On April 7, juniors will be taking the ACT at school while freshmen, sophomores and seniors have the day off.  

The ACT is a standardized test used for college admissions and scholarship decisions across the United States. When looking for financial aid or getting admitted into a specific college, ACT scores can have a significant impact.  

Common advice is getting a good night’s rest the night before, eating a hearty breakfast and arriving on time are good ways to ensure students are at their best for the test. On test day, it’s not recommended to bring a backpack because studentsonly need a handful of things. The most important things are a school ID and a watch (not a smart one) for pacing. 

 Test administrators provide admission tickets, No. 2 pencils, permitted calculators and snacks on the day of the test. Students can bring their phones; however, test administrators will collect them to ensure no cheating is going on.  

Junior Asia Young is taking the ACT this year. In preparation for the test, Young’s math teacher assigns past ACT exact math questions that have been used on the ACT for homework. Young also plans to study with the ACT Prep app more consistently come March. “I would say I am very nervous. It’s the pressure of not wanting to fail myself, family, or those around me,” Young said. 

Though she is nervous, she will not stress over it. Young understands it’s an important test, but it isn’t worth straining her mental health.  

“Even though it will be difficult, I do intend to study and try my best, but for my sanity, I will not stress myself too much, so good luck to me.” Young said. 

Some juniors are anxious about the ACT and feel that it will be a horrible experience. But how do seniors feel about the ACT now after taking it their junior year? 

Senior Laya Dorsey took the ACT last year and said it wasn’t as bad as she thought.  

“To study I practiced on the ACT Prep app and attended tutoring but was still nervous for the test,” Dorsey said.  

Before the test Dorsey was anxious and also felt nauseous due to her nerves. However, after the test, Dorsey realized that it went better than expected.   

“After the test I felt relieved it was over and realized it wasn’t that bad. I was also proud of myself for getting through it,” Dorsey said.  

To prepare for the ACT, Dorsey’s advice was to make sure to get a good night’s sleep the night before the test and study hard beforehand.  

“You think it’s worse than it actually is, so don’t stress too much about it,” Dorsey said.