I'm taking the ACT pretty soon and I just wanted to ask for advice on any tips and tricks from people who have gotten at least a 28. My latest ACT score was a 26, and before that my first ACT score was a 22, so I do have confidence in my ability to improve. My weakest section is Math (I got a 17💔) My ultimate goal is a 30, so aside from studying and taking practice tests, what are some things I can try to help improve my score?
Hello there! I think one thing that has seemed to help me with math not just on the ACT but in general is learning small tricks to allow yourself to answer faster and save time. Learning the fundamentals of math and mastering those can greatly influence how quickly you can use logic to solve problems instead of regular processes. For example, many people at my school forget this simple trick for dividing numbers by three. If you add the digits of the number up (let’s use 751 for example), if the digits sum to a number that is evenly divisible by three (7+5+1 =13, 13/3 = 4.333), then the entire number is not equally divisible by three. However if the digits do divide cleanly (ex: 651, 6+5+1 = 12, 12/3 = 4), then the entire number is evenly divisible by three. Ultimately, it helps to know what you can and can’t do to different numbers, as patterns are all throughout math for you to take advantage of (such as the divisibility rule I explained here), which can save a lot of time. Otherwise, it may help to just take some practice problems on the ACT website or Khan Academy. Hopefully this helps. :)
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One of the biggest help for me was taking a course, (PrepExpert), it led me to getting the score I wanted. My math score is comparatively lower as well, and what I am doing is mainly finding all those small tricks that help you do the test faster so you have more time for the other options. One thing that tripped me up (idk if this helps) was the geometric/arithmetic series. Kahn Academy helps, and for the ACT website - keep in mind their questions are typically easier than the actual test.