Getting into a college of your choice is a dream come true, right? People naturally prepare a lot for their college admission and take a long time to do so. Proper research and analysis go into the task. But to enter a college, you need to give a test that can be used as a standardized score.
This score is then used as a mark of uniformity so that different marking systems in different schools don’t affect the admission process. That is why exams like SAT and ACT are standardized tests that are used to evaluate students based on their merit. A student either needs SAT or ACT to get admission into any college in America. However, these are not the only ones – they are just popularly taken tests.
American College Test or ACT is designed to gauge the student’s understanding of Math, Reading, English, and Science. It is not exactly like the SAT. But since both the exams have the same purpose, there are a few overlapping similarities. Now, it depends on the student whether they want to appear for the SAT or ACT.
Depending on what students want to specialize in, they can also appear for a writing exam. This essay part of the exam is recorded and calculated separately. But in the end, it is added to the student’s scorecard. This helps the students if they are specializing in literature, theatre, or other humanities-based subjects. Through this section, a student’s profile is understood better.
This 2 hours 55 minutes paper plus the extra forty minutes (if one wishes to appear for the essay) is the total time to solve an ACT paper. The score scale ranges from 1 to 36. Each section, namely Reading, English, Mathematics, and Science, consists of 36 marks each.
But just like the SAT, getting the correct marks in the ACT is also very difficult. But the importance of the exam is such that it cannot be compromised. One needs to score well to get into a good college. Thus, your future depends on this. So, if you are an aspiring college student, you should take time out of your regular studying schedule and put extra effort into ACT prep.
Moreover, this test is based on Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Arithmetic, and Probability. Under the English section, your rhetoric skills, grammar and punctuation, and sentence structuring capacity. So, preparation for the ACT will also help you deal with your schoolwork to some degree.
However, the approach to preparation for the ACT and school work is very different. For example, in an ACT exam, a student can use a calculator. This might not be the rule of the school.
ACT exams are held six times during the year. This gives the students ample time to prepare for it. With the right preparation, one can score consistently well in all the sections. But before you begin, you must know what a good score is on the ACT. So, what is a good score in the ACT?
Anything better than what the majority of people receive in the ACT score is considered good. Statistically speaking, the average score is 24 out of 36. Thus, it is clear that a good score in the ACT is getting above 24. This will also help you stay ahead in the college admission process. This way, if you have a heads up, you will easily be able to prepare for the other rounds of admission that are equally difficult.
Preparing for the ACT needs a lot of discipline, consistency, and multitasking. You need to balance your ACT preparation along with your schoolwork. That is why you need to make sure that you have started preparing with a lot of time in hand. This helps a lot.
ACT checks your understanding of concepts more than how well you can mug up something. Having a lot of time to prepare gives you time to practice each session. Secondly, ACT preparation is not something you can manage to do at the last moment. You need proper external guidance as the problems are more advanced than what is taught in school.
Thus, now that you know the entire structure of ACT and its scoring pattern, what are you waiting for? Don’t hesitate to take help where required. This exam is one of the most important ones of your life so give it due importance.
