ACT Prep at Huntington Learning Center

This ACT prep post is sponsored by Huntington Learning Center. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

ACT Prep at Huntington Learning Center

One of the biggest challenges of high school (for teens and parents) is preparing for the ACT. This standardized test is required by most college admissions offices and therefore almost every high school student will take the test at least once. Most teenagers take the test in the Spring of their Junior year but my daughter, Jayme, goes to a dual enrollment high school so she did not wait that long to focus on ACT Prep. She took her first Pre-ACT a few months ago during the Spring of her Freshman year and will take the ACT in her Sophomore year. 

Making sure she is ready to take the ACT requires starting early on her ACT prep because she has not learned many of the topics that are covered on the test. It can be overwhelming trying to find the right resources on your own as there are a wide variety of ACT resources but it is hard to know which ones will provide the results she needs to increase her overall ACT score. We couldn’t decide where to start so we turned to Huntington Learning Center to guide us on her ACT Prep journey.

For over 40 years,  Huntington Learning Center has provided tutoring and test-prep guidance to students in grade K through 12th. Their program includes test-taking strategies, time-management skills, and academic skills through individualized learning plans from highly trained ACT tutors. On average a Huntington student will increase their ACT score by 5.3 points. Higher scores allow students a greater opportunity in college choices and with the right scores, they may even be eligible for scholarships.

When we arrived at the Knoxville -Huntington Learning Center for our scheduled appointment, we were greeted by the staff and owner of the facility. The first visit in starting ACT Prep is to have the student take the actual ACT so that they can have a baseline score and be able to analyze the student’s strengths and weaknesses. Upon completing a few questionnaires about the students learning methods, struggles, and basic information, Jayme headed off with an instructor to take the ACT. 

While she was taking the test, the owner sat down with me and explained how their process works and shared some information about the center and the ACT. This was helpful because it has been many, many years since I sat down and took the exam. What stood out to me was that their analysis goes beyond anything we would get directly from ACT upon receiving her scores. At Huntington, they show you what type of questions and categories the student is strong in and which ones they struggle in. This allows them to provide ACT prep with precision so they are targeting the areas that the student needs to improve instead of a general overall approach.

Once Jayme finished the ACT, we scheduled a follow-up appointment to go over the results. Huntington strongly suggests that both parents and students be present at the follow-up. This allows everyone to hear and see the information first-hand and ask any questions they may have. The follow-up visit is with the owner of the facility and he provided each of us a copy of the test results. My husband and I were both impressed with his inclusion in Jayme in the process since it is her future we were discussing. 

While her score was not the score she was hoping for, he reassured her that it was largely in part to the fact that much of the information she has not been presented with yet in school due to her age. He also let us know that since we are starting her ACT prep early, there is time to improve the score. This is an important aspect of their individualized learning plans. Whether you have a long time or only a few months, they are able to set up a learning plan that works for each student and the goals that they have.

Along with her scores, score analysis, and detailed test analysis, he presented us with a learning plan designed just for her. Since there is so much that she hasn’t covered yet in school he recommended we start with some basic academic tutoring to help her strengthen up her coverage of the basics. Once we went through those hours of instruction, they would administer another ACT. The ACT re-test is something they do for all students going through their ACT prep after every 16 hours of instruction. 

The re-testing allows them to re-analyze the areas the student needs help in and allows them to adjust the learning plan if necessary. Huntington doesn’t just stop there though, students are given access to a Huntington online learning program (Huntington Online Prep) that they will work through during the course of the ACT prep.

Huntington Online Prep includes 4 full ACT test which include a review of each question after the test with videos so the student does not only see what they got wrong but why it was wrong and how to do it properly. The Knoxville Huntington Learning Center wants to give back to each student that puts 100% into their prep and will provide an additional six months of Huntington Online Prep to every student who completes their whole online program. 

My husband and I were impressed with the detailed results that were given, the extent of the ACT prep learning plan, and the up front discussion of costs associated with the learning program. We haven’t started the journey just yet as my daughter was accepted into a four week intensive sewing class in our community for the remainder of the summer. However, we are already considering options for when school starts back in the fall.

During the whole process, we were continually impressed by services that Huntington offers as well as the transparency about program costs and more. While we received cost information at the follow-up, that information is given when calling the main call center to book your first appointment at your local Huntington Learning Center. Everyone at their call center has also worked in a learning center so they have hands on information they can share with parents or students when they call. 

Huntington Learning Center does not just offer ACT prep but has dozens of tutoring programs for children ages 6-17. Their programs including reading, writing, math, study skills, spelling, phonics, ADHD, Common Core, as well as test prep for ACT and SAT. They have a mission to give each student the best education possible and realize they can succeed at school.

To learn more about the options available for you and your student, visit them online at Huntington Learning Center