When juniors took the PreACT on Tues, Oct 13, they had the opportunity to put into practice their testing skills and prepare for the real ACT coming in April.
Students had different experiences with the test, including which subjects they found the easiest, and how much they prepared beforehand.
With all the attention that the ACT, many juniors may have lost sleep the night before the PreACT, given that there is so much riding on this test score.
“I kind of just tried to review questions that I “ would be on there,” said OH junior Sofia De La Torre, “and just do my simple math, simple English skills.”
Simple or not, many students reviewed basic school subjects before taking the test, while others decided to take it without studying.
Even though the students prepared differently, they all had their own opinions about which parts of the test were the easiest and hardest. English, reading and math were some of the tests they discussed in their interviews.
“The easiest test, I would say, was definitely either the English or the reading tests,” De La Torre said. She explained that math was harder because it had information from lower levels of grades that was more difficult to remember.
OH junior Jayda Castro recalled, “I thought she did well on English and math,” while junior Isaiah Frank said, “I felt that reading was the easiest section.”
Although some sections felt easier than others, math was a challenge for at least one student. Each student had a different experience depending on how much they prepared for the PreACT.
“I found the math portion to be most difficult,” Isaiah Frank said.
Isaiah Frank also explained that he prepared for the PreACT by going over what he had already learned. Jayda Castro on the other hand, said she did not practice at all before taking the test.
Taking the PreACT gave students an opportunity to see what they may need to work on before the real one later this year, scheduled for the week of April 5, 2027.
“Overall I did okay,” said De La Torre. “I definitely feel like I should have prepared more, but overall, it went pretty smoothly. And I’ll definitely do way better on the real one.”
The students’ experiences show that the PreACT can help juniors understand what to expect on the real ACT. By knowing what their strengths and weaknesses are, students can focus on improving their skills and preparing for the real test.
For students wanting to practice more of the ACT, supports are available on the ACT website, which offers free ACT practice tests.
Caption: Pictured is a student practicing in advance for the pre-ACT on Tues Oct 13. Credit: Fatimah Abbas, 42Fifty
Hi my name is Christian Rojas, I am a junior at Oswego high school. This is my first year of the 42Fifty staff. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication
