Sector Analysis of the Nigerian Clothing Market

Sector Analysis of the Nigerian Clothing Market INTRODUCTION This section of the report is divided into segments and Im going to look into the sector analysis of the Nigerian clothing market through online databases, company reports, magazines, journal and newsletters. Kotler Gartner (2002) claim that PEST analysis is a functional considered tool for understanding market growth or decline, industry position, potential and direction for operations. In this report PEST analysis of the macro environment will be carried out to explore the factors that influence company policies; and Porters five forces will be used to understand the competitive environment of the industry. PEST analysis illustrate the political issues of a country which has to do the rules and regulation governing; economic forces which encompass the bargaining power and consumer purchasing patterns, interest rates and taxes. Next is technology which comprises of product development, innovation and inventions in the industry, online advert and new distribution methods. Finally social forces consist of change in life style, religion, fashion and roles models. Macro-environment This consists of the companys business suppliers, market intermediaries, buyer markets, competitors and the public (Kotler 2004.p:107). The most general layers of these environments are industry or sector and organisation which are again referred to as macro-environment. Thus, this consists of broad environmental factors that impact to a greater or lesser extent on an organisation. It is important to build up an understanding of how changes in the macro environment are likely to impact on a sector. These symbolize the uncontrollable factors of a business and how these factors (PEST) affect the Nigerian clothing industry is discussed below. Political Force Political forces play a vital role in business and it can be refer to the total sum of political, consumer protection, environmental regulations, employment law, competitive regulations, political trends, legal and regulatory forces which are enforced by the courts and regulatory agencies and are capable of controlling a companys marketing decisions and strategies (Dibb S. et al 1997). In Nigeria precisely, there are three main forces that make up the political environment and they are: Executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch. It is necessary and mandatory for an organisation to stick to political rules and regulation governing their day to day business activities of the country (Brassington F. 2006) Nigeria today has an extended list of prohibited items. According to Business day (2009), Nigerian has up to 80 banned items in its prohibition list while countries like Sierra Leone, Congo and Guinea have none. Furthermore, Senegal has 4, Ghana 19, Republic of Benin 10, Cameroon 13 and Gambia 1. In Nigerias import prohibition list items such as sugar, sweet, soap, fruit juice, textile fabrics, shoes, tooth paste, envelopes, mosquito nets and biscuits. This is in short supply apparently because of inadequate capacity accounted for by the harsh operating environment. In the case of textiles, the most strong of them all, Nigerian had over 120 textile factories in 1980 and this period was refer to as the era of textile boom in Nigerian. But recently the figure has dropped to 45 as a result of productive capacity of the sector which is so low to the point that about 90 percent of textiles/fabrics needs of the country are being fed through importation (Business day 2009). According to the (Mail and Guardian 2009), Anyanwu, founder of the Ogodo label, said the industry began stirring only when Olusegun Obasanjo banned importation of foreign clothes in the late 1990s. Anyanwu further stressed that, this forced designers to look inwards and discovered their capabilities, and that the company Ogodo, meaning Igbo for clothing of â€Å"good quality† was founded and premiered at Nigerias fashion week in 2006 (mail and guardian 2009). The Nigerian government has banned the importation of printed fabric/textile products from entering into the country in other to guard its own ailing industries in Nigeria (BBC 2002). In spite of the outlaw on importation of fabric or clothing by the Nigerian government ever since the new democratic dispensation, there is still an increase in the purchase of foreign products like clothing by Nigerian consumers. Furthermore the law was implemented to enable the local industries to thrive in the very competitive clothing market and to discard increasing demand of foreign goods in the Nigerian market (BBC 2002). The Nigerian market is proliferated with the importation of foreign labels which already have global recognition, Okechukwu (1999). Importation of clothing goods into Nigeria often poses threat to the local manufacturers whose products are relatively unidentified in the country. However, there is no efficient regulatory body that governs designers. In the West and Southern part of Africa, stakeholders in any specialized industry form regulatory bodies whose primary tasks include: providing resources for members, engaging in public guidance principle and governmental relations with the regulation of makers of clothes, and establishing suitable industry practices to stay competitive both locally and abroad. Although, banning the importation of textiles/fabrics was meant to provide leverage for Nigeria in its dealings with its trading partners. In fact, the 1977 ban, for example, was the result of what the government deemed a self-sufficient Clothing and Textile industry. The government, arguably, got it right. As of 1980, Nigeria was ranked the third largest textile industry in Africa after Egypt and South Africa (Uduak 2009). Enforcing increased of government regulation in the Nigeria economy today, the rising price of oil, communication advancements and travel options have all led towards a growing market for brand names products in Nigeria. Moreover clothes is a prime product since it was geared toward customers in third world country where the per capital income was extremely low. From the continent of Africa, there was a war in Abeokuta, involving the Yorubas in western Nigeria. This war was the result of them [Yoruba] rejecting to wear items brought from the British Colonists and their preference to locally made Nigerian clothes and Yoruba outfits with the reason that it represented their culture and custom (Jean 2004:p.256). Bayfield cited in Jean (2004) argues that their act visibly illustrated to colonial authorities those elite were not only setting themselves apart from colonial authorities and values but also showing commitment both political and cultural to being Yoruba. Precisely, in Yoruba community, the types and quality of clothes they wear are significant and a Yoruba wardrobe includes imported textiles, Such as velvet and locally woven (Jean 2004:p.256). Economic force It is important for every firm to know the economy of the country were they operate in other for the business to expand. The factor of Economic forces make up marketing environment and it consists of issues ranging from effects of the present day economic situation in a country which are caused by the forces of buying power, consumption, supply and demand, and spending patterns. The factors mentioned determine the success and growth of any organisations marketing strategies but which are uncontrollable by the organisation (Dibb S. et al 1997). The Nigerian economy has been experiencing growth for the past 10 years which has brought light to Nigerian (GMID 2005). The Nigerian consumers are becoming fashion conscious due to the new fashion trends and development in the society today. A majority of adult and middle-aged consumers have developed tastes which are comparable to those of their counterparts in developed countries, as a result of the advent of satellite communication and internet which has further made the diffusion of information and knowledge easy to reach out to the Nigerian population. This reason partly accounts for the elevated spending on clothing as indicated in a study that was carried out by (GMID 2005). Again, GMIDs study in 2005 about the Nigerian consumers spending pattern revealed that a greater proportion of their total income is spent on clothing, which is ranked third, (5.36%) after food and shelter with 56.42% and 8.89% respectively. Realistically, Nigerian [locally] made clothes are cheaper as opposed to the imported ones as the cost of labour is comparatively low and the materials used are internal. Also, considering the cost of importing foreign good, and its associated duties at the countrys ports undoubtedly makes foreign goods including clothing deer to that of the traditionally made ones. One important factor which could influence the consumption pattern of the Nigerian consumers in the clothing industry is the income levels. As a developing country, with a per capita of $2,300 (Siakhenn, 2008), coupled with the current global economic crises, which has crippled employment, and making more redundant, Nigerian consumers might be Sceptical about spending, especially on more fashionable cloths, but which will be affected the most, local or imported? The Nigeria financial system is based on crude oil, agriculture and trades due to the transformation of colonial rules in late 19th century. The necessitate to pay taxes to the colonial government forced Nigerian farmers to restore food-producing crops with cash-producing crops, the Nigerian government decided to reduce their prices in other to resolve profit. Although the Nigerian petroleum industry developed in 1960 and 1970 has brought a massive increased exporting agriculture products, infrastructure, earnings, social service and huge investment in industry. In respect of this situation many large investments often joint venture with private corporations. The Nigerian gross domestic product was improving in 2007 with $165 billion. In respectively the gross domestic product has a wide range, most times depending on the oil market at that period because it varies like in 1985 it was $81 billion, $33.2 billion in 