If you are a junior, you are probably on the verge of a mental breakdown because the ACT is in less than two months! If you are not having a mental breakdown, then perhaps you are a late bloomer. But fear not! Although the ACT may play a small role in some big decisions, it is nothing to become stressed over, especially with all that is on your plate this year. With the right preparation steps, you will slay the ACT and realize you had nothing to worry about in the first place.

As a junior, I figured I could breeze through the ACT without any kind of help, practice, or studying (after all, I had done it all through school until that point). When I received my results, I was not exactly satisfied, and continued to watch my friends around me achieve outstandingly impressive scores. “What’s your secret?” I would ask, longingly, only to be told “prep” every single time. It was then when I realized I had made the biggest possible mistake: not prepping for the ACT.

Lucky for you, there is a surplus of useful preparation techniques that will assist you in attaining your ideal score. Paying a visit to Barnes & Noble to buy some ACT-specific prep books is likely the most substantial of study methods. Since the prep books are tailored specifically to this year’s ACT, you will find it will mirror the actual test you take in March. While using these books, timing is key. In order to parallel the conditions of the authentic test, you should time yourself accordingly to give an idea of how fast you should pace yourself. Be sure to review your answers, as there will be an answer key in the back of the book. Take note of your mistakes to ensure one-hundred-percent accuracy the next time around. Identifying your blunders and why they occurred is essential in the improvement of your testing abilities.

It is understandable why you would be nervous or anxious to take the ACT, but take it from me, you have nothing to be afraid of. Remember that it is just a test, and even if you do not achieve your ideal score, the ACT is not a sole determiner of your college, your career, your future, or who you are as a person. Please remember to study, and may the scores be ever in your favor.