I am currently a sophmore in High School. The highest level of math I will have taken by this June is Geometry. A teacher told me to take the ACT COLD this June. She said after I take it cold, I can see where I have do better and where I can prep. However I know that if I take it cold and do really bad but prep and take it again in fall and my scores go up considerably, ACT can cancel them. This teacher used to teach an ACT Prep class as well so I took her suggestion to mind. However, I asked a college counselor at my school today and they said that they recommend I prep all summer and take it in the Fall of Junior(next) year instead. Who’s right?
Take in it June. There is no reason not today besides money and the select few colleges that require all of them. I wouldn’t even worry about those since they will mostly care about your best score.
The timing of the ACT is tricky. Kids often do well by taking it in the spring just as they are finishing their Algebra II or Pre-Calculus class, while the algebra and trigonometry is still fresh. However, they often miss a few geometry questions because by that time they have forgotten some of their geometry. So taking it with geometry fresh in your brain might be a good thing. I wouldn’t take it cold, however. (After all, you could accomplish the same thing by just having someone administer you a practice test at home, same as they do at a prep center.) Instead, I would study one of the ACT practice books thoroughly and take multiple practice tests in the month before you take the real test. Pay close attention to the problems you miss and to special strategies for doing problems more quickly. Then you might actually get a score that is a keeper.
I would take a practice exam cold. I don’t see the need for doing an actual exam ‘cold’. Practice under actual test conditions (time all your sections in a nice quiet area and don’t cheat). Then score it and work on the areas needed. I wouldn’t waste a sitting (and $). You also have a valid concern that if your score were to climb considerably, ACT could cancel your scores out of concerns of cheating. Honestly, I don’t know how valid this is, but it could improbably happen. I have heard of it happening, anyway.
You can find actual, true exams online for practicing.
From the responses I’m hearing I’ve decided to practice a little bit and take it in June! Thank you guys for your responses :-j
It’s a little extreme, but you can also completely delete an ACT score should the need arise.
Look for “How do I delete a test day record” on this page:
http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/help.html
Don’t worry about deleting scores or ACT cancelling a score for a jump between sophomore and junior years. I think you are making the correct decision to take a practice test cold and then ACT in June.