Preparing for those big tests can be a stressful process – and you have to balance ways to increase SAT and ACT scores. Everyone understands the implications that test scores hold and their importance for college placement. Check out these tips to make sure you’re ready to maximize scores on the tests:
Identify Strengths and Weaknesses
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when trying to improve their scores on standardized testing is spending equal time studying across all subjects. The SAT and ACT are composite testing scores, meaning that your score will be an average of all the different materials tested. For the SAT, this includes Reading, Writing and Language, Math, and an optional essay. For the ACT, it is English, Math, Reading, Science, and an optional essay. One low score on a certain section can drag your composite score way down, so it’s important to make sure you are solid across all subjects before taking the test. Also, it makes sense to spend the most time studying your weakest subject, as it’s much easier to make a drastic change in score from a below-average subject than to greatly increase a score in a subject that is already your strong suit. Working with a learning center like Mathnasium can also give you an advantage, as it offers each student a test-prep curriculum tailored to their specific needs.
Take Practice Tests
Nothing can replicate the feeling of total preparedness going into the SAT and ACT. There are all kinds of practice tests that are available, and they’re definitely worth the price. Practice tests will have you feeling completely comfortable with the material that is on the tests, and these practices do a very good job of replicating what you’ll see on the actual test. Familiarity is hugely important on test day. Not only will you expect the types of questions to come, but you will also be much more relaxed and focused, knowing there won’t be any surprises ahead.
Leave Yourself Time to Study
When preparing for the ACT and SAT, it can be easy to lose yourself in hours of studying and become frustrated and exhausted. Make sure you lay out a reasonable study plan that won’t drive you crazy by the second day of preparation. A fresh mind is important when getting ready for these tests, and if you’re forcing yourself to study while you’re already exhausted, it’s likely you won’t retain much of the information you’re taking in. Make sure you start preparing for the test well before the actual date, so you’re not stressing or cramming the night before you take it. Set small, reasonable goals for yourself in your study plan, and allow yourself to relax and give yourself a small reward after each successful study session.
Visualize Success
For anyone to achieve success on the ACT or SAT, it’s essential to believe that you’re going to achieve success before you sit down with that #2 pencil. Preparedness is essential, as is studying the right way. But another method of making sure that the test day goes according to plan is making it a habit. Lay a plan out for yourself. What are you going to eat the night before? What time are you going to wake up in the morning? What are you going to wear? Have a plan that includes every possible variable leading up to test time. This plan will make you feel like you’ve already had a bunch of small successes (and no added stressors), and that everything is going according to plan. The only thing that will be left once you get to that testing facility is to complete the plan and ace the test that you know you’re prepared for.
