The ACT is the most commonly taken college readiness exam with more than 1.6 million students taking the test each year. The ACT is a standardized test designed to measure your critical thinking skills as well as your ability to apply knowledge and logic when solving problems. The ACT is composed of four multiple-choice sections—English, Math, Reading, and Science—and one optional essay section—Writing. The total testing time is 2 hours and 55 minutes for the ACT without Writing and 3 hours and 35 minutes for the ACT with writing. With the next test date just around the corner, April 9th, what should students expect when taking the test? And what can students do to better prepare themselves for this test?

It’s not uncommon to take this test more than once; in fact, senior Alec Spevacek has taken the ACT five times. Both seniors Abby Palma and Allison Parnell recommend taking the ACT as soon as possible, as you can never take the test too many times. Sophomore Alex Holscher is listening to their advice and is planning to take the test for the first time this April. Several juniors are also planning to take the test this April. According to Ms. Michels, “There isn’t a perfect or ideal number of times to test, but most students take the test 2-3 times.  Depending on how much preparation a student has done for the test, it can take a while for a student to feel comfortable with the timing of the test and the question format.”

Many students go into taking the test with a set score in mind. Junior Nikki Sperling’s dream school is the University of Wisconsin Madison. Nikki knows that in order to get into Madison she will need to get a 27 or higher on the test. Nikki plans to take this test as many times as she needs to until she reaches her designated score of 27 or higher.

As far as studying goes, everyone studies and prepares for the test differently. For example, senior Morgan Lunders and juniors Julia Johnston and Charlie Waters have spent time studying an ACT prep book independently. Seniors Christine Kleszyk, Allison Parnell, and Abby Palma have found studying with a tutor to be the most beneficial. “A tutor is good because they can make it personal for you and help you with what you need help with instead of a class since that is more general,” -Abby Palma. Other Students took ACT prep classes at various locations; juniors Nikki Sperling, Ryan Jordan, and senior Andrew Lyons took classes at TG Saturday morning. They found these classes to be very beneficial as well. “I think the classes I was in, particularly english and math, helped me do well. My english teacher even gave us grammar rules to look at before the test, and all the math was basic algebra that I had learned in 8th/9th/10th grade.” -Senior Lucy Kronzer

Ms. Michels said that, “TG does a great job of preparing students for the content that is tested on in the ACT. The math, reading, English, and science sections of the ACT are curriculum-based, so in many ways, students are doing ACT preparation every day just by studying and doing well in their high school courses.  But ACT test-taking strategies are something teachers generally don’t have time to include in their classes, so this is the thing that most students can work on outside of school.”

Although the ACT is a huge factor when it comes to the college admission process, Ms. Michels said that, “A student’s high school grades tend to be the most important factor in college admission, but test scores are probably the second factor for most colleges. There are also other factors such as a student’s activities, service and letters of recommendation, but for the most part, colleges want to look at academic information (grades and test scores) to ensure a student can handle the academic rigor of the school to which the student is applying.” If test taking isn’t one of your strengths, do not panic. Get good grades, get involved in school activities, and do your best to prepare for the test.

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“Don’t worry about it until junior year and don’t stress about it. Take classes at TG or get a tutor to help prepare yourself.

— Junior Ryan Jordan

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“There’s not much you can do to get a better score, just take it and see what you get.

— Junior Brady Bertram

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“Don’t take it too early in your junior year. Wait till you aren’t very busy with sports because it’s not worth piling on the extra stress the ACT comes with.

— Junior Julia Johnston

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“Take it without studying once and then take it again with studying so you can really understand the ACT first

— Senior Morgan Lunders

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“They should start taking it very early and you can never take it too many times. Practice tests also help a lot.

— Senior Christine Kleszyk

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“Finish all the problems and try to get as much help as you can

— Senior Jacob Zurbay

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“Take it as soon as possible

— Senior Allison Parnell

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“Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Don’t go into the test cold just to ‘see how you’ll do.’ A timed test such as the ACT requires preparation to know how quickly a student needs to read content and move through the questions. The reading test, for example, has four very dense passages to read and 40 questions to answer in just 35 minutes. Even students with strong reading comprehension skills can struggle in the Reading or Science sections as they are not used to moving so quickly through content. Doing multiple, timed practice tests are a great way to prepare. Keep strict timing on each test, and if possible, do a practice test in its entirety. The ACT is a marathon, lasting nearly four hours. Practicing a test in its entirety will help a student see how much focus is needed before taking the actual test.

— Director of college and career planning, Ms. Michels