ACT Stress

Stress. A six-letter word that seems to perfectly describe most students’ time in high school. Stress about things at home, stress about sports, drama, and other extracurricular activities, stress about work; the list goes on and on. It seems that our lives are overloaded with stress.

With the ACT day for juniors coming up right around the corner, the normal amount of stress a typical junior feels is tripled.

In stressful times like these, do we ever stop and ask ourselves why we’re staying up into all hours of the night, breaking our backs and hurting our tired brains over one little test? Do we ever wonder how important the ACT really is in the long run or if the stress is even worth it?

Is the ACT a good representation of the things we need to know for college?

What does Ms. Young think of the material presented on the ACT? She said, “The English section of this test is a great representation of the material you should already know by heart.” She went on to explain that she should not have to teach the material presented on the English section in 11^th grade because it should be something we already know, especially at our current level.

Ms. Young also said the material presented on the ACT is the basics of the subject and she should be able to reference it in class and have all of the students know exactly what she means. Sadly though, this is not the case, as she has to take a few weeks out of her teaching schedule every year to teach ACT prep to her 11^th graders.

When Mr. Wytiaz was asked his opinion on the ACT, he was quick to say that the science section is “way off,” but the math section works fine as a representation of what we should know.

When asked how he feels about the stress this test puts on students, Mr. Wytiaz commented, “Life is more stressful than that test, so get used to it.” He said that students should always be put under stress so they can continue to aim higher and be more successful. “In order to have a high coping level you have to learn how to deal with high amounts of stress.”

In regards to ACT stress, Ms. Young commented, “Stress is the only thing that makes them learn it.” She went on to explain that kids pay much more attention when you tell them what they’re learning is going to be on a test.

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Katy Pearson

Katy is a junior at Orem High School. She loves dancing, singing, reading, and writing. Her favorite author is Jane Austen. She loves being busy and always has something to do. She loves the rain more than anything else and her favorite movie is Tangled.