30 ACT Score

The Infamous 30 ACT Composite Score

Everyone wants the infamous 30 ACT composite score. Why does every student desire a 30 on their ACT?  Just to say they have a 30? What does a 30 composite score actually get you?  More scholarships? Entry into a highly selective school? The ability to say you scored a 30?  Maybe.  Maybe a 30 composite score will get you all of those things, but let’s take a closer look to see if that score is the right score for you.

Did you know that the National average ACT score for college bound students is a 19.8? The average for the state of Kansas is 19.9 and the average score for the state of Alabama is a 18. Meanwhile, The District of Columbia averaged 26.9, keeping in mind the estimated percent of graduates tested was only 18%. We want state and national averages to be transparent because it’s important to understand how other high school students are scoring on their ACT test.

Average ACT Scores

Scholarships

So why does a 30 ACT score haunt high school students?  For most students, scholarship money is what drives a student to achieve the very best score they can. For example, The University of Alabama gives a break down of scholarships related to ACT/SAT scores, plus their GPA score. Students will be awarded $1,000 more if they score anywhere between 30-36 + a certain GPA. If you’ve taken the ACT 3x and can’t get past a 28 or 29, don’t worry about it. You’ll still get a great scholarship.

Make sure you at least have an outline of the types of colleges you would like to attend and then take those schools’ scholarship requirements into consideration. Most students would be shocked to realize the break usual isn’t at 30, but closer to 31, if not a 32 or higher.

College Entry

The same principal applies to college entry.  Highly selective schools typically don’t look for a standard of a 30 ACT (or it’s SAT equivalent). They look for higher scores starting at a 31 or 32, plus a fantastic GPA of around 3.75 or higher. For example, Vanderbilt University in Nashville typical accepts students scoring in the 33-35 range. The middle 50% of scorers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois is 33-35, similar to that of Duke University in Durham, NC. The bottom line is, do your research on the schools with which you’re truly interested and figure out if a 30 is sufficient or if you need to score even higher.

It’s so important to set proper goals based on what you are interested in, your ability, and what is tangible for you. If you take a pretest and score a 17 composite score, a 30 is big stretch – to say the least! Do you have endless amounts of time to study? What about your class schedule in high school? You don’t want to fall behind on your regular classes to study hours and hours for the ACT.

It’s so important to set proper goals based on what you are interested in, your ability, and what is tangible for you. If you take a pretest and score a 17 composite score, a 30 is big stretch – to say the least! Do you have endless amounts of time to study? What about your class schedule in high school? You don’t want to fall behind on your regular classes to study hours and hours for the ACT.

Extracurricular Activities

Another factor to consider is all of your extracurricular activities. Studying for and taking the October ACT while you are in football or volleyball will be totally overwhelming. How full is your schedule this semester? Do you even have the time and energy to spend on achieving a 30? The ACT has several test dates from which to choose throughout the year; choose one that makes sense for you and your schedule.

Get Smarter Prep has different prep options for any type of student: from a small group course to semi-private and private tutoring. Select an option and test date that will set you up for success, not overwhelm you.  Setting a tangible goal score will the best way to assure success, whether it’s the infamous 30, a solid 26, or a Kansas average of 19.8. 

 

 

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Setting a Goal

Setting A Goal

It’s one of the main questions we ask every single one of our students before we start any kind of ACT prep. What’s your goal? Why do you want that goal? Is it because you’re trying to get into a certain college or are you trying to obtain a scholarship? Either way, having a goal in mind makes it a lot easier to distinguish what to do and what not to do when students start preparing for the ACT.

When do I choose a goal?

As soon as possible. Keep in mind, that may look different for every student. However, for the majority of students the best time to start preparing is the end of sophomore year or beginning of Junior year. It also depends on your academics and which classes you’ve already taken in high school. The math portion of the ACT is heavy in Algebra, so if a student is taking Algebra II as a sophomore, then end of your sophomore year is a perfect time to start. If you are a Junior and taking Algebra II, then the end of your Junior year is more appropriate.

If you already have a college or university in mind and know what type of ACT score you need for admittance, then you might be a step ahead of everyone else. Or, if you need a certain ACT score for a scholarship, that is a fantastic reason to reach your goal!

