mommyo

For students (and/or parents):

What was your ACT experience?

S took ACT for first time in April. He took a practice test at school and scored a 35, took the April 12th test, his first, and scored a 35. He took it again as part of the PSAE (An IL thing) but hasn't received those scores yet.

Did you find that the ACT score correlated with your GPA?

Yes, he has a 4.0 unweighted GPA, 4th in his class out of almost 1000.

Do your think the ACT accurately assesses your knowledge? Did it test your knowledge, or was it testing your ACT testing abilities (a.k.a. how well you know the test)?

I believe it accurately tested his knowledge, but I guess how can you know. He scored highest in the areas he is strongest in, does that matter? He is obviously a smart kid and good test taker and I don't think you can separate one from the other, at least in his case.

book_worm

What was your ACT experience?
I begged my parents to let me take it as a freshman, ended up scoring well. my school finally acknowledged my "gifted and talented" abilities and let me skip some introductory classes. the second time around, as a sophomore, ended up a perfect scorer!!!!!

Did you find that the ACT score correlated with your GPA? yes, I have a 4.0 uw. but most kids at my school with >3.7 usually can't break a 24.

Do your think the ACT accurately assesses your knowledge?
reading and science, no. they are too rushed to really say how good at reading comprehension or science someone really is. math and english, yes. the ACT tested the same concepts that I had been tested on in my classes.

ca2009

What was your ACT experience?
I've taken both the ACT and the SAT, and I definitely prefer the ACT. I did have trouble with the time on the math and science, but I still did much better on the ACT.

Did you find that the ACT score correlated with your GPA?
Umm...somewhat, but not completely. I have about a 3.9 GPA (my school doesn't officially calculate them), but I got a 29 composite score...a 35 would've correlated more, right?

Do your think the ACT accurately assesses your knowledge?
Like all standardized tests, the ACT does not accurately assess anyone's knowledge. However, I do feel that it is more accurate (in that it's more parallel to the high school curriculum) than the SAT.

BlueHouse

Thanks everyone! Keep 'em coming!

JohnWillkins

Just a minor note: Make sure you understand who it is you're asking these questions to. A vast majority of CC users are probably in the 4.0 GPA range, so correlations derived from it from data about a bunch of 4.0 students seems questionable (since that is an "extreme" of the grading spectrum) in my mind. Maybe it doesn't matter for what you are doing though.

My ACT was 30 composite (29 on all parts except math which was a 33, 9 on the essay)

What was your ACT experience?
I took it maybe 2 or 3 years ago, but from what I remember it was a bit of an endurance/speed test. The science portion was a bit ridiculous and I don't think you had to really know any science before going in, just had to know how to interpret data.

Did you find that the ACT score correlated with your GPA?
Not really I guess. I had a 3.5 weighted GPA and a 30ACT. It seems that 30 goes with GPA's of 3.7 or so.

Do your think the ACT accurately assesses your knowledge?
No, not really. My knowledge went well beyond what they tested. They use math from middle school and for the rest it's just a game to race against the clock. I still think it's a valid gauge of potential, leaning towards better than GPA alone (GPA considering course load/choice is a different matter), but maybe it's just a test of how well you take tests.

Did it test your knowledge, or was it testing your ACT testing abilities (a.k.a. how well you know the test)?
I really didn't like the idea of studying for these tests for some reason... I'll study for the GRE, but I couldn't imagine stressing out over the SAT/ACT enough to study. I guess I don't have the Ivy ambition. I kind of wish they made tests for college entrance that you couldn't study for (by some miracle), I just don't really like the trend. That said, the ACT tests your ability to test, which I think is some mark of how well you will do in college since a lot more is placed on examinations than there was in high school (at least for me). The pressure, the time limit, it's all important to be able to handle.

BlueHouse

~JohnWillkins

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I am considering the group I am surveying, but thanks for your concern.


My primary focus is to really just get an understanding of what people feel about the test and whether it is an accurate indicator of success. Overall, I have been getting some wonderful responses!

