GoodLifeFamilyMag.com MAY | JUNE 2017 51 THE ROAD TO COLLEGE The ACT website offers the following assistance, which includes suggestions for fee based and free resources at act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/ test-preparation/act-online-prep.html FEE BASED • ACT Online Prep™ (Software)The only test preparation program designed exclusively by ACT test development professionals! • The Real ACT Prep Guide (Book) The official ACT prep guide—the only one that includes five actual, retired ACT tests – each with an optionalWritingTest. FREE • ACT Question of the Day Each day a new ACTTest practice question is posted. Inaddition,thiswebsiteincludesPracticeTestQuestions, TestTips andTest Descriptions. •Afreestudentpreparationbookletavailablefrommost high schools and colleges in English or Spanish which includes test information, complete practice tests with scoring keys, and a writing prompt may be found here: PreparingfortheACT(PDF;64pages,2MB)orPreparación paraelexamendeACT(PDF; 72 pages, 2.1MB) act.org/aap/pdf/Preparing-for-the-ACT.pdf act.org/aap/pdf/Preparing-for-the-ACT-Spanish.pdf If the student needs a step-by-step guide, the SAT website (http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/when-to-take-sat) offers perhaps the most comprehensive and detailed timeline, including actions to take from freshman year on. Students typically take the SAT during junior or senior year in high school. At least half of all students take the SAT twice − in the spring of junior year and in the fall of their senior year, with most seeing improvement in scores the second time around. The SAT offers Subject Tests™ that are required by some universities. Most students take these tests toward the end of junior year or at the beginning of senior year, but it is advised that tests such as Biology E/M, Chemistry, Physics, and World History be taken as soon as possible after course completion. Students tend to do better on language tests after at least two years of study. UT College Admissions Ambassador, Alyssa, urges high school students to take challenging classes and get involved in extracurricular activities, but she recommends they include the following: MAINTAIN A BALANCE BETWEEN SCHOOL AND SOCIAL TIME. This will prepare them for budgeting time in college. WORK HARD. Universities look for an upward swing in grades from freshman to senior year. CONSULT WITH A GUIDANCE COUNSELOR DURING JUNIOR YEAR to discuss potential college and university choices. WORK VERY HARD JUNIOR YEAR. This is the year that really counts! ACT/SAT PREP RESOURCES The high school guidance office is ground zero when it comes to obtaining information about undergraduate programs, standardized testing and the college application process.