Strategies to Improve Low ACT Scores and Navigate College Admissions

This year's average ACT score has reached a concerning low, the lowest in three decades, causing anxiety among students, particularly the graduating Class of 2022. However, achieving a satisfactory ACT score is possible through targeted preparation and strategic test-taking. Moreover, a low ACT score doesn't necessarily preclude admission to your dream college. This article explores effective strategies for improving ACT scores and navigating college admissions, even with less-than-ideal results.

Understanding the ACT and Its Importance

The ACT consists of four multiple-choice sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science, plus an optional Writing section. Each section is scored from 1-36, and the composite score is the average of these four sections. While more colleges are becoming test optional, standardized test scores still matter. Achieving a high score on the ACT opens doors to a multitude of opportunities, including scholarships, competitive programs, and more.

General Strategies for ACT Success

1. Active and Methodical Learning

Perfect test scores don’t happen by accident. Competitive test-takers are usually active and methodical learners. These students don’t just study hard; they study smart. They’ve identified the learning strategies that work for them and disregarded the strategies that don’t.

2. Setting Realistic Goals

Unfortunately, you can’t bump up your ACT score by 10 points overnight. Even improving your score by just 1 point typically takes up to 10 hours of studying. For most students, a 10-point score improvement will require at least 100 hours of studying. Keep in mind that all students learn at their own pace, so you may need to make adjustments based on your unique study habits. Before you can truly improve your ACT score, you need to know what you’re aiming for. This will help create motivation, eliminate stress, and keep you grounded on the task at hand. Instead, create S.M.A.R.T. goals - it stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

3. Creating a Personalized Study Plan

Once you have your timeline and a general idea of the material you need to study, you can create a personalized study plan. It’s important to develop a study plan that is realistic and aligns with your schedule. As you create your plan, take time to assess your own study habits. If you learn more efficiently with a laidback, gradual study routine, you may want to plan things out in a way that allows you to study for just 1 or 2 hours per day. On the other hand, if you enjoy a more intense study routine, you may be able to endure longer study hours over a shorter period of time, up to 3 or 4 hours each day. Both ways can be effective. Consistency is key to improving your ACT scores. Create a study schedule that allocates specific times for each subject area three to six months before your scheduled test date-then be sure to stick with it! Breaking down your study sessions into manageable chunks will help you focus on different sections each time.

Read also: How to Get Old SAT Scores

4. Utilizing Practice Tests Effectively

Practice is key to improving any standardized test score, including the ACT. Take practice tests frequently as you progress through your study plan to check your progress, make adjustments, and get yourself used to the exam. Utilize official online ACT practice tests to gain access to score reports that can help you understand where you made mistakes. Practice exams help you find your weak spots ahead of time and also show you how much you’ve improved. You’ll be able to see that while you do great in algebra in Math now, you may still be struggling with geometry. Make sure to go beyond the score. Did you struggle with time management?

5. Targeting Weaknesses and Reviewing Mistakes

As we mentioned above, targeting your weaknesses can be a great way to improve your ACT score. Take advantage of the resources at your disposal (score reports, practice tests, online assessments, etc.) to pinpoint your weak areas and develop a plan of attack. However, be careful not to get too wrapped up in one subject. Set aside time to review all the relevant material for the exam periodically, including your strong subjects. It’s easy to become frustrated over your mistakes while studying. But rather than viewing them as setbacks, try to look at them as opportunities for more improvement. After each practice test or study session, meticulously review any incorrect answers to understand where you went wrong. If you can, try to identify patterns in your errors. Are they conceptual misunderstandings, careless mistakes, or time management issues?

6. Managing Test Anxiety

Test anxiety is another source of stress for students that can ultimately result in lower test scores. Luckily, there are a number of strategies you can use to fight back against test anxiety and increase your confidence on test day. Taking practice tests. Focusing on the present. Avoid dwelling on past mistakes or future outcomes while taking the exam. Practicing relaxation techniques. Maintaining a positive mindset. It’s worth noting that sticking with your study plan may lessen your test anxiety as well.

7. Staying Motivated

Many of us start out with a grand study plan, only to find our motivations dwindling by the second week. Keep yourself motivated by taking time to celebrate your progress and achievements along the way, no matter how small they are. It also helps to visualize your goals and the benefits of achieving that 10 point improvement, like admission to your dream schools and access to better scholarships.

