For years, teachers and students have questioned the effectiveness of the ACT. Recently, these concerns have been addressed and there is a massive change coming to the ACT test. Next year, students will be allowed to retake individual sections of the test instead of being required to take the entire exam again. Many people have highlighted that it will become much easier to score higher on the exam, therefore inflating scores and complicating the entire testing process. However, many have praised the new changes, claiming this will make testing days much less time consuming and stressful.

Unfortunately, these changes will not be in place this weekend when Brentwood hosts the ACT. This Saturday is a crucial test date for Brentwood students. This test, along with the free exam in March, is one of the two dates for Brentwood students to take the ACT a few steps away from home. To fully take advantage of this opportunity, BHS students should maximize their ACT readiness with the following tips and tricks.

1. Eat a big breakfast and get lots of sleep. This will improve focus and energy for the test.
2. Answer easy questions first. Prioritize the questions that you know the answer to before attempting the more difficult problems.
3. Choose a letter of the day. According to the Princeton Review, “There is no penalty for wrong answers on the ACT, so you should never leave any blanks on your answer sheet.”
4. Read carefully. This is especially hard in the later sections of the test like Science and Reading. 
5. Stay focused! This is a long and wearing test so it is important to keep focused as long as possible.

These are just a few of many ACT tips and tricks that will help students this Saturday as they sit down to take the exam. Instead of being anxious about the worst possible scenario, it is important to stay energized and set goals. Students can take the ACT test as many times as they would like, so this one test does not display their academic worth. At the end of the day, the ACT is just another test; however, it is imperative to be attentive and learn from the test in order to become a better student both now and in the future. Good luck BHS!