RBC — College-hopeful high school students can take the ACT college admission and placement exam on April 12, the next nationwide test date. The registration postmark deadline is March 7. The registration fee is $30 for the traditional ACT (without the writing test) and $44.50 for the ACT Plus Writing. The late registration postmark deadline is March 21. An additional $19 fee is required for late registration.
Students can obtain registration information and materials from their high school guidance counselors’ office, or they can register online on ACT’s Web site at www.actstudent.org. The Web site also features test-taking tips, practice tests, online test prep, and a searchable database for students to see if a prospective college requires a writing score.
“Many high school juniors take the ACT in April,” said spokesman Scott Gomer. “Their scores can help them assess their current readiness for college coursework and, if needed, work with their counselors and parents to determine what steps they need to take to improve their readiness.”
The ACT is an achievement test that measures academic skills in English, reading, math, and science. The optional ACT Writing Test is not required by many colleges and universities, so students should check the admission requirements of colleges to which they’re considering applying before registering for the ACT.
ACT scores are accepted by all major colleges and universities across the nation. ACT scores are one factor — along with a student’s GPA, class rank, courses taken, extracurricular activities and other information — used by colleges to help determine if that student is ready to succeed in college-level coursework at his/her institution.