The ACT, American College Testing, is a test that most high school juniors and seniors fear for the last two years of high school. Well, at least I feared it. The ACT is a standardized test meant to measure your performance in a variety of subjects such as English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and a writing section. It is a total of 215 questions, and each section is timed ranging from 35-60 minutes. The scores on the ACT range from 1 to 36 points. The ACT is so vital because it makes or breaks many decisions in your life. Your composite score could determine whether or not you get accepted into the college of your choice or get scholarship money for college.

The ACT composite score you achieve allows you to be accepted by certain colleges or universities. It depends where you apply to and how the school is ranked, but this score means so much. In my opinion, I don't think colleges should mainly focus around one timed test grade. Colleges and universities do look at your resume, GPA, and letters of recommendation but majority of there decision is based upon this simple number grade. I think that colleges should not weigh the ACT test any more then they do your GPA or transcripts. I have worked so hard the past 5 years keeping up my grades and GPA, and now I feel like it is going unrecognized. It makes me mad because maybe I wouldn't have tried as hard or maybe I wouldn't have stressed as much if I knew my final GPA was just going to be "glanced over" and not really taken into praise. I know your grades and GPA are still very important and colleges and universities do still look at them and take the scores into consideration, but the requirements are not as strict as your ACT composite. The universities that I applied to have different requirements. LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Georgia are the colleges that I applied too. These colleges all have similar ACT score requirements, except for UGA. They required at least a 28 on the ACT for your file to even be pulled. They have a stricter application system. So, overall I don't think a simple standardized test score should impact a decision as drastic as acceptance into your future school. I think your ACT composite score should just be another piece of information about you, but other things such as your GPA, recommendations, and resume should be weighed the same,

Moreover, your ACT composite score can determine whether you receive scholarship money. This is the issue I am currently facing. I am still undecided with college between Louisiana State University and Alabama University. It comes down to a difference of either free because I get in-state TOPS money, or $30,000 going away. For Alabama's scholarships you have to have a 28 to get the first level of money, which is only for a $1,500 scholarship.

This test in my opinion should not determine someones future as much as it can. For me personally I do not test well. I have a 4.0 GPA, but when it comes to timed tests I never perform my best. It is so frustrating right now trying to make my college decision and basing it off of money. It amazes me that if I would have a higher ACT score, it could be the difference between free or thousands of dollars. It makes me angry with myself for not testing better and achieving a higher score, but at the same time it makes me frustrated that my handwork and dedication the past five years of high school aren't paying off. I disagree with the fact that this simple test is weighed more then other factors and can truly impact my future and the rest of my life drastically.