If you have a teen who is planning on attending college, he’ll need to be prepared to take the ACT and/or SAT tests. Colleges tend to look closely at those scores when considering applicants.
And if your teen is like most, he’d probably rather forget these tests exist rather than spend hours preparing for them. (Wouldn’t we all?) But, doing a little college test prep every day over a series of months can make test taking day go a lot smoother.
Below are some tips to help prepare your teen for the big day. Some of my suggestions include using study guides and practice tests. You can find a list of some websites that offer free and paid guides and tests in this article about college test prep websites.
College Test Prep
Are you planning on attending college?
If you are, then you’ll need to get ready to take the SAT and/or ACT tests. Colleges look closely at your scores on these exams when looking at applications.
Now unless test taking is one of your favorite hobbies and you do it daily just for fun, you’ll probably want to starts studying a few months beforehand.
Yes, I said a few months to prepare.
STOP! Don’t run away from your computer!
It isn’t that bad. Trust me on this one.
You don’t necessarily have to spend hours every single day for 6 months preparing for these tests. You may only have to spend about 30 minutes a day getting ready for them.
That’s not so bad, is it?
Below are suggestions for some activities you can do to prepare yourself for these exams. Some you should start well ahead of time. Others can be done a few weeks before. All have the potential to help you get ready for these important tests.
Before I give you the first tip, there are a couple of things you should keep in mind.
- These tests can be taken as many times as you like. Colleges look at your highest score, so if you do poorly the first time, you can always study more and take them again.
- You don’t necessarily have to take both tests. Sometimes it is better to take the one that fits you best and highlights your abilities. Generally speaking, the SAT tests your ability to reason. The ACT tests your knowledge.
Now here are some tips to help you get ready.
Read a lot. You get better at playing baseball by playing baseball, right? Well, you get better at reading by reading. Both tests have reading components so you’ll want to be as comfortable as you can be with that skill before you take the exams.
Brush up on your math skills. By that I mean the math skills you learned in classes you could have had a year or more ago like Geometry, Algebra, and basic math. If you are taking Algebra II or higher for a math class right now, you’ll want to spend a little time reviewing the old stuff.
Make sure your writing skills are strong. Those essays that you don’t like writing in your English class are actually your best friend when it comes to preparing for the ACT and SAT. They get you ready for what you’ll face on the essay portion of these exams.
Take practice tests. There are plenty of books and websites that have them. I highly recommend that you invest some time in taking these exams. They are one of the best tools for preparing you for the SAT and ACT because they will give you a sense of what these tests are about. They can also clue you in on which test you may perform better at.
Check out study guides. Just as it is with practice tests, there are both books and websites that have guides that will help you study for these exams. Seek them out. They can help you.
Know the rules. Do you need a calculator? What kind of pencils should you bring? Find out the answers to these questions and more by checking out the policies on each test’s website. When should you guess or not guess on a question? Find out the scoring rules so that you’ll know what to do on those more challenging questions.
Be ready to get up early. These tests are typically scheduled in the morning. If you aren’t used to getting up early, you’d better start getting used to it several weeks in advance so it isn’t a shock to your system. Also, be sure to go to bed early the night before so that you are well rested. Remember, all of the coffee in the world won’t help sleep deprivation.
Have a good attitude. Your attitude DOES affect your ability to succeed. Your mind tends to put up roadblocks to learning and succeeding when you have a bad attitude towards something. While you may not be jumping for joy over taking these tests, you can at least go in with a mindset that you’ll do your very best.
Good luck to you on test day!