07/03/2025
Many parents ask me an important question: “When should my student start ACT prep?”
The truthful answer is that there is not a universal time for all students to begin ACT prep. However, here’s what I recommend:
📓 By the time students have started high school, they usually have learned all the English concepts appearing on the test. Math, on the other hand, includes a range of concepts, which are usually taught beginning as early as middle school and through junior year (pre-calculus).
📓 I have found that students grow motivation to study for the ACT by their junior year, which is why I recommend students start prep junior year.
📓Although students can — and most likely should — continue working throughout the first semester of their senior year, they tend to have busier schedules for their final year. Achieving their goal score during junior year or the beginning of senior year is a weight off their chest!
📓 Take advantage of the tests offered at the high school your student attends. Sometimes this is a free test or a pre-test, and other times, it is a regular cost test. Either way, this is the ideal opportunity for students to take the test in a comfortable environment under less pressure to score their highest.
Simply put, there is not one specific time all students should begin ACT prep. But, it’s great to take the test either during sophomore year at the beginning of junior year to receive a base score to form general ideas of a goal score and notice sections to improve in the most.
⏰ Also remember: it’s never too early to get started! Even though students may not have learned all the math topics before junior year, they have learned a large majority of them. Additionally, they have already learned the skills needed to succeed on English, Science and Reading. Some students have even found that ACT prep helps them score higher in math courses junior year!
📧 Message me or comment below to sign up for ACT prep for this summer or in the fall!