The best way to start preparing early is to take a Free Practice Test to establish a baseline score. We offer those every Saturday morning at Get Smarter Prep. Once you have a baseline, we can determine how best to prepare for the ACT. Some students may need a full 15-hour Private Tutorial to reach the highest score possible. Other students are a good fit for one of our Standard or Advanced Courses. We won’t know how best to prepare until a baseline is established, so take advantage of our practice tests.

Why set a goal?

Setting a goal is one of the most assured ways of meeting a goal. A Harvard Business study revealed amazing statistics relating to goal setting and success. The study found that 14% who have goals are 10 times more successful than those without goals. Go ahead and write down your goals and then share them with your tutor, parents, and those who are supportive of your goals.

Is my goal realistic?

That depends. Are you willing to shift activities around to accommodate sessions, complete homework, and put in the effort? Our tutors have seen increases up to 12+ points for students who are dedicated to their goals. If a student only wants a 2-3 point increase, the same dedication applies to the student who wants a larger increase, it may just look a little different. It depends on the level of tutor, the length of test prep, and if students are willing to put in the work to meet or exceed their goals.

If you’re having a difficult time setting a goal or don’t know what a good goal should be, then contact us. We are happy to help students figure out what an appropriate goal is for them and work towards reaching that goal!

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Get Smarter Prep Partners with Tamara Day

Get Smarter Prep Partners with Tamara Day

Get Smarter Prep today announced a new partnership with Tamara Day. This partnership will help local students and parents meet and exceed their goals for college by learning proper techniques and methods to study better, retain knowledge, and prepare for their future.

“We are thrilled to work with the Day family and help the boys reach their educational goals,” says Caleb Pierce, President at Get Smarter Prep. “The college prep process can be confusing for most families, and we are glad that our amazing team can be a reliable resource to families.”

“My husband and I work full time, and with four kids, our evenings were total chaos between homework, practices, and events. Homework was by far the most stressful part.,” says Tamara Day, Host of HGTV’s Bargain Mansions and Owner of Growing Days. “Get Smarter Prep has lifted that weight off of our shoulders. We know our boys are getting the guidance they need, and our world is peaceful again!”

By working with Tamara, we hope to help even more students reach their potential by understanding the college prep process and clearly identify steps they need to take in high school to make college preparation not only understandable, but more importantly, attainable.

About Get Smarter Prep:

At Get Smarter Prep, our goal is to customize students learning experiences to help them score better, and the techniques and methods we teach will help students going forward into college. Our tutors help build up confidence, beat test anxiety, and identify strengths & areas students want to improve.

About Tamara Day:

Designer Tamara Day is a purveyor of the glam and cozy. This busy wife and mother of four styles for the spirited home, mixing glam, comfort, and family. Tamara’s sense of style and eye for what works has created an insatiable demand for her interior design expertise, furniture and décor. On HGTV’s Bargain Mansions, Tamara and her crew transform big, old houses that she finds at bargain prices. Tamara also owns Growing Days, her interior design, furniture, décor and lifestyle business.

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ACT Prep

It’s that time of the year again. School is starting, students are getting back into the swing of things, the weather is starting to cool down (okay maybe yet not in the Kansas City metro) and students are starting to think about the next step towards college. To be honest, that’s going to look different for freshman that it is for sophomores than it is for juniors and last, but not least, seniors. We’ve put together a road map to college as a visual to guide students through their high school career. Not sure where to start? Look at the roadmap.

Road Map to College

Freshman Year

A great place to begin is by building a resume as a freshman. Keep track of your classes, make notes of the courses you liked and didn’t like, put a star next to your favorite teacher. Your resume doesn’t necessarily have to be perfect and polished, but make sure you take notes. You’ll thank yourself in three years.

Sophomore Year

As a sophomore, your classes may start getting a bit more difficult and the thought of college a little closer. How best to prepare? Keep going. Keep taking classes that challenge you and keep getting good grades. Join a club, volunteer, try out for a sport. Keep in mind, you should be including all of these opportunities in your resume. If you’ve taken Algebra II as a sophomore, the end of the school year is a good time to start thinking about the ACT. You can take a practice ACT test at Get Smarter Prep to establish a baseline score. We offer Free Practice ACT tests every Saturday morning.

