Why Your Student Should Take the Midway ACT
The midway ACT is not merely a progress check. It is an important part of the score-improvement strategy itself.
Capture early gains and identify needed adjustments.
Apply everything learned during the full 13 weeks.
Create another opportunity for a stronger Composite or superscore.
The Common Assumption
Waiting until the program ends can cost students points.
Families sometimes assume the best strategy is to finish ACT prep before taking another official test. That sounds reasonable, but it overlooks how score improvement and superscoring actually work.
In our 13-week programs, our goal is for students to take the official ACT at least three times: once midway through the program, once at the end of the 13 weeks, and at least once more after completing the program.
Each test serves a different purpose, and all three work together to give students the best opportunity to reach their full scoring potential.
Reason One
Every ACT is another opportunity to build a stronger superscore.
Approximately 75% of the colleges tracked by Compass Education Group currently superscore the ACT. A superscore combines a student's best English, Math, and Reading scores from different test dates, so every section does not have to peak on the same Saturday.
A student might earn their best English score on the midway ACT, their best Math score on the end-of-program ACT, and their best Reading score after completing the program. At a college that superscores, those three performances can work together.
Reason Two
Our program is designed around multiple ACT attempts.
Students in our program concentrate heavily on one section at a time. This lets them develop a deeper understanding of that section before shifting their attention elsewhere.
Students may therefore be at their strongest in one section midway through the program and strongest in another section near the end. Waiting until the program is over can mean missing the opportunity to capture a peak performance in the section the student recently studied most intensively.
Testing midway, at the end, and at least once afterward gives students multiple opportunities to convert their progress into official scores.
Reason Three
The midway ACT gives us information a practice test cannot.
Practice tests are extremely valuable, but an official ACT includes pressures and variables that are difficult to reproduce at home.
- A different and unfamiliar testing environment
- Strictly enforced timing and an unfamiliar proctor
- Other students working in the same room
- Test-day nerves and the pressure of knowing the score is official
Reason Four
Multiple attempts reduce the pressure on any one Saturday.
Students sometimes approach the end-of-program ACT believing that everything depends on that one morning. That pressure rarely helps them perform their best.
The midway ACT gives students experience applying new strategies in an official setting. They learn how their pacing holds up, how they respond when a section is harder than expected, and what they should do differently next time.
Reason Five
Students often improve simply by gaining real test experience.
The ACT measures more than academic knowledge. It also tests pacing, concentration, endurance, emotional control, and familiarity with the testing environment. Those abilities improve with experience.
Students can use what they learn on the midway ACT during the end-of-program test, then use both experiences to prepare for at least one additional attempt. Closely spaced ACT dates can be especially valuable because students can apply lessons from the first test while the experience is still fresh.
After the 13 Weeks
The end of the program should not necessarily be the end of testing.
By the end of the program, students have learned the content, strategies, and habits they need. Taking the ACT at least once more lets them benefit from everything they learned without forcing every best performance into a single test date.
Students may continue improving as concepts become more familiar, pacing becomes more natural, and test-day anxiety decreases. In our experience, students who keep testing after the program frequently add at least one more point to their Composite or superscore. That point can sometimes affect admissions opportunities or lead to thousands of dollars in additional scholarship aid.
A Common Concern
Will taking the ACT multiple times look bad to colleges?
After years of asking admissions professionals—including professionals at highly selective universities—we have never had one tell us that the number of ACT attempts negatively influenced an admissions or scholarship decision.
There is no prize for earning a student's best score on the first attempt. Some students reach their goals after two tests. Others need four, five, six, or more. What matters is earning the strongest score possible before admissions and scholarship deadlines.
Read our complete explanation: Does Taking the ACT Multiple Times Hurt College Admissions or Scholarships?
The Bottom Line
The midway ACT is part of a larger three-test strategy.
- Midway: Capture early improvements and identify needed adjustments.
- End of the program: Apply everything learned during the 13 weeks.
- At least once afterward: Create another opportunity for a higher Composite or superscore.
Do not wait until the end of the program to give your student their first opportunity to turn progress into an official score.
Register for the Midway ACT