ACT prep sessions begin in December in order to help prepare students for the ACT test in April.
Photo by Abby Montgomery Artwork by Kiera Classen
For juniors in high school, the ACT is perhaps the most important test that they will take. It can affect a student’s life greatly, and even determine whether a student is admitted to college or not, which is why the ACT Prep Program has been created for juniors at TJ in order to help prepare them sufficiently for the vital test in April.
ACT Prep sessions will begin the first week of December, and will meet every Thursday after school in Science Teacher Kirk Hammond’s room, Room 134. Sessions will be 75-90 minutes long, depending on what the class is covering that week. It costs twenty dollars for the sessions, which also includes a book that students will work out of each week. “The book really helped last year. Even when the classes ended I could refer back to it to help me study,” said current Senior Daniel Wakefield.
The sessions will focus on all areas included in the actual ACT test: science, math, reading, and English. During each session, the students will be getting a lesson on the subject area and test-taking strategies, followed by practice tests out of the ACT prep book each student will receive. “We’re hoping for two classes that will alternate between math and English/science,” said Hammond.
The ACT is a national college admissions exam that tests students on English, mathematics, reading and science. The ACT is a requirement for most colleges in the U.S, and one’s score may even be the deciding factor of whether they get into a particular college or not.
Current seniors who participated in ACT prep last year have said it really helped them. “The twenty dollars was definitely worth it in the end. When it came time for the test, I felt extremely prepared and I’m satisfied with the score I got,” said Senior Maddi Doro.
“The prep classes will improve your composite score by at least four points; that is, if you put the maximum effort into them,” said Hammond. All juniors interested in signing up for ACT classes must contact Kirk Hammond as soon as possible: Kirk_Hammond@dpsk12.org 720.423.7162.