Thanks for the help.

pearandson

For students (and/or parents):

What was your ACT experience?

It was ok. It was my first time taking a standardized test (apart from the PSAT and the PLAN test). I plan to take it again and score much better.


Did you find that the ACT score correlated with your GPA?

Not at all. I attend a highly competitive IB curriculum magnet school, and I'm ranked first in my class. Then again, I hardly studied for the ACT.


Do your think the ACT accurately assesses your knowledge? Did it test your knowledge, or was it testing your ACT testing abilities (a.k.a. how well you know the test)?

I agree with a bunch of the other posters: the English and the Math sections do, indeed, test one's knowledge. However, the reading section is far too short in time to adequately give some kids a chance. I think they should add on a few questions for each passage and add 10 minutes to the time. Finally, science is just dumb: the time pressure is the only thing that makes it difficult. While being able to quickly read and interpret graphs is cool, they shouldn't be tested skills.

I scored a 31 composite for two main reasons:
1. My reading strategy was to go straight to the questions and find the answers embedded within the text. This ended up being a terrible way to approach to section because of the time pressure and nature of the questions.
2. Science was simply really difficult for that particular tests. Two of the sections were very abstruse without prior knowledge.

I scored perfects on both Math and English.

I plan to take it again in June and score at least a 34. I read more than enough to score a perfect on reading. Hopefully the science section will be easier.

matus

1. I've taken it three times. The first time was during the Illinois PSAE examination, and I wasn't prepared (didn't even bring a calculator!). The second time I took it, I didn't study too much since the first time, but I was used to the test more. The third time, I STILL didn't do much studying, but I improved a lot upon my Science score (16-->25) and almost all other sections. I think that my score could have been at least one or two points higher if I actually studied for the Math section.
2. No, primarily because my GPA is fairly low/average. In my opinion, GPAs (AP classes aside) are, if anything, representative of one's ability to do work and memorize information. There are a lot of mediocre students (I don't mean any harm towards them) at my school who have almost straight As.
3. Not really. From what I've seen, English is an accurate assessment; Math is an assessment of things learned throughout high school; Reading, Science, and Writing are mostly assessments of how well one can take the ACT (with a little intelligence mixed in).

atrophicwhisper

What was your ACT experience?
I took the ACT for the first time the summer of my junior year with some books. I took an online course (but barely did any of the work!) and retook the test in October of my senior year. The only thing I thought during the test was that it was QUICK- I ran out of time a lot the first time I took the test. It just meant that I had to be more efficient and work more quickly. I took the ACT knowing that I would do better because I got too confused with some of the questions on the SAT (I took the PSAT and received pretty "average" scores, and that's why I took the ACT.)

Did you find that the ACT score correlated with your GPA?
For the most part. The first time I took it, I got a 30C with no real studying. After that, I got a 33C. I have ~4.0 UW GPA, 4.60 W. Granted, it's not the absolute best, but considering that it's the 99th percentile, I think that perfectly describes me.

Do your think the ACT accurately assesses your knowledge?
Eh. Yes and no. I would say that I prefer the ACT because it is by far more straightforward and has a better focus than the SAT. The SAT has pointless vocabulary lessons on it, while the ACT tests just tests some basic aspects of grammar and reading and writing. The ACT math problems are also pretty indicative of what one should have learned in high school. However, I don't think it perfectly describes one's knowledge or what one has learned though. I think that taking AP tests show more about a person because they're very specific areas.

roz707

1. 1st time, i got a 32. The 2nd time, i had to go to the bathroom really bad for the second half so I got a 30. My third time, I got a 34.
2. I have a 4.262 out of 4, so yea, I suppose it correlates.
3. It depends. I think the reading section might test some knowledge. Science though, is just reading graphs and charts and stuff. The math is basic stuff, so if you know basic stuff your fine, you dont have to be a genius.

BlueHouse

Thank you to everyone who responded to this thread! My presentation today went fabulously, thanks to your opinions and input. Thanks for your help!

~No need to respond more to this thread for my sake.

atrophicwhisper

Welcome.