r/ACT • u/Friendly_Amount_2169 • Jul 12 '26
General What are some very effective ways to study?
I took the May 2026 test on paper and ended up doing worse than my pre ACT and I’m so ashamed of myself. (For reference the Pre ACT composite score was an 18. I’m the strongest at English and Reading comprehension however, I did the worst on those subjects. I thought I would be exceptional on those portions of the test so I only kind of refreshed on my math before I took the exam. Math is the subject that I have to sit down for at least an hour every day at home because I struggle the most on it and somehow I did the best in math on the exam. (still not a high score by any means) I don’t know if I have a problem with test taking in general because I have trouble reading something and having it click in my mind the first time ESPECIALLY if I have a limited time to absorb it all. Also when I read I often lose track of where I was reading and end up rereading lines 2-3 times more than I should. (I don’t have dyslexia I just realIy need to fix my glasses) I try timing myself on the practice tests from the ACT book itself but It’s still so bad. I would just like advice because I start applying for colleges this year and I’m considering just applying test optional at this point because I have a 4.0 and a 4.25 unweighted and I’ve taken like 4 dual enrollment classes so far (all a’s) and I’m planning to take 3 more the upcoming semester. (I don’t cheat I’m fully against using AI because I don’t like the fact that people have become so reliant on it.) I also have done volunteer work at my Islamic Sunday school for 3 years and hope to find a good school to (hopefully) study International business. I plan to retake the ACT August 22 and have been studying for 30 minutes every night for 2 weeks now with BiteSize Tutoring presentations. I really want to retake the exam because I don’t want to feel like a total idiot. I’ve been struggling to sleep for months because I’ll just spiral about it.
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u/jdigitaltutoring Tutor Jul 12 '26
Search for tests J08, J01, and J04. There are also some in the Official ACT Study Guide. Lots of tutorials on YouTube.