Who Should Take the New July ACT?

Prior to the summer of 2018, the ACT was offered six times per year: in February, April, June, September, October, and December. But now there’s also an ACT test date in July!

So what does this mean for your and your student’s testing options? Read on to learn more about how this additional test date could be the right fit for you.

Who SHOULD consider the July ACT test date?

There are two groups of students who clearly benefit from this new test date:

1. rising juniors who are ahead of the game in terms of test prep and who want to get the ACT out of the way before junior year begins, and
2. rising seniors who weren’t able to take the test during their junior year, or who took it and were unhappy with their scores.

More on that second group: your student may feel ready to take the ACT during winter or spring of junior year, but the testing dates may conflict with finals, school projects, and extracurricular commitments. If your student makes sure to keep reviewing their test prep materials, the summer testing date can offload junior year, at least a little. And if your student did take the ACT during junior year and wasn’t happy with their score, having a summer test date takes some of the pressure off of their second attempt, since they can still fit in a third test if necessary in September or October (depending on application deadlines).

The summer date can also help students who want to give themselves focused time to prepare for the ACT without feeling pulled in different directions with school, extracurriculars, and other school-year commitments.

Who should NOT consider the new ACT test date?

While the July ACT is worth considering for almost everyone, there are three groups of students for whom it’s not their best option.

1. Students who are not prepared! If your student hasn’t had time to study and take practice tests during the school year or at the start of the summer, or if they are a rising junior who hasn’t taken all the math they need to do well on the test, it’s much better to wait.
2. Students who don’t live near a location that offers the July test date (see below). Given the space and location limitations, you may find that it’s more trouble than it’s worth (having to get up very early, go to an unfamiliar testing location, etc.).
3. Students with a busy summer: jobs, internships, and/or travel plans can mean test prep won’t be enough of a priority.

Important Considerations for the July ACT

The July ACT is NOT offered everywhere: New York and California do not offer the new test date.

If your student is interested in taking the July ACT, it’s very important to register early, as there are fewer testing locations available than for other test dates. The official “Regular Deadline” to register for the July 13, 2019 ACT exam is June 14, 2019 (with the “Late Fee Required” deadline going up until June 24, 2019), but signing up as soon as possible for this test date is the best way to ensure your choice of testing location.

If you’d like to discuss your student’s testing options in more depth or learn about how test prep could help them reach their academic goals, we’d love to hear from you!

Please email us or give us a call at 617-714-5262. We’re here to help and we look forward to speaking with you!

Overview of ACT Test Dates for 2019

* The first date is when multiple-choice scores are released; the second date is when complete scores (with the Writing section) are released.

*** July test dates are not offered in New York or California.

Register for the ACT here.

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