June ACT Test: Advantages & Disadvantages
The National April ACT test is the most popular test date in the world. Literally, millions of students will be taking the test in April. Those scores are then released a few weeks later and immediately many students sign up for the June ACT in hopes of getting their score up a few points before summer takes off. I see this every year.
There are advantages and disadvantages to the June ACT test. The advantages are that it is the only ACT test given outside of the school year, no seven hour school day, no homework, no final exams, students can just focus on preparing for the ACT. That's fantastic!
The main disadvantage also happens to be the main advantage: school is out! Students don't have to study, students don't have to do math five days a week, students don't have to read, AND students don't have to get out of bed early in the morning.
If a student is going to do the June ACT test then they need to keep themselves in school mode during the approximate 1 1/2 to 2 weeks between final exams and the June ACT test Saturday. This means getting out of bed at least by 7:30 AM every day. Reading in the morning as well as working on ACT level math.
Every year I hear stories about students who fell asleep during the June ACT test date. I hear stories of students that fell apart emotionally during the test because they were mentally already in summer mode. One year I had a student who went to Florida the week before the test, came back on Friday, took the test on Saturday, and then her mom wanted to know why she got the same composite score (even though the girl confessed that she did not study on her vacation)!
Think about it: what would happen if a basketball coach decided not to practice the three weeks prior to the regional championships? Players would be upset, parents would be furious, and most likely the administration would get involved. The coach would be considered an idiot. Why? Because he is not preparing his team for an important competition.
The ACT is no different. It is a performance, a competition, that requires preparation.