When To Take The ACT For The Best Score

Hello 7EDU readers and we are back again for our Friday blog post!


Just a week ago, we wrote an article on when students should be taking the SAT test to maximize their exam results (if you have not gotten the chance yet to read it, check it out by clicking here).


Now that you have a higher knowledge of when to strategically take your SAT exam, let's take a similar approach and analysis of the ACT college entrance examination.


If you are unsure about the major distinctions and differences of the SAT and ACT, read yesterday's blog to catch up!


Parents and students wondered and you all have asked, so we delivered! Keep on reading to gain more insight on when it is best for a student to be taking their ACT test in order to maximize results for college admissions.


Should you even be taking the SAT Essay or ACT Writing when it is optional? Read about it here!

The ACT is an admissions examination utilized by universities to assess student candidates and to aid the college entrance officer in making admission decisions.


For the academic calendar year of 2019-2020, there are seven possible ACT test dates. Colleges and universities will accept any test result from any of the aforementioned test dates, taken at any point during a student's high school career.


Below is the ACT examination schedule alongside with their corresponding registration deadlines (regular and late registration included):

  • September 14, 2019 | Regular: August 16, 2019 | Late: August 17-30, 2019

  • October 26, 2019 | Regular: September 20, 2019 | Late: September 21-October 4, 2019

  • December 14, 2019 | Regular: November 8, 2019 | Late: November 9-22, 2019

  • February 8, 2020 | Regular: January 10, 2020 | Late: January 11-17, 2020

  • April 4, 2020 | Regular: February 28, 2020 | Late: February 29-March 13, 2020

  • June 13, 2020 | Regular: May 8, 2020 | Late: May 9-22, 2020

  • July 18, 2020* | Regular: June 19, 2020 | Late: June 20-26, 2020

* Please note that are no test centers scheduled in New York for the July examination date


As there are seven possible examination dates that students can register and take the ACT test for, many parents and students have inquired about when to strategically test prep and register for the exam and maximize their scores or results.


Following below are strategies and recommendations that you can implement prior to the ACT test to increase your chances of a higher exam score.


No-Nos


Previously mentioned in our blog article on when to take the SAT test, a student could choose to take the examination in their sophomore year; however, it is not encouraged since the student will most likely have not learned the necessary information by that period.


Another problematic time for students to take note of is other underlying tests that they are also preparing for. This typically refers to students that are registered for the SAT Subject Tests.


Students should keep in mind of examination dates that are too close to one another as they may overwhelm themselves with stress while preparing for their multiple exams.


Do not stress about certain things that will not matter on college applications... but like what? Read our previous blog to know!


For your convenience, here is the list of the College Board's SAT Subject Tests along with their exam dates and registration deadlines:

  • October 5, 2019 | Regular: September 6, 2019 | Late: September 17, 2019 (for mailed registrations), September 24, 2019 (for registrations made online or by phone)

  • November 2, 2019 | Regular: October 3, 2019 | Late: October 15, 2019 (for mailed registration), October 22, 2019 (for registrations made online or by phone)

  • December 7, 2019 | Regular: November 8, 2019 | Late: November 19, 2019 (for mailed registrations), November 26, 2019 (for registrations made online or by phone)

  • May 2, 2020 | Regular: April 3, 2020 | Late: April 14, 2020 (for mailed registrations), April 21, 2020 (for registrations made online or by phone)

  • June 6, 2020 | Regular: May 8, 2020 | Late: May 19, 2020 (for mailed registrations), May 27, 2020 (for registrations made online or by phone)

If you want more information, see the College Board's test date deadlines for the SAT Subject Test here.


Thinking about the SAT Experimental section of the exam? Ace it with the following tips in our blog article.


Be tactical with when you do choose to take your ACT test while remembering whether you have other examination commitments to focus on.

Now that you understand the no-no's when to take the ACT, what are the best tactics in preparing for the examination in order to receive high marks?


Preparation


Students that intend on applying for highly selective and competitive colleges should anticipate taking the ACT exam at least twice. Preferably, students should be taking the test during the spring of junior year and another within the fall season of their senior year in high school.


As such, parents who intend to register and enroll their children for tutoring or college preparation courses should bear these ideal ACT test deadlines in mind.


Prepare in advance for college by taking Honors or AP courses during high school. But what should you be taking to increase your chances of college admission? - Find out in our blog post here.


The logic behind preparing and taking the ACT examination above-mentioned is that students are given the opportunity to study and prepare for what they did not comprehend during the summer, just before taking the ACT test again in September or October of the fall season.


If you are looking to read our Mandarin-friendly version, written by 7EDU founder Jun Liu, click here.


7EDU Impact Academy offers online and on-site college prep services ranging from counseling, one-on-ones, to full courses. If you want to learn more about something we wrote, feel free to contact us at (408) 216-9109 or email us at info@7edu.org.





If you want to learn more and ask follow-up questions, join us today on our live webinar Consulting Jun today at 5:30 PM PST (Zoom Link). Special Q&A available at the end of the webinar!


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Tags: #college #act #sat #bayarea #cupertino #tutor #learn #education #elearning

When To Take The ACT For The Best Score
7EDU Impact Academy 7 July, 2021
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