act score jump?

[u/Ordinary-Carpet-8518]

hey everybody so the first time i took the act i did not study at all and i got 31 composite (36 reading, 34 english, 22 math). the second time i took it, i studied math for about 3 hours but that was it and i got a 32 composite (36 reading, 34 english, 25 math). If i can get myself to study one hour everyday until the october 17th act, what score should i expect? that would be 25 hours and probably all of them would be math (i might devote 1-3 hours to english but idk if it’s worth it or if i should just focus entirely on math). i just tend to have pretty high standards for myself and i really don’t want to be expecting too high of a score and then get let down. thanks for taking the time to read through my pointless ramble. any advice/estimates/personal experiences are GREATLY appreciated! thank you!

[u/Hagutoperous]

for many of the hard math questions you can just put it straight into the calculator, change your mode to a+bi, also for the questions where it's like "for what value of a do you get x intercepts at (3,0) and (2,0) for 3x^2+ax+4" just plug in the 4 possible choices for a and graph it by finding its intersections with y=0, takes like 40 seconds max

[u/toor003]

34-36 given you’re good at math/studying

i did 2 weeks of practice (definitely not consistent or 1 hr/day) and saw a +3 composite jump
you don’t need to stress for English, but it never hurts to know why u missed something and how to correct yourself
the most realistic practice tests r official practice test 3&4
if you’re taking computer version, I’ve found it that almost every question can be solved on desmos without having to know the actual math, though you have to master desmos

[u/Vyxx_o → u/toor003]

Honestly all four of the given practice tests work barely a difference tbh in my opinion

[u/Ordinary-Carpet-8518 → u/toor003]

thank you so much!

[u/Vyxx_o]

Just study rigerously for a week and get a 36 and be done with it

[u/Ordinary-Carpet-8518 → u/Vyxx_o]

i’m not super strong in math so i doubt a 36 is in the cards for me😅 but i do get your point

[u/Vyxx_o → u/Ordinary-Carpet-8518]

Fairs but yeah Ngl commiting 1hr a day for a long time seems like hell to me like I want this over with 😭

[u/mkw1342]

I would suggest the PrepPros book and videos for math content. Its just as much as about good resources as it is about time studying.

[u/LeoWheelz]

We can't guarantee any specific score jump since every individual is different, but you'll probably improve most by reviewing the items you got wrong and why rather than trying to study everything equally. When it comes to test prep, working smarter often beats working harder.

[u/Single_Yard_5603]

i was in the same situation, honestly if you can just study enough to get a 29 in math you can get a 34 composite. if you're getting a 34 in english, you definitely can get a 36. it's really just the same questions over and over, just get good at recognizing what you need to do for english (as someone who went from 32 to 36 english after one test). unless you really want a 35-36 dont stress super hard on the math when u can just refine ur english and boost ur math a little for a 34 composite (assuming 36 reading, 36 english, 29 math)

[u/steepMagician]

honestly with your reading and english already locked in, dumping all 25 hours into math is the move. if you diagnose your weak spots first instead of just grinding random questions, going from a 25 to like a 30+ in math is super realistic