Hello, College Confidential! As a current sophomore, does it make sense to take the ACT early, possibly in the summer this year? I plan on studying for it for a couple of months and taking it just to gauge where I am in regards to the score, before I am required to take it Junior year. Will this help? Does it make sense to do this? Also, are all of the ACT test dates the same nationwide?
Started taking it in 8th grade. You can take it 12 times total. My thoughts… take it once when younger, once in 9th and then 2 times in 10th , 11th 5 times, 12th 3 times. Senior year you really need to be done by Dec with your ACT scores so you can apply early to colleges. 8th grade scored a 21 then finished with a 31 
it worked out nicely for myself. Do what you feel is best for you. I would start early so you know where you need to work harder.
I would not recommend doing the above strategy…
Taking it early is always good, and you have the right reasons. It’s better to realize you need a lot of studying now, then realize in fall of senior year when it’s too late. So yeah, feel free to take it now, but do not take it too many times as outlined above. It’s just unnecessary.
As for your other question, the ACT has different forms, but for the most part, it is the same nationwide.
I don’t recommend Oklahoma18’s strategy either.
You can definitely start early, but taking it too many times is expensive, unnecessary, and could even hurt your college application.
A testing strategy that minimizes the amount of testing and preparation for the availability and usefulness of test results would be:
10th-11th grade: If desired, you can try old released SAT and ACT exams for practice, so that you can know which aspects you need to prepare for.
11th grade: One each of SAT and ACT. If you have a realistic chance at the National Merit thresholds, take the PSAT (11th grade is the one that counts for that).
12th grade: If desired to raise the score, retake whichever is the initially higher of the SAT or ACT after additional preparation.
Additionally, as needed or applicable:
If considering colleges that ask for SAT subject tests, take them upon completion of the matching course.
Take any AP or IB tests as you complete the associated courses.
The number of times suggested in reply #1 is excessive, but you also don’t want to be trying to fit all of the needed tests into the last possible test dates in 12th grade for your college applications. Having scores from 11th grade will help you to get preliminary assessments on what colleges and scholarships are reach/match/safety level for you.
I personally can’t imagine taking the SAT or ACT during the later half of Junior or early Senior year. I practicing Sophomore year and tested in the later half of Sophomore year. I practiced some more Junior year, and then got a score I’m happy with before second semester.
Keep in mind you’ll be writing summer program applications, maybe doing SAT2 Subject tests, and upping your game in preparation for college. Unless you don’t have the math knowledge, I see no reason to put it off.
That said, definitely do NOT follow @Oklahoma18’s advice. Even if you do get a good score by the end, you’ll have wasted a lot of time and if you send all your scores, colleges are going to be extremely wary.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to take an actual ACT just to see what your current scores would be; it would be much safer to just order the Red Book (which is released by the test makers) or take an older test that was released. This way, you don’t chance jeopardizing your scores. However, it is possible that you will have a busy junior year (I’ve already studied for and taken 4 other college tests on top of studying for AP classes before my required ACT) and may want to take the ACT right after you have studied for it. But like everyone else has said, don’t take the ACT too many times; colleges prefer high scores with a minimum number of tests. I would recommend possibly taking it once right after you have studied for it, once when your school requires you to, and possibly once more if you are unsatisfied with your scores during senior year.
It’s early for you to take the ACT and it probably won’t be practical to take it now anyways. If your school offers the PLAN (the ACT’s version of the PSAT), fine but that costs money. You don’t have to take the PLAN. I didn’t. I just went straight in after some studying and got a 31. It is much easier and more practical to get the study books (The Red Book, Princeton Review Cracking the ACT, Barrons ACT 36, and Barrons ACT Math and Science Workbook) and take some official practice tests and answer questions online to get an idea of where you would be.
You will waste money by throwing a lottery dice in the air and praying it lands on a good side. The maximum times you should take these tests is 3-4. One per year or twice in one year and one in another year. Always save that last date for senior year if you want to get it up.
I took my ACT in April of junior and October of senior. It’s not that stressful to juggle it in those years, especially if you have taken it at least once before.
My Ds took their standardized tests on first test dates of the fall of their junior year. This has a number of advantages: (1) there is not much evidence that your scores improve significantly between end of sophomore year and as a junior. (2) The summer after your sophomore year is a good period to study for the test, whereas during the school year or after your junior year, you’re likely to be much busier and under a lot more stress. (3) The SAT prep will serve doubly to prepare you for the PSAT in the fall, and (4) it feels so good to have your testing done by the fall of your junior year while your classmates are just beginning the process.
I’m not sure if they have this in your area but here they have test prep companies that offer a ACT or SAT free practice test. It doesn’t count but it is an actual old test. They will then go over your score with you and try and sell you on tutoring. However if you aren’t interested you just say no thanks. That way you know how where you are in terms of your score and how much studying you are going to need.
I think it depends on your level of courses and you as a student. I have seen that students that are not in accelerated programs and more like the typical high school student (if there is such a thing) mature tremendously during their junior year and yes there is a big difference in their scores between sophomore and junior year especially for the critical reading. However, if you go to a very rigorous high school and you had already gone through Algebra and trig and AP English/history by end of sophomore year OR you are independently a very strong student you could try the test early after you spend some time practicing. I think the advice given to finish with testing early is meant for the very strong students that go to rigorous high schools. For a lot of students the best time is mid of junior year although it is a busy time. Go ahead though and try a practice test or a free test that sometimes high schools or Kaplan offer and see where you stand. It is nice to finish your testing early but only if you are ready.
@am9799, I think your advice is good; I might have been implying that what our Ds did is the right approach for everyone, and I think individual maturity, coursework, and schooling certainly should be taken into account to determine when the best time to take standardized testing is. I would just add that for the most part, most juniors at their school take the first test by the spring of their junior year, so really what my Ds did was accelerate the test-taking by one semester. I doubt that six months of coursework or maturation is going to make that much difference for the typical student. Of course students have basically an 18 month window to take their tests, so to each his or her own.
A good testing schedule:
10th spring/summer
11th fall
11th spring/summer- if needed
I took the SAT 8th grade year and I can personally not recommend it.
My Recommended Testing Schedule:
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[li]December, Junior Year[/li][li]*February/March, Junior Year/i [/li][li]**May, Junior Year/b[/li][li]*September/October, Senior Year/i [/li][/ul]
Honestly,
My opinion is take it early in junior year. I took the SAT in October, but everyone told me to take it later. I got a 2300 but will still retake in June because my reading score was lower than usual. I can say that taking it was the best decision of my life. Preparing for the SAT, helped me for the PSAT in which I got a 235. Also, now its a complete relief for me because I know that my score is definitely usable for applying to any college. I would say its worth taking out a good chunk of your summer because then you can focus on GRADES for junior year which are extremely important. People in my grade are now taking the SAT underprepped and are not doing so hot. It was actually the best decision for me testing wise.
If you are in advanced classes and can score high based on practice tests, then study during summer before Jr yr and take it in fall of Jr year. Or you can do the SAT with the same strategy if you think that you will qualify for National Merit Semifinalist with your PSAT score. If your scores with a practice SAT are high enough, then spend summer before Jr yr studying for SAT and take both SAT and PSAT in fall of Jr yr.