5 Reasons Why You’re Getting A Low ACT Score And What To Do About It

Low ACt Score

Getting a high ACT score has some amazing perks. That’s why it makes sense to engage in an effective ACT test prep program. Even if your parents spend hundreds of dollars to have you ready for the ACT test, they know that they are left with thousands more on the table. Passing the ACT test with a score of at least 25 lets you get benefits like $10,000 in cash of scholarships. It depends on what your prospective colleges and universities have to offer based on your ACT score.

The Rewards Of Having High ACT Scores

An ACT score of 29 can have you admitted into Mississippi’s Bellhaven College with $5,000 worth of assistance for your college education. College freshmen who scored 27 or higher on the ACT test are granted with $10,000 funds in scholarship at the Bluffington College in Iowa. A 28 ACT score can make you a recipient of $10,500 per year at the Illinois Wesleyan University. Benefits may vary from college to college, but scoring high on the ACT test definitely pays off.

The best thing about the ACT test is you can retake it if you got a low score. High school students are given up to 12 times to pass and ace the ACT test. There are thousands of online resources that guide you into passing the ACT test with flying colors, but only a few discuss why students sometimes get low scores on the ACT test.

Related Topic: ACT Test Introduction, Registration, Dates & Score

Reasons You Get A Low ACT Score

1. You haven’t started a study plan early enough

ACT Study Plan

You may have started to study too late for the ACT test. It takes months of studying for the materials to truly sink in. This applies to other standardized tests like SAT, GRE, and others. These tests are not only meant to challenge your knowledge but your reasoning ability, too. Cramming before the test simply won’t work for the ACT.

The test items in standardized exams tend to require you to infer, predict and draw conclusions skills that you may not be practicing in your everyday school life. That’s why you need ample time to brush up on these skills because you will encounter them on the ACT test. The key to mastering these skills is through repetition, and you simply can’t achieve mastery of various topics a week prior to the exam.

The resolution to this problem is to put together a study program several months before the big day of the ACT test. Note the days that you have set aside for your ACT test prep and commit to them.

Related Topic: ACT Scores

2. The ACT test prep learning style that you adhere to isn’t effective

Different students learn in different ways, and this applies to your ACT test prep, too. Some learners are comfortable studying alone, while others do well with a group. Taking online quizzes alone may help you learn faster, or it may be easier for you to learn when you’re with your friends quizzing each other. What’s important is that the learning style you implement suits you, otherwise you are bound to do badly on the test.

You can see our reviews of the Best ACT Prep Book here.

Before choosing your learning strategy, know if you are an auditory or visual learner and carry on with a study method accordingly.

Related Topic: ACT Registration and Requirements

3. You need to familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of the ACT test

ACT test

Technically, you have to prepare in different ways for different kinds of exams. The ACT test comes from the usual tests that you take in high school. It’s like saying there are varying methods of taking your vocabulary quiz and your midterm exams.

For the ACT test specifically, you can take practice tests or get yourself enroll in ACT test prep program to become familiar with the test questions and structure.

Related Topic: ACT Practice Test

4. You may be pressuring yourself, which causes anxiety

Test anxiety can be overwhelming. There’s nothing else that you can think of on the days before the big day. Your jitters might even cause you to develop hives. You’ve sworn to yourself that nothing matters except getting a perfect score on the ACT. You’ve hoped and despaired over that fact, only to come out with an awful and disappointing score. How could you have done things differently?

You can prevent this scenario by taking steps to overcome test anxiety. Take deep breaths, visualize to calm your head and do some stretching to calm your nerves. Relax and believe in yourself that you have prepared enough for the ACT test and even make an affirmation that you can ace the exam.

5. You might have negative thoughts about yourself

Maybe you’ve thought of yourself as a bad test-taker. This tendency is what they call a cognitive distortion, and it can harm you more than you know. The concept of cognitive distortion lies in the premise of what you believe, you will become.

Forget about your past failures in taking exams. Consider the mistakes that might have led to your low score and correct them this time. Maybe you need to study earlier or sleep more. Take time to motivate yourself, aiming to rock at the ACT test that you’ll be taking. Note down the words I am a super test taker on numerous post-its and stick them all over your room, your car, your bathroom mirror and so on. You can even set it as your computer screensaver and password! On the ACT day, you should feel super and believe that you are worthy of the fantastic perks of a high ACT score.

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Low ACT Score