On March 19, many of Atherton’s juniors are taking the ACT test for the very first time. The ACT–short for American College Testing–is a timed standardized test that assesses a student’s skill in four categories: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. There is also an optional writing test available.
The ACT is an important step for students planning to attend college after high school. A student’s score can be used by colleges and universities to determine admission and even some merit-based scholarships. Due to this, students often feel a lot of pressure when taking the ACT. Luckily, there are a lot of tips and tricks to ease this process and even help students achieve higher scores.
Before a student even sees the test, there are a lot of methods they can use to prepare themselves. Atherton senior Zoe McNerney has taken the test multiple times, using several methods to get ready beforehand. Originally, she scored a 23. But by preparing for the test, McNerney worked her way up to an impressive 27.
“I took a lot of tutoring, and we pretty much just took practice tests and familiarized ourselves with the questions,” says McNerney. She continues, “The most important thing was just making sure you knew what the questions were going to look like, and practice answering them.”
Students can use the CERT platform to get used to the style of the ACT before they take it. CERT–short for College Equipped Readiness Tool–provides online practice tests in all of the categories featured in the ACT. The tests are timed the same and the questions mimic those on the real test. After students take a CERT practice test, they are given a score and full explanations for why they missed certain questions. The CERT is preferred by the Atherton Administration for its ability to help students feel more confident in their test-taking skills before they take the ACT.
“It is a great, free tool with personalized tutoring for students,” says Atherton’s Academic Instructional Coach, Laura Allen.
There are also many strategies that can help students while they are actively taking the test.
“If you don’t know an answer or you run out of time, just bubble in the same letter for a couple of [the questions], instead of just trying to randomize it. Sometimes it’ll be a little cryptic, so make sure you read [the questions] and read the answers, they try to trick you sometimes,” says McNerney.
Above all else, students should make sure to get plenty of rest before the test so that they can be in their best mindset. Good luck to Atherton’s juniors!