The ACTs are quickly approaching, and many students are feeling anxiety over the important test for our future. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) says that this anxiety stems from fear of failure, poor test history, and lack of preparation. These feelings are magnified when students think of the ACT, which is one of the most important tests in high school.
“It makes me excessively nervous because it’s the thing that determines the rest of your life. You won’t get into [a good] college if you don’t have a good ACT score,” said junior Matt Magiera. Several other juniors concurred, saying that they were anxious because it’s one of the most important tests in their lives.
Illinois is one of the few states where every graduating student is tested with the ACT. The average composite score was 20.7 in 2014, according to the National ACT website. The English average was 20.3, the math was 20.7, the reading was 20.8, and the science average was 20.5.
According to Dr. Christine Warren, South’s assistant principle, the average composite score on the ACT at South has gone up since 2013, up from 19.3 in 2013 to 20.1 in 2014, and 20.3 in 2015.
It is highly recommended that students take the ACT prep class that is offered here at South. According to the teachers who run this program, students who take the prep class score on average 3 points higher than when they took the practice ACT.
“Juniors who have taken the ACT prep course versus juniors who did not take the ACT prep course have performed better four consecutive years in a row,” said Dawn Erickson, the facilitator of the ACT prep course.
There are many websites that offer tips on how to overcome test anxiety. According to Study Guides and Strategy, some tips to overcome this anxiety are: be prepared, show up to the test with confidence, do not think you need to cram before the test, get a good night’s sleep, and allow yourself plenty of time.
According to the Act website, there are 75 questions on the English portion with 45 minutes to complete it, 60 questions on the math portion with 60 minutes to complete it, 40 questions on both the reading and science portions, with 35 minutes for reading and 35 minutes for science.