Should I take the ACT with Writing?

Test Preparation ACT Preparation
1

I originally did not plan on taking the ACT and was just going to get a decent SAT score and be done with that. However, I just realized it’s required in our state. I’m unfamiliar with the ACT Essay, have had little practice, and do not have much time the coming junior year to prep for it. I’d rather spend my time studying for AP classes, math/science competitions, etc.

However, there are some top schools (ivies, stanford, mit, etc) that require you to send both your ACT and SAT scores as long as you have taken both. In this case, would I need to send in an ACT score with writing even if I’ve already taken the SAT with writing, or can I just send in the SAT with essay and ACT without writing? Do you think I should just take ACT with writing to be safe? It will take some time to practice but I guess I could make time for it if it was really necessary.

2

First off, you don’t have to practice for standardized test essays like you do the other subjects. I would definitely recommend taking the ACT with Writing. If you knock it out of the park about half of the colleges that would otherwise require Subject Tests will accept your ACT with Writing instead.

3

If you have to take it anyway, take it with writing.