Acing the ACT, Las Vegas Sun, May 16, 1996

ACT ace among nation’s elite, but not completely SAT-isfied Lisa Sciortino Thursday, May 16, 1996 | 11:59 a.m. You'd think Andrea Kurtz would be jumping for joy. After all, not everyone scores a perfect 36 on the American College Testing Assessment -- the ACT, one of the standardized academic tests used to determine eligibility for college admission, scholarships and programs. In fact, the Durango High School junior is presumed to be the only student in the state to accomplish that feat this semester, according to Kelley Hayden, ACT's director of corporate communications. But instead of turning cartwheels, the only evidence of Andrea's achievement is the broad smile across her face. "I was thinking if I could get over 30, because that's what most colleges accept, I would be really fine with that," she says. So a 36 is just a notch above "fine" on her perk-o-meter? She says that's because of the ACT's sagging image -- that it's not as tough as the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). "That's why I wasn't too thrilled," Andrea explains. "I was glad that I got the score, but it would have been mind-blowing if it had been the SAT." Still, "I don't like the fact that all of my teachers have been telling me that the SAT is the one test that will determine whether you'll be selected for a college, that it's a top priority they look at. "I don't think that's fair because it's just one test on one day, and even if you can take it a couple of times, I don't really know if it's an accurate measure of everything you've done." The ACT, with 215 multiple-choice English, reading, math and science questions, is no less challenging, she believes. To prepare, Andrea, who is president of Durango's Honor Society and plays on its Varsity Quiz team, took a ACT prep test and relied on the knowledge and critical-thinking skills she's acquired through her advanced placement classes at school. "I think I handle tests pretty well under pressure," she says. "I was calm. I think that's what helped me a lot. I wasn't bent on getting a perfect score." And she advises other students readying for the test to do the same. "Don't be stressed. Don't set your goals so impossibly high," just enough to meet the university's required scores, she says. "Pace yourself when you're doing the questions. I always go through them first and then I go back and double-check" the answers. She used the full time allotted. There's no use trying to cram for the ACT, either. Pay attention in class ahead of time. "So much of the stuff (on the test) is stuff you've taken in over the years. You can't do it all in one month before the test." Andrea won't have much time to rest on her laurels. She's planning to take the SAT and has already begun studying for it with the help of a computer program. Her stellar ACT score has only added to the pressures of taking SAT, she says. "I don't like the fact that people assume that since I got a 36, I have a chance of getting a 1,600," a perfect SAT score. "I'm really not sure about that one. It's an intimidating test."