Re: How much to study for the act/sat
 

Well your profile says your age is 14...so you have plenty of time before you take the tests that really count. If you're already taking the actual ACT that is practice enough. It is my experience that you can do very well on both tests with minimal preparation, but to get the kind of scores you're shooting for you have to study/practice. I did well on both tests without too much preparation, but not as high as the scores you mentioned. Just remember that you have plenty of time and the standardized tests aren't the only things colleges look at.

Re: How much to study for the act/sat
 

well, i am aiming at getting into one of the 6 year medical programs.

and there are only about 36 decent universities who teach med school

i am probably going to try to sign up for college in my junior year so i will need to take the tests for the last time(before i start to sign up any way) at the end of my sophomore year or the beginning of my junior year.

thanks, vivek

p.s. i still love robotics and engineering but i am also sort of interested in the medical stuff and the jobs are better paying:o

FIRST is something i plan to do for the rest of my life.

Re: How much to study for the act/sat
 

The best preparation you can have is honestly just to learn as much as you can in school. I didn't study at all for the ACT other than glancing through a practice test. I saw that there were some things I didn't know, but a lot that I either did know or could reason my way through. I had EXCELLENT English teachers who were very nitpicky about grammar and word use, so I had that drilled into my head. Math I've just been good at, and science is basically reading. Honestly just read the questions and you'll be fine.

I got 36 in math, 35 in English, 34 in reading and 32 in science, and all I did was read through the practice test, sleep, and bring trail mix, my calculator, 20 sharpened pencils(I was nervous!!) and water. Nothing is a substitute for learning all throughout your educational carreer, and no book or crash course can change that.

Same thing with the SAT, though personally I like ACT math better because like a lot of FIRSTies I know, the math that is covered on the SAT is pretty basic, and it is stuff a lot of us did in 7thish grade. The ACT at least has some trig. 2260 on the SAT, and for that I did the same preparation.

Honestly, you are really young, and test prep shouldn't consume your life at ALL. Do your homework, talk to teachers about papers, learn your math. If it makes you feel better and more relaxed, buy a test prep book. I see that you have high ambitions, but really there is no better way to prep for tests than to do well in school. And in the end, what happens happens. My best friend got a 27 on the ACT but has straight A's in BC Calculus, AP Physics, and many other hard courses. He got into excellent colleges, so while that 33 or whatever on the ACT is nice, don't sacrifice an episode of Grey's Anatomy or Mythbusters to get it... :)

PS... by the time you'd actually get your medical degree, based on the direction things are going, medicine will not be the high paying field it is today what with malpractice insurance being so expensive and probably somewhat socialized healthcare. I would advise you to pursue medicine because it is something you like and you get joy out of helping people rather than for the money, because that's something you can't necessarily count on.

Re: How much to study for the act/sat
 

It all depends on the person and what you expect to get. Typically, studying will get you a higher score, but only if you know what to study and how to prepare. I did prep stuff for the English (grammar) and I got a 24. I got a composite of 29 without doing anything else to prepare for the exam (34 in Science (big wow!), 31 in Reading, a 28 in Math (not bad, ok for engineering), and a 8 on Writing).