ACT has students acting up
By Taylor Crotty
Published April 18, 2017
You can feel the stress rolling off of the juniors at Aitkin High school as the dreaded day approaches, the ACT is just around the corner. On Wednesday the juniors are taking the ACT, which stands for American College Test, that measures your knowledge in categories such as English, mathematics, reading, science, and writing. These scores are all individually ranked on a scale from 0-36, a 36 being a perfect in the category. Then the scores from English, mathematics, reading, and science are tallied up to create an average score out of 36 once again, a 36 also being the highest rank you can reach. But this is no easy task with less than one percent of the students who take the ACT receiving a perfect score, according to prepscholars.com.
The best prep for the ACT is showing up to class and being active in your education, senior high guidance counselor Meredith Sander said. “Buying ACT prep books and studying content does work for some, but what people should take advantage of is the practice test that allows you to learn about time management skills. That is a huge part of the test itself, knowing what to spend your time on and how much time to spend on it.”
The national average composite score in 2016 was a 20.8, with higher scores in reading and science. Massachusetts has the highest average with a 24.8 and Mississippi takes the trophy with the lowest composite score at 18.4. Minnesota falls right in between those, yet still above average, at a 21.1.
But really, how big of a deal is it to get a good score? “The higher score you get the more you qualify for scholarship money and that is the most important reason to do well on the ACT,” Mrs. Sander said. “Most students who are looking at a four year school qualify without a really high score. That being said, the more competitive the school is the more benefit there is to having a higher score.”
Truly, the score you get is important but it’s not something worth pulling your hair out over. So good luck to all the juniors taking the ACT tomorrow.
Published April 18, 2017
You can feel the stress rolling off of the juniors at Aitkin High school as the dreaded day approaches, the ACT is just around the corner. On Wednesday the juniors are taking the ACT, which stands for American College Test, that measures your knowledge in categories such as English, mathematics, reading, science, and writing. These scores are all individually ranked on a scale from 0-36, a 36 being a perfect in the category. Then the scores from English, mathematics, reading, and science are tallied up to create an average score out of 36 once again, a 36 also being the highest rank you can reach. But this is no easy task with less than one percent of the students who take the ACT receiving a perfect score, according to prepscholars.com.
The best prep for the ACT is showing up to class and being active in your education, senior high guidance counselor Meredith Sander said. “Buying ACT prep books and studying content does work for some, but what people should take advantage of is the practice test that allows you to learn about time management skills. That is a huge part of the test itself, knowing what to spend your time on and how much time to spend on it.”
The national average composite score in 2016 was a 20.8, with higher scores in reading and science. Massachusetts has the highest average with a 24.8 and Mississippi takes the trophy with the lowest composite score at 18.4. Minnesota falls right in between those, yet still above average, at a 21.1.
But really, how big of a deal is it to get a good score? “The higher score you get the more you qualify for scholarship money and that is the most important reason to do well on the ACT,” Mrs. Sander said. “Most students who are looking at a four year school qualify without a really high score. That being said, the more competitive the school is the more benefit there is to having a higher score.”
Truly, the score you get is important but it’s not something worth pulling your hair out over. So good luck to all the juniors taking the ACT tomorrow.