Scoring a 36 on ACT English

Hi everyone, I'm aiming for a 36 on ACT English and was wondering if there are any strategies or resources that can help me achieve that score. If anyone has gotten a 36 before, your tips would be super helpful! Thanks in advance!

Hi there! Scoring a 36 on ACT English is a fantastic goal. Here are a few strategies and resources that may help you achieve your target score:

1. Understand the test structure: ACT English covers five main areas: punctuation, grammar (and usage), sentence structure, strategy (organization, style, and cohesion), and rhetoric (clarity, logical reasoning, and relevance). Familiarize yourself with these areas, focusing on the ones that require the most improvement.

2. Practice, practice, practice: Use official ACT practice tests to get a feel for the test format and to gauge your progress. Analyzing your mistakes and learning from them will help you avoid making the same errors in the future.

3. Review grammar rules: To excel in this section, you must have a strong grasp of grammar rules, including subject-verb agreement, verb tense consistency, pronoun usage, and parallel structure. You can review these rules using websites like Khan Academy or with grammar books like Erica Meltzer's "The Complete Guide to ACT English."

4. Develop your reading skills: Enhancing your ability to identify context cues, understand complex sentences, and quickly process information will help you in the ACT English section as well as the Reading section. Regularly reading a variety of materials (e.g., newspapers, magazines, novels) can improve your overall reading comprehension.

5. Learn different strategies: ACT English requires you to answer 75 questions within a 45-minute time frame, which means you have about 36 seconds to answer each question. Practice skimming and learn to find patterns in answer choices, as these strategies can help you answer questions more efficiently.

6. Timing: Time management is essential for this fast-paced section. Consider breaking the time up into manageable chunks, like aiming to complete each passage in roughly 9 minutes, ensuring you've allocated enough time for each passage.

7. Understand the "no change" option: In the ACT English section, one answer choice will maintain the original phrasing. Don't be afraid to choose it if it fits the best, but don't rely on it too often—only use it when you're sure it's correct.

Finally, consider using resources like Khan Academy, ACT Academy, and Erica Meltzer's book "The Complete Guide to ACT English" for targeted practice and content review. In addition, CollegeVine has various blog articles on ACT preparation that might be helpful. Good luck on your journey to achieve a 36 on ACT English!