There has been a lot of stress in the air at MSMS regarding standardized testing, especially with the most recent September ACT test. Though many MSMS students took the test, it was particularly important for seniors during the college application process as the upcoming October and December test dates are the only ones that may be used for many applications and scholarships.

Asked how many times she plans to take the ACT, senior Claudia Vial says, “I’ve taken it about eight times, so at this point I am very over the ACT. I am still trying though, and I will take it as many more times as possible.”

Senior Dustin Dunaway is on the same page as Vial, saying, “I’m signing up for every possible test this year because suffering at the hands of ACT graders keeps me hopeful that maybe I’ll go to college.”

On the other hand, fellow senior Braeden Foldenauer says, “I’m just crossing my fingers that this will be the last time I take the ACT. It would be great to see it jump up a few points, but I realize now that I’m much more content with my score.” 

These students have been actively preparing themselves for the test through various different ways. Senior Nayan Chawla finds practice to be the best method. He says, “I do a math practice test once a day in the week before the ACT, and it’s usually really helpful.”

Foldenauer has been preparing for the test by “reading articles with helpful hints for the subjects that are problematic to me, and also consistently taking little practice ‘quizzes’ for the test.”

Vial explained her “superstitious” test day routine, saying, “On the morning of the test I always eat eggs, listen to Pachelbel’s Canon in D, drink some Coke, and read a couple practice ACT reading passages.  It helps me and calms me down to have the same routine every time.”

Chawla also adds, “The most important thing I do is sleep early and eat breakfast before the test; it relaxes me and so when I start the test I’m usually able to work things without getting stressed.”

Tips for the Juniors (and fellow seniors):

• “It’s all about time management:  you have to go quick enough to finish in time, but also slow enough to not make careless mistakes.” –Vial
• “I always practice with a timer, because it gives me a good feel for how long I can spend on a question.” –Chawla
• “Extended weekends are a really good time to do practice tests.  I’ve improved my score a lot by looking at each practice test and finding out what parts of each section at which I am worst and doing those last.” –Vial
• “It’s not the end of the world if you don’t have that perfect 36.” –Foldenauer
• “I like to listen to instrumental music the two days before the test, so I don’t have any lyrics stuck in my head to distract me during the test.” –Vial
• “Just because you don’t score extremely high doesn’t mean you don’t have a shot of getting in the college you want to go to. While it’s imperative that you practice to get a feel for the timing and questions, don’t stress and you’ll do fine.” –Chawla
• ”Above all, don’t stress! There are so many ways to make yourself a great applicant. You should still practice and work hard to get the best score possible, but don’t let your score get you down. It may help get your foot in the door, but there’s so many different things to bring to the table!” –Foldenauer

Students taking the ACT must remember to bring #2 pencils (with good erasers), the printed ticket, a picture ID and a permitted calculator. A watch is also very handy, but if you don’t own one make sure to utilize the clock in your testing room. Students taking the ACT (no writing) with standard time are normally dismissed about 12:15 p.m.; students taking the ACT with writing are normally dismissed about 1:15 p.m.