Usually, students need to take the ACT in Walnut Creek in the fall of their senior year because most colleges and universities want to see their scores first before students actually start their collegiate studies.
However, a lot of students don’t wish to wait for too long before taking the ACT in the fall of senior year at the latest. They may want to take the exam in the spring, fall, or winter of their junior year.
Here are some of the reasons (and advantages) why students should take the ACT in Walnut Creek on an earlier date than expected:
- Hectic senior year
Let’s face it, the senior year of high school can be hectic. There are all sorts of activities going on: school exams, college applications, advanced classes, proms, and other extracurricular activities. Students may not feel they’ll have much time and energy left to take the ACT exam. The college application process is a long and winding road indeed, and applying to several colleges can be stressful. - Preparation time
Students need months to prepare in order to attain high scores on the ACT. Cramming for three days or even three weeks won’t help much to improve their scores considering the scope of the material they’re going to cover. Ideally, students should begin reviewing and preparing during the summer, which is enough time before they take the ACT in September. - Retaking exams
Ideally, students should take the ACT exam in the spring of junior year. In that way, they will still have an opportunity to retake the exam if they don’t do well the first time around or if they don’t get the scores they want or need to get into their college of choice.
If students take the ACT in the fall of their junior year it will also give them plenty of time to take the exams again, if necessary. Usually, a majority of students who take the ACT (or SAT) several times will see improvements in their scores, and will make good use of what is known “superscoring.”
Many colleges across the country use superscoring, where they don’t accept the highest scores from a single test. Instead, they take highest possible score from each section from a number of exams a student has taken, and put these scores together to create a superscore.
For example, if your child’s first ACT exam has a Math score of 650, and another Math score of 600 in the retake, colleges will still accept the first Math score because it is definitely higher than the second Math score.
Not all colleges do superscoring, so it would be wise to check out if your kid’s college or university of his/her choice uses this method.
It’s important to consider your own circumstances as they will be a major factor when planning for your ACT in Walnut Creek date. The ACT is not something to rush about, but if you decide to take the ACT much earlier than usual, make sure you have truly prepared for it.