Every October is the start of ACT testing season. For students, it brings unwanted stress in hopes of doing well on the test. Luckily, there are tons of resources here to help students perform well on the ACT.
OnToCollege provides videos and practice tests for students, such as tips to getting around the trick questions on the ACT. Students have access to these videos and tests during their entire time in high school. These are the same videos that are shown in classes to juniors around test-taking time. But on top of that, the tests that are provided are very similar to the ACT itself.
“Students should take advantage of OnToCollege,” assistant principal Mark Hawkins said. “They see the videos in classes with content experts to help explain things. I think students at West get a great education, those who take advantage get a good score. Most important thing is to take courses that challenge them.”
It’s not easy preparing yourself for a test of this caliber. Many students don’t take advantage of their resources, either because they are too busy with extracurricular activities, or because they simply choose not to. Each of these tests and videos last around 30 minutes each, taking 30 minutes out of your do to help prepare will be a huge help.
“I’m doing the PSAT to prepare for the ACT next year,” sophomore Jacob Larson said. “When junior year comes, I’ll also be doing ACT prep courses. I’m pretty good at math, so I help other people tutor. When it comes to English and grammar, I need some extra practice for that.”
The content students learn to help them succeed on the ACT actually extends all the way back to their middle school days, even down to subjects such as statistics. Not just subjects, but learning how to pay attention and retain information. And because the curriculum is stretched over time, it’s best to be involved in test prep.
“Students don’t know what to expect,” counselor Amy Reoh said. “It’s a long test and it’s designed for a variety of academic levels. We advise taking it more than once, and you should just take it again cause you’re familiar with it. My hope is students realize it’s one piece of the puzzle for college, it’s not everything. While we want students to work hard and do well, it’s definitely not the only thing that colleges use to just evaluate. It’s stressful but it’s needed.”
There are multiple opportunities for students to do well on the ACT. Many practice tests are provided throughout the year. There’s also retakes closer to the end of the year. Even getting an average score could become very helpful when trying to get into colleges. It’s not the only thing students should focus on if they want to get into college, but it certainly helps a lot.
