CAMDEN The ACT is a difficult test to master. It’s a test that could control your future and what classes you need to take. It could lead you to feeling humiliated or smug. What you might not know is that the test does not measure how smart you are but how well you are at testing under pressure and knowing what the question is asking. You could be a genius and not make the best grade on the ACT. There are tricks to making adequate grades on the ACT; you just have to know what they are.
Probably the most common advice anyone could give about the ACT would be checking the time. It would be best to bring a watch, because it would be at a relatively good viewpoint and would be digital unlike the clocks in most of the testing rooms. You can keep track of time and work at your own pace with the advantage of having time at your fingertips.
On the science ACT, it does not really teach about science. It is about how well you can read graphs and knowing what the question is asking you for. Sadly, the science test is the second to last test you take and you want to get it over with, so you have to try to keep your mind fresh. Especially on this test, do not go back and change your answer; you could have the right answer and second guess yourself into the wrong answer.
Take advantage of the breaks you have in between tests and don’t stress. You can take this test as many times as you need, and the grade you make isn’t how intelligent you are. Do not give up hope, and focus on what you need to make improvements on. Some colleges do a super score which is when they take the highest grades you make out of each ACT and combine them. You could make a perfect score with the super score without making it on the test!
Lacy Olivarez is a junior at Camden Fairview High School