Test Date Decisions: The July ACT

When beginning your test prep process, one of the first things you will need to plan is your official test date. Your official test date will determine your timeline, prep plan, and ultimately what can be accomplished in that time period. Picking a test date may not be as easy as choosing the first or last possible test you can take, and in the Test Date Decisions Series we will provide a few factors for your consideration across all of the exam dates.

Advantages of the July Test

The July test date, new to California starting in 2020, offers the only ACT test date outside of the academic school year. Because of this, you may find that having an additional month to focus solely on ACT prep will put you in a more clear mindset on test day.  

You may be attracted to the July date so that you can be completely finished with testing prior to applying to colleges in the fall. College applications can be considerably time-consuming, and also typically occupies a lot of mental space for rising seniors. By having your score in-hand before the start of Senior year, you will also have a better idea of the strength of your application as a whole earlier in the application process. 

For Juniors, taking the July ACT means that you will still plan and prepare for another test date if you don’t receive your goal score. This advantage isn’t as effective once we reach the fall tests if you are applying Early Action or Early Decision, since you would only have one month in between the September and October test dates (two weeks of which will be spent waiting on your September score).

Disadvantages of the July Test

If you are a student with a busier summer schedule than academic year schedule - with internships, work, camp, family vacations - then the July test date may not be for you. One of the pieces that makes the ACT difficult is that it tests endurance and fatigue on top of content knowledge, meaning that a student that is already experiencing an increased workload will likely not perform as well as is possible for them.

The July test date can encourage some students to cram in prep in the few weeks between the end of finals and AP exams to July. However, time is usually required for long-term learning and content retention. This may not be a disadvantage for students starting close to their goal score and primarily needing help adjusting timing and strategy. 

If you want to take the July test date, you need to have a plan well in advance. As it is the last test date for ACT for the year prior to opening up registration for the fall, seats will fill quickly. Particularly if there is a concern for available seats overall, as seen during the ongoing pandemic, availability will decrease as students registered for previous test dates get scheduled to the next available date. The July test date typically also offers less choice in test sites, with schools less likely to host an exam during out of session times, so registering early is the best way to get a spot for a preferable test site.

You know yourself as a student better than anyone else, so all of these considerations should be taken context of your individual situation. Still not sure which test date may be best for you? We can help! Contact us via email at info@moprep.com or during business hours at (858) 951-7149, and we can help walk you through what will work best for your goals and schedule.