1994, $40.5 billion in 1995 this was increasing yearly and the total GDP per capital was $1,118.20 which was among the lowest in the world. The less privileged experience hard slap due to the Nigeria economic problems and importation of goods were expensive (Stock 2009). Company in Nigeria today are expending due to the fact that Nigerian consumer now patronize locally made clothes, this clothes are relative cheap and affordable which have good values for money, In respect of this the Nigeria consumer barging power of consumer have increase over time. Furthermore, the interest rate has an effect on different magnitude on each of the monetary total. Examples if there are high interest rates in different country of origin it will affect the Nigeria economic and price rates of product will be expensive, due to the fact that these goods are imported into Nigeria. Social force Social force is very necessary in business and it encompasses factors like culture, customer demographics, attitudes and how opinions are being formed (Brassington F. 2006). Thus, this social force has help marketer to study consumer buying pattern, motivation and consumer behaviour. In Nigeria Clothing symbolizes religious affiliation, in spite of the Nigerian limited disposable income; consumers are able to spend most of their income on amusement, holiday and fashion which are the things that are significant to working class. At this phase of their lives, they have no responsibilities and little or no savings. Thus, they can consequently spend all the income they earn. The young adults group in Nigeria has a relatively low purchasing power because most of them are just starting-off on their own. As a result, they tend to spend their income on more tangible goods such as cars, apartments and clothes. Though they are mindful of fashion, they are more conscious spenders than the studying age consumers. The middle-aged adults have higher purchasing power as they are more established in their careers and have attained some level of financial success. This group consequently are able to afford more luxurious clothing items (GMID 2007). These classifications will be u seful for evaluating the discrepancies between the various age segments. Generally in African fashion it is well known and it is treated more like as a cultural experience. The Nigerian society has frowned on fashion design as a serious profession. In reality norms and attitudes reveal a degrading â€Å"you cant be serious† attitude towards fashion. Clothing industrial in Nigerian society is blooming especially foreign label clothes because it differentiates the rich from the poor, due to the exposure of the western culture most consumers that go to other country of origin for schooling, working or business preferred their lifestyles and the ways they dress because it makes them expose (GMID 2007) The consumers buying pattern has change over time, they younger adults in Nigeria prefer to wear be best outfit and latest shoes due to the kinds of events and occasion they are attending, this reasons usually influence younger consumer to purchase. Furthermore most of the consumers in Nigeria are being influence by lifestyle trends and role models because in the society there are always news trends and development, this consumer want to meet up to standard by dress according to roles models. Technological Technology plays vital roles in an organisation and it is constant to change in nature, it is necessary for and establishment to follow the trends of technology so that the organisation will not be lacking behind. Technology has being so benefits to firms it terms of advertising, innovation processes and quality control. Technology has helped the fashion industry to improve tremendously. Since 1960 the Nigerian internet sector has suffered delay by the countries immature infrastructure, but recently things are changing as rivalry intensifies and new internet technology has been able to convey wireless broadband access across different state in Nigerian. Thus, Nigeria has experienced a large increase in Internet and broadband use over the past 10 years. And Improvements in technology has made broadband more available and faster through the use of communication industrial like mobile telecommunication network MTN, Nigerian mobile communication M-Tel and Globacom Glo which has increase the use of information search engines and has made it easier for consumers to search through different web sites and this makes it easier to reach customers as well as making it easier for customer to access competition. Therefore the technology has improved and the system and usage of communication in Nigeria. Statistics show that in 2000 the estimate population of Nigeria was 142,895,600 but the internet users were only 200,000. In the year 2006 there was a vast increase on internet usage and population growth in Nigerian. Thus, the population was 159,404,137 and the internet users rose to 5,000,000 (GMID 2005) which was a huge development. Technology is fast improving in the Nigerian economic with the effect of broad brand and wireless internet various purchase has being made and customer has also use this median to check what is happening in the fashion industrial and the new fashion trends. Furthermore companies like Collectibles in the fashion industry of Nigeria have been able to use the internet technology to publicize and advertise their different brands of Nigerian products and this has created awareness in the country. Thus, various consumer has made has made order for different verity of clothes through online because it is ease to access. Majority of the fashion industrial in Nigeria has an online shop in other to prevent query and crowd. An examples like during sales in Nigeria most consumer purchase their product online in other to reduce querying up in shop. Moreover, the impart of technology to the society of Nigerian has help the fashion industrials and other business in the countries in term of high volumes of production rates which has made establishment to grow and also companies has use the median of technology to advertise their various goods and service to the public which has created awareness and high volumes of sales. Thus, the impart of technology has made industrial to know the numbers of manpower to employ and be utilize per day. Competitive Environment The clothing Industries in Nigerian are faced with lot of competition. There are a lot of locally made fabrics that are popular in the market and also other retail sellers travel outside Nigeria to other countries to like china to shop. This is because they can get cheaper goods and other option when they come back they make their products cheap, affordable and enlighten in order to satisfy customer needs and wants. Thus, Nigeria likes fashion and there are lots of boutiques in the country meaning competition is quite high, though the quality of these goods does not match that of Collectibles the best fashion industry in Nigeria. Abe is huge market in Nigeria which is known for fashionable clothes outfits and accessories their product are usually called â€Å"Made in Nigeria goods†. In Nigeria, the community of Abe everyone has a sewing machine which the used in sewing clothing and consumer patronize them. A lot of shops in Nigeria get their clothing items from Abe, which is a local fashion market in Nigeria and they resell them in the other shops, these are Nigerian made clothes. There are also a large range of bigger Fashion outlets which has various branches across Nigeria such as Collectibles, Marbella culture, Charlotte Andrews collection, Bibis couture, De javu essence, Dee top choice, Wranglers and yeside fashion store. This means the level of competition in the fashion industry in Nigeria is very high. In analysing the competitive environment of clothing industry, Porters Five Forces model will be used. This model will help us have a better understanding of the competitive environment because the Porters five forces model does not just agree that competition is about direct competitors but it encompasses the entire possibility of all future indirect competitors (Brassington F 2006). Which are based on five factors and they include intensity of rivalry, new entrants, suppliers, buyers and substitutes (Jobber 2007). Intensity of rivalry in the Nigerian clothing sector In traditional economic model, Competition among rival firms drives profit to zero. The intensity of rivalry is a necessary factor when analysing the competitive environment because it deal with number of factors that companies have to understand before going into the industry for business and they include: structure of the competition, structure of costs, degree of differentiation, switching costs, strategic objectives and exit barriers. This made firms strive for competitive advantages over their rivals and this can be achieved through creation of relationships between quality, supplier and clothing industry. The intensity of the rivalry in the clothing sector in Nigeria market is really fierce. As theres free movement of goods to Nigeria from the African union, and also with the influx of Asian clothing shops, the competition for market share is intense (GMID2008). Collectibles has a number of rivals in clothing sector like Yeside fashion, Marbella culture, Charlotte Andrews collection, and De javu essence. Wranglers are seemed to be in serious competition with collectibles fashion industry. A wrangler has been able to attract consumers by creating its own brand clothing labels and stylish shoes which collectible has taken the lead in it. Through this median companies are obeying the laws passed on them by the government. This has increased the intensity of rivalry in the industry because most of the company are working towards common goals to become a market leader. Threat of new entrants New entrants in business have a way of raising the level of competition in a particular industry and in turn reduce its attractiveness. When an industry has too many companies competing against each other, this can be the reason for its unattractiveness and this can be as a result of the low entry barriers that