Preparation helps with ACT

Riley Williamson, Staff Writer

Preparing for the ACT is a concept that is overlooked by many students. With high college costs, getting a good score on the ACT can be beneficial. Besides the score being used for admissions, ACT scores are also used for scholarship opportunities. But in order to achieve a high score on the test, preparing yourself is necessary. Students should take advantage of every opportunity to prepare, even if it means paying for preparatory classes.

There are several different ACT prep classes offered that can help students understand the concepts of the test. The ACT website provides various ways to practice beforehand, from a test prep book to online prep. They also offer an ACT Academy, Kaplan online prep live, a question of the day and practice tests. These are all resource that can help you study.

A free preparation curriculum that is offered to all students at Manhattan High School is accessible through Naviance.    

The test is broken up into four sections: English, math, reading and science (and an optional writing test). It is important to have a basic knowledge of what could be potentially seen. Learning simple test-taking strategies can help to maximize your score over all four sections.

Some straightforward strategies are; using all available time given to you by pacing yourself, answering every question even if you have to guess, reading the questions carefully and always checking your work.  

Not only is it important to study and use strategies, but being ready physically and mentally is ideal. Physically readying yourself by being well rested in the days leading up to the test, and making sure to eat a good breakfast on the test date.

To mentally prepare yourself, it is key to be accustomed with the format and content of the test. Also going into the test with a positive attitude helps.

A helpful tool the ACT also offers is a copy of your answers and the test questions with the list of correct answers to the questions, if you purchase the test information when you are signing up for the test. This is only offered on certain dates, but it is a great way to learn from your mistakes and how to prevent them if taking the ACT again.

With several different options provided to students to study for the ACT, taking advantage of them should be important. Improving your score can be an easy task if you study and prepare yourself for the test.