Martha in NM
11-17-2008, 03:23 PM
...here's my son's experience. He took the ACT in June and did well overall, but his math score was, as is usual for him, noticeably lower than any of the other scores.
He took the ACT again in October, and increased his overall score by only one point from 28 to 29, but the good news was that his math and english scores increased significantly. Reading and science both dropped a single point, though.
For us, the second try was worth it, as some of the schools on his list either have a minimum math score which he missed on the first try, or like to see more "consistent" scores when deciding on awarding scholarships.
Ds did not take the essay portion the second time for two reasons. First, none of the schools on his list consider essay scores. Second, he feels that coming into a situation "cold" and writing on a canned topic isn't the same as writing a paper or taking an essay exam over material with which he's familiar.
He believes that the review strategies which most helped him do better the second time were completing his grammar/usage/mechanics review using the BJU English Handbook ( he was only about half way through the review in June), re-reading Strunk & White during the week before the test, and reviewing algebra by working through alternate test forms from algebra. He did the old tests "open book" using his algebra notes to refresh his memory.
He took the ACT again in October, and increased his overall score by only one point from 28 to 29, but the good news was that his math and english scores increased significantly. Reading and science both dropped a single point, though.
For us, the second try was worth it, as some of the schools on his list either have a minimum math score which he missed on the first try, or like to see more "consistent" scores when deciding on awarding scholarships.
Ds did not take the essay portion the second time for two reasons. First, none of the schools on his list consider essay scores. Second, he feels that coming into a situation "cold" and writing on a canned topic isn't the same as writing a paper or taking an essay exam over material with which he's familiar.
He believes that the review strategies which most helped him do better the second time were completing his grammar/usage/mechanics review using the BJU English Handbook ( he was only about half way through the review in June), re-reading Strunk & White during the week before the test, and reviewing algebra by working through alternate test forms from algebra. He did the old tests "open book" using his algebra notes to refresh his memory.