Upcoming ACT Dates and How To Prepare

The next ACT approaching is on October 22, 2022. Held on Saturday mornings, students have the option to sign up for the standard ACT or the ACT+Writing section. 

The free ACT hosted at Arrowhead is on March 7, 2022. However, the next national test date is October 22, 2022. 

The ACT includes four to five sections. Those are Reading, Mathematics, English, Science, and an optional writing section. The shortest section is 35 minutes with the longest section being 60 minutes.

The ACT without writing costs $63, and the ACT with writing costs $88. Students can sign up at ACT.org. According to the website, it takes around 30 minutes to sign up.

When students choose to take the ACT is up to them, but guidance counselors at Arrowhead recommend choosing a date based on what students have taken academically. 

Todd Reineking, a North Campus guidance counselor says, “The date you decide the ACT should depend on what you’ve taken academically. We highlight math so if you’ve taken AMS 1, it might be a good idea to wait until the March 7th one. If you’ve taken Pre-Calculus you’d be fine to take it now as you’ve covered the math material on the ACT section.”

Students can prepare for the ACT through a variety of programs.

“There’s an in-house program featured through Xello, it’s a separate program but we attached it as a resource. It’s called Methodize. It’s very a la carte, meaning students can focus on what section they feel the most unprepared for. There’s also audio/visual/and written ways of learning featured for all different types of students,” said Reineking. 

To access Methodize students can go onto the Tradition of Excellence page, click on the Xello symbol, and then once in Xello on your dashboard click Methodize from the Links and Resources section.  

Methodize focuses on all sections of the ACT but it’s also very a la carte, meaning students can focus on what section they feel the most unprepared for.

Irene Kim, an Arrowhead junior says, “I feel most unprepared for the Math section.”

Unpreparedness can be combated by studying in advance. 

“Using the ACT Books located in the library and studying a few minutes every night. Those strategies worked for me,” says Arrowhead senior Ava Rogers.