The ACT, or PreACT is completed by freshmen, sophomores, and juniors at Carterville High School. Juniors take the real ACT, while the sophomores and freshmen take the PreACT. All grade levels do some sort of preparation for the standardized testing, but it varies heavily depending on the grade level of the student.
Freshmen are furthest away from taking the ACT, but that does not make the PreACT any less stressful. The teachers do not take much time to work on ACT preparation, which can add pressure to taking the test. It can feel like the test is far away for the freshmen, making some wonder what is the point of preparing too early. Others feel as if they do not have enough time before their Junior year to prepare. The rest fall somewhere in between the two extremes. Freshman Claire Samples said, “I’m not very nervous because I know that it is just preparation far a test. The only anxiety I have would be from not knowing what to expect.”
Sophomores can start to feel nervous when taking their PreACT. They are one year from taking the test, meaning they usually want to do better on the test than the first time they took it. This means preparation for the test picks up from the previous years, both in and out of class. There are online and physical resources that students use to study, in this stage of preparation online resources seem to be more practical. Sophomore Ruthie Hornik said, “The PreACT might not directly affect our grades or college applications, but it is an important study tool that can help build confidence and familiarity concerning the structure of the exam.”
By junior year, the time has come to take the ACT. This can be a very stressful time for the students, but preparation is key. Students prepare quite a bit in class for the ACT, compared to the other grades; however, studying independently can be beneficial for the test takers, but remaining calm and steady is just as important. Junior Paige Hefferman said, “To prepare for the ACT, I have been using a website called ‘Prep Medians,’ which has been very helpful in providing tips and practice tests. Additionally, a few of my core classes have dedicated class periods where they have also given very helpful tips and tricks that I hope to use this coming Monday.”
If students apply themselves to the tests, and prepare appropriately for each throughout the years, they are setting themselves up for success. Mrs. Basso said, “The office takes charge of the logistics of the ACT exam, while the teachers take care of the preparation. The entire ACT process takes work from everyone to give our students the best environment to succeed.”
The teachers and administrators set students up for success, but the students have to prepare themselves to get the scores the want.
