In the later months of junior year for the Class of 2027, millions of students are scribbling down practice tests, listening to tutors, and watching YouTube videos, all revolving around the ACT. Along with the SAT, the ACT is generally considered one of the most important standardized tests that students will take in their academic careers. They carefully study content, strategies and tricks that will help them meet the timing requirements and get the best score possible.
To prepare, there are a multitude of different options offered by programs or schools.
“I’m doing private tutoring for the ACT, which is about three classes a month, each an hour long,” said Ana Milosevic ‘27.
This is a popular option among students, but some choose to study more independently.
“I’m just doing practice tests and practice questions every weekend for about one or two hours a week,” said Eliana Chalmers ‘27.
Some juniors are taking a more rigorous approach, combining many of the options into their studying schedule.
“I started prep sophomore year. I did the ACT prep class the school had to offer and the Princeton Plus review course, and I also have a private tutor,” said Naava Stein ‘27.
These courses offer group lessons as well as personalized instruction on the content of the test, which is favored by many students.
“My personal learning preference is more centralized, honed in studying and teaching methods,” said Stein.
The flexibility of the courses also allowed students to base sessions on their own timing.
“It was good pacing because my tutoring place gave me how many classes I should be having per month. I just had to meet that requirement and I could make my own schedule,” said Milosevic.
Much of this preparation is in response to the stress the test brings, evident among most test-takers.
“It’s definitely stressful hearing students talk about it and I also compare myself to other kids, like how they’re studying versus how I’m studying,” said Milosevic.
Emphasis on standardized tests has changed over the years, but some students are still subject to pressure to do well or get a certain score.
“Nowadays, since people go test optional very often, it’s treated as less serious. But my parents put a lot of pressure on me for the ACT, so that stress, like performance pressure, definitely makes an impact on my feelings towards it,” said Stein.
The source of this pressure comes from this standardized test’s impact on students’ futures, particularly with college.
“I think the ACT is really important for college admissions,” said Robert Gustafson ‘27.
“The use of standardized testing provides a baseline for colleges for some form of intelligence and the abilities that student has.”
However, not all students view it this way, with the multitude of options for colleges.
“It depends on what schools you’re applying to. If you need a good test score to get into the one you want, and you can’t go test optional, then it’s kind of a make it or break it. But when it comes to test optional, I don’t think it’s as important,” said Chalmers.
But as the ACT has become more integrated into the college admissions process, people have developed opinions on it.
“I don’t like the whole idea of standardized testing determining college admissions at all, because I feel like it’s not an accurate reflection on who you are as a person, how much you deserve to go to a certain school, and your academic capabilities,” said Stein.
Standardized testing can be unfair due to the focus of the test on tricks and format rather than actual academic subject matter.
“You could be a 4.0 student, but still not do well on the test because of the structure, or the time constraints, or even the nitty gritty English skills. I don’t think that judges if you’re good at the content, it just judges if you know the test and constraints,” said Chalmers.
Despite the negative opinions on the ACT, it is still an impactful part of students’ school career, and must be carefully considered for all future juniors.
“Take it as early as possible, and don’t stress too much about it,” said Gustafson.
