate every school day taking a different section under the time limit. On Saturdays I’d take the whole test as if it were the real thing. Sunday’s I usually took a break. Another huge thing I forgot to mention is LOG YOUR MISTAKES! It’s tedious but very helpful in seeing where you went wrong and to better understand what they’re asking. Everyone has different strategies and things that work for them so play around and see what works for you.
 
It all depends on how you learn. When I took the ACT/SAT 2-3.5 years ago what I did was take the test two times, the first time with no prep to get a baseline and see what areas I need to focus on for review. Then I bought the ACT/SAT book put out by the specific company that makes the test (because they know what is in the test better than any of the other prep books) using those to study in the areas I was lacking in. I went from an ACT English section score of 28 to a score of 33 and a composite score of 32 to a composite score of 34.
 
Here is my observation watching kids (2 of my own) when they are preparing for ACT/SAT. It is a long 3 hrs exam. To take the real exam, you have to sit at one place for 3 hrs to complete the exam. Even though kids know all the stuff, but it is a well known fact that keeping that "span of attention" sharp for 3 hrs is not practical. Therefore, what I would suggest: 1) when taking practice tests, take full sample test at once. 2) take two full sample tests at once, means you are sitting at one place for 6 hrs and finishing two tests one after the other. That way you are preparing yourself "mentally" to keep the span of attention alive for at-least 3 hrs when you are taking a real exam. I consider it similar to when you are preparing for the CFA; where it is beneficial to practice all six events at once in a sequence. Your brain gets tired too just like physical body and even though you can do many more sit-ups, but not when done together in a sequence with other exercises.
 
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