Here are the top 6 reasons why KISD students should take the ACT:
Reason #1 to Take the ACT: College Admissions
One of the most important reasons to take the ACT is to make sure you give yourself the best odds possible when applying to college, especially if you’re applying to any highly competitive or moderately competitive schools.
1. Avoiding missed opportunities.
According to FairTest, a public interest group that reports on the use of standardized tests, some 90% of US colleges and universities are now test-optional, test-free, or test-blind. This can lead many students to think there’s no need to take the ACT, period.
That said, I'm quick to tell students they should consider which schools still do require testing — since these include schools like MIT, Georgetown, and Purdue.
And, with a shift back to test requirements gaining momentum, there are now several Ivy League schools, plus Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and other impressive institutions reinstating testing in the very near future.
This trend means taking the ACT will increase the odds you’re ready to meet all application requirements on time — wherever you decide to apply and regardless of shifting test policies at individual schools.
2. Benefits to think about even when applying to test-optional schools.
A good number of test-optional schools rank among the best and most selective universities in the US — schools such as Columbia, UPenn, University of Chicago, Tufts, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, and others...
However, many of these top schools still recommend students submit test scores.
So it's probably best not to leave anything to chance. Taking the ACT can help your applications stand out across a range of top schools, be they test-required or test-optional!
3. Other ways taking the ACT can benefit your college admissions goals:
- Use your ACT score range to help you pick your target, reach, and safety schools. Whether you work through this process on your own, assisted by a school guidance counselor, or with help from a strategist, knowing your ACT score can help you gauge which schools are good target schools vs. reach schools. To jumpstart the process, try using a free online US College Admissions Calculator.
- Aim for a top score and boost your college applications. If you’re able to achieve a very high score, taking the ACT can elevate the academic component of your college admissions resume, increasing your chances for admissions at more selective schools, whether test-required or test-optional.
- Take advantage of a strong sub-score. You may already know that a “perfect” score on the ACT is equal to 36. But that composite score is calculated using individual scores from each section of the ACT: English, mathematics, reading, and science (plus there’s an optional writing test). Achieving an exceptional score in relevant subsections can boost your chances for admissions to competitive schools, programs, and majors. For example, I remind students that earning high scores in the ACT Math and ACT Science can easily outweigh other scores, including the composite score, when applying to top STEM programs. Likewise, really high scores in reading and English may elevate your application profile for prestigious liberal arts colleges or for a top pre-law program.
- Use your success on the ACT to offset a lower GPA. Today, most students submitting applications to good schools, even moderately selective ones, have outstanding GPAs. If you have some grades bringing down your overall GPA, putting in place a strong test prep plan, with time and space for one or two ACT retakes, could be a good strategy. A strong ACT score can go a long way in balancing the impact of a lackluster GPA.
As you can see, there are many benefits to taking the ACT, for college admissions alone, not to mention other ways taking the ACT test can benefit high school students.
Whether you’re already taking the ACT or still deciding whether to take it, it’s worth remembering there are many ways to benefit from ACT test results, even beyond vying for college admission at top-ranked schools.
Reason #2 to Take the ACT: Financial Aid & Scholarships
In addition to boosting college applications, an ACT score report can help students qualify for and win merit-based financial aid, which could take the form of programmatic scholarships or full-ride institutional grants.
In fact, according to the BBC, a survey from The Princeton Review found that 36% of respondents said financial aid was their main reason for taking standardized exams.
Weighing the Benefits of ACT Testing for Scholarships
Here are some key insights to think about when weighing the potential benefits of taking the ACT for merit-based scholarships, based on recent reporting by FairTest and by Forbes:
Over the last forty years, says educator Peter Greene writing for Forbes, “states have been shifting scholarship money away from needs-based and towards merit-based programs." This trend highlights why taking the ACT could help you qualify for some scholarships.
However, researchers with FairTest present a slightly different perspective, pointing out that only about half of state merit-based scholarship programs relied on test scores — which also means of course that about half don't require scores.
Moreover, among merit scholarship programs at “flagship” public universities, only about a third required test scores.
