ACT Hacking Blueprint
30 minutes. No fluff. No paywalls. Watch the entire thing to Hack the ACT.
Here it is!
This is the ACT training that you signed up for. Pay attention and watch the whole thing. You can even go on 2x speed and knock it out faster if you want to.
Now if you watched it all the way through and you’re interested in having me personally guide your student through the process, then you can apply to work with me by tapping the button below.
We’ll get on a free introductory Zoom call to talk about your background and goals, and if I think I can help you out, we’ll come up with a personalized coaching plan that works for you. If you’re interested, apply by tapping the button below and selecting a time when the student AND at least one parent can join on Zoom.
Why Does This Training Matter?
Taking the ACT is quite possibly the most important single event in a high school student’s life. The outcome of this one test will determine your college options and whether you can earn scholarships or be forced to pay a king’s ransom for your education.
Is that fair? I don’t know. But fair doesn’t matter. I can’t change the system and neither can you. So we can either complain about the system that we’re in, OR we can use it to our advantage. If you can get a great ACT score, you can open up your options for college AND you can have schools pay you to attend.
Why ACT Hacking?
Well, since we’ve decided that we’re going to play the game and get the best ACT score possible, we need to prepare. And most ACT preparation sucks!
The common methods of preparing for the ACT have some major problems:
There is no defined plan or schedule, resulting in a haphazard process where you take one step forward and one (or two!) steps backward
You have no idea what to prioritize first, so you just generally study everything equally
You waste time taking repetitive practice tests without truly learning the types of ACT questions
You get spoon-fed the answers to these practice tests from your prep booklet or ACT instructor (again, no true learning)
The process drags on for many months with no success
You end up wasting time, money, and effort, and you wish you had a simple process to improve your score
Instead, you want a process that doesn’t suck. That method is my ACT Hacking System. How is this better than the common methods?
You start by laying out a defined schedule for approaching all your weaknesses
You know exactly what to study AND when to study it
You approach the highest priority question types first—the types of questions that will get your score to improve the most
You understand how to recognize different types of questions when they show up on the ACT
You go through the process of truly learning by avoiding the normal spoon-feeding process
You reinforce the learning process until you don’t even have to think about it when taking the test—just like breathing
You dedicate 5-15 hours per week for a set period of time and then you never think about the ACT again
How Does ACT Hacking Work?
Step 1: Identify High Priority Areas
The first step in the ACT Hacking method is to identify your strengths and weaknesses. We do this with a real ACT that they’ve used in the past (called a diagnostic test). Use this test to pinpoint the exact areas where you need the most improvement.
Don't just focus on the questions you get wrong; analyze which question types appear most frequently AND yoGeneralu get wrong. This ensures that you can prioritize the areas that have the biggest impact on your score.
Now that you have your highest priority areas, create yourself a schedule! Get a calendar and lay out the day-by-day process of studying leading up to your scheduled testing date. Put your highest priority items soonest and your medium and low priority items later on.
Step 2: Learn How to Hack Each Question Type
Since you have your high priority question types laid out in front of you, now you need to learn how to solve them. Importantly, you should go one at a time with these. Don’t try and learn the entire math section in one day.
Identify why you’re missing a question: is it because of content (not knowing the formula for area of a circle) or strategy (not knowing how to compare answers on Big Picture Reading questions)?
1. If it’s content, find a resource that can help you learn the content (or join my coaching program, where I give you the resources 😎)
2. If it’s strategy, create a new approach that can help you solve not just this one question, but all similar types of questions!
Once you’ve identified why you’re missing the question and found the right way to solve, you need to give yourself drills to ingrain the correct approach. Work on similar question types and test your weaknesses. For example, if you were struggling with long word problems on the math section, practice solving these questions in under 30 seconds. Even if it seems impossible, the right drill will ingrain the best and most efficient habits.
Having trouble coming up with your own drills? Think about why the ACT is asking a question in a certain way (alternatively, just join my coaching program and I’ll do all this for you).
Once you can consistently solve your highest priority question type without guidance, then you move on to the next question type. Rinse and repeat until you can do all questions.
Step 2: Learn How to Hack Each Question Type
Once you’ve identified why you’re missing the question and found the right way to solve, you need to give yourself drills to ingrain the correct approach. Work on similar question types and test your weaknesses. For example, if you were struggling with long word problems on the math section, practice solving these questions in under 30 seconds. Even if it seems impossible, the right drill will ingrain the best and most efficient habits.
Having trouble coming up with your own drills? Think about why the ACT is asking a question in a certain way (alternatively, just join my coaching program and I’ll do all this for you).
Once you can consistently solve your highest priority question type without guidance, then you move on to the next question type. Rinse and repeat until you can do all questions.
Proof
Still doubt that this works? See what these students have to say about ACT Hacking.
How Can I Work With You?
If you want me to work with your student 1-1, you can apply to join my coaching program. Everything that I do is customized to the student’s situation, timeline, and needs. My style is not a great fit for everyone, and I don’t have the ability to work with all families.
We’ll get on a free introductory Zoom call to talk about your background and goals, and if I think I can help you out, we’ll come up with a personalized coaching plan that works for you. If you’re interested, apply by tapping the button below and selecting a time when the student AND at least one parent can join on Zoom.
Because these calls are free and I take time off my calendar for them, I do ask you some questions in advance. If you don’t answer them thoroughly or my team determines that it won’t be a good fit, we’ll cancel the call.
What Do Families Love About Boosted Brains?
Ava W.
Original ACT: 22
Final ACT: 30
I always did well in school but struggled with standardized tests. Carson showed me why you shouldn't study for the ACT like a normal high school test. Because I took his class, I improved my score by 8 points and earned almost $90,000 in scholarships!
I always did well in school but struggled with standardized tests. Carson showed me why you shouldn't study for the ACT like a normal high school test. Because I took his class, I improved my score by 8 points and earned almost $90,000 in scholarships!
Morgan H.
Original ACT: 26
Final ACT: 32
I had originally taken an SAT prep course, but the class was generic and I barely increased my score. After consulting with Carson, I decided to switch to the ACT and immediately saw myself improving. Carson made ACT classes entertaining and the videos were helpful and very easy to watch!
Reese A.
Original ACT: 30
Final ACT: 35
I thought I was well-prepared the first time I took the ACT. However, after taking Carson's ACT program, I realized that there's so much more to this test than I thought. This system helped me see better approaches to questions. I couldn't have gotten my 35 without this program!
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