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Discussion: SAT/ACT Takers?
Banned
Member Since: 8/26/2011
Posts: 27,690
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I made a blog but no one cared 
is anyone taking their SAT/ACT's yet? I plan on in March  I'll do good in English/Reading but idk about Math
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 3/22/2012
Posts: 53,769
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I got a 35, twice.
My advice to everyone is to not stress about it, like at all. All my friends who should have done 28+ but stressed out, ended up below 24. The friends of mine who were calm and not worried did the best; 32, 29, 28, and three 27's.
The bottom line is, you can always take it again and anything above 21 is a good score. Don't worry about it at all and you'll do fine!
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 40,803
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Yeah. I take the ACT in March and the SAT in April 
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 1,049
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**** the SAT. Barely did any prepping yet managed above a 1500.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 3/22/2012
Posts: 53,769
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Quote:
Originally posted by Suga Mama
**** the SAT. Barely did any prepping yet managed above a 1500.
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The math sections on the SAT are easy as hell, but the damn English sections. 
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Member Since: 6/15/2012
Posts: 33,138
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Yeah, there's really no way to study for it so I wouldn't stress over it, tbh. The math section varies so much that it's pointless to do the math reviews, same with English since it's ALL analysis, so the stories/excerpts you'll get for that section won't be anything like any review.
So, just take it and see how it goes. That's what I'll be doing soon.
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Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 14,684
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I took it last year before I applied for college. I heard the ACT was easier than the SAT. I never took the ACT, but I got like a 1700+ on the SAT. It's not that bad, just stay focused.
And if you do not know the answer to a question, DO NOT guess.
You lose points if you get it wrong, but your scores doesn't fluctuate much if you leave it blank.
GOOD LUCK!
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Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 14,684
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Quote:
Originally posted by Retro
The math sections on the SAT are easy as hell, but the damn English sections. |
The math is BEYOND easy, and although the English is VERY tricky, it's do-able.
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Member Since: 10/5/2009
Posts: 137,162
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I'm probably gonna take my SAT in March.
Sign-ups started in September for the first test but I wasn't ready then. 
Well, I'm not ready now nor know what to expect... so if you guys could share more tips and tricks, that'd be great 
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 3/22/2012
Posts: 53,769
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Quote:
Originally posted by NICKIMINAJ
And if you do not know the answer to a question, DO NOT guess.
You lose points if you get it wrong, but your scores doesn't fluctuate much if you leave it blank.
GOOD LUCK! |
Right. Only guess on the ACT - never on the SAT.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 3/22/2012
Posts: 53,769
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Quote:
Originally posted by NICKIMINAJ
The math is BEYOND easy, and although the English is VERY tricky, it's do-able.
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Like, there were words in that that I'd never even heard before. 
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Member Since: 8/4/2012
Posts: 37,267
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Damn, I feel old. I remember taking it but not what's on it.
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Member Since: 5/28/2010
Posts: 29,225
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I only took the ACT. I went from 23 (Sept of Junior year) to 27 (April of Junior year) to 28 (Sept of Senior year) to 31 (Dec of Senior year). The key to the test is just to practice. Anyone can improve their score. In September of Junior year I would have guaranteed I would not be able to score in the 30s. With some practice and patience, I surely did.
English - 33
Math - 29
Reading - 31
Science - 30
Composite - 31
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Member Since: 8/18/2013
Posts: 2,902
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What do people feel is easier? ACT or SAT?
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 34,855
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Quote:
Originally posted by Retro
The math sections on the SAT are easy as hell, but the damn English sections. |
I was the opposite. I got a 730 on Critical Reading but, god, no matter how many times I retook Math I could never top my original 670. 
Dddddd the first time I took it I completely blanked on the essay on Writing and got like a 430.
Quote:
Originally posted by NICKIMINAJ
I took it last year before I applied for college. I heard the ACT was easier than the SAT. I never took the ACT, but I got like a 1700+ on the SAT. It's not that bad, just stay focused.
