No matter what type of student you are, we've got suggestions for the best ways
you should prepare for your standardized tests!
That’s right – the SATs and ACTs are nothing to ignore – it’s time to prepare early or, if you’ve already taken them and aren't happy with your score, start prepping so you can improve it.
It’s not as difficult as it sounds; you just need to find the right studying strategy for yourself.
Consider what type of student you are, how you like to study or which parts of the exam preparation you’d like to focus most on, pick which of the following options best describes you. Then, utilize the recommend study option – it’s that simple!
Remember, the earlier and more often you prepare, the better, so get a head start on your
exam preparations so when exam time rolls around, you’ll be ahead of the curve.
For the procrastinators or students slightly less motivated to study:
A group course is a great strategy for students who fall into this category. Courses don’t always have to be costly, either. Plenty of high schools offer courses free of charge.
Ask around – your high school teachers will often organize SAT/ACT prep courses if enough students at your school are willing to take them (and chances are they will be).
If you do decide to take a group course, treat it as you would any other class. Attend all of the sessions and do all of the required work. As with any course, you need to put in all of the effort to be successful!
For the studious, or those who love to read:
Practice SAT or ACT
test preparation and practice books are great methods to study from, as long as the student has enough self-discipline to do so.
You can utilize these to learn the types of questions that will be on the
exams, as well as take timed practice exams to get the feel for what the actual exam will be like.
For night owls or self-disciplined students:
Similar to working from test booklets, online courses can be very beneficial for students who have enough self-discipline to stay-focused and put in the time and effort necessary.
There are plenty of free web sites and tools that offer
test preparation from practice questions and quizzes to online courses that students can sign up for.
Whichever method you decide to utilize it up to you, just make sure you stay on top of your studies!
For those concerned about getting in extra practice hours:
You’re always on the go but, don’t worry, there’s an app for everything these days! Check out apps like SAT Question of the Day or SAT Vocab Challenge.
Or, you can purchase or create flash cards and take them anywhere you go. (Bonus points if you create them because you soak in more knowledge as you write!)
You can also sign up for emails, which send you SAT vocabulary, questions or math formulas – depending on which emails you sign up for.
For those concerned about timing on standardized exams:
You can always get in extra practice! Take timed portions of the exams from booklets, online or try alternative methods of speeding up your timing. What does this mean?
Practice timed test-taking practices, like answering everything the first time as you go through the exam, without over thinking it.
You can mark questions you’d like to go back to, but answer them with your best guess.
Then, once you’ve gone through the whole
exam, you’re able to go back to the questions you were unsure about.
Often times, students tend to over think
exam questions they actually know the answers to and get answers wrong they leave blank that they actually would have gotten right.
With these methods, practice will certainly help. Trust us - you will get more comfortable with the aspect of timing once you take a few
practice exams!
