# How did you study for the ACT, and how did you do



## Johnny1234 (Nov 16, 2006)

I will be taking the ACT in may, and im not sure how to study for it. We had a practice one at my school and I got a 21. Im shooting for a 27.


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## Kardax (Dec 29, 2004)

I didn't really do any studying for it and still managed a 29.

It's a lot like any other test, really... they ask a lot of questions, you write a lot of answers...

-Ryan


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## emptybottle (Jan 3, 2005)

22 :hide 
My score was below my school's average, 26. My SAT's were way worse. Yikes. I had the shortest attention span with these things. I would catch myself daydreaming many times in the middle of those boring reading comprehension pieces..... I felt like the dumbest kid in school when everyone was getting their scores back and doing better than me :lol . But I graduated with a 3.5 gpa (out of 4.0), so at least I had something that showed I wasn't stupid.

It's important to time yourself when taking those practice tests. Though taking practice tests independently don't help nearly as much as taking those prep courses or hiring a tutor to help you prepare. I didn't do any of these, but almost all my classmates did.


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## Drella (Dec 4, 2004)

*Re: re: How did you study for the ACT, and how did you do*



Kardax said:


> I didn't really do any studying for it and still managed a 29.
> 
> It's a lot like any other test, really... they ask a lot of questions, you write a lot of answers...
> 
> -Ryan


haha, I didn't study either. My guidance counselor told me that we weren't supposed to study for it. He said "You either know it, or you don't." Apparently, I didn't know it, because I don't recall doing too well. I still got a scholarship for college, though. I believe that guy has since been fired.


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## kikachuck (Nov 10, 2003)

I didn't study at all and I got a 26. I could have done better had I taken it again, but that score was more than high enough to get into all of the places I was applying to.


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## Kardax (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: re: How did you study for the ACT, and how did you do*



Drella said:


> haha, I didn't study either. My guidance counselor told me that we weren't supposed to study for it. He said "You either know it, or you don't." <snip> I believe that guy has since been fired.


Nice :lol

-Ryan


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## Johnny1234 (Nov 16, 2006)

As much as I enjoy you guys making me feel like a retard, no one has really told me how to prepare for it lol...


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## Kardax (Dec 29, 2004)

The best advice I can give is watch your time. There's no wrong-answer penalty on the ACT, so if a question is too hard (or is simply taking too much time), guess and move on. Don't leave any blanks 

Anything you can do to make sure you're fully awake and at your intellectual peak is ideal. This means getting a good night's sleep, eating a good breakfast, having a sharp pencil (and calculator..if they're allowed) and anything else that you know works for you :yes

The best part is if you think you could have done better, you can always take it again.

-Ryan


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## Drella (Dec 4, 2004)

For my GRE, I prepare by studying an hour a day for 6 weeks before taking the test. There are ACT practice books available as well as CD-ROMs with practice tests, and you could also get a Sylvan tutor to help you. I'm sure there's a center in your area, and they would probably be really helpful.


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## GraceLikeRain (Nov 9, 2003)

Johnny, study the areas that brought your score down. There is a very big gap between a 21 and a 27. You have to accept what you get, and be proud of what you get. It's not an easy test to sit through.



Drella said:


> For my GRE, I prepare by studying an hour a day for 6 weeks before taking the test


I need to start doing that....


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## in_my_prison (Mar 14, 2005)

I found the practice tested to be much harder than the real thing. So I didn't do them. 29, but I'm just good at tests.


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## SilentLoner (Jan 30, 2006)

I got one of those ACT prep books, they're actually pretty helpful. My parental units freaked out and got someone to tutor me.

Ended up with a 25.


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## keem (Jun 23, 2006)

I took a practice test, got a 32 and didn't study at all after that. I got the same score on the real test.


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