College admissions season is in full swing. As seniors decide where they want to go after high school, juniors are thinking about what schools they will apply to next year.
One part of the process that might be less popular after some schools made the test optional is preparing for and taking the ACT and standardized tests.
Some schools, like the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, don’t currently require students to report their ACT or SAT score.
Still, a high score can bring benefits to students like higher scholarship and financial aid offers and the potential for higher placement in classes, said Tina Gridiron, chief impact and learning officer at ACT.
“What we’re seeing in the data and in the research is that students are leaving resource opportunities on the table,” Gridiron said. “They are not taking full advantage of what is available to them in the confusion around test options.”
All Milwaukee Public Schools students take the ACT in March, but Gridiron recommends students take the test at least twice.
Gridiron said retaking the test at least once can help reduce testing anxiety and gives students the chance to raise their score.
Students who retake the test on a Saturday are also eligible to join Recruit Me, a college recruitment program that connects test-takers with college and scholarship opportunities near and far.
Whether your student hasn’t yet taken the ACT and wants to prepare, or is looking to improve their score, here are some tips.
If a school is test optional, do scores matter?
Even if you’re looking at test-optional colleges and universities, Gridiron said a high ACT score can still open the door to different opportunities.
A strong ACT score can make students a stronger candidate on scholarship applications, especially for more competitive scholarships.
Higher scores can also open doors to more college choices that might not be available without the test score, Gridiron said.
Also, Gridiron said if a school didn’t receive a student’s standardized test score, it might require the student to take placement tests to determine English and math levels. If a student scores low on a placement test, they could be placed in a remedial English or math class before they can start credit-earning classes.
Marc Young, executive director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said his school uses ACT scores to place students into different math and English classes.
For example, Young said, a 22 math score corresponds to a particular math class.
Students who don’t submit an ACT score need to take a course placement exam, which typically opens in March. A student can take it any time after they’re admitted before their first school year starts, Young said.
If a student wasn’t happy with their ACT score but believes they could be placed in a more advanced class, Young said they can take the placement exam as well.
Haven’t taken the test yet? Here’s when you should start preparing
Dan Marlin, managing director at Galin Education, a college preparation tutoring company in Madison, said preparing for the ACT gives students a higher chance of success.
Marlin said students should ideally start preparing for the ACT in the spring of their sophomore year.
Most students need at least six months to prepare, Marlin said, so it’s important to stay consistent and not cram studying into a short period of time.
Starting in sophomore year puts you ahead, but you can still prepare if you’re a junior, he said. Juniors in Milwaukee should have already taken at least one ACT test in school but can start studying for a retake test now.
Where and when do I retest?
Find a test center here.
ACT also lists upcoming testing dates on its website. The next testing date is June 13 and the deadline to register is May 8.
How much money does an ACT test cost?
ACT tests offered through school are free. Additional ACT tests that include English, math, and reading costs $68. For $25 you can take an add-on writing test or for $4 an add-on science test.
Eleventh and 12th graders whose family’s income is at or below the level for free or reduced-priced lunches, receives public assistance or are in another program for economically disadvantaged students can qualify for a waived fee to take the ACT for free.
A fee waiver also comes with free ACT online learning resources and other benefits.
To register for a fee waiver, speak to your school counselor.
How to know if you should retake, or what score to aim for?
The score you aim for depends on your individual goals and the requirements of specific colleges and majors.
Gridiron said a score in the 24 to 26 range usually allows students to opt out of remedial classes. Scores in the 30 to 32 range are typically considered strong.
To get a better idea of what score to aim for, Marlin said students should look up the range of ACT scores across admitted students for the colleges and programs they’re interested in.
If students are interested in a specific pathway, they should check the ACT score range for the programs they’re interested in at different schools.
How should a student decide whether to submit their ACT score?
If your student feels confident in their score, Young encourages them to submit it.
He said the University of Wisconsin system only uses ACT scores to a student’s benefit, not as a deterrent for admission.
“We want to make sure that students who submit with just the application have just as much advantage as those students who submit with standardized test scores, so we look at students holistically,” Young said. “We take all of the things that a student discloses to us in consideration when making an admission decision as well as considerations for our honors college and any sort of scholarships as well.”
How can students prepare for the test?
Marlin said students can access free ACT test resources online like practical tests and study guides. ACT’s “big red book” with official ACT practice tests is useful, too, he said.
Marlin recommends students read regularly, especially over the summer. He said reading outside school helps significantly with reading portions on the tests.
The most progress happens when students have one-on-one tutoring, but preparing using the suggested resources above typically leads to at least an increase of a couple of points, Marlin said.
Your Move MKE hosts weekly ACT tutoring every Monday through Friday from 3:30-5 p.m. at 1674 S. 11th St. Daniel Monge, the tutoring program coordinator, said students can come in to take a free practice exam, then Your Move MKE looks at the results and focuses on improving weaknesses.
“If there’s a weak spot in their application packets, the ACT or SAT score can often override that,” Monge said. “It’s just one of the various factors (colleges) account for, but it’s very important as it’s a standardized score and can help with apples-to-apples comparisons with your peers.”
Alex Klaus is the education solutions reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
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