Registering for the ACT
There are so many questions around registration for the ACT. Here are some quick facts:
The ACT opens up all test dates for the school year starting the second week of July. If you think you want to take the first fall exam (September 9th/10th this year, and generally the weekend after Labor Day every year), sign up as soon as possible, as the good dates go fast.
Test dates and seats don’t go as quickly for the ACT as they do for the SAT.
You do not have to sign up for With Writing. It may help if you get a good score (and generally speaking, is easy to coach to help you get a good score), but it won’t hurt you if you don’t have it. And it will hurt you if you have a bad score. So bad score = bad. No score = fine. Good score = possibly good.
If you can get a better test date and seat by taking the Writing portion, do so!
Sign up as close to your home as you can. You do not want to be driving two hours before a 3-4 hour test if you can help it!
If you have the option, choose a high school over a university. But proximity always wins. Choose a university if a high school is not close enough.
You can choose the Sunday option if you need to for religious reasons. They will not verify your religious status, but of course if you don’t need to take it on Sunday and there are good options on Saturday, you may want to leave space for those test takers who need to take it on Sunday for their religious beliefs.
Sometimes when not enough options exist, ACT will open up their own testing site at the San Diego Hilton. This is a pandemic era standby and they used it as recently as the July test date for the Sunday sitting. In 2020, when many high schools weren’t offering the ACT for the public, ACT made sure students were still able to take the exam. The way they did this is they used their own employees to proctor the exams in rented hotel space. They used it this past July (presumably) because there was no other Sunday testing date available in San Diego county.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
How will I know when I’m ready to take the test?
We will help guide you in this decision as we move through the prep process. Some students prefer to take more tests, knowing the official sittings will help them stay motivated, whereas other students prefer to wait until they truly feel ready. We will help you determine where you are in the score progression as a natural part of the Mo Prep process, utilizing all of your homeworks and efforts along the way. This conversation happens generally in session and as we near each test date. However, you may want to sign up for official seats to give yourself the opportunity to take it if you feel ready, especially if you suspect you might want to take it even if you’re “not ready.”
Can I delete a score if I didn’t perform well on my test?
Yes, you can. You will have to fill out a request to have a form mailed to you and then fill out that form, but the test score will be permanently deleted. ACT believes you own your data and you have final say. The only exception to this (which is not relevant in the state of California) is the state testing day - you cannot delete those scores.
Are there testing sites that are worse than other ones?
I believe so. Although to be fair, ACT tends to do a fairly good vetting process, so “bad” sites tend to disappear over the years. We have had school sites cancel dates because there weren’t enough proctors (LCC), test scores get sent late (also LCC), an admitted student weekend happen (UCSD), parking and finding classrooms woes (San Diego High - which remains an option, and SDSU), test postponements due to natural disasters (El Camino with wildfires - also still remains an option). And to be fair, the vast majority of experiences go smoothly for students even at sites that are more likely to cause issues. ACT trains their proctors well and they continue to refine how they administer the tests. But if you can sign up for a test at an alternate location (specifically Rancho Bernardo, Mt. Carmel HS, or the San Diego Jewish Academy), you will be much more likely to have a positive experience there.
Why are they asking for all of my financial information and my son’s/daughter’s academic information?
This is for the EOS. The EOS is the service that colleges pay for to obtain information about students. ACT creates a student profile with predictive data attached to it. The predictive data that they provide includes likelihood of attending an elite school, an local vs. far-away school, private vs. public, and earning an A within the major you’ve selected. It is also likely that they send other indicators and/or that they change how these numbers are calculated from year to year. The important takeaway here is to consider if those pieces of information would help your child gain acceptance to the schools he or she is applying to. Are you certain you want to major in psychology? Or might business be more your passion? Or human biology? If you are unsure, maybe it’s best to leave this information blank for the time being. On the more personal information you give out about your current status, it would be useful to consider how attractive your data is to schools. Do you attend a private school? Do you earn good grades? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, it would likely benefit you to share financial or grade information.
How does ACT use my data? Is it safe to give it to them?
ACT sells your information to colleges and attaches some of it to the score reports you send to colleges. Millions of students take the ACT every year and many more utilize some of their other services.
Do I need to enter in all of this data just to sign up for a test, or can I do it later?
You can always add it in later, but be sure to do so before you take the exam. If you update your profile after the fact, it may only be included for future test sittings.
Any other questions?
Please let us know and we’d be happy to answer. You can email us at info@moprep.com or try our phone line at (858) 951-7149.
