All sophomores were required to take the PreACT on Oct. 25, including me. The test is designed to help prepare students in eighth, ninth or 10th grade for taking the ACT junior year.
On its website, the ACT states, “PreACT assessments are designed to provide students with an indication of the education progress in the context of preparing for the ACT and exploring postsecondary educational and career options.” It also claims, “PreACT scores are accurate predictors of ACT test scores.”
In theory, I think the test could achieve all these things, but there are circumstances that prevent this.
My biggest complaint was that my testing room was anything but a testing environment. The ACT requires a “WorkKeys testing session.” This is meant to ensure that the environment of all tests across the country are the exact same. Some examples of irregularities that have to be reported are looking ahead in the test booklet, an examinee becoming ill or leaving the room, or even sharing a calculator.
In my testing room, many of these “irregularities” happened. There were people talking during the test and distracting others, and it got to the point where my proctor had to file one of these reports. This then affected my testing in a way that did not happen to anyone else, which is not how this test is intended to be taken.
Something that is not supposed to happen is “disclosing test questions or answers, in whole or in part, in any way or at any time, including through social media.”
I think this rule is extremely hard to enforce and, honestly, is just not going to happen. I have heard so many people in the days and weeks after the test talking about the questions they had and what they got as answers. It is understandable why this rule is in place, but it shocks me that they expect high schoolers not to talk to each other about their experiences.
The date of the test was less than ideal for me personally because it was my birthday. Taking this important test was the last thing I wanted to do on my 16th birthday. All I was thinking about were the plans I had after the test, such as driving. But I got dismissed at 1 p.m. and was then able to enjoy the rest of my day, so I really cannot complain.
Something I did like about this test, though, was the fact that it is free. Therefore, this provides free ACT prep to students who might not otherwise have access to that service. This is especially important for students in Nebraska as the ACT is required for all high school juniors.
While I think the PreACT can be beneficial for test familiarity and prep for junior year, if it is going to be a mandatory test, the school and ACT organization should ensure the testing environment is the same for everyone, so the results are as accurate and beneficial as possible.
