Attempting to hurdle the biggest obstacle of junior year, students are preparing for one of the biggest tests of, not only the school year, but of their life, the ACT.
“I am definitely nervous,” junior Carly Beck said. “There is such a wide range of information you have to know and I’ve never been good at standardized testing.”
Beck is one of many juniors and seniors that will be taking the ACT on October 26. While she and many others will be taking the test for the first time, people like junior Jeremy Levy already have some experience. Since people can take the ACT nearly every month, Jeremy jumped on the opportunity when the ACT was given in September.
“It went ok but I didn’t get as huge a score as I would have hoped,” Levy said. “I didn’t study at all because my mom just wanted me to take the test once without studying just to see where I’m at.”
Levy is not alone. The test is difficult for numerous reasons. Not only is it over 200 questions but it takes about 4 hours as well. Levy knew going in to the test that his first time would most likely not be his best thanks to some advice he got from his sister.
“My sister said to take it as many times as possible because you never know what will make your score go up,” Levy said.
Not only does Levy realize the help can come from his family, but Beck does too.
“Unfortunately my sisters are two completely different test takers so I didn’t really get much advice, but they definitely told me to be prepared,” Beck said.
It doesn’t matter how many questions you ask your siblings or how many times you take the test. Like any test, Beck feels that she needs to prepare to do her best.
“I ordered a prep book from online and I’ve started working on practice tests to get a taste of what the test will be like,” Beck said.
With a test as big and comprehensive as the ACT, there is no way to study exactly what will be on the test. So, Beck is doing as much as she can by herself. Levy on the other hand, after taking the test once, is choosing to use other resources besides the prep book.
“Get a tutor,” Levy said. “They can tell you things that would be on the test that you would probably never realize otherwise.”
If you ask Beck and Levy, the ACT is no test where you just wing it. Preparation is key.
