Should I work on speed or accuracy first for the ACT?

Answered

Hey,

I am a junior who has been practicing for the SAT for the past year. In Texas, the SAT is more popular so I had a mindset that the ACT is harder and for the smartest kids. I hit a wall with the SAT and finally took the ACT about two weeks ago and I scored better and liked it more than the SAT.

My score when following the time guidelines was a 26, but I also timed myself as I went overtime and calculated that if I didn't abide by the timing rules my score would be a 31.

I had a similar question, and @CameronBameron gave excellent advice and tips, so it got me thinking about my plan. I was going to first go over my practice test and find the root of all my problems. Then I was planning on working on my speed by practicing and studying the subjects in the order of my weakest to strongest (Reading, Math, Science, then English; I also graded my own test and categorized my answers based on the skill it fell under so I can understand the exact concepts I struggle with), and solving problems while timing myself. I also looked into some self-prep books and bought/borrowed the ones that seemed to have the best ratings for valuable content. I'm trying self-help stuff because I had PrepScholar for a year and it has great content but because it was online I couldn't focus. Pretty much all programs are online now, so no matter how good they are, I get restless staring at a screen all day, especially since it's easier to give in the urge to switch tabs.

I plan on taking my first real ACT in person on either June 12 or July 17, so I have just over four or five months of studying before my first ACT.

So this was the plan I originally had, but @CameronBameron practiced the ACT by practicing to achieve 36 in each section untimed and then working on speed. So now I am wondering if it would be most effective to practice speed first or last.

Please let me know what you think as well as if you have any tips, secrets, or just what you think was the most effective in your study plan. Don't hesitate to mention the books that you used, I especially would like books with realistic ACT questions that aren't taken from an actual official ACT or ACT practice test as I would like to take those so if the questions were word for word it would be unfair to my score.

Anyways, any help is appreciated!