Junior Year – ACT Prep

Okay, we’re going to say it: Your Junior year of high school is important. It’s the time in your high school career when students start preparing for the ACT, put together college lists, and perhaps start visiting colleges. If you didn’t take Algebra II as a sophomore, then you will take it as a Junior, which is important because the math section of the ACT is heavy in Algebra. We have multiple options to start preparing for the ACT including courses with set curriculum, Semi-Private Tutoring and Private Tutoring.

Senior Year

Senior year and the countdown is on! If you still need to increase your ACT score, the first semester is the best time for ACT Prep so you can crush the ACT and get to your ACT goal. Hopefully as a senior, you have a college list prepared, you are working on your college essays, and are ready to start applying to some of those colleges. Then sit back and enjoy the rest of high school!

At Get Smarter Prep, we are here to help. We want every student who walks through our doors to succeed. Whether that means a 2-point ACT increase, 5-point ACT increase or help with college essays, our tutors are readily available to help students reach their goals.

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TFOU Winners

Scholarship Winners

One of our favorite ways to give back to the Kansas City area is offering local students the chance to succeed no matter what school they attend or where they come from. In fact, it’s so important to us that we partnered with another local organization that does the same thing for high school students.

When we met two of the founders of The Future of Us, who invest in students by offering finances, time, guidance, leadership, support and encouragement for their academic goals, we knew immediately that we wanted to help and be a part of what they offered to students in their community.

Fast forward six months into our partnership and we have helped two amazing students, hand-picked by TFOS, to prep for the ACT. Each student has been given the same opportunity: take a free practice, establish a baseline score, evaluate how best to prepare for the ACT, and begin one-on-one private tutoring.

TFOU Winners

Our first scholarship recipient, Kenmaryon, was able to fit in a 9-hour Tutorial for the April 17th ACT and improved 3 points! We are excited for this opportunity to open new doors for Kenmaryon’s future college plans, which include applying to UMKC and University of Missouri.  We wish him the best of luck as he prepares for his senior year of high school!

“The experience was helpful, especially when the ACT feels like a random test near the end of high school. The prep helped me understand the ACT and develop strategies like it was presented. The one-on-one tutoring helped me get an answer quicker to any problem I had,” said Kenmaryon.

The second scholarship recipient is going into his Senior Year at from Belton High School and is active in track and in his free time enjoys photography. Michael had a 9-hour Tutorial for the July 17th ACT and improved his ACT score by 6 points! Michael is applying to University of Kansas as well as Missouri State University.

“I Love all of my tutors, everyone is very friendly and I’m way better at doing ACTs than before this. I’m so happy about my six-point increase, I’ve really improved thanks to you guys!  Thank you so much Jill, and everyone else that has helped with this ACT,” said Michael.

“Michael has been wonderful in class! After using our universal strategies, his scores were up four points by the midterm. He’s dedicated to get his score up, and he always has such a positive attitude in class. Michael’s been working so hard, and it’s really paying off for him!” said Ashley Brennan, Michael’s Tutor.

Our Tutors look forward to investing in more students sent to us by TFOU throughout the second half of the year.

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ACT National Test Dates '21-'22

ACT Releases National Test Dates for 2021-2022

If you’re thinking about taking the ACT this fall or really planning ahead and looking at next spring, preparing for the test just got easier for you. ACT.org just released their National Test Dates for the rest of 2021 and onto 2022. Keep in mind, students will have a registration deadline and photo upload deadline for each test date.

One thing to think about when looking at each ACT test date is your schedule. Is the test date you’ve chosen cohesive with your classes, homework load, extra-curricular activities, job, sports schedule, etc.? If it’s going to be a big struggle to fit in the ACT this semester, then take a look at another date and see if you are able to lighten your load before then.

Below, we’ve put together a chart for students to easily reference the dates and start preparing for their chosen ACT date.

ACT National Test Dates '21-'22

Get Smarter Prep is always available to help students prepare for the ACT, whether that means taking our ACT Prep Course, Semi-Private Tutoring or one-on-one Private Tutoring. If you have no clue as to what you would actually score on a real ACT, we offer Free Practice Tests every Saturday morning. You can sign up for a Practice Test Here. 

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