The ACT does not necessarily measure a student’s intelligence, according to experts on college admissions. The ACT exam is, however, an important test used by colleges and universities to set admissions standards. The test is also valuable for scholarships – so, scoring high on the ACT may mean more money for college.

On the other hand, the day two test is more concerned about judging schools and how well they help their students. So, not doing well on the day two exam, may greatly affect the school.

In order to make certain students do well on this years exam, Kelly High School provided ACT Preparation classes for juniors. Students seemed to be willing to work hard to prepare for this test too - as the size of prep classes has increased significantly this year. Classes were available both in the morning and after school.

“The program was successful,” said Kelly’s Testing Coordinator, Mr. Coughlin. Also, the program was continued because “ACT score[s] [have] gone up [so much] that the principal decided [that] these classes should continue the following years.”

And it is worth taking the prep classes as students who took it felt more prepared and confident when taking the ACT.

“Every junior at Kelly should take advantage of the classes offered here at Kelly. Other schools have to pay hundreds of dollars for them,” Mr. Coughlin continued.

The prep classes at Kelly are free to take at Kelly, so students who are about to become juniors are encouraged to take advantage of this helpful program.

Mr. Darnell, who teaches junior and senior Math, has worked hard with all the students to help them achieve high scores on the math portion.

“I prepared students for the math portion of the ACT on Saturdays, afterschool, and in the mornings,” said Mr. Darnell. The classes seemed to have been helpful. “[But] it [also] depended [upon] how serious the students were and the effort the student[s] put in.”

The ACT can be considered as a big, giant reading test because every section of the test has reading of some sort in it – making the ability to read an important part of the exam. This can be an obstacle since most students find reading difficult.

While some students found the ACT to be difficult, others, including junior Cherish Jackson, found the exam to be pretty straightforward. She admits that, at first, it was nerve racking, but it was an ordinary test. She believes she was very well prepared.

“The test was no big deal. It was like any other test I have taken in class,” said Jackson.

The majority of students, however, felt at least some parts of the test were demanding. Junior Cesar Astorga, for example, thought the writing section was difficult. He said the topic was very hard to write about. ACT essay readers mainly look at the structure of the writing and how the essay fits the prompt. Like the rest of the test, the writing is timed. So, writers have to make sure their essay is well planned and structured. It may be hard, but it takes practice.

Although some students think that some parts were hard, they believe that overall they did their best. For some students, it was time that held them back. The good thing, however, is the ACT does not penalize for guessing. So, the best way to approach the exam was by eliminating the obvious wrong answer, choosing the right answer or making an educated guess.

When all is said and done, many believe the class of 2011 performed well, making Kelly proud. So, in the end, the juniors rocked the ACT!