Panic sets in as I, Taylor, a junior at Cannon Falls High School, realize that the ACT test is less than a day away. This year is the first year that the state of Minnesota has made it a requirement that in order to graduate every junior has to take the ACT, or some form of that test. There are many positives and negatives to this new law. Adding stress to students’ lives and wasting of time are some of the many cons of this test being a requirement, while one pro is all students get this opportunity.

Books piled all around me as I struggle to get through my homework so I can have time for some ACT prep – all of this just causes my stress level to skyrocket. In order to get into the college of my dreams, I have to get good grades to be able to compete with other students for a spot. On top of these grades, I need extracurricular activities, community service, and to take a test on everything I learned in school, because my good grades don’t prove that I learned it well enough.  Somewhere in the 24 hour day, I have to try to make room for all of this if I wish to thrive in my future. By failing any of these previously mentioned stressors I will fail my future.

Now that it is a requirement for graduation, teachers and students spend class time reviewing and practicing for the ACT, a test many kids wouldn’t be taking because their future plans don’t include a college that requires this test. Wasting kid’s class time with something they don’t need is unproductive for their futures. A whole school day is dedicated to taking a test that some wish not to take. In many ways, these young adults will have taken or will be taking the test again so what’s the point in giving a free one if they will be purchasing another one anyway?

On the flip side, the ACT being a requirement for graduation is very helpful. Instead of having to pay around $50.00 to take it on some Saturday morning, the test is paid for and given during a school day, allowing everyone to take it for free without having to make an opening in busy extracurricular lives to squeeze in a test. Administering the test for free is beneficial because it gives those students who couldn’t afford it a chance to take it and benefit their futures. For those who don’t know their future plans, it gives them a safety net to fall back on in case they decide they do want to go to college. For those already planning on taking the ACT  its a good practice run for when they retake it which in an odd way reduces the stress of the ACT.

I sit here writing this and I can feel the stress melting away. Yes I have books and practice tests that I can take to help myself prepare but in the long run I need to relax and not let the stress of my future and school take over my life and cause me to test badly. I think all high schoolers need to take this into consideration when studying or stressing about school. There are positives to this ACT being a high school requirement along with some negatives that need to be taken into consideration.  Breathe, relax, sleep, eat, and most of all do your best. It’s all anyone can ask of you, a high school student trying to survive this ever more difficult school system.