some industries have which makes entry easy (Jobber D. 2004). Furthermore, Kotler 2004 in his writing stated that new entrants to industry bring new capacity and new ideas, the aspiration to gain market share. As a result of this the new entrants in industry the competition will be the higher and this could change major determents market environment like price, customer loyalty and market share. Furthermore, within the Nigerian clothing market, the possibility existing or new laws restricting new entrants seems bleak especially with current globalisation and the African Union enabling free movement of goods. Aside from external forces, there is also possibility that local investors will invade the clothing market, due to the lucrative nature of the sector (the collectible fashion). This is well explained by the rapid growth of Chinese products in Africa and more importantly, in Nigeria. A BBC (2005) article titled â€Å"should Africa embrace china†, confirmed that developing countries are gradually becoming the real victims of Chinas economic progress with goods, especially clothing, being imported into counties including Nigeria. Collectible has a strong attendance in the Nigeria market and has gained the attention of large population of Nigeria consumer which make it very difficult for new entrants to break into. Threat of substitute products According to five porters models substitute refer to products in other industrials and when an establishment has lot of substitutes it makes it unappealing to the consumer because they can easily switches from one product to another. The main factor behind substitutes in clothing market is the price and the style. Majority of consumer are attracted and motivated by the price of the products in the shops because most of the shops frequently have offers and sales promotions on products which attracts customers. The current price war among various shops in Nigeria has left smaller retailers having a difficulty in setting prices to be as low as leading retailers like collectible. Most shoppers are motivated by price and will substitute their regular shop for the next which offers a more attractive price list. The free entry and exit within the Nigerian clothing market, coupled with the greater importation of foreign clothes and the greater number of local clothes traders gives the consumer a number of choices. Threats of substitutes are really high and this has a significant impact on the prices and more importantly the power the consumer has. More substitutes mean that the customer has options, which, as noted by Porter, means that one producer cannot influence the market by ruling prices. In order to match each others competition strategies, due to the threats posed by substitutes, shop owners resort to various promotional strategies, which are normally ‘prices wars. The bargaining power of suppliers Supplier power is a reflection of buyer power and it represent a vital roles in industry competitive environment because if the bargaining power of suppliers is high then this will have an effect on the firms profitability this is as a result of increase the in cost of raw materials and subsequently the cost of finished products(Jobber D. 2004). Clothing market are increasing the standard of quality on their products which they get from suppliers and this has affected the relationship between retail companies and their various suppliers who have not been able to keep up with the new quality standard they require. The bargaining power of suppliers in Nigeria is really low. As noted by Porter (1979) when the bargain power of the suppliers is high, prices go up. This is the opposite of the Nigerian clothing sector. This is because though suppliers may be limited in number; most clothing retailers have their own manufacturers which are an integral part of their business. Thus most retailers use own brand/label, and this further echoes why the customers have such a high bargain power. Buyers According kippenberger (1998) states that it is often useful to distinguish potential buyer power from the buyers willingness or incentive to use that power, willingness that derives mainly from the â€Å"risk of failure† associated with a products use. Thus, Buyers refer to customer who patronise an organization and usually have more buyers bargaining power. (Lynch 2006). The size and concentration of customer is very vital and also buyer powers are very necessary because it influence the factor in clothing market as a result of high level of substitution of retailers. With the huge daily influx of clothes as explained above from overseas and with the existence of locally made ones, the bargain power of the Nigerian customer is really high. This is again backed by the fact that the number of choices available to the customers tends to drive the cost of clothes down in the country. Conclusion of sector analysis The sector analysis comprises of pest analysis and porters five forces theory which been use in this framework and it has help to analyses the Nigerian clothing market and also able to check the barriers and limitation of the market. In this analysis, secondary data was used to find out more information of the industrial and the perception of consumers towards foreign and locally made clothes which has giving the research more ideas to carried on to the next chapter which is the literature review.

Pain - Original Writing :: Papers

Pain - Original Writing Her eyes became watery as she dragged the razor blade across her arm, the pain invaded her body. She sat back against the wall, her arm rested on her leg. The blood poured out, her eyes clinged on the ceiling. She sighed, her eyes were red and her soul was empty. She could here their laughter, their fingers pointing at her as her tray slipped from her hands and made a mess on the cafeteria floor. "You are such a dopey idiot" they shouted from the queue, she glanced up to find them all looking at her as if they were in a freak show and she was the principal act. A lady from behind the counter came out with a mop and bucket and told her to clean up the mess, she felt humiliated and stupid. "Quiet everyone", suddenly the director came into the cafeteria, everybody went back to there seats and continued with there meal. The director walked up to Layla, she could see his shinny black shoes. His laces were perfectly done and his trousers were perfectly ironed and tucked in at the end of his leg, the man reeked of perfection. "What's going on here" he said, his voice sounded firm and scary. Layla continued picking up the food splattered on the floor while she mumbled "nothing sir, just an à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.". "Look at me when I'm speaking to you", he shouted as he grabbed her arm and pulled her up. She looked up at his smooth shaved face, her eyes were full of tears. Her lips trembled "just an accident, sir" she said nervously. "I don't want cry babies here, clean up your act girl", he said still pinning on to her arm. She nodded her head and got back on her knees to finish cleaning up. "Nobody give this girl any food, I repeat, nobody or there will be detention", the director looked around the cafeteria "And I mean nobody" and pointed at the kitchen staff. He then took a last look at Layla who was still on her knees and walked away with his hands on his

Mecca Cola :: essays research papers

MECCA-COLA: A MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE There is no denying that Mecca-Cola is a political product. Commercially, it’s capitalizing on the growing anti-American sentiment. The interesting part, which probably no one has ever done before, is the fact that the founder is making a political statement as well as embracing others with the same attitude through a consumer product. At some level it looks ironic that an anti-American movement takes form in the very byproduct of American culture; however, this is also saying that not all about America is bad. It’s not the culture that is being fought, but rather the politics. And Mecca-Cola fights by trying to provide conscience to its consumers, to provide meaning in consumerism (â€Å"buvez engagà ©Ã¢â‚¬ ). Mecca-Cola was born as a reaction to the anti-American sentiments, and it primarily appeals to consumers who support American brands boycott campaign. Entry consumers are primarily Muslims, with the product first being distributed in â€Å"small ethnic shops in Muslim areas†. While Mecca-Cola may continue to appeal to Muslim consumers, its policy to give profits for charity may appeal to other â€Å"engaged consumers†. By positioning itself as the non-American alternative of a cola, Mecca-Cola directly challenged Coca-Cola and Pepsi as the â€Å"American products†. However, as in Mathlouthi idealism, Mecca-Cola will keep the focus on providing an alternative cola drinks, not directly challenge those big players as competitors. Now that Mecca-Cola has successfully initiated a new segment of â€Å"alternative cola†, its real competitors are the other alternative cola that position themselves as a product for Muslims while also offering corporate social responsibility like Mecca Cola. Among the major competitors are ZamZam Cola, Qibla-Cola, Muslim Up and Arab Cola. The launch of Mecca-Cola was a success, perhaps because it is providing a fresh alternative to common consumerism, while using political and social charity leveraging advantages. Nevertheless, Mecca-Cola is vulnerable to competition (specific target base, low entry barrier for me-too products), and its positioning appeal may wear out if world politics change. Mecca-Cola could be a sustainable business if it emphasizes on universal values that appeal to a broader, sustainable consumer base, rather than just another Anti-America alternative product.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mathlouthi and Mecca Cola Taufik Mathlouthi is a Muslim, Tunisian-born French entrepreneur. His exceptional entrepreneurship mindset, along with his involvement in social issues and a sense of pride for his origins, forms the right chemistry that led to the birth of Mecca Cola. Mathlouthi is by nature an involved and exploring individual.

