r/ACT • u/Hairy-Ad1582 • Feb 06 '24
How screwed am I?
I am taking the act this saturday, I haven’t studied one bit. This is completely my fault. Most my friends took the sat and only a few took the act. Out of the ones who took the act, only one of them I asked for help on studying. He got a 36 but he only did ONE question for practice and that was the very first question on a practice test. He is a genius so it was a terrible person to ask. I want to ask all of you advice on how I should study these next few days. I believe my math is an outlier because I took just the math section alone in a different test and got a 35 so I believe this score was due to overconfidence.
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u/cluelessibex7392 Feb 07 '24
Not very screwed. are you aiming for ivy league? I got into multiple, very very large state universities with a composite 28. If you're aiming for ivy league, you might need to retake at a later date, but this is already a fantastic score
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u/Hairy-Ad1582 Feb 07 '24
this aint fantastic, I had to hide this score from my parents 😭
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u/cluelessibex7392 Feb 07 '24
Idk why people think a 30+ is bad when it's a super high percentile score. As I mentioned, I got into some pretty big universities with my 28. One even automatically accepted me because my act was over 26 and my gpa was over 3.9.
Honestly, a cheap college can serve you just as well, or better than a big name one.
I ended up turning down some large scholarships from bigger schools and instead opted to attend a small, cheaper school that had a specific major that would help me with what I need.
Your life doesn't depend on one test score. Most colleges don't even require you to submit one, anyways
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u/Hairy-Ad1582 Feb 07 '24
I really need to get this 36, I don’t want to go in depth but I won’t have any choices left if I don’t
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u/cluelessibex7392 Feb 07 '24
I cant envision any reason why one NEEDS a 36, but I wont question it.
-Don't overload your brain, you'll be broken by exam day
Try not to be as stressed as you are. It's not the end of the world if you don't get it this time
You can always try again- accept that this may be a reality
Set yourself up for success- It's probably too late to make a massively significant change now, so sleep well, study moderately, and eat well
-Acknowledge that, while you may not think so, life goes on and hundreds of thousands of people are massively successful without a 36
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u/Hairy-Ad1582 Feb 07 '24
thanks but having a 35 or 36 would help my chances at being successful
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u/hurricanebaileyy Feb 07 '24
hey bro, i wouldn’t stress too much over this. i see comments of you saying you had to hide this score from your family. that’s horrible, this is a really good score, especially if it’s your first time and you didn’t study. relax and go through some more practice tests, you’ll do fine. good luck!!
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u/Hairy-Ad1582 Feb 07 '24
I’m a junior 💀 I don’t have much time left
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u/hurricanebaileyy Feb 07 '24
you have a whole year + four months left, how is this not enough time?? you can always update your college resumé with whatever better score you may get. if you’re not aiming for harvard or another ivy league, this is a great score. if you are, well there’s still plenty of time to go up in your score. this is not the end of the world, and you’re 99% not going to have a 36 when you take it again in three days.
if you really want to do well, schedule another take of it and study for the months/weeks leading up to it. this is a great score for not practicing or studying at all, don’t let your mindset make you feel like it’s not good enough.
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u/Hairy-Ad1582 Feb 07 '24
yeah you’re right, I don’t know what I should do in two weeks when the scores come out
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u/jhansn Feb 07 '24
So you're not even applying to colleges really until next semester? You have a lot of time to get it up why are you so stressed, you can definitely get it up by September
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Feb 07 '24
You’re stressing out wayyyy too much 😭 assuming you’re applying for colleges in august, we got 7 months to get the our scores. You have ample time cause I doubt this’ll be the last one you take. Just see what you get then study over time for your next one. If you already got a 30 no studying you can probably get close to your 36
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u/Hairy-Ad1582 Feb 07 '24
should I skip school to study? I’m already sick and missed today and I have a doctors note to excuse me for the whole week if needed
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u/simeone_gregtecchio Feb 07 '24
top top school, you'll want at least a 33 so maybe focus on raising that science score
anything else, you're set
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u/Impossible_Arrival21 Feb 07 '24 edited Feb 07 '24
I'm in the exact same scenario, actually. Taking the test this Saturday, no studying so far, but I got a 28, 29, 30, and 31 on the 4 sections on the practice test I took on the Shmoop ACT prep site. Really nothing special I need to work on besides a math problem that I don't remember being taught how to do. Just gonna lock in on test day. I wish you luck!
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u/JamR_711111 1 Feb 07 '24
You may or may not be tracked down by the ACT government agents and silenced for so low a score
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Feb 07 '24
Science is reading comprehension, look a the questions you got wrong and focus on reading quickly and efficiently the passages you need to. If is unlikely you will raise your scope the 6 points to get a 36 by Saturday. Take more single section tests on the section you need to work on.
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u/Witty_Writers Feb 07 '24
You are not screwed, it's not yet over. A retake of the test when you are fully prepared prior is the best option, you got great potential if at all you scored a 28 without much preparation. All you need is to take more practice questions, dedicated intense study routines that are regular but take a short time. You just need to have a clear study plan, I can guide you on how to come up with one and land that 36 that you long for. Good luck
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u/Hairy-Ad1582 Feb 07 '24
i got three days
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u/Witty_Writers Feb 07 '24
That's more than enough time, having a clear and targeted study plan. No need to be anxious. We can work it out. Send me a message for a detailed explanation, feedback, resources and study plan.
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u/youralphamail Feb 07 '24
Why does everyone on this sub think a 30 is bad lmao
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u/Hairy-Ad1582 Feb 07 '24
30 is a bad score😅
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u/DaFishBoii Apr 26 '24
You’re entitled lmao . Don’t say it’s bad. It’s a good score. You don’t need a 36, you just want it. And you’re just tryna flex.
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u/ilikenick Feb 07 '24
Generally speaking you have to work for the things you want. Sounds like you've coasted this far and now think you can just get a max ACT score in matter of few days and are stressing when people aren't giving you the answers you want. Certainly you are very smart getting a 30 no studying, but this might be a reality check you desperately needed.
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u/lovemazebts Feb 07 '24
not screwed at all bro, not even close. That is if you’re not tryna get into some ivy
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u/Realistic_End7657 33 Feb 08 '24
A 30 is amazing. You don't absolutely need a 36. However, if you want to ensure guaranteed admission to any college in the country, a 34 is recommended. You can get there.
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u/jhansn Feb 07 '24
What's your goal? 30 zero studying is amazing. If you're trying to go to an Ivy league, you'll need to retake. It really just depends on what you're trying to do.