Clearly, earning a solid ACT score may open doors to some important scholarship opportunities, but organizations such as FairTest are more skeptical, arguing that marketing campaigns by test publishers and test prep vendors may overly influence families’ concerns about standardized testing and merit-based scholarships.
According to FairTest, “only a quarter of all current ‘merit’ aid scholarships have test-score requirements.” Therefore, they argue, students should think twice before allocating lots of effort and resources to test taking and test preparation.
Reason #3 to Take the ACT: Academic Guidance
Another potential benefit of taking the ACT is that the detailed score reporting can provide additional academic guidance as you chart a path through high school course selections.
If you’re planning to apply to a selective college or university, admissions officers will most likely be looking to see if you challenged yourself by selecting courses that increase in academic rigor from one year to the next. One purpose of the ACT test is to help students assess their readiness for more challenging academic curriculum.
And, even if you’re not planning on applying to a top-ranking university, you’ll want to finish high school with as strong an academic foundation as possible, as a stepping stone to the best possible opportunities after high school.
Here are four specific ways to think about the benefits of the ACT test for academic guidance:
- You can use your ACT score report to uncover nuanced insights into your academic strengths and academic gaps, within each of the test’s five subject clusters: Reading, Math, English, Science, and optional Writing.
- ACT test results can help you and your school guidance counselor identify the best courses to select when you enroll for each subsequent grade in high school, and anticipate what academic support you might need to thrive in a more challenging course.
- Use ACT test results to help you identify areas for academic remediation as early as possible so you can work with teachers and counselors to address them constructively and not let temporary challenges hold you back.
- ACT testing can unlock insights into your core academic aptitudes, in different domains, such as verbal analysis skills or quantitative reasoning — insights that may illuminate past academic challenges or help you anticipate subjects where you're more likely to excel.
Reason #4 to Take the ACT: Vocational Exploration
Using ACT scores to assess and track your academic progress could also provide some practical insights for vocational exploration.
- Explore how your academic aptitudes align with different vocational pathways.
- Use results from selected international subject area tests, such as assessments of mastery in physics, chemistry, or US history, to stimulate further vocational exploration.
- Use your ACT results alongside feedback from other diagnostic tools and from guidance counselors for help picking a major or homing in on the best career pathways for your personality, interests, skills, and aptitudes.
Reason #5 to Take the ACT: Assessing English Language Proficiency
Across all sections of the ACT, but especially the Reading and English sections, your test performance will reveal a lot about your English language proficiency.
If English is your second language and/or you’re an international student applying to top schools in the US or UK, ACT testing could further prepare you to perform better on English proficiency tests, often required for international applicants, such as the TOEFL, IELTS, or DET…
Likewise, ACT offers subject matter tests that may be of interest to English learners or international students making plans to study in the US. These include the following subjects: English 1, English 2, and US History.
And did you know that students who earn a certain ACT score on relevant tests may qualify to waive language testing requirements for admission, at some US colleges and universities?
Columbia University in New York, for example, allows international students who achieve a certain ACT score to qualify as English proficient, as per Columbia's official policy:
To be considered for admission to Columbia, you must be comfortable with rapid and idiomatic spoken English. There are several different ways to demonstrate that you are proficient in English on your application:
- Your home language is English.
- Your primary language of instruction at school has been English for the duration of your secondary school career.
- You earned 29 or higher on the English or Reading sections of the ACT.
- You earned 700 or higher on the Evidence Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT.
If you meet one or more of the above criteria, you have fulfilled Columbia’s English language proficiency requirement.
Policies and required score levels vary, so be sure to review all admissions policies and requirements carefully wherever you plan to apply.
Reason #6 to Take the ACT: Qualifying for Honors Programs and Extracurriculars
Many students and families are understandably hyper-focused on college applications and admissions, as the outcome can be so transformative. This makes it easy to forget that many motivated high school students will be applying to more than colleges...
In addition to potentially applying for scholarships, you may decide to apply to competitive, merit-based honors or enrichment programs — while still in high school or after enrolling in college. These could include:
- Selective pre-college academic programs, usually with an academic or research focus and during summer recess
- Undergraduate research fellowships or similar research assistant opportunities or academic honors programs
- Selective or competitive study abroad programs, pre-college or in college
- Selective, high-caliber internships for high school students or for undergraduates
