When and How Many Times Should You Take the ACT®?

Here is some advice on when and how many times you should take the ACT:
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Here is some advice on when and how many times you should take the ACT:

FIRST TEST: February of Junior year
SECOND TEST: June of Junior year
THIRD TEST: October of Senior year

In Tennessee, students take it in their schools typically in March of Junior and October of Senior years. So here is my suggestion specifically to Tennessee families:

FIRST TEST: February of Junior year
SECOND TEST: March of Junior year (at school)
THIRD TEST: October of Senior year (at school)

Here is an insider's tip from students that earned perfect scores ... ssshhh... lean in...
If you are super serious about those scores, you can maximize your prep time by taking it twice in a short period of time. 
For example, take the school state test on March 1st and the national test date on April 2nd.  You can do that again by taking the ACT on both the state and national test dates in October. Mind blown... I know. Right? 

If you haven't met your goals towards scholarships dollars by October, I would take it every test afterwards as long as you are motivated, working on it, and have a clear goal in mind. It is especially beneficial if a college takes the superscore.  Work with a tutor and keep pushing forward towards your goal if real scholarship dollars are at stake. The scores of 25, 29, and 33 are pretty common targets for scholarship dollars.  December is the end of the road for some schools while April is the ACT deadline for others. This is an important question to ask your admissions officer or try to find online.

Side note for parents with with younger children:
Personally, I have my children take the ACT beginning in the 7th grade and watch them progress from year to year as a benchmark of how their skills are improving. That can look like taking a practice test each year to feel less intimidating, or middle school students are allowed to take an official ACT to have an authentic measurement.  When my kiddos enter into the Junior year, we follow the advice posted above. To be candid, by the time they take it in their Senior year they are "DONE." Both of my boys were over it by that point. Thankfully, they both scored in the top 1% in the nation. It paid for their college education (and then some).  

If your 7th grader scores 20+, he or she is on-track to be in the top 5% in the nation with some continued effort.  To score below a 20 is an indicator that you can be intentional about building those skills between 7th grade until 11th grade.  The ACT tests a limited amount of skills in a very specific way. You can be intentional about mastering those skills. Don't wait until an "oh crap" moment hits you to prepare to win on the ACT. Be proactive. Slow and steady wins the race. 

About the author:
​Cynthia Head, founder of CAP prep and ACT English tutor extraordinaire