ACT

Honestly, no. The test is very fast. Time management is the hardest part. Without practice it can be difficult to crack ACT exam too. ACT exam preparation is a long term practice and it takes time to hone skills in order to crack the ACT exam. So make sure that you begin preparation for ACT exam and not just rely on over confidence to crack the exam.

Honestly, best way is simple: Read a lot! A solid, regular reading habit is most effective tool for doing well in ACT reading and writing sections. You can pick up some literary novels or read a newspaper regularly.

There are just a couple of tips that one must keep in mind before preparing for ACT exam:

• Check the ACT exam syllabus first, mark the topics where the students are confident enough and mark those where they lack confidence.
• See how much time will you take to prepare for ACT and then begin preparing for the exam based on the timeline keeping the above point in mind.
• Setting up a schedule and making a timetable and following it is must to crack plus prepare for ACT.
• A separate time must be kept for attempting mock exams.
• Those who still need mocks should keep a week or two for extra preparation. 

No, it is not required for Indian students to take SAT or ACT if they are applying to the University of Maryland. The university provides test-optional policy, which means it is on students either to submit test scores or not.  

At the University of Iowa, SAT or ACT scores are not required from international applicants who completed secondary school outside the United States. However, SAT or ACT scores are required from first-year applicants who wish to be considered for academic scholarships, Direct Admission to the Tippie College of Business or for the University of Iowa Honors Program. Also, SAT and ACT scores can be used to satisfy Iowa’s English proficiency requirements.

International students can check below the Colorado State University admission requirements:

Requirements for Undergraduate Admissions

Basic Education: Grade 12 in relevant discipline 

English Language Requirements

Resume 

 SAT (if required)

LOR

Personal statement

Requirements for Graduate Admissions

Basic Education: A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline

A GPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4 from a recognised university

Submit score of IELTS/TOEFL/PTE

GMAT / GRE (if required)

LOR

SOP

Resume

The decision of taking an ACT on back to back dates for some benefit is in the hands of the applicants. If the applicant feels that taking the exam on one date after the other will help him or her score better, then they can try this strategy. However, this is not recommended because one must wait for the exam result of the first attempt and go for another if actually required. Thus, there are both pros and cons of taking ACT on back to back dates.