Juniors in Kentucky’s public high schools will take the ACT in March as part of the state’s academic accountability and equity efforts.

“The ACT is a good indicator of your college readiness even if some colleges no longer require the ACT for admissions,” Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman said in a press release. “Many scholarships, including KEES, base awards on your ACT scores.”

Students at eligible high schools can earn bonus awards through the KEES program if their ACT composite score is 15 or higher.

Each year, Kentucky provides its public high school juniors an opportunity to take the ACT exam at no cost.

These tips from the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) may help students improve their performance on the test:

• Most of the ACT is based on reading. The more you read, the better you’ll do.
• Take advantage of any free ACT prep courses offered by your school or by local colleges and libraries.
• Take practice tests online at www.act.org or buy practice tests for use at home.
• Familiarize yourself with the various sections of the test, as well as testing directions.
• Get plenty of rest the night before the test, and eat a good breakfast the day of the test.
• Take No. 2 pencils and a calculator if your school doesn’t provide them. You can also choose online only rather than on paper.
• Answer easy questions first and then come back to the harder questions.
• Guess if you don’t know the answer. Guessing won’t hurt your score.

KHEAA is the state agency that administers the merit-based Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) program, as well as need-based grants and other programs to help students pay their higher education expenses. Kentucky Lottery funds pay for many of those programs. For more information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit kheaa.com; write KHEAA at P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602; or call 800-928-8926.

In addition, KHEAA administers the KY Saves 529 program, which allows families to save for college. For more information, visit www.kysaves.com/home.html.

KHEAA’s sister agency, the Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation (KHESLC), is the Kentucky not-for-profit agency committed to offering students/borrowers the lowest possible cost assistance in achieving their higher education dreams by offering the Advantage Education Loan program. For more information, visit www.advantageeducationloan.com/.