When Should Your Child Start Preparing for the ACT®?

Read time: 8 min  ·  Last updated: June 7, 2026

ACT® prep starts in 9th grade, but your son or daughter doesn't need to review dedicated test prep material until 11th grade. What I mean by ACT prep starts in 9th grade is: your child needs to take the right classes, enumerated below, to understand the material on the test. Then test prep strategies come into play.

The ACT recommends taking the first ACT in the fall of junior year. ACT's own guidance on when to take the test. Most test prep companies parrot this claim. It's not a bad idea - in my experience, taking the test in spring of junior year is more conducive to receiving a higher score because that's when your son or daughter will have seen the necessary classes to do well on the test.

My recommendation is that your son or daughter should take their first ACT in the spring of junior year. Unless you know they need remedial help on core high school subjects, in which case an ACT taken well in advance can help identify gaps. For more on this, see how to read the score report categories.

What does the ACT say about when to take the test - and is it right?

Here's what the ACT actually says about when to take the test.

The ACT suggests your son or daughter can take the ACT at any grade in high school. They're not wrong. If your son or daughter has a reason to take the ACT, such as accelerated programs or dual credit coursework, then your son or daughter might have no other choice but to take the ACT.

Here's the mistake I see parents make though: thinking that your child needs to take the ACT means your child needs tutoring. If your son or daughter is in 9th or 10th grade, and hasn't seen Algebra II or pre-calc, math tutoring is going to be of limited value.

I warn against tutoring before having seen the pre-requisite classes because parents of high-achieving students want a tutor who can promise their son or daughter can increase his or her score without having the seen the requisite classes. These parents book a call with me, I explain that I'm not going to be able to help, they find a tutor who says they can help, then come back to me frustrated when their son or daughters score goes up by a maximum of 3 points composite - and that's the high end of what I see happen in this very specific case.

So I want to say, full throatedly, if your son or daughter has not seen Algebra II or pre-calc, do not waste your money on test prep. I don't want your money! And anyone who takes your money seriously does not have your best interests in mind. Here's what you should do instead: read through the articles on my website about how to study the content. If your son or daughter does precalc and Algebra II on Khan Academy, then I can be extremely helpful. But candidly, I don't want to teach your child something they can learn better and for free elsewhere online.

Is Math really the ceiling? What about English and reading?

Yes, Math is really the ceiling. Science is no longer required, but it was never a limiting factor: the science is essentially reading charts and graphs.

Here's the ACT's own Description of the Math Test. The material covered emphasizes the major content areas that are prerequisites to successful performance in entry-level courses in college mathematics. Functionally, what that means, is nothing beyond Algebra II. For a full breakdown of what's actually tested, see my guide to the ACT® Math section.

Even my competitors agree with me:

• PrepScholar - The ACT tests math skills that most students know by the beginning of grade 12 – which in practice means nothing beyond Algebra II. (source)
• PrepMatters notes the ACT draws from geometry/precalc and that students who have only completed Algebra 2 should expect to learn some new material before testing for top scores (source).

English

Most students miss grammar - CSE - on English. It doesn't matter what grade they are in, public or private school, domestic or international. Almost everybody misses the grammar, so the grade for English is less important but still a concern.

Reading

The ACT tests reading comprehension by difficulty of text. There's a bit of remedial tutoring that helps for the ACT in specific, so reading scores are less dependent on grade level. Plus, you can't improve your reading comprehension alone - it's too difficult for the average student.

Science

Science classes are critical for admission to many four-year colleges, but they're of limited value for the ACT® Science Test — because there's limited actual science on it. The Science Test is mostly about reading charts, graphs, and tables, plus some scientific reasoning that most students grasp easily. There's little outside science knowledge, and what does appear tends to be basic (at what temperature in Celsius does water freeze?) and rarely repeats. For the purposes of the ACT® Science Test specifically, there's little benefit to taking advanced science classes.

What is the actual timeline, grade by grade?

The single biggest factor that influences score increases is taking the ACT-recommended core curriculum: four years of English and three years each of math, science, and social studies.

From the ACT's Classes to Take in High School: For the class of 2017, 68% of students completed a core curriculum. Those students got an average ACT score of 22.1. Students who didn't complete the core classes had an average of 18.9. → a 3.2-point gap, attributable to coursework alone.

The 3.2-point gap might seem small, but it's in fact huge. If a student has the requisite background in school coursework, then I can rule out content gaps for the most part and find out exactly what's going wrong on the test. The biggest issue for most students is unfamiliarity with the test. The ACT is a good test of college-readiness, but its content is presented in a way that is unfamiliar to most students. That's because schools are so focused on just getting the content across to the whole class, there's little time left to take the material to the next level.

That's where I come in. Here's how the timing actually breaks down by grade.

Before 10th grade

This is far too early to be preparing for the ACT® Test.

You can take the PreACT, but its value is limited. It's very hard to prepare anyone before 10th grade, because these students still have open questions about content. The honest answer to most of them is: "you'll cover that in Algebra." There's so little value in starting this early that I'd advise against it.

One exception: if your son or daughter plans to pursue National Merit Scholar status, they should be preparing for the PSAT® instead.

