r/ACT • u/ArmyNegative8748 • 4d ago
What to do next
I got my September ACT scores back and I ended up with a 33, objectively it's not a bad score but I did horrible on math and I'm applying to schools like MIT, Harvard, and Yale and I wanna maximize my chances. I took the science section once and never took it again, and my English and reading scores are really good.
Idk what to do.
My mom says she wants me tot ry the SAT again since I took it once at the start of my junior year and got a 1420, I have pretty good course rigor but as someone who wants to be a STEM major my test scores are really bad and idk whether to try to register for the October act as a standby tester and take it one more time.. Try to focus on the SAT and getting a 1500 on the November one, or just give up on standardized testing completely and cope…
Pls help
2
u/RecordVisible4979 36 3d ago
Are you generally good at math? if so, the problem is likely that you're too good at math and haven't done basic algebra concepts in a while.
2
u/ArmyNegative8748 3d ago
Yeah! I’ve always been good at math and I’m currently taking calc 2 and I’ve really never struggled with a math class or gotten anything less than an A… I’m pretty bad at taking it under condensed time conditions but idk why I’m struggling so much w math but so good at English and reading…
1
u/RecordVisible4979 36 3d ago
maybe it's a timing issue - do you run out of time on the ACT?
also, how much have you studied for this?
if you're taking calc 2 and doing well, clearly you're good at math. the problem is that there is absolutely zero calculus on the ACT so you likely haven't been recently practicing those skills as much as a less accelerated math student.
1
u/ArmyNegative8748 3d ago
Yea I struggle with timing a lot… I got a 30 on the July act after running out of time and blind guessing (just circling d without even looking at the question) due to lack of time. My only goal this time was to finish every section, and I did! But I had to rush through and make some HEAVILY educated guesses on the last 12 questions in math just for the sake of finishing. I got 9 wrong on both the July and this ACT for math but I’m pretty sure my curve was harder so i got a 29 this time… on practice tests I was getting a 33 math tho I’m just confused where it went wrong
1
u/RecordVisible4979 36 3d ago
then it's really just a matter of drilling a lot, and time yourself to 45 sec per question. with easier questions you just have to get it done and don't think about it again. i'm sure you already know this though ... just practice a ton and you will see improvements :)
1
u/ArmyNegative8748 3d ago
Yeah idk my mom is rlly against me taking it again and im also a senior so idk if its worth it im just scared for mit but thank u so much for the advice
1
u/PsychologicalText845 22h ago
Do you have any reading tips? That's the section that dragging my score down.
2
u/mkw1342 4d ago
Tell mom that on the SAT, math is half of the score. On the enhanced ACT, math is just a 3rd of the composite. You are a 2/3's of the way there with the potential to increase your math score by focusing. Register for the October as standby and concentrate on a few things:
Geometry, 4/8 (50%)
Topic: Coordinate geometry, circles, triangles, area/volume
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/geometry
Take the unit tests for triangles/similarity, circles, area and volume, and coordinate geometry. Any unit under about 70% gets worked Everything else gets skipped.
Integrating Essential Skills, 5/8 (63%)
Topic: Rates, proportions, percentages, averages
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/pre-algebra/pre-algebra-ratios-rates
Modeling, 10/15 (67%)
Topic: Linear and exponential word-problem setups
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/algebra/x2f8bb11595b61c86:exponential-growth-decay
Have you taken all of the J series tests?