In recent years, June has become the most popular time to take the ACT test. The ACT, or American College Test, is offered at many times of the year. In recent years, the June ACT has become the most popular time to issue the standardized test and organize the test prep for it.
While different periods give different advantages to both staff and students, the June ACT provides a lot of pros to outweigh its cons. The biggest reason to issue the June ACT test is the lack of distractions. With the test being issued the second Saturday after Memorial Day in June, students are free of any potential distractions they may have from test preparation. Most districts have a two week period in between the end of the school year and this weekend of the test. This means that students are void of distractions. There are no dances, tests, spring break vacations, homework, or any other traditional schoolwork to distract students from studying for the test. This gives students the proper time to prepare themselves for the standardized test without overwhelming them alongside other obligations.
The lack of distractions for students have been proven to raise test scores, which is a major reason to issue this test during this time of year. Students have shown score increases that average about 2 points as opposed to tests issued during the school year. A two point increase might not seem like a major increase on paper, but when considering the scale of the ACT is from 1 to 36, that is almost a 6% increase in scores just by issuing the test during this time.
Furthermore, Issuing the June ACT is beneficial to the school districts themselves. Many schools report having to take time out of traditional classes to make room for ACT test preparation. While some time may still be taken to do this, issuing the test over the summer break allows for students to study in a way that best benefits them without eating into as much traditional classroom time.
Overall, the June ACT has risen in popularity over the years for its proven efficiency and advantages to both students and faculty. This test is ideal for most districts and should be utilized with the appropriate test preparation to ensure greater success.