Twenty-four. That's the score I got on my ACT. Thinking back to when I took the exam, I was stressed and nervous and scared and tired and had so many other emotions. All I could think was how this score was going to impact my future in either a negative or a positive way. Hearing about other students from around my area receiving a 36 amazed me and made me wish I were them. I put myself through so much to try to increase my score so I could be "smart" or "college ready," but looking back, I didn't need to put myself through that much turmoil.

To the current juniors out there freaking out over the ACT, please do yourself a favor and relax for the following reasons:

1. Your ACT score does not define you.

I know that applying for college seems scary and that you think you need to have a high ACT to get in, but your ACT score is not the only thing that colleges look at. They look at your involvement in extracurriculars and volunteerism. They look at your high school transcript and whether or not you have a job. They look at how other people view you based on letters of recommendation. And they also glance at your ACT score. I know people who have gotten in to UW Madison and Marquette with low scores and I know people who have received high scores and been declined because of their lack of involvement. Your ACT score is really not nearly as important as you think.

2. The test is not designed to get every question correct.

If you were meant to get every single question on the ACT correct, there would be a much longer time limit. Because they only give you around three hours for the whole test, you have to answer questions strategically. The ACT tests your exam taking strategy, not how intelligent you are. Someone could guess on every question and could still get a perfect score. This is important to know for when you are taking the exam and can't figure out an answer to a question, you simply guess and move on to the one that you can figure out.

3. Once you get to college, no one cares about what you got.

Not once since I've been in college have I been asked about what I got on my ACT. This is because it doesn't matter to anyone. Seriously, no one cares if you received an 18 or a 36. All that matters is that you're in college and working towards what you want to do someday. Our future employers aren't going to ask what we got on our ACT's because they are relevant. So if you're working day and night to try to get that perfect score, good for you, but don't expect it to matter much once you graduate high school.

4. It costs more than it's worth to take the exam multiple times.

You juniors now are very lucky to have your first attempt on the ACT free of cost in the comfort of your own school. These exams are not cheap at all. Which is why I'm saying that you should not pay hundreds of dollars just to end up increasing your score by one point. Is it really worth it to get a 25 instead of a 24? What does that do for you at the end of the day? Unless you are for sure receiving a scholarship that has a minimum ACT score, you have nothing to worry about. If you get a score that you are content with, keep it because you shouldn't put yourself through the stress of taking the exam again and have to pay the extra money. So please don't pay to take the ACT more than twice unless you absolutely have to.

Your ACT score is just a number so don't take it to heart if you don't get exactly what you want. Of course it's important to do well, but not so well that it constantly stresses you out. No one even talks about their scores once they get to college because no one cares. It's simply a number from the past that haunted us all. Our number had us thinking that we wouldn't get into our dream school because it was too low. Or worrying about not receiving enough scholarships because it wasn't the highest. But look at us now, we're all doing just fine.

So to those who are awaiting their scores or getting ready to take the test, take a moment and just breathe, because you've got this and you're going to be alright.