ACT Test Prep: The Role of Student Motivation in ACT Success
Preparing for and doing well on the ACT takes more than a few simple study sessions. The ACT is a very particular test, and if students strive for significant point increases, they really have to be willing to put in a lot of time, energy, and effort. Student motivation to reach their ACT goals is a major part of ACT score progress.
The ACT is a very particular test that is unlike most tests students will take during high school. The ACT tests students in areas of English, math, reading, and science, as well as an optional writing section. The test is meant to give students and colleges a benchmark of student readiness for college academics.
While most high school exams will require preparation in the form of studying, reviewing notes, flashcards, and so on, the ACT is an altogether different type of monster. Preparing to do well on the ACT takes a good amount of time, effort, and practice. In order to reach their full potentials on the ACT, students will spend a lot of time working on bettering their ACT concept understanding, strategies, and time management.
We recommend a proven three-part ACT process that begins with increasing student understanding of the concepts tested and the types of questions that show up on the test through frequent, repetitive practice using old ACT exams. Once students have a strong grasp of the content that shows up on the ACT and how to work through it, it’s time to work on time management. The ACT sections each have a tight time constraint that requires students to be able to work at a quick pace. When time management is difficult, we can utilize strategies and other methods to help students prepare to work within the time given on test day. Building content knowledge and effective strategies creates a very strong foundation with which students should be able to reach their full potentials. However, sometimes there can be other factors that get in the way.
Many students will suffer from test anxiety on some scale either leading up to or on ACT test day. This is a normal thing, especially for students taking their first attempt at the exam. There is a lot that weighs on the results of the ACT, so it’s normal to be a little nervous. What is not normal is for students to be so nervous that they forget what they’ve been working on and learned and can’t perform on test day.
In recent years, the ACT has done a lot of research into what exactly causes test anxiety and how to combat it. Their findings show that test anxiety, for most students, is actually just feeling unconfident and underprepared for the exam. This happens because students do not prepare well enough for the test to feel like they understand it. That’s why good ACT test prep includes a lot of practice from real ACT questions so that students become familiar with the format of the sections, the types of concepts tested, and the types of questions asked and thus build confidence. The more students practice, the less they should be finding themselves feeling anxious on test day.
There is another factor that can stand in the way of a student reach their ACT goal or full potential: MOTIVATION.
Consider a student that doesn’t really care about tomorrow’s test at school. They aren’t likely to put in much effort, and, therefore, they aren’t likely to score as well as they could on the exam. In contrast, the student who is motivated to do well will put in the effort and time required to reach their full potential score on the exam. Naturally, there are some students who just seem to care a lot more about their marks than others, but we know that ANY student can reach their full potential on the ACT if they find the motivation to make the progress.
A great example that proves that any student can reach their exam goal when motivated is the driver’s test.
Think about the timeline for a driver’s test: students spend A LOT of time taking classes and studying for their written driver’s exam before they even get behind the wheel, then they spend MANY HOURS driving with mom and dad to learn and reach the required behind-the-wheel hours, as well as additional driving time with a professional instructor, and finally students study some more to go take their driver’s test behind the wheel at the DMV.
That’s A LOT of preparation to take ONE TEST. In fact, this all happens over the course of a WHOLE YEAR. But the time put in really isn’t as amazing as the sheer MOTIVATION that students have to pass their driver’s test. Sure some students fail the first time, but they try again, and, eventually, they reach their goal because they really want their license.
What’s the point? The ACT and the driver’s test have a lot in common: they are important exams whose results have real-life consequences. Students who pass the driver’s test get to have a driver’s license and drive a car. Students who do well on the ACT will get into the colleges and universities of their choice and maybe even win scholarship awards for reaching certain score levels.
BUT, the ACT and the driver’s test also have some big differences, with the main one being what I’m going to call “the excitement factor.”
It’s exciting to learn to drive a car and the prospect of getting to go somewhere without finding a ride is a great motivator to get students focused on learning to drive. The ACT doesn’t really have that… there’s no exciting milestone that comes with reaching your ACT goal, but there sure are real-world benefits.
Why should students want to do well on the ACT?
There are two big reasons that students should care about their ACT scores: competitive edge and scholarships.
Competitive Edge:
College admissions is competitive. I mean, that’s the whole reason students put together an extensive college application package: to stand out against the crowd, prove to the college that they’re a better candidate than the next guy.
Well, an important factor of most college applications is an ACT (or SAT) score. Colleges will make public the average ACT score range of their student body. This is incredibly helpful information for you to use for two reasons: 1) to make sure you’re on track to meet the academic standards of a particular college and ensure you won’t be miserable and constantly trying to keep up with the course load when you get there, and 2) to make sure your application will be competitive with other applicants. You should absolutely make sure to do some research and educate yourself on the ACT score range of the students at schools where you intend to apply. This will help you understand what your goal score should be when prepping for the ACT and give you a pretty decent idea of how your application will fare at a given school.
