Act and American College Testing Essay Example

counselor explains that the ACT measures proficiency in English, Mathematics, Social Studies Reading, and Natural Sciences Reading. Each section has a set number of questions and time limit. The completed scores will be compared to other individuals who have taken the assessment. Initially overwhelmed, Jading is reassured by the counselor that her scores will be based on what she has learned so far in school. However, Jading still expresses confusion about how this assessment will benefit her after completing her education.The ACT is used to evaluate your proficiency in the tested areas and provides valuable information for future college advising, placement, and enrollment. The assessment assists in guiding your academic and career choices. While there may be questions about its impact on grades, it has no bearing on your school grading and is only a measure of aptitude in the four areas covered. The assessment helps identify strengths and limitations, following the American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics E.6.A on using appropriate instruments. The ACT is an entirely appropriate assessment for understanding your future academic career, and if you feel ready to take it, it is a great tool for guiding your choices.Jading successfully completed the ACT within the given time and met with her counselor to discuss her results. The counselor informs Jading that her composite score was 21, based on the total of the four subcategories which can range from 1 to 36. Her subspace scores for each section were as follows: English 24, Math 19, Social Studies Reading 23, and Science 18. This gives her a ranking of 59% in the United States, meaning that 59% of students received scores the same

or below hers. However, the counselor emphasizes that the results are only estimations and not an exact measurement of Jading's academic development. The counselor also provides Jading with a booklet containing more information and her scores. Jading asks what else can be inferred from her scores, to which the counselor replies that Jading's strengths lie in writing since English was her strongest area and reading was her next. The scores also suggest that Jading is unlikely to require refresher courses in English and reading during her freshman year in college. Furthermore, her chances of achieving a grade of at least 8 or above are 75%.According to Whist's (2013), selecting the right introductory college course is important. The client expresses satisfaction with the advice. The counselor encourages the client, Jading, by reminding her of her intelligence and capabilities. With the completion of the ACT, the counselor suggests focusing on the SSI assessment, which consists of 291 elements and is analyzed by a computer to create a profile based on five areas: General Occupational Themes, Basic Interest Scales, Occupational Scales, Personal Style Scales, and a summary of item responses. The counselor acknowledges that this information may seem overwhelming but explains that the assessment will identify strengths and interests to aid in choosing a suitable career and college plan (Leerier et al., 2008).This assessment serves to identify one's interests and compatible career options. If you're willing, we can proceed with the assessment now. The results will be computed by the computer and reviewed together. Your scores indicate your work personality in six areas: social (62), artistic (45), enterprising (41), invitational (40), investigative (34), and realistic (32). To clarify,

a high social score indicates an inclination towards community service and helping others, artistic suggests skills in communication, expression, and culture, while enterprising denotes leadership abilities. Conventional positions are associated with information systems and organization, while investigative aligns with math and science. Realistic interests relate to machines and computers (Prince, 2012). As we have finished scoring now, would you like us to go over the results?

The Basic Interest Scales displays the top five areas of interest, with scores of 67 for religion and spirituality, 66 for counseling and helping, 65 for teaching and education, 63 for writing and mass communication, and 58 for politics and public speaking (Prince, 2012). During counseling, the Occupational Scales can be examined to determine suitable career paths. Some example occupations and scores include speech pathologist (62), librarian (59), Mental Health Counselor (59), special education instructor (59), elementary school teacher (59), social worker (58), public relations director (57), school guidance counselor (57), English teacher (56), and high school teacher (55) (Prince, 2012). A client may thus use the SSI to identify their strengths and relevant jobs that align with their skills and interests. The scale considers a person's interests to guide them to an appropriate occupation based on their scores out of a range of 0 to 70.The SSI test provides Insight into your highest score, showing the best occupation for you based on your interests. It is important to note that this test only measures personal interests and not skills or abilities (Whist's, 2013). The purpose of the SSI is to help you understand the various career and academic paths available by measuring your interests and matching them with

compatible career options. The Personal Style Scales within the test evaluate issues such as work style, team orientation, risk-taking, and leadership style. Based on your results, we can see that you enjoy working with people and prefer learning through reading and lectures. You also exhibit a take-charge personality but may not be comfortable with taking risks or working independently (Prince, 2012). The SSI provides a wealth of information to guide your future career path. Using the results, we can show you job options that align with your interests and the necessary degrees required to pursue those careers. It is important to take time to process and review the information provided by the SSI test.The counselor suggests that the client review the information and profile provided and address any questions during a future session. This allows time for processing the information. The client agrees, acknowledging the need for additional time to review the material. The counselor offers to provide a copy of the information for the client to review on their own time and suggests meeting again the following week to discuss any further questions. The counselor emphasizes that it's important to explain the purpose and significance of taking an assessment and discussing the full results with the client.