The Kentucky Fried Chicken Original Writing

There I was, stumbling through the lashing wet, windy weather on my way back from the Kentucky Fried Chicken after purchasing a large bucket of chicken at a great expense. As I passed the local bakery, the delicious smell of freshly baked bread filled my nostrils, which was soon to be replaced by cooking oil from the fish and chips shop next door. My stomach felt sickly with the combined aromas, but lengthy queues in both stores indicated that not everyone had the same opinion as I did about the smell. I noticed a black bag in a spotlight of colourful neon lights on the side of the kerb shuffling around in the breeze like a newborn baby. Unsure of the contents, I panicked. My eyes gazed at the streetlights that glistened like a Christmas tree. They were reflected in the shop windows that displayed mouth-watering cakes, bread, groceries, a variety of continental fruits and vegetables, as well as colourful fashionable clothes. On the corner of the road, there was a brightly lit car showroom full of gleaming new Mercedes, which drew me to the window. As I gazed enviously through the window, I was startled by the deafening wail of a siren which had blue flashing lights rotating rapidly on top of a huge red vehicle that raced past me. Car horns beeped, windscreen wipers swishing back and forth, as cars accelerated above the speed limit; the drivers and their passengers all had the same thought in mind: getting home from this dreadful weather. Traffic built up and ground to a standstill as the traffic lights appeared to have a malfunction, causing major delays. Engines revved with impatience. I witnessed two drivers exchanging furious words over a parking space, while passengers waited patiently for their local bus to take them home. Some pedestrians got splashed with dirty water as thoughtless drivers sped through puddles. Commuters appeared from nowhere as if there had been a riot in the area. I realized as I heard the mournful sound of the train horn coming from the station close to home that this was the reason for this strange mass of people. Some people were running desperately for shelter, as they were inadequately dressed for the inclement weather. An old drunken man, dressed in rough, ragged clothes, staggered along the street. He approached an apprehensive passer-by I had seen earlier on in the vicinity requesting spare change. I did not wait to hear the passer-by's response as my clothes were completely drenched from the rain. The relentless rain pelted down heavily, so I decided to pick up the pace because I could smell the sweet spices of chicken wafting from the chicken bucket I carried, which probably began to get cold. I remembered that my mother was waiting for her meal and I was feeling quite peckish myself. As I approached a narrow, dark alleyway, I was striving through the sharp, cold, icy, wind beating against my face. An enormous clap of thunder quickly followed with a strike of lightning from the heavens. I dropped the bucket of chicken in fear into a pool of mud. A sensation of fear and panic tingled through my body and my heart skipped a beat. I heard a dog barking continuously from a neighbouring garden over a red brick wall. I picked up my bucket, checked to see what state it was in, in discovering that the contents were still in good condition, I continued on my journey. The anxiety and fear I had experienced earlier had disappeared within me and transformed to happiness and warmth, as I drew nearer to my home. I sighed with relief and jingled my keys with delight at the front door to my house. I turned my key in the lock, and the door swung open, revealing my Mother's angry face. I had delayed her dinner!

Barriers to Effective Pain Management Essay

Nurses have a unique role in alleviating the pain experienced by their patients. With their professional knowledge and regular close contacts with patients, they are ideally placed to listen and respond to any concerns. Taking time to assess the individual will allow for the development of a thrusting relationship between the nurse and patient. Accurate assessment and documentation can help to chart the multi- dimensional nature of the pain, aiding decision making and patient care planning (Mcguie 1992). Adequate control of pain is only achieved in 50% of patients in Western societies. This emphasizes that pain control is a serious problem for a great number of patients. Health care professionals, patients and the health care system itself all contribute to this problem. Other factors that add to this undesirable situation include the following: – Poor decision making on part of health care professionals – myths and misconceptions about pain and opoids – patients non compliance with treatment and their reluctance to report pain – Problems within the organization of health care Pain assessment and management is an integral part of the daily nursing routine. Health care professionals must strive to overcome the barriers to effective pain management in practice. The tendency to under medicate older adults may be related to several factors, including misguided beliefs, fears regarding complications, and a failure to assess ant treat confused older adults. It is imperative that nurses don’t act upon false misconceptions in delivering patient care. The management of pain in the elderly represents a considerable nursing challenge. This is because the elderly are more likely to experience both acute and chronic pain than their younger counterparts. Age related factors may also complicate the assessment and management of the individual’s pain. Failing sight and hearing, cognitive impairment, confusion and dementia create communication difficulties and therefore pose significant barriers to pain assessment particularly in the use of the measurement tools. Lack of knowledge of the Doctor and nurse / poor communication: An individuals pain is complex, the management should not rely on one professional clinical judgment and action. The pain control process should be interwoven between numerous health care professionals. The nurse must strive to exercise their communication skills in discussing aspects of patient care with the MDT team. A lack of confidence and knowledge are the common reasons for poor communication and teamwork. There is ample evidence to demonstrate that both nurses and doctors have poor knowledge about pain and its management. It is also known that contemporary nursing and medical education programs do not equip health care professionals with significant information on the nature of pain, the methods of pain assessments and the principles of pain management. With a lack of knowledge and basic fundamental management skills, nurses may feel unprepared to care for patients suffering from pain, and consequently make incorrect decisions regarding the management of patient’s pain. Poor decision making on behalf of the nurse can reflect on the following: âž ¢ Underestimation of the severity of the illness âž ¢ Overestimation of the effectiveness of the interventions âž ¢ Reluctance to administer parental analgesia âž ¢ Administering a low dose of opoid rather than the required dose needed to control the severity of patient’s pain. âž ¢ Nurses rarely employing non pharmacological strategies In addition, the lack of knowledge and confidence of the nurse may interfere with his or her ability to effectively communicate aspects of patient care to other health care professionals. The under educated nurse has a tendency to underestimate the MDT and doctor’s involvement in pain assessment and management. However, it is imperative that the doctor carriers out a physical examination of the patient on admission to identify the pathological causes of the patients pain. This is an imperative part of pain management and is much needed to facilitate the planning of care. The more experienced the nurse is the more inclined they are to underestimate severe pain. The less experienced nurse is more inclined to overestimate an individuals pain. The doctor’s lack of confidence and knowledge may result in him or her avoiding discussions relating to analgesia and changing the drug or dose of the opoid, irrespective of the nurse’s belief that it for the best interest of the patient. Doctors that are lacking in knowledge have a tendency to prescribe analgesia below the therapeutic level of the pain and are often reluctant to act upon the nurse. This is a serious issue that must be addressed as the nurse is often the person who knows the most information about the patient as they provide a 24 hour round the clock care to the patient. It is clear that these poor practices arise from a number of inter- related reasons. However the lack of knowledge and effective team work seems to be the central issue. In order to assure effective communication is brought to the clinical practice, efforts to increase group learning and confidence of health care professions is much needed. Role play may improve health care professional’s knowledge and collaboration skills. Interpersonal education may be effective at allowing health care professionals understand each others roles in practice. Regular education sessions in the hospital with numerous health care professions from different specialties may be a great opportunity for nurses and other health care professionals to learn together. Communication Barriers The collection of information at assessment is dependent on the nurse’s ability to communicate effectively. However, nurses commonly lack the skills required in this area. Health care professionals often expect the patients to complain spontaneously of pain and patients often assume the nurse will enquire about their pain. This is one significant issue within communication that is commonly demonstrated in practice. Certain nurses don’t even ask the patient if they are experiencing pain. This is a serious issue as patients may be reluctant to report their pain because they don’t want to appear unpopular or don’t want to distract the health care professionals from treating their condition. The omission of verbal assessment may result in these patients suffering unnecessary pain for a prolonged period of time. This can have devastating long term consequences to an individual’s health. A quantity of nurses may employ some form of verbal communication to the patient’s pain assessment. However, they usually confine the assessment to asking one question only, such as, are you experiencing any pain at present? This can be misinterpreting as the patient may be pain free lying still in bed, yet the patient may be experiencing pain on activity. In order to improve the management of pain in practice, continuous education of improving communication skills must be enforced into the clinical setting. A number of communication barriers such as deafness, blindness, and disorientated, confused and cognitive impaired persons can further complicate the assessment process. It is important to compensate for the auditory and visual impairments that the individual may have. While assessing and monitoring the patient, the nurse must position her/his face in view of the patient, speak in a slow and normal tone of voice, use large print size, and provide written instructions and aids such as glasses or hearing aids. Pain assessment should be considered a greater challenge amongst the elderly as these patients more commonly present with communication barriers. Such barriers include deafness, blindness, and cognitive impaired, unconscious and disorientated individual. Pain assessment tools are designed to suit patients with various communication barriers. Health care professionals must choose the appropriate assessment tool that would best suit the individual in pain. For example, a visual analogue scale may be more suitable for a deaf individual. The abbey scale is specially designed for the cognitive impaired individual. The nurse must validate the pain and believe that the pain is as bad as the patient reports it to be. Nurses have a tendency not to validate the patient’s pain. They tend to overestimate lower levels of pain and underestimate more severe pain. If the nurse places him or herself in the role of the family member, they may become more sensitive to the patients needs and his or her experience of pain. Commonly the nurses distance themselves from the patient which results in the nurses failing to recognize the patient’s needs. Nurses have a tendency to block communication with patients who are terminally ill or patients who have chronic pain. This is because they believe they cannot do much for the patient. Efforts to improve professionals collaboration skills with the terminally ill patients and chronically ill is fundamental. Clearly continuing education that integrates helping nurses become more sensitive to patient pain may have an important role in facilitating nurses to develop better assessment skills. Health care professional’s poor pain assessment A good assessment is the cornerstone of good control of distressing symptoms. Yet, current pain assessment practices leave much to be desired. The underestimation of the patient’s pain seems to be problematic in current practice. Nurses have developed a tendency to interfere about a person’s pain on a basis of what they observe. This may be acceptable if they confirm the validity of the interferences with the patient, however this is not happening. Poor use of verbal cues Health care professionals frequently observe patients behaviors and activities when assessing pain and consider non verbal cues as being reliable indicators of pain intensity. However, it is easy to misinterpret non verbal cues. For example the nurse tends to only regard pain as intense or severe if the patients show real intense behavioral signs. The nurse assumes the patient is pain free if such intense behavior signals are absent. Nurses need to take into account that each patient will have a unique response to pain which will be influenced by many factors including cultural beliefs and religious morals. Such patients will exhibit expressive pain behaviors such as crying and moaning, where others may adapt a stoical approach and will not express their suffering outwardly. The presence of pain is therefore not always obvious from the patient’s facial expression and non verbal cues should not be regarded as reliable indicators of pain. If health care professionals place emphasizes on non verbal cues and make interferences on the basis of what they observe, it is not surprising that they yet tend to underestimate the intensity of patients pain and over estimate the effectiveness of interventions. The use of measurement tools which provide patients with a means of quantifying their pain experience is one way of overcoming this problem in practice. However, the under use of assessment tools is a problem that needs to be addressed. Interviewing the patient who is experiencing pain is a critical component of assessment since it provides patients with an opportunity to express not only intensity of their pain but also what it means to them and the effect it has on their lives. Constraints to developing a therapeutic relationship with the patient Pain assessment should be viewed as a unique opportunity for the nurse to use effective communication skills and spend time to build a relationship with the patient. This may encourage patients to express their fears or concerns, enhancing patient assessment and therefore improving the overall goals of care. However, staff shortages and time constraints often make it difficult for the nurse to spent time with the patient and hence it is difficult to build a thrusting relationship with the patient. The fact that there is a high turnover of patients in the hospital means that nurses have little opportunity to establish and sustain a good therapeutic relationship with the patient and family.

