For most juniors, the start of a new school year means it’s time to prepare for one of the most dreaded parts of college admissions-the SAT and American College Test (ACT). With test score requirements back in applications, the once-optional days of the standardized tests are long gone; and these tests are now more important than ever. The opportunity to take the ACT is soon, on Feb. 14-so here’s what you need to know.
The ACT covers all core subjects, but focuses on Math and English. With a total time of 2 hours and 5 minutes, it’s broken into 3 parts: English (35 minutes) Math (50 minutes) and Reading (40 minutes). In addition, there is a 10 minute break after the Math section. If you want to take a more extensive test to look better for admissions, there are two optional portions you can take: Writing (40 minutes) and Science (40 minutes). Although they will add to your test time, the Writing and Science portions are good choices for students who want to keep their college options open or have their applications stand out.
“The science section is basically just reading graphs,” Steven Zhang, a junior who scored a 36 on the ACT, said, so he would recommend taking it.
Nevertheless, all of these test parts come at a cost. The standard SAT is $68 dollars, but the science section costs $4, while the writing section costs $25. This can be a lot for students in need, but ACT offers fee waivers. Go to act.org to check out your options. You also have the option to waive your fee when submitting to colleges, which means you can submit it for free-this is included if or when you waive the test itself.
Now, how to prepare? Despite common student beliefs, you don’t have to have a fancy tutor or prep course in order to score well on the ACT. There are thousands of free resources out there on websites like the Princeton Review or Kaplan Test Prep, and there are also practice questions available on the official ACT website.
“…I used the red official ACT Prep Guide and did so many practice tests,” Nithya Kosike, senior, said about her preparation.
If you’re unsatisfied with your score, don’t worry; you can always take the test again and superscore. To superscore, take the highest score you received in a section across all test dates, add it to those of other sections, and divide by 4. Your MyACT account will do this for you, and you must submit your superscore report to colleges who request it.
“I think superscoring is great. It allows you to be able to focus on one subject at a time, rather than having you feel like you need to be 100% on for every subject at once,” Elizabeth MacDowell, English teacher and ACT prep assistant, said.
While the ACT can be a stressful experience, preparation and patience will be the key to success, and Olentangy has many resources at your disposal-Elizabeth MacDowell will be hosting English and Reading prep during Braves Period with the first meeting on Jan. 20. Be sure to check that out, and good luck to all test takers!
