ACT stands for American College Testing, and it is a pencil and paper standardized college entrance exam. You’ll be indicating your target colleges on your registration before you take the ACT, and these colleges will use your score to determine if you are qualified to be a freshman in their school. The colleges of your choice will basically gauge your GPA, extracurricular activities and your involvement in high school along with your ACT score to decide whether you are capable of studying in their institution. You should get a high score in the ACT test, and the good news is you can retake this exam for up to 12 times. Why is the ACT test so important and why should you take it?

• It can qualify you for a college scholarship. Getting a high score in the ACT can make you a recipient of a well-merited scholarship in college. You might want to research on the accepted scores of your target colleges and their scholarship offers before taking the test. If you qualify, you can receive valuable financial assistance, allowances and privileges while studying in college.

• You can use your ACT score when applying for a job. Yes, your score in the ACT will actually follow you around- up to the time when you look for a job. As a first entry-level applicant, you will be indicating your ACT score in your resume, and it is one of the major references of whether your prospective employer will hire you or not.

• It will cover your low high school GPA. Do you have a low high school GPA? No worries- a high ACT score can override that, provided that you achieve thus. It will show your chosen colleges that you are college-ready nonetheless. You can show off a high ACT score even if you have an unsatisfactory GPA.

• More students prefer taking the ACT instead of the SAT. Both the ACT and the SAT are college entrance exams. However, numerous college-bound students choose to take the ACT. The difference between these two standardized tests is that the ACT is based on testing your knowledge in high school while the SAT is more of a test of your reasoning skills.

Unlike the SAT, there is a Science section in the ACT. The test takes 3 hours and 45 minutes to finish, and it is a strictly timed exam. All that you have learned in high school will be measured in the ACT test.

How Is The ACT Test Scored?

There are 4 multiple choice tests in the ACT exam, and they are the English, Science, Math and Reading sections. The individual scores for each of these tests range from 1-36. Your average score for all these particular tests makes up your overall score which is then rounded up to the nearest number. You have the option of taking the ACT Essay test which is scored in a separate and different way.

What Is The Best ACT Test Prep Method?

You should register at least 3 months before taking the ACT test. Sufficient time and mastery of the concerned topics are necessary for getting a high score in this test. You can resort to various methods of test prep for the ACT, such as by joining a review class, hiring a tutor, forming a study group or studying on your own using an online study guide. These methods can be utilized each on their own or combined.

The first step to determine where you should start in your ACT test prep is to take practice tests. Primarily gauge where you are at- which subjects you are good and bad at and concentrate on where you need to improve.

There isn’t a need to fear or be anxious about taking the ACT test. Just make sure that you utilize a reliable and effective ACT test prep study guide to familiarize and boost your knowledge about this exam.

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