Claudine Ly

International OrganizationAfter the inception of the United Nations, the world viewed the United Nations as the impetus of a new global order. Nations states succumbed to peaceful concessions rather than having allowed interstate problems to culminate into a third world war. The United Nations was different from the League of Nations in that it reintegrated WWII victors as well as losers and formed them into a coalition that worked towards global peace and security.However, as decolonization began to manifest in the 1960’s, the increase in the number of sovereign states expanded membership in the United Nations.  Ã‚   As the numbers of member nations grew, the United Nations reflected more diversified interests.   The major shift in interests was notably observed in one of the principal organs of the United Nations, the General Assembly.   It granted all member nations the right to one equal vote and resolutions could be passed with a two-thirds majority.   With this i n mind, the United Nations widened its scope to reflect the interests of smaller nation states such as in the areas of economic development and health.However, small state ambitions have coincided with the interests of the great power states.   For example, countries such as Rwanda or Burkina Faso would have preferred to form U.N. initiatives to aid their countries’ sustainable development rather than having spent the U.N. budget to support the U.S. aim to counter the war on terrorism.   In addition, because of this growing disparity between national interests, the United Nations has not been able to adhere to its proposed principles. In recent years, one has observed one of the greatest human rights violators, Libya, elected to chair the Human Rights Commission.   Another deplorable undertaking was Syria, a global supporter of terrorism, elected to Security Council.Today, the image of UN has suffered greatly due to repeated scandals that left the image of a corrupted a nd dysfunctional organization, incapable of performing its attributions in the new world order.UN is facing a new world order to which it must adapt in order to maintain its position and its role on the international arena. Recent years’ crisis have found UN incapable of having a firm and prompt reaction and somehow stuck in the attitudes adopted in its beginnings. UN seems unable to rise to the expectations and unable to assume a leading role in world politics. Instead of having the means to impose its position in the world, UN is faced recently with on of its worst periods, when its position on different subjects has no importance or influence.The distribution of power in today’s international order is inclining more and more towards the West, especially towards the only world power remaining – the US. The relations between UN and US are more and more deteriorated due to the differences in opinion over the war in Iraq and this inconsistency in the relation wit h US had a great cost on UN. However, UN is still seen by Washington as having an important role in the international arena on both security and humanitarian levels.This is why the US is trying to find out solutions for a reform of UN by trying to involve the organization in the ongoing crisis in the world. The challenge is therefore even greater with UN having to face a new leadership starting in 2007, and having to face the nuclear crisis in Iran and North Korea. Perhaps the only reason why UN is still supported by US is that it is still seen as â€Å"a valuable forum and tool for advancing U.S. interests on the international stage† (Gardiner, 2007). Despite the shown support for UN reform, there is little trust in US that it might succeed.UN, although seen as a strong organization that regulates upon the world order, no longer has the power to enforce its sanctions and dictate in crisis. It is very unlikely that UN will be able to impose its sanctions on Iran or North Kore a in what regards the nuclear crisis, so the role of the organization is becoming more and more insignificant. This is why the gap between the capabilities of UN and its position is getting wider.The most important role of UN has been played in the past decades in humanitarian actions, as the involvement of UN in third world crisis has gained a very valuable reputation. In contemporary humanitarian crisis UN seems unable to perform its role and intervene in such a serious matter as the genocide in Sudan. Due to this incapability, the role of UN is more and more contested at the international level, as the UN proves to be as incapable of dealing with humanitarian crisis as it was with Rwanda and Bosnia. This is why there is a need for reform in the UN Human Rights Council (Gardiner, 2007).  The challenge that lies ahead of UN through the nuclear crisis in Iran and North Korea is going to define the future of the organization and its role in the international arena. This is why it i s so important for UN to regain its position and influence. But in order to do so, UN must go through institutional and managerial reforms that will reinforce the organization’s role in world politics.In the actual shift in power in the international arena, UN’s decisions seem unlikely to have much influence on particular actors. Countries such as Iran or North Korea are very unlikely to be affected too much by the sanctions imposed by UN as the power of the organization is rapidly decreasing.There is an increasing opinion that UN is an illegitimate organization, incapable of facing the current international order and no longer able to impose its position in the international arena. This situation was caused by several scandals and crisis that the organization faced in the past twelve years (Gardiner, 2007). UN’s poor interfere in Rwanda, Bosnia, or Sudan, as well as cases of corruption exposed inside the UN have affected the image of the organization greatly, m aking it unable to stand up for its cause in international crisis. If UN is no longer respected and seen as the moral protector of human rights and of peace, then it cannot perform its role. As UN proved unable or unwilling to stand up for its humanitarian believes in genocides or against dictatorship, its influence and its role decreased considerably.UN’s actions have been intensively critiqued and its credibility suffered greatly after 2005, when UNESCO gave the Josà © Martà ­ International Prize to Venezuelan president Hugo Chà ¡vez, awarding the Latin American leader for his â€Å"struggle for liberty† (Gardiner, 2007). This award was clearly against the position held by the world powers and it stands as a proof of the gap created between the formal rules of UN and the international powers.Perhaps the only way in which the UN can save its credibility and perform the role it was created for is by not expanding the membership in the Security Council. In the new in ternational military context, the role of UN can be significant and by paying its cards right the organization has a chance of regaining its influential role.In order for UN to continue its work and re-impose itself it must adapt to the new world order – it must follow the leadership of US and Western forces. By increasing the number of members in the Security Council, UN would be forced to take stands against the US as the vote will likely be against US on key issues. An enlarged Security Council would be against the US, which would widen the gap between UN and world leadership (Gardiner, 2007).One of the reasons for UN’s inability to respond promptly and efficiently to world crisis such as the war in Iraq is that its operational system is far too slow and ineffective. The members of the Security Council have far too different views in order to reach an efficient agreement in time. This institutional framework of the UN proves to be inefficient in today’s chang ing world order. UN’s ability to respond in crisis will only decrease in a larger Security Council, since it already faces serious difficulty.If UN wants to reinforce its position in the international arena, it must face some very much needed reforms that are intended to shape up the organization and make it reinstate a leading role. But such reforms are very unlikely to be achieved as the influence of opposing members is quite considerable.A significant number of member states, especially those leading the G-77 group of developing countries view the reform of UN as threatening to their influence in the organization and therefore they use all their power to prevent the reform of UN. Particularly this kind of influence that some member states have upon the UN decision making process is the kind of influence that is widening the gap between the actual world powers and UN (Schaefer, 2006).In order for UN to actively participate in international relations, it must reform its inst itutional framework. But in order for UN to reform, it must have the vote of several countries that are against reformation and strengthening the role of the West. This vicious circle is the one that is stopping UN from evolving and adapting.The influence of today’s great powers in the UN decision making process is low and this is one of the reasons why UN is losing its legitimacy. Instead of being an important actor in security matters, the institutional framework of UN makes it impossible for the organization to reach a consensus in an effective time framework, leading the organization not interfering or not taking a strong enough position in important issues.Today’s international actors seem to ignore the UN and seem to take decisions disregarding the position of UN particularly because the influence of UN has decreased severely in the past decade or so. More and more voices see the UN as a future failure that will follow its predecessor, the League of Nations.In re cent years, the role of UN is more and more challenged and its decisions have less and less impact in the international arena. Designed to promote peace and worldwide security, the UN proves to be a failure 62 years later due to its incapability to evolve and develop in time. UN’s incapability to adapt to the new world order and its inability to promote its goals makes the organization seem dysfunctional and illegitimate. The major change that is needed for the future of UN lays in its ability to face the challenges of today and to aggressively take action in the matters concerning today’s threats.Bibliography:1.Gardiner, Nile, The Decline and Fall of the United Nations: Why the U.N. Has Failed and How It Can Be Reformed, February 7, 2007, available at http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternationalOrganizations/hl991.cfm;

