The college process has begun for Arrowhead juniors, according to guidance counselor Agelena Rodenkirch, as they prepare for the ACT exam that will be help on March 1st.

The ACT (American College Testing) exam was created in 1959, according to their official website. It ranks students on their basic understanding of the five core subjects: mathematics, reading, science, English, and writing. Colleges use this test score to see the basic intelligence of the applicant if they fit with the criteria of the school.

Starting in 2015, all Wisconsin public schools made the ACT mandatory for all juniors under the new Evers proposal according to the Wisconsin State Journal, which was created by Tony Evers. The fee for the exam is not paid by the students nor their families. Students can take multiple ACT exams, but have to pay a fee after the first one.

This year, Arrowhead will be having their ACT exam on March 1st according to the Arrowhead website. On March 2nd, juniors will be taking a Work Keys test that will be showing them what jobs they are most suited for.

On March 1 and 2, juniors will be testing, so all seniors will have off of school. Freshmen and sophomores will have class as usual. Students who have North Campus classes will have a study hall at South during that time.

Students like juniors Alex Nannetti and Joe Kolanowski say they are worried that the exam will have questions they are not prepared for.

Angela Rodenkirch talked about the level of difficulty of the exam. “[The exam] shouldn’t have anything on there that you haven’t seen before,” says Rodenkirch. “The math doesn’t go beyond Advanced Algebra, and the rest of the subjects don’t go beyond basic sophomore understanding.”

But that doesn’t stop students to take ACT prep classes to prepare for the exam. There are four separate classes that are four hours long that go over the things that will be on the exam.

Kolanowski is taking the class as a precaution just to hone up on his knowledge. “I’m just taking the classes to make sure I am ready for (the exam),” says Kolanowski. “So far I’ve learned nothing new in the classes.”

Nannetti says he has needed the classes for extra studying.

“Some of the things in the class I have never heard of,” says Nannetti. “These formulas I have been given I’ve never seen before. I’m glad I took the class because I would have been bad without them.”

This will be the first step for many students in the college application process, says Rodenkirch. Kids after the exam will be able to narrow their choices and start applying soon once their scores come in.