8. Seeking Additional Help

Whether you’re lost and looking for a little extra guidance or just want to ensure that you’re making the most of your valuable study time, you may want to try enrolling in an ACT prep course. With self-paced courses, 6 to 8 week prep guides, and weekend reviews, Prep Expert® offers tons of ACT online prep at the click of a button that will fit any student’s study style or schedule. If you can’t seem to improve your ACT score on your own, consider hiring a tutor or joining a study group. Both can help you identify your weaker areas, explain the material, and provide test taking tips.

Read also: ACT Scores for Loyola

9. Reading Extensively

The more you read, the more you will improve your reading and comprehension skills. You’ll also learn new vocabulary words. Try and read a wide variety of materials so you get used to different styles. After you’re done, practice summarizing what you’ve read to boost your comprehension skills.

10. Preparing the Night Before

Preparing the night before doesn’t mean “cramming.” The ACT isn’t a test you can study for in one night. Get a good night’s sleep. Skip the studying. Eat well. Don’t eat junk food. Have a good dinner and breakfast. Pack snacks for your breaks. Lay out comfortable clothes. The night before your exam, have your outfit ready to go. Layers are recommended as classrooms can get cold. Gather all of your necessary items. ACT tests require that you bring certain materials, such as your I.D. and admission ticket.

Strategies for Specific ACT Sections

Math Section

1. Skip the Most Difficult Math Questions

Completely skip the last 20% of questions in the math section. By skipping questions like this, you raise your time per question from 67 to 83 seconds per question. This is huge! It's almost a 25% boost to the time you get per question. And the 9 questions you skipped? Like the example above, they're so hard you're honestly better off not even trying them. If you get to a 26, then you have the right to try these questions.

2. Focus on Key Skills

If you're like most students, you're better at some math subjects than others. You might have done better in algebra than geometry. If you're like most students, you also don't have an unlimited amount of time to study. You need to find the skills that you're weakest in, and then drill those until you're no longer weak in them.

3. Master the Most Important Skills

With just 7 skills (28% of all 25 skills), you actually cover 61% of the test! First, here are the most common ACT Math skills:

Integers
Fractions
Ratios & Proportions
Variables & Expressions
Linear Equations
Percentages
Averages

4. Effective Study Resources

Be really careful about which sources you choose to use. A lot of prep programs and books don't have very realistic ACT Math questions. They're either too hard, too easy, or structured incorrectly.

5. Analyze Mistakes

When you grade your test or quiz, review every single question that you marked, and every incorrect question. In a notebook, write down the gist of the question, why you missed it, and what you'll do to avoid that mistake in the future. It's not enough to just think about it and move on. It's not enough to just read the answer explanation.

6. Alternative Strategies

When this happens, a really useful skill to learn is having a toolkit of alternative strategies to solve a question. In both your practice and your real test, try to get unstuck by approaching the question differently.

7. Time Management

There are two ways to ease time pressure for yourself. The first way is by getting better at the test. By doing more practice, you'll automatically get faster at solving each question. The other way is to monitor the time you're spending on each question.

8. Bubble Sheet Strategy

Finish question 1, bubble in answer 1. Finish question 2, bubble in answer 2. This actually wastes a lot of time. You're distracting yourself doing two things at once - solving questions, and bubbling in answers. This is like rubbing your belly and patting your head. This has several huge advantages: you focus on each task one at a time, rather than switching between two different tasks. By saving just three seconds per question, you get back 135 seconds on a section that has 45 questions.

9. Guessing

The ACT has no guessing penalty for getting a wrong answer. Now, before you finish the section, make sure every blank question has an answer filled in. If you have no idea, just guess! Most people know this strategy already, so if you don't do this, you're at a SERIOUS disadvantage.

English Section

Strengthen your grammar and writing skills: The English section focuses on grammar, punctuation, and rhetorical skills. Brush up on grammar rules and practice identifying errors in sentences.

Reading Section

Improve your reading speed: The ACT Reading section can be challenging due to time constraints. Improving your reading speed and comprehension will help you tackle this section much more efficiently.

Science Section

Enhance your skills in interpreting scientific experiments and drawing conclusions from given data. Familiarize yourself with common scientific terms and concepts that frequently appear on the test.

