You’re aiming for a perfect ACT score. Well, that’s great but what’s your magic number?
If your answer is 36, we’ll give you partial credit. Nope, the number we are thinking of is 3,700.
Give up? That’s the approximate number of students who scored a perfect 36 on the ACT every year. If that sounds like a small number to you, that’s because, in a sense, Out of roundabout 2.0 million students who appear for the test every year, only about 3,700 get the highest possible ACT score.
But we want you to think about 3,700 from a different angle. Let’s consider it as schools and schools full of students. Think about it as more than 50% ACT scores per state. Think about it as an ACT score goal that you can achieve.
Those 3,700 students didn’t just roll out of bed, hop over to their test centers and start flipping through their test booklets at superhuman speed. The key thing is they prepared for it and gave practice tests. They received scores that were out of reach—sometimes very far—from perfect on those tests, or even on official exams, they took before receiving that perfect score.
How is the ACT scored?
The ACT comprises four sections: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. For each section, your raw multiple-choice score is scaled to a score ranging from a scale of 1 to 36. Then, your four scores are averaged to give a composite score (which is also out of 36), and it is rounded to the nearest whole number. Let’s understand it with an example, if your average is 33.35, you’ll get a score of 33, and if your average is 33.75, your score will become 34.
Also, make a note that there isn’t any penalty for the wrong answer, so your raw score is completely dependent on the number of questions you answered correctly. This means that it’s in your best interest to not leave questions unattempted.
As the composite score is rounded either up or down, you don’t need to answer every single question correctly to get a score of 36.
Here are the different types of ACT section breakdowns which will result in a composite score of 36:
- Scoring 34 on 1 section and 36 on the other sections.
For example:-Let us consider the following breakdown:
English: 36
Math: 36
Reading: 34
Science: 36
Average: 35.5
Composite score: 36
- Scoring 35 on 2 sections and 36 on the other sections.
For example:-Let us consider the following breakdown:
English: 36
Math: 35
Reading: 36
Science: 35
Average: 35.5
Composite score: 36
- Scoring 35 on 1 section and 36 on the other sections.
For example:-Let us consider the following breakdown:
English: 36
Math: 35
Reading: 36
Science: 36
Average: 35.75
Composite score: 36
- Scoring 36 on all the sections.
For example:-Let us consider the following breakdown:
English: 36
Math: 36
Reading: 36
Science: 36
Average: 36
Composite score: 36
So, as you can see, you’ll still require to do significantly well in each section to achieve a perfect score overall. That said, you don’t really need a perfect score on every section to get an overall composite score.
How many questions can you miss?
As in most of the cases, you’ll either need a 35 or 36 on each section of the ACT, let’s understand what that means in terms of how many questions you’ll be able to miss.
Based on the practice tests, most sections require you not to miss any questions to receive a perfect score. However, in the Math section, you might be able to miss a question and still get a 36. Receiving a 35 score most often entails missing 1 to 3 questions in each section.
So, as you’re preparing for the ACT, though you should target to answer every question correctly, do keep in mind that you’re allowed to miss a small number of questions and still get a composite score of 36. Also, note that the conversion scales vary from test to test, so these cutoffs are not set in stone.
Don’t be scared by the statistic! With hard work, dedication, and persistence, you can be one of those perfect scorers. Keep reading to learn more about the important tips so as to understand what needs to be done to get a 36 on the ACT.
Change Your Mindset
Try not to give the ACT test feeling worried about how your performance will impact your chances of getting into college. And don’t think of it as a measure of your intelligence, either.
It’s more like a game — the test maker uses certain tricks, and if you learn how to identify and overcome those tricks can gain you as many points as possible in the allotted time.
The ACT essentially measures how well can you take the ACT. If you approach the exam with this mindset, it can take off some of the pressure and change the way of your preparation.
Like any other standardized test, the key to the ACT test is practice, practice, and practice! Give as many tests as you can to determine your area of strengths and weaknesses. But, the crucial clause is that you should time yourself as much as possible – simulate test day regularly to get yourself in the proper headspace. Then, when the test day arrives, you’ll be more familiar and comfortable in an inevitable pressure environment.
Practice tests are helpful for learning the material and identifying weak areas. Doing various practice questions will help you retain the knowledge better and have a good grasp of the concepts that are tested on the ACT. Also, if you consistently miss problems related to the specific areas, you’ll know where to need to work more.
Mimic Under Real Testing Conditions
The time allotment for the ACT can itself feel pretty intense. For example:- In the ACT English section, you only get about 36 seconds per question. Practicing the test time will help you feel at ease with the time pressure on exam day.
Take a practice test under a testing atmosphere and then go through the questions that troubled you. From there, assess what questions you think you could quickly learn how to do rightly and which you can’t — knowing the questions to skip and guess on can save time and answer more manageable questions.
Identify Your Weak Areas
As already discussed, the ACT comprises four sections (English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science) with the optional section of writing.
One easy tip to help increase your overall score is to highlight the section(s) that are most difficult for you and focus more on them. You may need tutoring prep if you’re unable to achieve scores with each practice test! This is a great idea that can help improve your chances of a perfect score in that section(s).
Skip The Last Minute Preparation
Cramming just a day before your ACT isn’t a strong strategy. Retaining information the last momentum is unlikely and it’s better not to burn out so close to the exam.
A day-before test won’t be able to help you all that much. Once you reach a week before the exam, it’s too late to stuff your head with new concepts; instead, focus on the area you understand but may have made silly errors previously.
Last time prep should involve energizing yourself for your test day. Get proper rest, stay hydrated, and have a filling breakfast.
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