Flickr user Marcus Ljungblad
In March of 2016, ACT announced that it had devised a new test aimed at 10th-grade students to help them prepare for the ACT their following year. This test, aptly called the PreACT, or Preliminary ACT, follows the same format as the full ACT: The two tests are scored the same way, they follow the same subjects (minus the optional Writing portion), and the PreACT questions are actual ACT questions reformatted for 10th-grade students. (For more information about the PreACT.
The Preliminary ACT is for students in the 10th grade. The test can be administered anytime during the school year, whereas the SAT’s similar PSAT is only available in October. Currently, students have to sign up for the PreACT through a school that offers it. This means that if your school does not offer it, you can ask a neighboring school (likely through your guidance counselor or administration) if it does. You would then have to ask permission from that other school to take the test there. In this way, the PreACT is available to many students. The PreACT costs $12 per student (the PSAT costs $15).
Even if your school offers the SAT junior and senior year instead of the ACT, you can still ask to take the PreACT. Sometimes it is beneficial to take both major standardized tests, as some students perform better on one than the other. Your PreACT scores will give you a good indication of how you will likely perform on the ACT, as well as suggestions in which areas you might need improvement.
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