By: Riley Haltom
Last week was ACT week for Chester County High School. On Tuesday, the school offered a free ACT to the students. The ACT is vital for students to do well on, as a good score on the ACT gives students a better chance of getting into the college of their choice and raises the amount of financial aid money the college is willing to give them. Taking it several times gives a student a better chance of doing well, so parents should support a student in taking the ACT as much as they can.
While the junior class took the test for the first time, underclassmen and seniors had different experiences on Tuesday. While the juniors were taking the real thing, many for the first time, underclassmen were taking a practice ACT test. This practice is done to better prepare the underclassmen for the real thing. They take it under the same time conditions and have questions from a previous year’s test. This way, those freshmen and sophomores get as much practice as possible and hopefully raise their scores on the real test. Sophomore Stewart Brown felt the practice ACT helped him know what to expect.
“The practice ACT helps me mentally prepare for the test. It helps me know what to expect so I don’t have to worry as much.”
Meanwhile, seniors got the day off from school to either visit a college or do a job shadowing. I used the day to virtually tour two colleges using the resources on their website, and it helped me come to a decision on which college I plan to attend. Others used it to job shadow a family friend or a relative. Many also used part of the day to catch up on work and finish assignments that they may have been falling behind on. Others took the opportunity to retake the ACT or take the ASVAB test.
Meanwhile, the juniors had the biggest day of all. They took a test that could determine what college they go to years down the road. For days before the test, you could see a junior studying in the library or preparing themselves for the test using the online material ACT provides. Junior Emmy Melton used several digital materials to prepare herself.
“I used several study questions I found online and an app on my phone. I think I did well on the test, but the time limit did put pressure on me. Other than the time, the test was what I expected and studied for, and I think it paid off.”
The ACT test can be a stressful situation for students, but through good preparation and hard work, it can be great for scholarships and applications.
