With so many things happening this year, you might be left saying, “What’s Next for Students”? 2020 has been the year of change for so many reasons, but many high school Sophomores and Juniors are wondering what are they supposed to do now? Do they take the ACT? If so, which test date? If they do not take the ACT, is that okay too?

Let’s start with moving forward. The April 4^th ACT was canceled and many locations across the country also canceled the June ACT. Those students who were signed up to take the test on those dates were pushed back to June or July, respectively. The July national test date isn’t hugely popular, although many of our tutors think it’s a good choice for students who don’t want to compete with studying for the ACT while in school.

The September 12^th ACT is a great test date for students to aspire to since they will already be about a month into school at that point and will be able to get back into the swing of studying and applying themselves scholastically.  As far as test prep goes, our courses start July 21^st in preparation for the September test. Since prep begins in the summer, students have more flexibility with their schedules for about half of their total test prep.

Another option for students to consider is waiting until the fall/winter to take the ACT in either October or December. Keep in mind, test prep at Get Smarter Prep for any ACT is generally eight weeks in length. Make sure your schedules are cohesive with studying and prepping for a certain ACT date.

Test Optional

For the class of 2021, is the ACT necessary? For some colleges and universities, the answer is no. Due to COVID-19, certain schools are reconsidering the ACT for the class of 2021 for college acceptance. However, that does not take into consideration Merit-Based Scholarships. Those scholarships will still be based on your GPA as well as your ACT score. Keep that in mind as you consider whether to take the ACT.   

The bottom line for high school students moving forward, is to do your own research. Some colleges will be test optional, some will not. Some colleges will accept students from the class of 2021 with or without an ACT/SAT. Still, other colleges will only offer Merit-Based Scholarships with a certain ACT score. Each school is different, so make sure to look into every college on your list and see what their requirements are before making a rash decision.