Best ACT® Test Dates Introduction
In this article, we will cover the best ACT® test dates, as to when should you take the ACT®.
So you’re finally ready to take the ACT®! This is a pretty big moment for you. While the ACT® is not the biggest part of your college application, it isstill an essential component. Picking the best ACT® test date will help you to succeed on the exam. If you succeed on the test, you’ll position yourself as avery competitive candidate for college admission.
We know this information can be stressful. It might seem like there is a lot riding one this one Saturday – but not to worry, because we’ll tell you all you need to know.
Are you wondering when you should take the ACT®? You’re in the right place. We’ll list all the most important things to consider when picking your ACT® test date. Are you worried about how much time you have to study?
Ready to get started? Take a deep breath because here we go!
1. Do You Feel Confident in the Content?
Obviously, it’s not a good idea to take the ACT® unless you have a good grasp on the content that will be tested. The ACT® Reading and ACT® Science sections are both the hardest and easiest to prepare for. Easy in that they don’t really requiring “studying” per se, but hard in that they tend to test things like information processing speeds and problem solving skills – things that are built over the course of your entire education. Because of this, it’s a good idea to assessyour readiness in terms ofknowledge withthe ACT® English and ACT® Math sections.
To excel on the Math section, you need to have Algebra and Geometry under your belt. It’s okay to be in Algebra II when you take the ACT®, but because its concepts will be highly featured on the test, you’ll do even better if you’ve finished it already.
To score high on the English section, you need to be a grammar master. Things like grammar and punctuation, sentence and paragraph organization, and the style and tone of a passage should be no match for you. By the end of your sophom*ore year, you should be familiar with most of the concepts that the exam will cover.
So, depending on the classes you choose to take, you’ll probably be ready to take the ACT® for the first time in the fall of your junior year. If retesting is needed, you have your junior spring… and then you’re finished! This leaves you to spend your final year of high school working on your applications and crafting theperfect senior prank.
2. How Much Have You Reviewed for the ACT®?
Before you take the ACT®, you should have already done two things: completed a practice ACT®, and put in the appropriate amount of study time – usually no less than 10-15 hours before test day. However, students who want top ACT® scores typically put in at least 40 hours of work before their first official exam.
If you’ve already taken the ACT® once or twice, don’t think that you will see a huge score improvement if you don’t continue to study in between attempts. We recommend that you treat the ACT® like normal class and study each night. If you set aside an hour a day after school to review the content and test taking strategies, you will often be surprised by just how quickly you can rack up the hours you need to improve.
Another strategy students use to make the most of their study time is to take the ACT® right after a major school break. The two dates that are the best for this are the September ACT® because you’ve had the entire summer to hone your skills, and the February ACT® because you can fit in at least 2 weeks of intense studying over winter break.
3. Do You Have Any Big Deadlines to Meet?
You’ll need to make sure to take the ACT® earlier in your academic career if you are applying to scholarships or if you intend to apply to any schools Early Action or Early Decision.
You need to remember that senior year October scores are not guaranteed to arrive in time for most of these deadlines. If they arrive after the cutoff date, then admissions committees have been known to completely disregard them when considering your application. If you think your scores will go up if you retake the ACT®, make sure you do it on time.
• The Early Action & Early Decision deadlines are typically November 1st, so it is essential that you take the ACT® by September of your senior year to ensure your scores arrive in time. Don’t take any chances!
• The Regular Decision deadline varies by school, but is usually in the first two weeks of January, meaning that the December ACT® of your senior year is your last chance to take the exam.
If you are being recruited to play a sport, you might also need to complete your testing earlier so that your recruiter is sure that you can attend their specific university.
4. Do Any of the ACT® Dates Present a Major Conflict?
The best ACT® test date is the one that gives you the least amount of stress. While it is nearly impossible to take the test when you have absolutely nothing going on, picking Saturday when you have a lull in activities is a great idea.
You might want to avoid the December ACT® because you’ll be busy preparing for finals. Maybe the February test conflicts with a major sports game, or the April ACT® is in the middle of a family vacation.
Students who take the ACT® during busy times are less likely to put in the hours of studying needed to excel on the test. Because their mind is occupied by the other big events, they also tend to be less focused on their exam. This lack of focus usually results in poor scores.
To avoid this, you’ll need to pause and examine your calendar at the beginning of the school year. Doing so will reduce your texting anxiety on testing day and therefore improve your scores.