For example, the average ACT score range for students at Minnesota State University, Mankato is currently between 20 - 24. That means that students who intend to apply to the school should aim for an ACT score within or above that range in order to have a high probability of being accepted to the school.
In contrast, the average ACT score of students attending Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota is currently between 30 - 33. This is a much more academically rigorous environment, and a student’s ACT score needs to reflect the ability to handle this level of intensity in order for the school to think the student will be a good fit for their student body.
Take a look at the ACT scores of some other local Minnesota colleges and universities -
Current student body average ACT scores by school:
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
University of Minnesota: 26-31
University of Minnesota, Duluth: 22-26
Minnesota State University, Mankato: 20-24
Winona State University: 20-25
St. Cloud State University: 18-24
Bemidji State University: 20-24
PRIVATE SCHOOLS
University of St. Thomas: 24-29
Augsburg College: 19-25
Hamline University: 21-27
Gustavus Adolphus College: 24-28
Macalester College: 29-33
Carleton College: 30-33
Bethel University: 23-27
University of Northwestern: 21-27
St. Catherine University (St. Kate’s): 19-25
Your ACT score allows admissions teams to compare YOU to EVERYONE ELSE that applied because you all took the same exam — it may not have been the exact same exam version or exam date, but the overall format and ideas tested on the ACT have not changed in many years. This is a score that college admissions teams rely on for comparing applicants. Obtaining an ACT score that fits within a particular school’s student body average will make you competitive with other applicants and also prove to the school that you can handle the level of academic difficulty of their specific school.
Scholarships:
The fact that a higher ACT score may correlate with lower tuition costs isn’t widely known amongst parents and students prepping for the leap to college. Schools will often create scholarship packages based on a combination of ACT score and GPA. The prevalence of these merit-based scholarships can vary drastically from school to school, so, again, we encourage you to do your homework and learn about the scholarship setups at specific schools BEFORE you apply to them.
For example, Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota automatically considers first year students for scholarships based on their ACT score and GPA combination. For Winona State specifically, these types of merit-based scholarships currently are set up like this:
$1,000 scholarship per academic year: 3.70+ GPA with ACT 26
$1,000 scholarship per academic year: 3.30+ GPA with ACT 28
$1,500 scholarship per academic year: 3.80 GPA with ACT 27
$2,500 scholarship per academic year: 3.90 GPA with ACT 28
$3,500 scholarship per academic year: 3.90 GPA with ACT 32
$4,000 scholarship per academic year: 3.90 GPA with ACT 28 (this scholarship requires a written essay and interview as well)
Recognize that each of the scholarships above is awarded “per academic year.” This means that the student who attends four years of college during their undergrad could save anywhere between $4,000 to $16,000 on Winona State University tuition because of these merit-based scholarships alone.
And Winona isn’t the only one. You’ll be surprised to find similarly tiered tuition structures at other schools as well. Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter, Minnesota has a Presidents Scholarship of up to $28,500 per academic year that can be awarded to students with a 3.25 GPA and a 30+ ACT score. The University of St. Thomas offers scholarship packages based on high academic performance in high school and high ACT scores, with the amounts varying from $9,000-$30,000 per year. So, no matter where you plan to apply, make sure you’re aware of what potential cost-savings options you have. This includes not only merit-based scholarships, but financial aid and applying for FAFSA, as well as other scholarships offered either directly by a certain school or from an outside organization.
After all, college is EXPENSIVE. For many students, a college education could be the second most expensive thing they will invest in within their lifetime — second to maybe only owning a house. A year’s tuition at Winona State University currently costs about $9,400 — that only includes two semesters of courses and does not factor in expenses for room and board, course materials, etc. With all of these factored in, that total hops to about $21,000 per year. In stark contrast, full tuition for one year at Carleton College, including room and board and fees, costs approximately $71,000 in 2019. So you can see where any scholarships like those noted above could offer a lot of assistance to a young student completing their college education. Every little bit counts—don’t even get me started on student loan interest…that’s a discussion for another time. Just know that any steps you can take to lower college costs on the front end will pay off several times over in the long run. So make sure to go through your list of dream schools and make yourself aware of any opportunities for merit-based scholarships and other tuition cost-savings.
How much time should students expect to put into ACT test prep?
Time is of the essence when it comes to ACT test prep. You certainly don’t want to walk into test day having done no preparation whatsoever — it’s not exactly the type of exam that you can just “wing” and do great on. Reaching your full potential score on the ACT requires significant preparation leading up to test day to familiarize yourself with not only the content that shows up on the ACT but also with the format, the time constraints, the types of questions that will be asked, the ways that the ACT writers try to trick you, and much more.
Students should consider the difference between their Desired Situation and Current Situation. That basically means figuring out how to get you from where you are to where you want to be, whether that’s a 2, 4, or 10-point ACT score increase.