Read the Best Guide to Scholarships

10th grade

Still too early for most students. Getting a head start is good in general, and you want your child well prepared — but for most people, 10th grade comes too soon. The summer between 10th and 11th grade is a fine time to start, and the prospect of college can give your child real motivation to do well.

One notable exception: sports scholarships. Student athletes can be recruited after their sophomore year, so if your child needs a certain score to secure an athletic scholarship, preparing in 10th grade can make sense. Families in that position have usually been building their child's academics well in advance anyway.

11th grade

This is the optimal time to prepare for the ACT® Test. By now, students have seen most of the content the test covers — or at least enough to bridge any remaining gaps.

Preparing in junior year also lets your child recalibrate their academic efforts, which is especially useful if they're struggling in certain areas. If they're hoping to attend a specific college and their math scores aren't yet competitive, there's still enough time in 11th grade to put in the work and make a significant improvement.

Summer between 11th and 12th grade

The summer between junior and senior year is a popular — and good — time to study. Students often (not always) have little else going on and can dedicate roughly three months to the test.

If a student discovers over the summer that they're struggling in a section, there's still time to close the gap. The last ACT® administration you generally want to target is December of senior year — or earlier if your child is applying to a UC. See the admissions timelines below.

12th grade

If you have no other choice, start in 12th grade. The window for drastic score improvement is closing, but it's absolutely still possible — I've seen highly motivated seniors make huge gains.

Gap year?

There's no expiration date on ACT® Test scores, and most colleges offer no specific guidance on this. My recommendation is for your child to take the ACT® Test in senior year, while the material is still fresh. If you're asking because your child is planning a gap year, they should be fine.

Also look into deferred enrollment. Most colleges let a student secure their spot and then take a year off with admission already lined up.

Admissions Timelines

You'll need to consider which schools your child wants to apply to when planning for the ACT® Test. Most use the Common App, which has a uniform application process — but not a uniform deadline for accepting ACT® scores. Some colleges want scores by their application deadline; others accept them afterward. Always check your target schools for specifics.

One important note: the University of California system closes admissions earlier than most schools. The UCs also don't consider ACT® or SAT® scores for admission or scholarship decisions — though that may change, as several notable schools have recently reversed their test-optional policies.

The Common Application

Most students use the Common App to submit their applications. Be aware that the timelines the Common App states may not align with an individual college's stated timeline.

Early Action / Early Decision

If there's a school your child really wants to attend, consider early action or early decision. The exact meaning and deadline of each changes from school to school, so review a college's stated terms before applying early.

You can usually only apply early to one private university. Since most share the Common App, they'd know if you applied early to more than one. The benefit is that you hear back from that school first. Early decision can be binding — some schools require early applicants to commit, others don't.

Don't be tripped up by discrepancies between the Common App's deadlines and a school's own. For example, the Common App may list Early Action as ending November 1, but a given school's stated plan might pair a November 1 Early Action deadline with decisions by January 31 and a January 15 Regular Decision deadline with decisions by March 31. And NYU has an Early Action II option that closes January 1. Check each college's own early-application timelines.

Regular admission

Regular admission is the process most people know. The key rule is the same: always check the college's website over the Common App's timelines, because some schools close regular decision earlier than the Common App suggests. Harvard, for example, states its application portions are due by November 1 for Restrictive Early Action and January 1 for Regular Decision.

UC schools

The University of California schools close admission applications in early December (December 2 in a typical cycle). If your child wants to apply to any UC, make sure the application is complete by then. ACT® Test scores can still be used to meet UC minimum eligibility requirements and for course placement.

How Far in Advance Should You Plan Test Prep?

It depends on your student's goals, but as a general rule, the focused prep itself should happen in the window between roughly three months and three weeks before the test. That gives a student enough time to maximize their score without burning out early.

When should my child take their first test?

The ACT recommends your child takes the test in fall of junior year. It's not a bad recommendation. But I think the spring of junior year is better for most students, barring any fundamental gaps in core coursework.

When should my child retake the test?

The ACT has data on retesting that shows most students increase their scores after one sitting. But this data comes with big caveats. ACT's own research: of 2015 graduates who retested, 57% improved their composite, 21% stayed the same, 22% declined. (ACT Multiple Testers report)

But how much do students increase their scores?

According to the ACT, students who initially score between 13 and 29 increase their Composite score by an average of one point when they retest. Retaking helps, but typical gains are modest unless something changes (more coursework, real prep, or a bad first sitting). (ACT reasons to retest)

The conventional wisdom on how many times to retake the ACT is good: no more than 2-3 sittings. Anything more is just tortuous to the child. In between test dates, there should be a material change. Otherwise, don't retest. There's no need. And don't think that taking the SAT alone will change things - the very fact that concordance tables exist proves that there's no difference in the knowledge tested.

For what it's worth, students who work with me usually see more than 1 point increase. So if you want to see some serious improvement on your child's ACT score, then let's work together. Here's how I work with families and everything that's free on this site.

See how one-on-one ACT® tutoring with a specialist works

→What Is the ACT® Test?