Over the next month, many CSHS students will be studying for the upcoming ACT test on April 8. Though the scores from your ACT can be sent to your dream college, is the test really necessary? In past years, the ACT has been the main factor of college admissions.  Recently, colleges have become more picky and look more into your GPA, but of course, they will still use your score as part of the decision-making process.

If you take the ACT, you have a choice of taking college classes in high school. Personally, I will take the ACT in April as well, and I would agree that it is necessary for a shot at a great college and future. At first I was not sure if I wanted to take the test, because it just seems so intimidating, but I started to do some reading about it and came across studentaid.ed.gov, which states, “Like the SAT, the ACT is accepted by almost all colleges and universities. But instead of measuring how you think, the ACT measures what you’ve learned in school.”

This test is supposed to be hard but overall straightforward on what it is asking, according to Kristin Fracchia, a daily blogger on Magoosh.com, who gives information on the ACT and the best ways to prepare for it. But I have a good feeling with taking this test though, even as an amaetur.

Some students in high school choose to not go to college, but the question is if they should have to take it. If a student is sure they are not going to college, then I would say they should not have to take the ACT, but I would tell them to keep it in mind just in case they ever change their mind about going to college.

My overall opinion would be to study hard and take the ACT. It benefits you in your college admissions, gets you into college classes in your high school, and helps you see what position you are in with academics.