As high school students across the country prepare for the upcoming April 13^th ACT test date – and Milwaukee Public Schools juniors prepare for the district-wide ACT on April 23^rd – test anxiety is in the air. Students wonder how to get ready, and parents wonder what they can do to support their children through the standardized testing process. One group of students will go into these testing days feeling especially confident and prepared: College Possible students.

After months of preparing with College Possible Milwaukee, a college preparation and success program for low-income students, the official ACT on April 13^th marks the fifth time (yes! you read that right) the program’s 300 juniors will take the 4-hour exam. With the support of the program’s near-peer mentors during two-hour after-school sessions twice a week, and four full-length practice tests over the past eight months, students have devoted more than 160 hours to ensuring a successful score on their ACT exam.

With all of this experience helping students through the ACT process, College Possible students know how to prepare for success on this important college admissions test! Here are our ACT Prep Coaches’ Top 5 Tips for success when taking the ACT this spring:

1. Get up early enough to have a good breakfast and exercise your brain. Doing a word find or Sudoku is a great way to wake up.
2. Make sure you know how you are getting to your testing site the morning of the test. Flat tire? Parent can’t take you? It’s good to have a back-up transportation plan just in case.
3. Arrive at your testing site 30 minutes before the test begins. This will give you enough time to check in, find your testing room and mentally prepare.
4. Make sure you have photo identification, a calculator and several #2 pencils with erasers.
5. Turn off your phone! If any electronic devices go off during testing, you’ll be kicked out of the test and your test will be thrown out.

With these tips and the intensive support of our programming, College Possible Milwaukee juniors increased their ACT score by an average of 19 percent last year. Historically, 98 percent of College Possible students have earned admission to college and 80 percent have either graduated or are currently working to complete their college degree.