Taking the ACT earlier

<p>I'm planning on taking the ACT at the end of sophomore year as practice. Is this a good idea or not? I come from a SAT state but i m too chicken to take that as practice. I really want a good indicator on my testing abilities. I'm defintly taking the PSAT in October but I want to test all of my improvements/strengths at the end of the year, too.
Classes taking sophomore year:
Honors Alg/Trig
Honors English 10
Honors Chemistry, among others
is all this enough?</p>

<p>Yes, it's a good idea. Unlike with the SAT, ACT lets you send scores from some test dates without sending the others. So it can't hurt.</p>

<p>It can't hurt, true, but I suggest waiting. Even with your courseload, it would be much better to prepare than taking it so early. If you feel really confident with your ability to perform, and still want some time to retake, do it at the beginning of your junior year. If you're not happy and wish to improve, you can easily take it in the spring or summer of that year, and even later.</p>

<p>I think it would be better to wait. I mean, if you want to know where you stand on the ACT or the SAT, you could always get books to indicate what range you're in. Or you can take the practice tests, which can be found online, I think. </p>

<p>Plus, it's designed for Juniors. So, you could start taking it around December and so on. It's your choice. :) Either way, good luck.</p>

<p>If you have to choose between taking it early and doing some test prep, do the test prep. If you have to choose between taking it at the end of sophomore year and early in your junior year, take it junior year. But if you don't have to choose, and you want to take it early, go for it. There's no better practice than the real thing.</p>

<p>BUT: Don't get discouraged if you don't do too well. Just use it as a chance see how the test feels and find out what areas you might need to pay extra attention to. If you relax and don't stress out about it, you'll do better, and you'll feel more comfortable when you take it for real.</p>

<p>I'd say go for it. I took this June (when I had just finished my sophomore year) and it's helped me quite a bit. By taking it early, you can see what things you need to sit down and study and also if you need to pace yourself. I plan on taking it again this year in December so I'm not in a huge rush to take it at the end of this coming year when everyone else is going to. BUT, if this is the only time you're going to take it, hold off. And one parting thought - I consistently scored 30 and above with the Princeton review books and then got a 29 on the real thing. Hmph.</p>