By Rocco Carioscia ’26
On Thursday, Apr. 23, the juniors took the ACT, while the sophomores and freshman took the PreACT and PSAT. The seniors enjoyed their final day off of their high school careers.
The ACT can be one of the most stressful parts of junior year. It is one of the first major steps in the college admission process. Preparing for a test as big as the ACT can seem overwhelming, especially because of what’s at stake.
Junior Jake Beck said, “Most of my ACT prep came from in class help assigned by teachers. I felt well prepared for the ACT, and I think I did well thanks to the help prompted by my teachers.”
Junior Seamus Payne said, “The ACT seemed overwhelming at first, but when I took it topic by topic it seemed much easier than thinking of the test as a whole.” Taking the ACT topic by topic rather than worrying about the rest of the test is definitely a great strategy when taking the ACT test.
I personally took the ACT three times my junior year and once my senior year. I always felt a ton of pressure to get a higher score. A one-point difference in score could have saved me thousands of dollars at the college I plan to attend. I felt super disappointed when I couldn’t hit the score I wanted. Looking back on it, I didn’t do enough preparation.
A lot of people go into the ACT not knowing what to expect. Junior Joey Clark said, “The windshield is bigger than the rear view mirror for a reason. Don’t focus on the past and focus more on the future.” I’m sure the next time Joey takes the ACT, he will prepare more, knowing what he does about the ACT now.
I encourage all the juniors to take the ACT as many times as you can to try and improve your score. In the long run, it is worth it and can help you save some crucial money on college.
