Do you know what the number one score killer is for the SAT and ACT? Time. If you don’t study enough for the tests before the big day, your lack of preparation may result in an unsatisfactory score. If you don’t do practice tests and learn how to manage your minutes for the timed sections, you might not have enough time to complete all the test sections.
If you want to do well on these college entrance tests, you must take the proper time to prepare. The subjects and content areas covered in the test may seem like a simple review of your high school knowledge. What may not be as familiar are the ways the tests are designed and structured and how the questions and possible answers are phrased. You need to review your general grasp of high school material but also spend a great deal of time using tools specifically designed to help you learn how to take the test.
Remember, the ACT and SAT tests are standardized, meaning that students from coast to coast with vastly different educational backgrounds take these tests as a part of college and career planning. Given the diverse test-taking audience, the ACT and SAT are not as much measures of what you know as they are of your ability to choose the best answer.
Exercise your test-taking skills by engaging in as many practice tests as possible. Time yourself. Practice answering the questions that click with you first, eliminate the obviously wrong answers and identify the correct answer. The key is to save the hardest questions in each section for the last portion of time for that section.
How Do You Get Ready to Take the SAT and/or ACT?
• Taking the PLAN (prep for ACT) and/or the PSAT (prep for SAT) during your sophomore year of high school is a great opportunity to work on your test-taking strategies and troubleshoot areas for improvement.