Desired Situation: Do you have schools in mind that you plan to apply to? Do you know what your ACT score should ideally look like in order to have a high probability of getting accepted to that school? Knowing the average ACT range of students at your desired school will help you determine where your test scores should fall in order to expect to be admitted to the school. This should be factored in to your ACT goal. You can read more about calculating your ACT goal in our other post here: How to Calculate What Your ACT Goal Score Should Be.
Current Situation: Have you taken the ACT previously? If so, how did your score compare to the score range of students at your desired school, as mentioned above? Your goal will be to bridge the gap between your Current Situation and your Desired Situation. If you have not taken the ACT previously, it may be wise to begin by taking a practice exam either online or from a prep book to get an idea of what your Current Situation actually is. Based on how large of a gap there is between your two situations, you will now know approximately how many additional ACT score points you will be preparing to achieve.
Picking your goal score
Through research and data analysis, the ACT has come up with what they deem the “College Readiness Benchmark” score for each section. This is the threshold score where the data says students are adequately prepared to perform well academically at the average college level. Here is the breakdown of their assessment:
College Readiness Benchmark Scores (per ACT)
English: 18
Math: 22
Reading: 22
Science: 23
This benchmark provides a good average for ACT score of students that go on to complete some form of secondary education. The average composite ACT score in 2018 throughout the United States was a 21, which pretty much falls right into this benchmark level as identified by the ACT.
That being said, this benchmark is not appropriate for students wishing to attend colleges and universities that are more competitive and/or that have a more rigorous academic reputation. Not all students are striving to just be “college ready.” The students who desire to receive admission from and excel in prestigious colleges and universities will likely need significantly higher scores than these benchmarks to obtain admission. Once again, students should make sure to research what the ACT scores look like at the schools they plan to apply to and make sure their scores fall within or near those averages.
How much time do you have until test day?
The student who has a couple of months to prepare for an upcoming ACT exam will be able to use a more laid-back test prep schedule than a student who has only two weeks to cram before the upcoming exam. Students should take into consideration the amount of time they have to prepare in addition to the point increase they are hoping to make. They should then space out their preparation time evenly across all of the weeks leading up to test day. See our chart below for assisting in determining how much time should be spent on test prep for a student’s particular situation.
Will you have time to take the ACT again if you fall short of your goal?
Is this the last chance for the student to take the ACT before heading off to college? If so, the student should spend even more time than recommended preparing for the ACT. However, for most students the answer to this question is NO. Many students will take the ACT exam 3 more times before they are satisfied with their score. For this reason, we recommend that students begin planning for taking the ACT exam early in their junior year of high school or even at the end of their sophomore year. This allows plenty of time for retaking the exam. The ACT is offered approximately every 2-3 months, so students have plenty of opportunities to increase their scores. Students can even continue to take the ACT after they have been accepted to a college or university. (This is generally only something that students will do if they can receive additional tuition aid if they increase their ACT score.)
1 ACT Composite Point Improvement: 8-10 hours
1-2 ACT Composite Point Improvement: 15-20 hours
2-4 ACT Composite Point Improvement: 30-40 hours
4-6 ACT Composite Point Improvement: 60-80 hours
6-9 ACT Composite Point Improvement: 150 hours+
How can parents help?
In reality, if a student is not motivated to do well on the ACT, they aren’t going to — no matter how motivated the PARENT is. We’ve definitely seen it where a student doesn’t really care, but mom and dad understand the importance of a higher ACT score and potential money saved in scholarship money. This can be a difficult situation, especially for the parent.
A big thing that parents can do is to educate their students on the importance of performing well on the ACT or SAT. For parents that aren’t super familiar with these exams, they should do some of their own research so that they, too, understand the importance and potential consequences of certain scores. Then they should pass information on to their student in a way that they will understand. As a high schooler, I didn’t have any concept at all for what $20,000 per year in loans would look like, but I sure wish I had. Parents know their students best, so they should take time to talk about the student’s college plans, including tuition and test scores.
Another thing that parents can do is help students come up with a test prep plan that will be a good fit for them. There are lots of test prep options out there, so how do you know which one to pick? Well, all students are different, so the type of test prep that will be a good fit for one student will not necessarily be a good fit for another.
Some students will prefer independent test prep using books and videos, while others will need one-on-one tutoring support to reach their ACT score goal. There are so many different ways to increase a student’s knowledge of the ACT:
ACT Textbook
Online courses and videos
Practice tests
Classes through school
Private group classes
Individualized, one-on-one tutoring
The test prep options above are ordered from least individualized to most individualized. Some students will need no more than to peruse a couple ACT books and watch a few YouTube videos. It all goes back to student goals and the difference between a student’s baseline and their goal score.
We know that students who want to do well on the ACT will see better results than those who do not really care about their test performance. Motivated students are more likely to reach their full potential scores, and, with a test with real-life consequences like the ACT, a bit of motivation can go a long way in helping students be admitted to their preferred colleges and potentially saving them some money along the way.