How to Get 36 on ACT Math 8 Strategies by a Perfect Scorer

How to Get 36 on ACT Math 8 Strategies by a Perfect Scorer SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you scoring in the 26-34 range on ACT Math? Do you want to raise that score as high as possible- to a perfect 36? Getting to a 36 ACT Math score isn't easy. It'll require perfection. But with hard work and my strategies below, you'll be able to do it. I've scored 36 on Math on all my ACTs, and I know what it takes. Follow my advice, and you'll get a perfect score- or get very close. Brief note: This article is suited for students already scoring a 26 on ACT math or above. If you're below this range, my "How to improve your ACT Math score" article is more appropriate for you. Follow the advice in that article, then come back to this one when you've reached a 26. Overview In this article, I'm going to discuss why scoring a 36 is a good idea, what it takes to score a 36, and then go into the 8 key ACT Math strategies so you know how to get a 36 on ACT Math. Stick with me- as an advanced student, you probably already know that scoring high is good. But it's important to know why a 36 Math score is useful, since this will fuel your motivation to get a high score. Then we'll get into the meat of the article. Finally, in this guide, I talk mainly about getting to a 36. But if your goal is a 32, these strategies still equally apply. Understand the Stakes: Why a 36 ACT Math? Let's make something clear: for all intents and purposes, a 34 on an ACT is equivalent to a perfect 36. No top college is going to give you more credit for a 36 than a 34. You've already crossed their score threshold, and whether you get in now depends on the rest of your application. So if you're already scoring a 34, don't waste your time studying trying to get a 36. You're already set for the top colleges, and it's time to work on the rest of your application. But if you're scoring a 33 or below AND you want to go to a top 10 college, it's worth your time to push your score up to a 34 or above. There's a big difference between a 32 and a 34, largely because it's easy to get a 32 (and a lot more applicants do) and a lot harder to get a 34. A 33 places you right around average at Harvard and Princeton, and being average is bad in terms of admissions, since the admissions rate is typically below 10%. So why get a 36 on ACT Math? Because it helps you compensate for weaknesses in other sections. By and large, schools consider your ACT composite score moreso than your individual section scores. If you can get a 36 in ACT Math, that gives you more flexibility in your English, Reading, and Science scores. It can compensate for a 32 in one other section, for example, to bring your average back up to 34. MIT expects a 36 in ACT Math. There are two other scenarios where a 36 in ACT Math is really important. First is if you're planning for a quantitative or science major (like math, physics, statistics, chemistry). The second is if you're applying to a highly selective technical school like MIT or Caltech. Here's the reason: college admissions is all about comparisons between applicants. The school wants to admit the best, and you're competing with other people in the same "bucket" as you. By applying as a math/science major, you're competing against other math/science folks: people for whom ACT Math is easy. Really easy. Even though schools don't typically release their ACT scores by section, they do release SAT section scores, so we can take a look at SAT Math scores at top schools. Here are a few examples from schools. For Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Caltech, and even less selective schools like Harvey Mudd, the 75th percentile SAT Math score is an 800 (or equivalent to an ACT 36). That means at least 25% of all students at these schools have an 800 in SAT Math, or a 36 on ACT Math. Even more surprising: the 25th percentile score for SAT Math at MIT and Caltech are 750 and 770, respectively, or a 34 on the ACT! This means if you score a 34 on your SAT Math, you'rewell below average for these schools! I'm not going to lie. ACT Math was super easy for me. I got 36 on pretty much every practice test and official ACT I ever took. This was largely because I had a strong math background and competed in math competitions like AMC/AIME. I also worked hard and applied the strategies below to achieve perfection. You're competing against people like me. And if you apply with a 34 or below on Math, schools like MIT, Harvard, and Princeton are going to doubt your ability. Because ACT Math is supposed to be trivially easy for you. But if you can work your way to a 36, you show that you're at an equal level (at least on this metric). Even if it takes you a ton of work, all that matters is the score you achieve at the end. Know That You Can Do It This isn't just some fuzzy feel-good message you see on the back of a Starbucks cup. I mean, literally, you and every other reasonably intelligent student can score a 36 on ACT Math. The reason most people don't is they don't try hard enough or they don't study the right way. Even if math wasn't your strongest suit, or you got a B+ in Calculus, you're capable of this. Because I know that more than anything else, your ACT score is a reflection ofhow hard you work and how smartly you study. Here's why: the ACT is a weird test. When you take it, don't you get the sense that many questions are nothing like what you've seen in school? It's purposely designed this way. The ACT can't test difficult concepts, because this would be unfair for students who never took AP Calculus. It can't ask you to solve Fermat's Last Theorem. The ACT is a national test, which means it needs a level playing field for all students around the country. So it HAS to test concepts that all high school students will cover. Numbers (integers, fractions, ratios), Algebra (solving equations for x, word problems), Geometry (x-y coordinate geometry, circles squares and triangles), Trigonometry, Probability. You've learned all of this before in high school. But if all the questions were easy and straightforward, then everyone would score too high. So the ACT needs to test these concepts in strange ways. This trips up students who don't prepare, but it rewards students who understand the test well. Here's an example: This is one of the more difficult problems in ACT Math. You might already know how to solve it. But it's unlikely you ever ran into something like this in school. Finish trying the question? Did you get stuck? Most students try to solve this question by plugging in -3 for x. "If the only possible value for x is -3, then plugging it in makes sense, right?" There's a problem: You can't solve for two variables (m and n) with only one equation. Here's the way to solve this question. It requires integrating multiple concepts together. First, this is a critical clue: "the ONLY possible value for x is -3." Normally when you solve a quadratic equation, you get two different values. For example, x2 + 5x + 6 = 0 factors to (x + 2)(x + 3) = 0. This gives you two values for x, -2 and -3. But this question is telling us that when you factor the equation, you get -3 for both values of x. If x = -3, then x + 3 = 0. Getting (x + 3) twice means squaring (x + 3). This gives us: (x + 3)2 = 0 x2 + 6x + 9 = 0 So the answer to this question is C, m = 6 This question is difficult for many students because you're not trained to think about factoring in this way. If the ACT merely asked you, "what is the value of x if x2 + 6x + 9 = 0?" most students would be able to answer this easily. This is what you did in school. But in this weird format, it's easy to get tripped up. If you don't make the connection that I showed above, it's very hard for you to solve this question. The ACT math section is full of weird examples like this, some of which get even more difficult. But the next time you see a question like this, you already know the trick- and you know exactly what to do. Therefore, to improve your ACT Math score, you just need to: master the types of questions that the ACT tests, like the one above draw on the correct concepts you already know to solve the questions practice on a lot of questions so you learn from your mistakes I'll go into more detail about exactly how to do this. First, let's see how many questions you need to get right a 36. What It Takes to Get a 36 in Math If we have a target score in mind, it helps to understand what you need to get that score on the actual test. Here's a sample raw score to ACT Math Score conversion table. (If you could use a refresher on how the ACT is scored and how raw scores are calculated, read this.) Scaled Score Math Raw Score 36 59-60 35 57-58 34 55-56 33 54 32 53 31 52 30 50-51 29 49 28 47-48 Source: ACT In this grading scale, you can miss one question and still get a 36. In other tests, you must get EVERY question correct to get a 36- missing 1 would bring you down to an 35. This all depends on how the particular test you're taking is scored. The harder the math questions are, the more likely you can miss one question and get a 36. The safest thing to do is to aim for perfection. On every practice test, you need to aim for a perfect raw score for a 36. Whatever