What Is It?
Along with rigor of schedule, grade-point average, and class rank, the ACT Test is one of the criteria used by 4-year universities/colleges to determine freshman admission. For UW College Admission Guidelines, please visit uwhelp.wisconsin.edu. It is a curriculum-based test, meaning it is based on the information students should be learning in their core classes. There are four main tests; English, Reading, Science, and Math, of which all are scored out of 36 maximum points, and a Writing component that is scored on a 12-point scale. There is no penalty for guessing incorrectly. Students can take the test multiple times, on specified testing dates, and universities/colleges will consider their top score. Some scholarships use ACT scores as a determining factor as well.
When Does It Take Place?
Beginning the 2014-15 school year, all juniors in public high schools in the state of Wisconsin take the ACT at their school in February at no cost to the student. This year, the ACT will be taken on Thursday, March 21, 2024. These tests will take place here at Prescott High School during the regular school day. While this test is used for measuring school performance, it is the same ACT test used for university/college placement, and can be used for admissions; the exception would be if a student received accommodations not allowed by universities/colleges for placement decisions.
The ACT is also offered in September, October, December, February, April, June, and July at most national testing sites in Wisconsin and Minnesota. While it can be taken multiple times, it is a curriculum-based test, so we encourage students to take the test later in the year when they have nearly completed their courses. Since juniors will take the test in March, we recommend May, June, or July as a back-up date in case students feel they could have done better. Illness and stress from personal situations, and test anxiety are all issues that may come up on test day that result in a student wanting to retest. We highly recommend students and parents schedule this early to avoid conflicts with other personal events.
Who Takes It? / What Does It Cost?
The test is typically taken by juniors, as mentioned above, but some seniors take the test early in their senior year (Sept., Oct., and/or Dec.) to better their scores. With the exception of the state-wide testing for juniors, which is free (and only available to juniors), the fee for the Basic ACT is $60.00, and for the Basic ACT Plus Writing is $70. Students who are on free or reduced lunch are eligible for a fee waiver.
What is the Writing Test?
The optional Writing Test is used by some colleges, not all, as part of the admittance process – a list of schools that require the writing test can be found on the ACT website. The writing portion is part of the test all juniors take for the state testing requirement.
How Do I Register?
The ACT website for students is www.act.org, and information about how to register, where the testing sites are located, etc., is located on that website. When a student registers they are allowed to send scores to four colleges for free- we highly recommend that students use all four free choices. While the Prescott School District pays to be allowed to put student ACT scores on our transcripts, some colleges now require students to send the scores directly to ACT at a cost of about $16 per school. A few universities/colleges and the NCAA require that ACT scores be sent to them directly from ACT, so if you are planning to apply to one or more of the following, be sure to list them as one of your four free universities/colleges when you register: UW-Madison (4656), UW-La Crosse (4672), UW-Eau Claire (4670), University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (2156), Winona State University (2162), and NCAA (9999).
How Do I Prepare?
Since the ACT is a curriculum-based test, the main way to prepare is by doing the best you can in core classes- the more you have learned, the better you should do. ACT has test prep help at www.actstudent.org/testprep. They also provide a FREE ACT Academy where you can sign up to receive more resources that are personalized to your needs at academy.act.org The high school counseling office has several free resources that students can check out to prepare. Prescott Community Education also offers an ACT prep class for students - for more information, please visit Prescott Community Education.