Some students who get high marks in their school grades fail in standardized tests such as the ACT in Pleasanton. But you don’t have to worry! There are still ways to get into college even if your ACT scores are lower than most of the other test-takers.

If you fail the ACT the first time, or are dissatisfied by your scores, why don’t you take the exam again? Remember that taking the exam may not improve your score much,but if you practice hard with your practice book or sign up for preparatory courses, then you have a good chance of improving your score some. It’s a good thing that most colleges will mostly look at your best scores, and disregard the scores they deem to be irrelevant.

If you think you did poorly on the ACT, you might want to consider taking the SAT and see if you can score better on it! The SAT is designed to test your reasoning and verbal abilities, while the ACT tests what you have achieved or learned in high school. Plus, the SAT has a bit more time to take the test than the ACT, so you may not have to rush answering questions in all those sections. With the new SAT’s maximum score of 1600 (from the 2400 of the old SAT), pared-down test sections and answering choices, no-penalty guessing and optional essay, you have a good chance at doing well on the SAT.

If you can’t re-take the ACT or take the SAT, all hope is not lost! You still can find schools where lower ACT scores are accepted! There are thousands of four-year colleges across the country, and even though they may not be one of your choice colleges, don’t be misled by the notion that these colleges are not as good as the few elite ones. The reality is that these colleges are excellent! If your ACT score is 21, they will be happy to admit students with lower-than-average ACT (or SAT) scores.

Even if your score is lower than 21 or what many colleges or universities require, you may still be admitted if you have excelled in other areas such as strong extracurricular activities or high grades in school, or in a particular subject such as math.

To avoid taking a standardized test completely, you can also choose test-optional colleges and universities — those who do not consider standardized test scores at all. If you have a high GPA and class rank, those will be enough to get you admitted to such schools.

Among the top colleges to consider include Allegheny College, Bryant University, Clark University, The College of Idaho, De Paul University, Lawrence University, Lewis and Clark College, Wake Forest University, Columbia College, Knox College, even New York University. If you get accepted to one of these colleges, it is probable that they may have you take math and English exams upon your arrival on campus to ensure you are places correctly, but these tests are generally not as taxing as the ACT or SAT tests.

You can also enroll at several career colleges, vocational colleges, or community colleges — these colleges do not generally require standardized test scores.After a year or two you can transfer from one of these schools to the college or university of your choice to pursue your bachelor degree.

Your low ACT scores do not have to keep you out enrolling at your dream college. There are a lot of options which may enable you to pursue your dreams of getting into college even if your ACT scores are lower than average. You will be surprised to find excellent colleges and universities that do not require scores from standardized tests such as the ACT in Pleasanton.