Well today was my first attempt at the ACTS . I went in with lots of practice tests under my belt but this test was nothing like the practice ones. The questions were worded differently and the diagrams were sub-par if I may comment on them. But I guess I'm just bitter about it all. I need to get a 29 to go along with my GPA to get into the college I want to go to : UW-Madison . I guess I could see myself getting about a 28 at best with my awesome comprehension of the english language . But then they added a second part to get into some colleges, a writing portion. I read the question over twice to be sure that I fully understood what I was going to be writing. But after four hours of test taking my brain felt like mush and I could feel the persperation running down my side (Thought I'd toss in that nice little mental image to you guys ). Anywho... I finished my essay which at the time I was extremely proud of. Then I glanced over the question again. BAM! Right there at the end of the paragraph my mental numbness made me not read the last line. It stated in even greater depth than what I wrote. So I'm bummed about all that. Oh well, always can take it again. Just felt like venting . I'm going to go sip a yoohoo and drive around to get my mind off of this all.

 

Yeah, those stupid tests wear you down!

Don't worry, people always think they did worse than they really did. you should be fine. And, like you said, you can always take it again.

Luckily, I didn't have to do the composition.

Good Luck

 

Don't kick yourself. Test taking itself is a learned skill. Now repeat after me..."Oh God, not ANOTHER learnng experience!"

There are many strategies, figure out what works for you. I know that for myself, in a test that contains essay questions, I used to read all the questions (whn I was fresh) first so I could guess how much time I would need to answer.

And if you ultimately don't get in to your University/college of choice, trust me, it's not the end of the world. It could be a blessing in disguise.

I got into my 2nd choice, and it worked well for me better in hindsight than my first choice. Ironically, also in hindsight, my 3rd choice would've probably been better for me in the elong run given the community it is in...much more to my taste of living.

Good for you for taking these tests and wanting to excel! You're waaay ahead of where I was at you age. Just stay on track, try your best (that's the secret to life...it's not how well you do, but how well you try), and make the best of what comes.

If you keep your eyes open you'll be amazed at what opportunities come your way after something "bad" happens.

OK, I'm off the soapbox.

Erik

 

Same thing with the promotion testes in the Air Force. About 6 months prior to the test, you get your study materials for you career feild. I know foks that don't know squat about thier job, but yet they mange to test well and get promoted. There are also those folks that know thier job inside out, but can't test to save thier life and guess what...no promotion. Is it fair? Well, some say it's not, but my 2 cents is this...you have the books so study. The burners (foks who get promoted quick) eventually will get weeded out if they can't do thier job right. The guys who know thier jobs need to better prepare for the tests.

Same thing out in the real world I guess. You have to learn how to take tests. Just because you know the stuff, doesn't mean you can test, and there are those who know how to test, but has the street smarts of doorknob...

 

Who told you that you'd need a 29 to get in? A lot of the time, they prefer that score, but a lot of the people you'll meet there got far less than what the college reps tell you. Don't worry about it! You'll likely get in regardless since they want your money!

 

My guidance counselor told me I need a 29 to get in. My cumulative GPA is sitting at a 3.9 but I only took two years of foreign language. That is their minimal requirement. I doesn't matter how many advanced science classes/math classes (which I enjoy) because they are one of the good ol schools that favor the minorities. And I'm a middle class white male. Boo to that.

Thanks for the replies guys!