5. Does Your High School Give Out ACT® Vouchers?
Sometimes, high schools will give out vouchers for a free ACT®. Occasionally, the state’s education department will also give students an opportunity to take the test for free to encourage all types of students to sit for the exam and hopefully go to college.
The ACT® registration fee is $39.50 without the optional Writing test and $56.50 with it, so do yourself a favor and see if you can avoid needing to pay them. Just think of all you could do with that extra cash!
You should check in with your guidance counselor to see if your school will be giving out the vouchers, or you could also check on your school district’s website for information. As a last resort, you could do an internet search for “ACT® voucher X” replacing the X with your state. Usually, the vouchers are only given to juniors for a test in the spring.
6. How Many ACT®s are You Planning to Take?
If you plan to take the ACT® more than once (which you should) then you’ll need to take the official ACT® no later than the fall of your junior year. That way, even if you have conflicts with one or two of the testing dates, you will still have plenty of time to fully prepare for each exam, meaning that you need to study before and between each attempt.
By starting as early as possible, you can avoid the stress created by missing self-imposed deadlines and lack of adequate preparation time.
So now that you’ve thought about your answers to the above questions, you might have an ACT® test date or two in mind…but you still might have some lingering doubts.
This is because upperclassmen and college kids (probably your older siblings as well) who’ve already finished the testing process seem to enjoy spreading rumors about the best ACT® test dates solely to freak you out. Some of these rumors have even made it into the minds of guidance counselors and concerned parents alike.
Let’s Separate the Facts from the Fiction.
Fiction: certain ACT® test dates are easier than others.
The myth started when people started believing that ACT® scores are scaled (curved) against the other students taking the ACT® on the same day as you. So, if you took the exam on the same day as the students who had been studying very hard for the test, you’re screwed. BUT if you took the test the same day as less-prepared students, a perfect score was basically yours. All you had to do was figure out when these dates were.
However, the ACT® is scored on a year-by-year of even decade-by-decade curve, rather than test-by-test. Because the ACT® is a standardized test, the results must be standard across all dates. This means that a 34 on the October 2013 ACT® is the exact same score as a 34 on the February 2016 ACT®. To keep things fair, each ACT® has questions from a previous exam on it and the students who answer these questions over many years are compared to each other.
Fiction: taking the ACT® multiple times will ruin my college admission chances.
Unlike SAT® scores which are accessible to most schools, the ACT® actually makes you pay for each score that it releases. So this means that if you wanted to take the ACT® every time it was offered for the entirety of your junior year (we do NOT recommend this), you technically could, because each college you apply to would only see, and be able to consider, the scores that you decide to send to them. So you really have your pick of the litter when it comes to submitting ACT® scores.
It’s a good idea to take the ACT® at least two times, but more than four times will give you test fatigue, and, unless you put in many, many of hours of work, your scores will stagnate and you will stop seeing results.
An Ideal ACT® Timeline
Spring of your Sophom*ore Year
Take a practice ACT® test to target your strengths and weaknesses. You might want to participate in the ACT® Aspire program to get some exposure to the world of standardized testing. You’ll also need to pick a few colleges that you think you’d like to attend, so you can set your target score.
Summer before your Junior Year
Take this time to really dig in your heels and review for the ACT®. While it might not sound too fun to spend your summer hitting the books, you’ll find that putting in a few hours of studying a week will put you miles ahead of your peers who are scrambling to begin test preparation in the fall. Three full months, even when segmented by vacations and Netflix-binges, is plenty of time for you to learn what you need to.
Fall of your Junior Year
It’s time for your first attempt at the test! Depending on your answers to the 6 questions above, it could be September, October, or December. Participating in any of these ACT® dates as a junior will put you will ahead of the curve. You should take a break from studying while you wait for your scores, and if they are not what you hoped, make sure to take the time to evaluate your study process to ensure continued improvement.
Spring of your Junior Year
It’s time for your second, and hopefully final attempt at the ACT®. There are three dates in the spring: February, April, and June. If you want to take the test a third time and don’t want to spend a second summer doing test prep, the February and June tests are far enough apart that you can fit in quite a few hours of studying in between.
A Quick Recap
Review the numbered list above to determine when you should take the ACT®.
• Make sure you haven’t fallen victim to any of the ACT® hoaxes mentioned.
• Begin studying the fall of your junior year, at the latest.
Now what are you waiting for? Go register for the ACT®!
Looking for ACT® practice?
You can find thousands of practice questions on Albert.io. Albert.io lets you customize your learning experience to target practice where you need the most help. We’ll give you challenging practice questions to help you achieve mastery of the ACT®.
Start practicing here.
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