The Act: Not as Bad as It Seems

As a high school sophomore, I didn’t even know where to begin to approach ACT prep. The ACT is 100% over-hyped as the “ticket to college” and an “impossible test.” Many big companies use the ACT as a money-making scheme, branding it as if the only way to receive a high score is using their tutoring programs, which can cost hundreds of dollars. Looking back, I spent more time worrying about how hard the ACT was going to be than using my time to study.

As a high schooler, it doesn’t always seem like there is enough time in the day for everything we are supposed to be doing, so I pushed the ACT far down my list of priorities, never really getting started (partly because I didn’t know where to even begin preparing).

After hearing that my classmates were also confused about how to prepare for the ACT, I turned to my parents for help. My parents wanted me to get a high score, but they also did not want to spend hundreds of dollars for test prep programs if they didn’t see me taking the initiative to prepare on my own first. When I started researching ways to prepare, I realized that I could probably make more progress on my own, as I know my own strengths and weaknesses.

After eight weeks of self-studying that cost around $60, I was able to raise my score by 5 points in the spring of my sophomore year.

There are hundreds of online and book test prep options, but there were a specific few that helped me the most:

• For starters, Khan Academy is always a solid test prep option for standardized tests. Although Khan Academy is mainly focused on the SAT, there is a huge overlap between the two tests, and I highly recommend joining (for free!) to touch up on specific skills you might need a little help on.
• Something that is recommended for any student is a basic from any major company (like Princeton Review, Barron’s, McGraw-Hill or ACT/Wiley). Having a physical book helps to prepare for the actual test day and many include multiple full-length practice tests.
• Another free option, ACT Online released in 2018, providing individualized options in the form of short quizzes.
• For $40 more, the official is what helped me the most. This six-month subscription breaks down the entirety of the test. Broken down into 5/10/15 question increments, suddenly the ACT did not seem as daunting and I could easily achieve my points goal for the day.

When you sign up for the ACT Online Prep, there is an option to set a future test date in the system. After taking a short quiz and determining a goal test score, you are given a daily points goal, which only takes around 20-30 minutes to complete. This way of studying completely changed the ACT for me, as it didn’t feel like taking a long, standardized test.

Make Studying a Habit

Discouragement and procrastination can hurt your ACT score. Don’t put off studying until close to your test date! If you put in a little time once a day, you will see improvement. Twenty minutes a day isn’t much time, but if you study 20 minutes every day for 6 weeks, your score will increase.

Sarah Dowd is a 16-year-old junior at Academy of the Sacred Heart. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Peer Support Group, Varsity Quiz Bowl and Swim Team at her school. An avid participant in the community here in New Orleans, she spends some of her time giving back and tutoring.