Should I take the ACT as a sophomore?

Answered

I would definitely not take the real ACT as a Sophomore just a practice one because the results could be disappointing. It's true that there are some legitimate geniuses that can walk into a test center and score a 35-36 cold with no studying. But that might be 0.001% of people.

The other reason is that some top schools want you to submit all your test scores not just your highest score or your superscore. So lets say you get a 25 the first time as a sophomore, then took it twice as junor and got a 28, then a 29, then a 31 as a senior but your superscore is a 32. On the common app you have to explain your superscore by divulging when you took the component parts that make up your SS. So you may have to indicate 3-4 test dates. At at some colleges, they just want all the scores. There is no material advantage to submitting 10th grade ACT scores in my opinion.

If you are aware that the ACT is a test which is an assessment of how well you have mastered the English, Reading, Science, and Math concepts taught in core HS subjects that will help determine your success at taking college courses, most 10th graders have not mastered anything yet. For example the ACT math section is actually harder than the SAT math section because there are both pre calculus and statistical math problems. You would only know how to answer them if you have completed Pre-Calc. or covered Stats like in AP Stats. So to get a 35-36 on ACT math, 99% of 10th graders have not completed both those courses.

I do however believe that it's never too early to prep for the ACT and it is wiser to start prepping in 10th grade versus 11th or 12th. I also feel as I stated before that your success in completing various courses and getting As in them will help ensure that you can test well on the ACT besides the practice books. I would recommend that you take Pre-Calc, AP Stats, AP English Lang, and couple AP science classes before you take the ACT because then the material covered in the test will be familiar especially if you are aiming for a 33-36 ACT score.

If all you are aiming for is say a 28-31 score, then mastering some of the more difficult questions may not be worth your time and trouble. It is rather doable to go from a average score of 21 to a 25 with some organized prep. It becomes exponentially difficult to go from a 25 to 30, and then as you prep toward a near perfect score it might take you a full summer of work and practice tests to go from a 33 to 35. So just beware that understanding your own natural ability is going to inform you how far you can go. Some people will never break 25 no matter how much they study and prep for.

Good Luck.