And if you do not know the answer to a question, DO NOT guess.
You lose points if you get it wrong, but your scores doesn't fluctuate much if you leave it blank.
GOOD LUCK! |
Actually, I think the rule is not to guess on any more than three questions per subject. I believe they take off 1/4 of a point per wrong answer but they round down so it's still worth guessing on a couple.
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Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 14,684
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Quote:
Originally posted by Retro
Like, there were words in that that I'd never even heard before. |
There be words on there that I don't even think are words.
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Member Since: 6/20/2012
Posts: 6,046
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Quote:
Originally posted by Retro
The math sections on the SAT are easy as hell, but the damn English sections. |
am the opposite
got 99 percentile for writing and reading
got.... for math
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Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 2,974
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I got a 31 taking the ACT as a sophomore and I'm taking it again this year March too. Good luck to you too! 
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Member Since: 9/13/2012
Posts: 29,559
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WAIT, lemme come in here and say that you SHOULD guess on the SATs if you can confidently narrow it down to two or even three answers. If you do the math, in the long run you'll end up with more points (as long as you're not taking totally wild guesses every time). You're never going to rack up those points if you keep skipping questions, meanwhile you have to get a whole four questions wrong just to knock off 1 point from your raw score.
I only missed two goddamn questions on the whole thing--and I left both of them blank. I will never forgive myself 
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Member Since: 12/15/2011
Posts: 1,698
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Yo, super helpful ACT advice here:
I also got a 35 on the ACT twice. My suggestions for each section are as follows:
Math: Move very quickly through the first half, since the last 10 will be HARD AS ALL HELL. They'll require at least 20 minutes to themselves. Further, use your calculator when possible to save time; doing some problems by hand isn't worth it (in that vein, have a graphing calculator and know how to use it). And if you're one of those students that hasn't touched geometry in a few years (I mean you, super smart calc students), take the time to review it beforehand; there ain't no calc on there, so being super smart in it won't help.
English: In general, for the questions that look at sentence structure, the simplest (and usually shortest) rewrite is generally the best. For the grammar questions, know common usage errors (their/they're/there, would "have" and not "of", etc.) and punctuation (especially when to use commas, colons, and semicolons). I would recommend to go with what "sounds right", but only if you know your grammar is good. If it isn't or you don't know, the wrong answers might sound right, and that won't help. In those cases, go with the rules you know regardless of how "right" or "wrong" they sound (e.g. "It was I" is right and "It was me" is wrong).
Reading: Some people recommend reading the questions first, but I never did. It's personal preference. But I do recommend you do the prompts in order from easiest to hardest based on topic; there are four topics (prose, social sciences, science, and something else). Spend 5 min. on the first one, 6 min. on the second, 7 min. on the third, and the rest of the time on the fourth and hardest (for you).
Science: Don't read the damn prompts. Just look at the graphs. The only things you'll have to read are the experimental comparison questions and the prompts of any graphs you don't understand. Everyone freaks over science, but it's really quite simple and should be the easiest. If you don't do well on it, though, don't worry because colleges don't even look at it.
Writing: Organize and structure your essay well, and examine the question with a depth that goes beyond "it's good" or "it's bad". Give points with specific examples, and examine counterparts to your argument and refute them. Go with about a four paragraph essay style, because five is gonna be too long; just make the fourth paragraph half-argument-half-conclusion. Do note that scores on writing are largely unpredictable and fluctuate wildly for even the same person; there is no formula as far as I can tell. As a result, anything 8 or above is great; take it and run.
Those are my ACT recommendations. If you want the same for SAT, ask and ye shall receive.
Edit: My greatest recommendation for the ACT is to take it more than once. The first time will always be rough, because you don't know what to expect. I took it 3 times (got a 33 end of sophomore year, which then jumped to 35 halfway through junior year and stayed at that by the end of junior year). Most people's scores jump the most from the second to third time; more than three isn't usually worth it.
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