ACT exam preparation course

ACT exam course – your gateway to American universities

The standardised ACT test is one of the two exams (alongside the SAT) that open the doors to American universities. The ACT score is read by virtually every admissions committee in the USA, and increasingly also by universities in Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries. The problem is that a good student from a Polish school who handles the Matura very well often comes to the ACT completely unprepared – a different format, a different language of instructions, a different logic of tasks, and a very strict time limit.

The ACT course at MonPat Education is preparation led by mentors who have themselves been through the American admissions system and know what universities really pay attention to. We work on every section of the test – English, Math, Reading, Science, and the optional Writing – in a way that combines real exam strategies with building linguistic and analytical confidence.

Our goal is not just to raise the score. The point is for the student to walk into the exam room with the sense that they know this test inside out – they know what questions to expect, they know how much time to devote to each section, and they know what to do when a task looks like a trap.

Who is ACT exam preparation at MonPat for?

The course is aimed mainly at high school students who plan to study in the United States or are applying to universities that require an ACT or SAT score. We are also increasingly contacted by IB programme students and Polish Matura students who want to have a strong, international element in their application – the ACT score can be an additional advantage here, especially when applying for scholarships.

The people who most often seek support are those who:

• are applying to universities in the USA, including Top 50 universities and the Ivy League,
• plan to apply for academic scholarships in the USA, where a high ACT score directly translates into the value of financial aid,
• are doing the IB programme or the Polish Matura and want to balance their profile with a strong standardised score,
• are also considering studies in Ireland or European universities that accept the ACT,
• want to avoid exam stress thanks to an organised study plan.

Parents who contact us most often have one concern: whether their child is ready for competitive international admissions. Good grades at a Polish school are not enough – committees in the USA assess the whole candidate profile, and the ACT score is one of the strongest objective reference points.

Why can the score from an ACT test course decide your application?

The ACT is not just another test on school material. It is an examination of how quickly you think, how you read under time pressure, how you interpret scientific data, and how you cope with questions that look familiar but in reality test something completely different from what they seem to. The Science section does not test knowledge of biology or physics – it tests whether you can analyse a chart and a table in 5 minutes. The Reading section requires you to read four texts in 35 minutes. Math covers material that a Polish student knows, but written in a different notation and presented in an unusual order.

Without deliberate preparation, even a very good student achieves a score significantly below their potential. And at the level of selective universities, the difference between 28 and 33 points is often the difference between “thank you for your application” and “welcome to the campus”.

A solid ACT score is a real advantage in the application. It opens access to Top 50 universities, increases the chances of academic and sports scholarships, and combined with a well-written personal statement, builds a candidate profile that the committee will remember. In the long term, it is an investment that translates into a better university, a stronger network of contacts, and concretely a better start to a professional career – not only right after studies, but for many years.

What does ACT tutoring at MonPat Education look like?

We work individually. Lessons are online, at a pace and frequency adapted to the student’s schedule – not the school’s schedule. Each course starts with a diagnostic test, which shows specifically where the student is losing points and where they are already strong. On this basis, we put together a preparation plan – not a template, but a real roadmap for a specific person and a specific exam date.

After each session, the student receives brief feedback – what went well, what we are working on next week, what tasks are worth solving independently before the next meeting. Parents receive regular progress summaries, so there is no sense that the child is “going to tutoring” with no idea of the result.

During the course, the student goes through several full mock exams in conditions close to the real ACT – full time, full sections, full analysis of the results afterwards. Why do parents and students choose us? Because our tutors have themselves been through the same tests, have themselves applied to top universities, and know the system from the inside. Availability between lessons, quick responses to questions, a clear action plan for every stage – this is standard, not an extra.

What does the ACT course include?

• Diagnosis of the starting point – a full mock test and analysis of strengths and weaknesses before starting,
• English section – grammar, punctuation, rhetoric, style, work with text fragments under time pressure,
• Math section – algebra, geometry, trigonometry in the ACT version, strategies for quickly solving tasks and avoiding traps,
• Reading section – speed-reading techniques, locating information in the text, work with four types of texts (prose fiction, social science, humanities, natural science),
• Science section – analysis of charts, tables, experiments, and scientific data, without the need to know the entire biology or chemistry syllabus,
• Writing section (optional) – building argumentation, essay structure, academic language,
• Mock exams – full tests in exam conditions with analysis of every mistake,
• Time strategy – how to plan the minutes for each section, when to skip a task, when to return to it,
• Original materials – task banks, brief summaries, revision plans between sessions,
• Mentor support – contact with the tutor between lessons when questions arise.

The ACT is one element of a bigger puzzle

It very rarely happens that someone prepares only for the ACT – in isolation from the rest of the application process. The ACT score is an important number in the application, but it is still just one number. Admissions committees in the USA look at the whole candidate profile: school grades, motivation letter, extracurricular activities, recommendation letters, and sometimes an admissions interview.

That is why our ACT exam course is often part of a broader path. We combine it with help in writing the personal statement, selecting universities matched to the profile and goals, preparation for the SAT exam as an alternative or supplement, and also with a TOEFL or IELTS Academic course if the university requires separate confirmation of language level.

For those aiming at top American universities, we have a dedicated programme of applications to studies in the USA – Top 50 universities, which combines all these elements in one organised process – from application strategy, through tests, to the final correction of documents. If the application is heading towards Ivy League universities, we also run comprehensive Ivy League Plus support.

The first meeting is free. During the consultation we discuss where the student is now, when they plan to take the ACT, which universities they have their sights on, and how to adapt the preparation plan to a realistic time frame. No pressure, no sales pitch – a concrete conversation about what is worth doing.