Most students don't raise their ACT score because they keep studying everything.
The students who improve the fastest focus on the specific topics that are holding them back.
Here's the process I use with my students:
1️⃣ Take a practice test
2️⃣ Identify the topics behind every missed question
3️⃣ Find the 2–3 topics causing the most problems
4️⃣ Learn those topics through videos, worksheets, and practice problems
5️⃣ Repeat with the next set of weaknesses
That's it.
No guessing.
No random studying.
No hoping their score magically goes up.
Every practice test becomes a roadmap showing exactly what they need to work on next.
When students consistently eliminate their biggest weaknesses, 4+ point improvements become very realistic.
Comment "accelerator" and I'll send you my free ACT Accelerator guide with the exact system I use to help students raise their scores.
Luke the Tutor - SAT & ACT Expert
Share
Hi! My name's Luke and I've been tutoring for over 8 years.
I help students crush the SAT and ACT so they can save thousands on college with the massive scholarships they earn (plus, they get into some of the best schools in the country too).
Did your student's ACT score go DOWN on their most recent test?
Don't panic. The first step is figuring out WHY it happened.
Here's the checklist I recommend:
✅ Look at the score breakdown in MyACT
✅ Identify which categories dropped
✅ Figure out what skills those categories test
✅ Build a plan to improve those specific areas
Then take it one step further.
Have your student review a practice test and ask:
• Did I misread the question?
• Did I run out of time?
• Did I forget a formula or rule?
• Did I not recognize what the question was testing?
The goal isn't to obsess over the score that went down.
The goal is to understand what caused it so you can fix it before the next test.
Most score drops have a reason, and once you identify that reason, you can build a plan to move forward.
Follow for more ACT and college admissions tips.
Not every student actually needs an ACT tutor.
The best way to figure it out is to compare 2 things:
1️⃣ Your student’s current ACT score
2️⃣ The score they realistically need for their goals
You can research:
• ACT averages at their target schools
• Merit scholarship score requirements
• Acceptance rates
• GPA averages
Then compare that to where your student currently stands.
If they’re only 1–2 points away and haven’t studied much yet, they may be completely fine studying independently.
But if they’re 3–4+ points away from where they need to be — especially if large scholarships or competitive schools are involved — getting expert help can make a very big difference.
The important thing is making a plan EARLY enough that your student has time to improve before deadlines arrive.
Share this with another parent trying to decide whether ACT tutoring makes sense for their student.
1 week before the ACT is NOT the time to completely reinvent your student’s score.
It’s the time to lock in the concepts they already struggle with the most.
The best thing students can do this week:
✅ Go back through old practice tests
✅ Identify the topics they miss most often
✅ Review those concepts repeatedly
✅ Make sure they understand the rules, formulas, and patterns behind them
Students improve the fastest when they focus on their highest-frequency mistakes — not random topics.
Once they feel confident on those weak areas, THEN they can spend a little time learning a few extra concepts before test day.
The goal this week is confidence, consistency, and cleaning up mistakes.
Save this and show it to your student before their next ACT.
Follow for more ACT and college admissions tips.
If your student is stuck in the 27–29 ACT range, the jump to a 32+ usually comes down to fixing a handful of very specific weaknesses.
At this level, students are NOT missing the easy questions anymore.
They’re usually losing points because of:
• Difficult concepts
• Timing problems
• Pattern recognition mistakes
• Careless errors on harder questions
The best thing students can do is treat every missed question like a checklist item they need to eliminate before test day.
After each practice test, ask:
• What was this question testing?
• Why did I miss it?
• What skill do I need to improve so I never miss this again?
That’s how students break past the upper 20s and into the 32+ range.
Comment “accelerator” and I’ll send you my free ACT prep guide with the exact system I use with my students.
Most students don’t struggle on ACT Math because they’re “bad at math.”
They usually struggle because of one of these 3 mistakes:
1️⃣ Time management
Students get stuck on a few difficult problems, lose time, and miss easier questions later in the section.
2️⃣ Content gaps
They don’t know the formula, rule, or concept needed to solve the question.
3️⃣ Careless mistakes
They know how to solve the problem… but misread something or make a small error along the way.
The good news is that ALL of these are fixable.
Students improve the fastest when they:
• Understand pacing
• Learn the concepts they’re missing
• Build habits to avoid careless mistakes
That’s how math scores start jumping quickly.
Follow for more ACT and college admissions tips.
If your student is taking the September ACT, now is the time to build a real plan.
The best process is simple:
1️⃣ Take a diagnostic test
Figure out exactly where they stand and what topics are hurting their score.
2️⃣ Focus on one section at a time
• 3–4 weeks on English
• 3–4 weeks on Math
• 3–4 weeks on Reading
3️⃣ Learn between practice tests
Students improve the fastest when they:
• Identify weak topics
• Learn the concepts
• Drill practice problems
• Repeat every week
Most students don’t need to study harder.
They need to study more strategically.
If students follow this process consistently over the summer, they can walk into September in a very strong position.
Comment “accelerator” and I’ll send you my free ACT prep guide with the exact system I use with my students.
A few ACT points can literally be worth tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships.
Here are the score ranges where I typically see the biggest jumps in merit aid opportunities:
📈 24–26 ACT
Often opens up mid-level scholarships
(~$6k–15k depending on the school)
📈 30+ ACT
This is where scholarship opportunities can increase dramatically
(~$20k–40k+ depending on the school)
📈 32–34 ACT
At many schools, this is where students start getting full tuition — and sometimes even room & board covered.
Every school is different, but if your student is close to one of these score ranges, it is absolutely worth researching what scholarships they may qualify for with a few more points.
Sometimes a small score increase can completely change the financial side of college.
Save this and talk about it with your student before their next ACT.
Follow for more ACT and college admissions tips.
If your student’s ACT score is stuck at the same number even though they’ve been studying, there’s usually a specific reason why.
In my experience, most students plateau because of one of these 3 issues:
1️⃣ Pattern recognition
They know the content, but can’t recognize what the question is actually testing.
2️⃣ Content gaps
They keep missing the same hard topics because they never fully learned them.
3️⃣ Timing problems
They know how to solve the questions… they just take too long and run out of time.
The solution is different for every student, which is why random practice tests usually don’t work.
Students improve the fastest when they:
• Learn the concepts they’re missing
• Understand the patterns behind the test
• Build strategies to work faster and more efficiently
That’s how students break past score plateaus and finally start seeing major improvements.
Comment “accelerator” and I’ll send you my free ACT prep guide with the exact system I use with my students.
Most students do NOT improve from taking more ACT practice tests...
They improve from reviewing them correctly.
Here’s the framework I teach my students after every practice test:
1️⃣ What was the question testing?
(Grammar rule, math concept, reading skill, etc.)
2️⃣ What specifically went wrong?
• Didn’t recognize the concept
• Forgot the rule/formula
• Misread the question
• Ran out of time
3️⃣ What can I do to never miss this again?
• Learn the rule
• Practice the concept
• Build a better strategy
• Memorize the pattern
The students who improve the fastest are the ones who are ruthless about reviewing mistakes and learning from them.
That’s where the real score increases happen.
Save this before your next ACT practice test.
Follow for more ACT and college admissions tips.
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.