ACT: An Inevitable Part of the College Application Process

According to Brief History Of The ACT Tests, in 1959, the first ever ACT came out. That year, 75,000 students took the test. And ever since then, the ACT has been used among colleges all across the United States. Is the ACT fair though? Should it be a part that determines if you get into college?

AHS senior, Kaiyli Whelan said, “Taking the ACT in my opinion should not determine whether or not you get into college. The tests are very hard and are not fair.”

Whelan says she has taken the ACT four times and got a 24 every time. Even receiving  tutoring and studying on her still did not improve on he score. She said she’s not satisfied with a 24 mainly because Madison, colleges that Whelan wants to go to, requires a 27.

“A reason why I think this test isn’t fair is because I believe that it is very hard to improve. My mom spent $400 on a tutor and I got the same score each time. It was a waste of my time and a waste of money. I don’t know why ACTs are such a big thing for college…it just doesn’t make sense,” said Whelan.

The ACT Admission Requirements says, “Since all students have taken the ACT, admissions officers use it as a sort of normalizer. Your ACT score shows college admissions officers if your GPA and transcript are accurate representations of your academic ability. If your GPA is high but your ACT score is low, admissions officers may think your grades were inflated. However, if you have a 4.0 GPA with a perfect 36 SAT score, admissions officers will likely be impressed and think your GPA is reflective of your academic potential.”

The ACT tests are challenging and some of the information on the test she still hasn’t learned in classes, Whelan said.

Whelan says, “Some people are just very bad test takers and struggle when it come to a timed test that determines a lot. And when people know how much the ACT counts for, it is even more stressful. Also people who are in a lower math class are at a disadvantage because some of the math questions are higher level questions.”  

Senior AHS student Megan Peterson, on the other hand, says she has a different perspective.

“I know that a lot of people do not like taking the ACT but I believe that is is very good test summary of everything that we work on in school,” Peterson said.

She said she understands why some people might not like the test, but at the same time there is a lot of test strategies that can help improve your score.

“Yes, the thought of a four hour test sucks and some people are bad at taking tests, but at the same time these scores can be improved in many ways. There are countless opportunities to raise your score including AHS prep classes, one on one tutoring and so much more. The deadline for the ACT is a month before the test so as long as you sign up by then you will be good,” she said.

Peterson said that the biggest part is believing that your can achieve it.

“It is all in your head,” she said.