Anyone who knows about the ACT test - what is a good score?

[KitchenWitch]

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Are you taking it, my dear KitchenWitch?

I have no idea what a good score is, BTW!

:hi:

[KitchenWitch]

2. My son took a "preliminary" ACT

It is a different college entrance exam from the SAT.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Oh, of course!

I'd forgotten he was old enough to be thinking about college...:yoiks:

[liberaltrucker]

3. I scored 26 in 1971

If memory serves, 30 is perfect. Don't quote me on that.

:hi:


:hug:

[KitchenWitch]

5. In 1982 I scored a 25.

:hi:

[liberaltrucker]

6. Damn, we're smart!

But then, we're liberals, duh!

:applause:

[LeftyMom]

7. 36 is perfect.

I got a 32, the combination of a near-perfect score on the Verbal section and a Math score was less horrific than I had anticipated.

[liberaltrucker]

12. Got me admitted to Auburn University pharmacy school

Until it became obvious that I shouldn't work with drugs, if you get my drift.

[Left Is Write]

17. My breakdown was the same - excellent English score; so-so math score.

If I remember correctly, there was also a science section and a social studies section. It's been nearly 25 years since I took it, though.

[LeftyMom]

8. explanation at link

http://www.actstudent.org/scores/understand/index.html

[Fox Mulder]

9. I got a...

24. I didn't try. Not only that I suck at math.

36 is perfect. I'd say anything 25+ is a good/great score.

[grasswire]

10. here's another question

How much of the test do students usually finish? The junior in my household says he only got part-way through each section. He took it last week.

[rockymountaindem]

11. I think you're expected to finish the whole thing

At least you were when I took it six years ago.

[LeftyMom]

13. Iirc, there's no guessing penalty.

The SAT dings you a fraction of a point for wrong answers, the ACT does not. So when taking the ACT, it's worth it to watch the clock and guess at any remaining questions if one's time is almost up. Not completing each section is throwing points away.

If he's running out of time, he could really benefit from a test prep course or some practice tests to get him used to the format and to strategies for completing each question quickly (word roots to guess on vocabulary questions, estimating math questions, etc.)

[KitchenWitch]

14. He took a practice test today

He scored a 27.

He is taking second year college calculus right now, so math is not a worry.

[grasswire]

15. yeah, he second-guesses himself, I think

He's a 3.75 GPA student, so it isn't that he's having trouble with the content -- he just tests real slow. Obviously, he's going to need some test prep.

Isn't it odd that teachers allow kids these days to take as long as they want to finish a test? They will even allow the kid to RE-take the test after school!

I don't see how that serves a student well in the long run. Perhaps the NCLB has something to do with it.

[Left Is Write]

16. I think they changed the scoring since I took it in 1983. 36 was perfect then.

I scored 31. Maybe 32. One of the two.