you're scoring now, take note of the difference you need to get to a 36. For example, if you're scoring a 30 now, you need to answer 10 more questions right to get to a 36. As a final example, here's a screenshot from my exact score report showing that I missed 1 question (oops) and earned a 36. OK- so we've covered why scoring a higher ACT math score is important, why you specifically are capable of improving your score, and the raw score you need to get to your target. Now we'll actually get into actionable strategies that you should use in your own studying to maximize your score improvement. Strategies to Get a 36 on ACT Math What's your greatest weakness? Strategy 1: Understand Your High Level Weakness - Content or Time Management? Every student has different flaws in ACT Math. Some people aren't comfortable with the underlying math material. Others know the math material well, but can't solve questions quickly enough in the harsh time limit. (As we'll discuss, the ACT Math section applies VERY heavy time pressure. So you likely do suffer from some time pressure- we're trying to figure out how much) Here's how you can figure out which one applies more to you: Take only the math section of a practice test. We have the complete list of free practice tests here. For that section, use a timer for 60 minutes. Treat it like a real test. If time runs out and you're not done yet, keep working for as long as you need. But starting now, for every new answer or answer that you change, mark it with a special note as "Extra Time." Grade your test using the answer key and score chart, but we want two scores: 1) The Realistic score you got under normal timing conditions, 2) The Extra Time score. This is why you marked the questions you answered or changed during Extra Time. Get what we're doing here? By marking which questions you did under Extra Time, we can figure out what score you got if you were given all the time you needed. This will help us figure out where your weaknesses lie. If you didn't take any extra time, then your Extra Time score is the same as your Realistic score. Here's a flowchart to help you figure this out: Was your Extra Time score a 32 or above? If NO (Extra Time score 32), then you have remaining content weaknesses. You might have weaknesses across a range of subjects, or a deep weakness in only a few subjects. (We'll cover this later). Your first plan of attack should be to develop more comfort with all ACT Math subjects. If YES (Extra Time score 32), then: Was your Realistic score a 32 or above? If NO (Extra Time score 32, Realistic 32), then that means you have a difference between your Extra Time score and your Realistic score. If this difference is more than 2 points, then you have some big problems with time management. We need to figure out why this is. Are you generally slow at math across most questions? Or did particular problems slow you down? Generally, doing a lot of practice questions and learning the most efficient solutions will help reduce your time. More on this later. If YES (both Extra Time and Realistic scores 32), then you have a really good shot at getting a 36. Compare your Extra Time and Realistic score- if they differed by more than 1 point, then you would benefit from learning how to solve questions more quickly. If not, then you likely can benefit from shoring up on your last content weaknesses and avoiding careless mistakes (more on this strategy later). Hopefully that makes sense. Typically I see that students have both timing and content issues, but you might find that one is much more dominant for you than the other. For example, if you can get a 36 with extra time, but score a 32 in regular time, you know exactly that you need to work on time management to get a 36. Strategy 2:Do a Ton of Practice, and Understand Every Single Mistake On the path to perfection, you need to make sure every single one of your weak points is covered. Even one mistake on all of ACT Math will knock you down from a 36. The first step is simply to do a ton of practice. If you're studying from free materials or from books, you have access to a lot of practice questions in bulk. As part of our PrepScholar program, we have over 1,500 ACT questions customized to each skill. The second step- and the more important part- is to be ruthless about understanding your mistakes. Every mistake you make on a test happens for a reason.If you don't understand exactly why you missed that question, you will make that mistake over and over again. I've seen students who have completed 10 practice tests. They've solved over 1,000 math questions, but they're still nowhere near a 36 on ACT Math. Why? They never understood their mistakes. They just hit their heads against the wall over and over again. Think of yourself as an exterminator, and your mistakes are cockroaches. You need to eliminate every single one- and find the source of each one- or else the restaurant you work for will be shut down. Here'swhat you need to do: on every practice test or question set that you take, mark every question that you're even 20% unsure about when you grade your test or quiz, review every single question that you marked, and every incorrect question. This way even if you guessed a question correctly, you'll make sure to review it. in a notebook, write down the gist of the question, why you missed it, and what you'll do to avoid that mistake in the future. Have separate sections by subject and sub-topic (number theory- fractions, algebra- solving equations, etc.) It's not enough to just think about it and move on. It's not enough to just read the answer explanation. You have to think hard about why you specifically failed on this question. By taking this structured approach to your mistakes,you'll now have a running log of every question you missed, and your reflection on why. No excuses when it comes to your mistakes. Always Go Deeper- WHY Did You Miss a Math Question? Now, what are some common reasons that you missed a question? Don't just say, "I didn't get this question right." That's a cop out. Always take it one step further- what specifically did you miss, and what do you have to improve in the future? Here are some examples of common reasons you miss a question, and how you take the analysis one step further: Content:I didn't learn the skill or knowledge needed to answer this question. One step further:What specific skill do I need to learn, and how will I learn this skill? Incorrect Approach:I knew the content, but I didn't know how to approach this question. One step further:How do I solve the question? How will I solve questions like this in the future? Careless Error:I misread what the question was asking for or solved for the wrong thing. One step further:Why did I misread the question? What should I do in the future to avoid this? Get the idea? You're really digging into understanding why you're missing questions. Yes, this is hard, and it's draining, and it takes work. That's why most students who study ineffectively don't improve. But you're different. Just by reading this guide, you're already proving that you care more than other students. And if you apply these principles and analyze your mistakes, you'll improve more than other students too. Bonus: If all of this is making sense to you, you'd love our ACT prep program, PrepScholar. We designed our program around the concepts in this article, because they actually work.When you start with PrepScholar, you’ll take a diagnostic that will determine your weaknesses in over forty ACT skills. PrepScholar then creates a study program specifically customized for you. To improve each skill, you’ll take focused lessons dedicated to each skill, with over 20 practice questions per skill. This will train you for your specific area weaknesses, so your time is always spent most effectively to raise your score. We also force you to focus on understanding your mistakes and learning from them. If you make the same mistake over and over again, we'll call you out on it. There’s no other prep system out there that does it this way, which is why we get better score results than any other program on the market. Check it out today with a 5-day free trial: Strategy 3:If You Have Content Gaps, Be Ruthless About Filling Them Within ACT Math, you have to master a lot of subjects. At the high level, you need to know number operations, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, probability, and more. Even within each subject, you have subskills to master. Within algebra, you need to know how to solve equations, how to deal with word problems, properties of functions, etc. Unless you're a math whiz and are already scoring a 34-36, it's unlikely that you've mastered all of these evenly. You probably have different strengths and weaknesses across these subjects. If from the analysis of mistakes above you find that you have a content problem, you need to improve your understanding of that content. By Content problem, I mean that you're not comfortable with the underlying math concepts in a subject. Maybe you forgot how to solve a type of problem, or you forgot a formula to use, or you just don't remember the subject material. If you've identified one of these issues, you've spotted an opportunity for yourself to improve your score. Fill in the potholes of your understanding. Think of a mistake like discovering a cavity in your mouth. When your dentist fills in a cavity, he doesn't just patch up the hole right away. He cleans out the entire cavity, sterilizes it, then adds a filling. Content mistakes are similar- you have a weakness in a subject, say x-y coordinate geometry. This probably means you have a lot of other weaknesses in that subject, beyond the one identified by that question. Don't just focus on understanding that one question you missed. Take the opportunity to research that subject and get more practice in it. You need to find a way to get lesson material to teach