Addressing Visual Proficiency

Visual Proficiency influences an individual’s ability to process numbers and text. Students can score in the high, mid or low range for both Visual Speed and Visual Accuracy, or at opposite ends of the continuum for one or the other. Perhaps the biggest challenge for students with low Visual Speed will be completing certain tests within the allotted time. In the test prep world, we refer to this as a pacing issue. Students with low visual speed are often insecure about how slowly they read. Some of this insecurity springs from noticing that their classmates finish reading text-heavy assignments before they do. These students need to recognize that speed is not a sign of diminished intelligence! It just means that reading or processing columns of numbers often take more time for them. For students with high Visual Speed, leveraging how quickly they read is key. Unsurprisingly, finishing the ACT on time usually won’t be an issue. However, a high score in Visual Speed can bring its own challenges. In tutoring students with high Visual Speed, I’ve found that awareness is half the battle. Visual Accuracy governs students’ ability to “catch” textual and written problem-solving errors. Because the ACT is a text-based test, this ability impacts almost every single question in every section of the exam. Students with low Visual Accuracy should expect to experience some initial frustration when they start ACT prep. Students with low Visual Accuracy may find that they miss clues that in hindsight should have easily given them the answer. However, any low ability can be offset by developing a strong compensatory skill. Annotating remains a reliable way to actively read. For example, on the reading portion of the ACT, names, dates and locations in the passages often come up in subsequent questions. Instead, I recommend that students with low Visual Accuracy use noticeable annotations like circles, squares, or brackets. Students with high Visual Accuracy can find it to be an advantage when taking the ACT; however, this ability doesn’t guarantee a high test score. Students with high Visual Accuracy should focus on mastering the content of the test. Learning what the test wants is a priority for students with high Visual Accuracy.

Beyond the ACT Score: Holistic College Admissions

The highest possible ACT score is a 36. However, while 1,374,791 students graduating in 2024 took the ACT, only 3,041 received a perfect score, according to the ACT National Profile Report. For a vast majority of students, a 36 will remain elusive. But failing to get a perfect result doesn’t mean you’ll get rejected from your dream school.

1. Understanding College Preferences

A good place to start is their Common Data Set (CDS), a voluntary self-reporting document that increases transparency between the school and the public. It highlights what they’re looking for in a student, acceptance rates, and the average ACT scores of accepted students. You’ll be able to clearly see what the school considers “important” in the application process. However, not all schools participate in the CDS every single year and the information can be difficult to find.

2. Holistic Review

A college application is more than your ACT. In fact, some schools no longer require the exam, though many recommend it.

Grades and academic rigor: In most cases, your GPA and year’s schedule are already set. There’s very little you can do to change them now in time for your application.
Extracurriculars: Keep participating in your extracurriculars and community.
Essays: Your essay can be a fantastic way to boost your overall college application if your ACT scores are lower than you’d like.

3. Expanding College Options

If you feel your ACT test results are putting acceptance letters in jeopardy, you can always apply to more schools. Several colleges and universities don’t require or even recommend submitting your ACT score, which can be a great avenue if you’re not happy with your results. There are also colleges who use rolling admissions. For these schools, you might just be able to squeeze in another spring ACT exam during your senior year.

4. Alternative Pathways to Success

Small School Advantages: One of the main advantages of attending a “small school” is the personalized attention you’re sure to get from professors, advisors, and other important support staff on campus.
Bridge Programs: Instead of remedial courses that you’re required to take in lieu of core classes, check to see what kind of “bridge” programs the college in question offers. Summer bridge programs are relatively new (Concordia piloted its program last summer). Concordia’s First-Year Bridge Program is strategically timed to take place prior to the start of classes, in conjunction with orientation, so as not to conflict with core classes. Plus, it comes at no extra cost to the learner. Concordia’s ARC provides a ton of free services beyond the bridge program, too.
Peer Support: Professors are generally pretty good about making themselves available to you for support or feedback, but their on-campus hours are also limited. Instead, don’t delay in making friends with some of the peers who continue to show up in the same classrooms as you. If you want to cut straight to the chase, Concordia has a program full of pre-vetted academic coaches and tutors for you to utilize. In fact, our peer academic coaching/tutoring program, offered by our ARC, is one of the most widely used academic services at Concordia. The peer academic coaching/tutoring program is equally great for students who have fallen far behind as it is for those who want to raise their Bs to As.

5. Mental Health and Well-being

It’s no secret that people’s mental health took a hit amid the pandemic, and studies show that there’s a strong correlation between mental health and academic success. That’s why Concordia has taken seriously the responsibility of caring for our students’ emotional health. A healthy body and mind are crucial for optimal test performance. Ensuring you get enough sleep, eating nutritious meals, and exercising regularly are important to do throughout the school year, but it’s especially crucial when you’re preparing for the ACT.

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