Now that we’ve entered the second semester of the school year, it’s a good time to start getting ready for ACT prep. In this blog post, we outline both the “how” and the “when” of beginning prep for the ACT. These recommendations mostly apply to current sophomores; juniors should get started right away so that they can finish their prep in time for college applications!
ACT structure and scoring
First, a brief word on the composition of the ACT. The ACT has four sections:
| Section | Description | Questions and Timing |
| English | Grammar, style, and some reading comprehension | 50 questions, 35 minutes |
| Math | Solving math problems that test fundamental skills, algebra, geometry, algebra II, and statistics | 45 questions, 50 minutes |
| Reading | Reading comprehension on long passages | 36 questions, 40 minutes |
| Science | Interpreting tables and figures, understanding experimental design, and comparing/contrasting scientific arguments | 40 questions, 40 minutes |
For each section, the maximum score is 36. The English, Math, and Reading section scores are then averaged to create a Composite score, also out of 36. The Science section is “optional” and thus does not factor into the Composite score, though we are still recommending all students take it. Most students are stronger with certain sections than with others, which informs the focus of our test prep.
Take a diagnostic
The first step we recommend is to take an in-person diagnostic exam at our office. The results of the diagnostic show a student’s strengths and areas of improvement across the sections of the ACT, and Composite and section scores help us determine the number of sessions students are likely to need to improve their scores meaningfully. Even if a student decides to prep on their own, their score will help them figure out what they want to work on, whether that is refreshing grammar or math concepts or working on managing time throughout the test.
Start early
Lots of factors can affect a student’s test prep timeline:
- High school students get sick. (Tutors do, too!)
- Sports and activity schedules get complicated.
- Family vacations and even homecoming or prom can present conflicts.
- Students may want to avoid generally stressful times of the year, such as when they take AP exams or finals.
- On occasion, we don’t see the progress we’d hope to see on the ACT and decide to try the SAT instead. (All colleges in the US accept scores from both tests.)
Starting early provides flexibility and helps us avoid cramming in sessions as the target test date draws near. Therefore, the best time to take a diagnostic test is in the spring of your 10th grade year. But we offer diagnostics every week, year-round.
In addition, our internal data show that starting prep early leads to better results. More specifically, students who only need to meet about once a week (because they start with time to spare) show more growth than do students who have to meet more frequently to fit all of their sessions in. These two groups of students have similar average diagnostic scores, but students who start early exceed our average growth, while students who don’t fall a bit short.
Plan to test multiple times
When we start test prep with a student, we define a “target” test date by which a student will complete their initial set of lessons. The ACT is offered several times per year:
| ACT test months |
| September |
| October |
| December |
| February |
| March* |
| April |
| June |
| July |
*Public schools in Wisconsin only, on a school day. Private schools may also administer school-day tests but are not required to do so. Other states that administer the ACT during the school day may do so at different times of the year.
However, we always encourage students to take multiple exams, both “along the way” to their target test date and with additional sessions thereafter. There are several reasons why it is beneficial to take multiple tests:
- Every time a student takes an official test, they get more familiar with the testing environment and the feeling of taking a test in a room with other people. For that reason, students’ scores tend to improve on each subsequent test they take.
- Students can have bad days – maybe they didn’t sleep well the night before, or a student behind them is coughing or tapping their pencil the whole time. Maybe they get sick right before a test and have to cancel. The sooner a student starts test prep, the more tests they can take, which means one subpar or missed test isn’t fatal.
- Many colleges will now “superscore” exams, taking the highest score from each section and creating a new, more favorable composite score. The ACT even shows superscores on its score reports. Taking multiple tests gives students the chance to improve on sections that might not have gone as well as others. (For example, if a student gets a low Math score on their first test, they can work more on math in preparation for a future exam in hopes of raising their superscore.)
Conclusion
There are many ways students can prepare for the ACT. We have found that starting early with a diagnostic exam tends to result in the most growth among our students; it gives us enough time to work on the sections where students need the most help and gives students more opportunities to improve on official exams.