yourself the main concepts that you're forgetting. Then you need to find more practice questions for this skill so you can drill your mistakes. In our ACT prep program PrepScholar, we do that work for you by splitting up our 1,500+ practice questions by skill and difficulty. If you're weak in algebra- solving equations, you get 20+ questions in a quiz dealing specifically with that skill. This repetitive practice fills up your content gap far better than any other method I know. Strategy 4:If You Miss a Question, Try It Again Before Reading the Explanation When you're doing practice questions, the first thing you probably do is read the answer explanation and at most reflect on it a little. This is a little too easy. I consider thispassive learning- you're not actively engaging with the mistake you made. Instead, try something different- find the correct answer choice (A-E), but don't look at the explanation. Instead, try to resolve the question once over again and try to get the correct answer. This will often be hard. You couldn't solve it the first time, so why could you solve it the second time around? But this time, with less time pressure, you might spot a new strategy, or something else will pop up. Something will just "click" for you. When this happens, what you learned will stick with you for 20 times longer than if you just read an answer explanation. I know this from personal experience. Because you've struggled with it and reached a breakthrough, you retain that information far better than if you just passively absorbed the information. It's too easy to just read an answer explanation and have it go in one ear and out the other. You won't actually learn from your mistake, and you'll make that mistake over and over again. Treat each wrong question like a puzzle. Struggle with each wrong answer for up to 10 minutes. Only then if you don't get it should you read the answer explanation. Strategy 5: Finish With Extra Time and Double Check Your goal at the end of all this work is to get so good at ACT Math that you solve every question and have extra time left over at the end of the section to recheck your work. I'll admit, this is hard for the ACT. You have 60 minutes to solve 60 questions, which of course gives an average of a minute per question. But the last, most difficult questions might take you 2 or 3 minutes each. In high school and even now, I can finish a 60 minute section in 40 minutes or less. I then have 20 minutes left over to recheck my answers at least once. The best way to get faster is, as explained above, to do so many questions and get so fluent at the questions that the ways to solve the question become obvious to you. Complicated circle questions become as easy for you as 2+2. What's the best way to doublecheck your work? I have a reliable method that I follow: Try to resolve the question another way. If I solved a question algebraically, I can recheck it by plugging in the solution. If I'm 100% sure I'm right on a question, I mark it as such and never look at it again. If I'm not sure, I'll come back to it on the third pass. At least 2 minutes before time's up, I rapidly doublecheck that I bubbled the answers correctly. I try to do this all at once so as not to waste time looking back and forth between the test book and the answer sheet. Go 5 at a time ("A F E K B") for more speed. If you notice yourself spending more than 30 seconds on a problem and aren't clear how you'll get to the answer, skip and go to the next question. Even though you need a perfect raw score for a 36, don't be afraid to skip. You can come back to it later, and for now it's more important to get as many points as possible. Quick Tip: Bubbling Answers Here's a bubbling tip that will save you 5 minutes, automatically. When I first started test taking in high school, I did what many students do: after I finished one question, I went to the bubble sheet and filled it in. Then I solved the next question. Finish question 1, bubble in answer 1. Finish question 2, bubble in answer 2. And so forth. This actually wastes a lot of time. You're distracting yourself between two distinct tasks- solving questions, and bubbling in answers. This costs you time in both mental switching costs and in physically moving your hand and eyes to different areas of the test. Here's a better method: solve all your questions first in the book, then bubble all of them in at once. This has several huge advantages: you focus on each task one at a time, rather than switching between two different tasks. You also eliminate careless entry errors, like if you skip question 7 and bubble in question 8's answer into question 7's slot. By saving just 5 seconds per question, you get back 300 seconds on the 60 questions. This is huge. Note: If you use this strategy, you should already be finishing the section with ample extra time to spare. Otherwise, you might run out of time before you have the chance to bubble in the answer choices all at once. Strategy 6: Eliminate Careless Mistakes Careless mistakes are one of the most frustrating types of errors to make, and nearly everyone makes them. You know the underlying material, you know how to solve the question, and you're feeling good. But then you grade the quiz, and you find a careless mistake. Oops- the question asked for the perimeter of the circle and not the area, which is what you calculated. These types of errors are the most costly and frustrating. You've already put in a ton of work to master the underlying material, and here a question has tricked you into losing a point. This is why finishing the test early, like I mention above, is so helpful. You get extra time to take a breather and doublecheck your answers. If you find that careless mistakes are a recurring problem for you, here are some strategies to get rid of them: In the question, underline what the question is specifically asking you to solve for. It's so easy for the ACT to trick you into solving the wrong thing. If you're solving for a particular value (like length, area, etc), write the units down in the scratch space. Be careful with calculator entry. A missing parentheses makes a big difference. "4 + 9 / 2" is completely different from "(4 + 9) / 2" Avoid bubbling errors by using the Quick Tip above. Here's an example: This question is asking us to solve for y + z. Not x, y, or any other combination of variables. To make sure I remember this, I underline y + z, and I also write "y + z = ?" in the work space so that I remember what I'm solving for. You can bet that in many answer choices, the ACT will have trap answers for other things you can solve for, like x. (This one happens not to, but it's very common). Memorize the ACT Math Formulas. Strategy 7: Memorize All Formulas and Common Math Facts If you're still struggling to remember math formulas to solve questions, you haven't gotten to understand ACT Math well enough yet. Not only does this cost you time, it also indicates that you haven't practiced enough with ACT Math to have the required formulas come to you fluidly. Memorize the formulas at the front of the section and these common math facts: Calculating slope from two points (rise over run) Common right triangles: by angles: 45-45-90 (1-1-√2), 30-60-90 (1-2-√3); and by sides: 3-4-5, 5-12-13 Formulas for arithmetic and geometric sequences Formula for diagonal of a rectangular prism This list isn't complete, but if you study according to my advice above, you'll notice which formulas come up over and over again. You should memorize these. Strategy 8: Keep a Calm Mind During the Test, No Matter What Now you know what it takes to achieve perfection on ACT Math. You know that it's critical to get a perfect raw score, or you might score a 35. This makes a lot of students freak out during the test. "I can't solve this question...my 36 is gone...I'm getting more nervous and I have to skip the next question too..." You can see how quickly you can unravel like this. Before you know it, you're scoring way worse than you ever did on a practice test. You need to learn to be mentally strong, like an athlete on game day. Yes, you might have to skip a question on the first pass through. Maybe even two in a row. But you've practiced hard up to this point. You know this stuff, and you'll come back to those questions and get it later. You need to keep up a positive mindset during the test, or you'll crumble. And in the worst case, maybe you won't get a 36. But if you've consistently been getting 36's on the practice tests, you likely won't go much lower than 34- and that's still really good. In Overview Those are the main strategies I have for you to improve your ACT math score to a 36. If you're scoring above a 26 right now, with hard work and smart studying, you can raise it to a perfect ACT Math score. Notice that I didn't actually teach you that much math content. I didn't point to any specific math solutions that will instantly raise your score. That's because these one-size-fits-all, guaranteed strategies don't really exist. (And anyone who tells you this is deceiving you). Every student is different. Instead, you need to understand where you're falling short, and drill those weaknesses continuously. You also need to be thoughtful about your mistakes and leave no mistake ignored. Keep reading for more resources on how to boost your ACT score. What's Next? We have a lot more useful guides to raise your ACT score. Read our complete guide to a perfect 36, written by me, a perfect scorer. Learn how to write a perfect-scoring 12 ACT essay, step by step. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points?We have the industry's leading ACT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and ACT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. I built the PrepScholar program based on the principles in this article- the principles that worked for me and thousands of our students. 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