SAT, ACTs, and SATIIs

SATs are probably one of the worst things that come with Junior and Senior year.

They are long, cover everything you are ‘supposed’ to have learned the last eleven/twelve years of your life, and are a nice chunk of what college-admissions people consider before allowing you sit in one of their classrooms. That being said, these are not exams that are impossible to prepare for. The bright and bummer sides of taking these tests are that, hey, you CAN study for them!

I’m not saying that this will be fun. I’m not saying that at all. Nope. Not fun. What I am saying, is that you will enjoy the benefits you’ll reap from taking the time and enrolling in classes or purchasing some SAT/ACT prep books that you’ll actually use!

Now, really, you’re nearly prepared to take these standardized tests if you’ve been trying your hardest in school =) *pats you on the back if you have*. That is, if you’ve taken your English and Math classes seriously, you’ll know all of the basics to get you through the tests. If you haven’t been trying your best, HAVE NO FEAR, you can still prepare!!

What I did:

I took weekly classes in school to prepare for the math portion. Math is my weakest subject, so it made sense for me to work on what I needed work on; Reading and Writing are my best subjects, so to sharpen my skills, I tutored. I also took advantage of my English teacher’s weekly assignment of vocabulary words, choosing to learn them for life instead of just for upcoming tests. A good way to do that is to try to incorporate at least one new vocab word a day in your normal dialogue or when you’re writing for a homework assignment =)

What my cousin did:

She took some classes at community college that were being offered for high school students who wanted extra preparation. My classes fit right into my school schedule, but she took a couple of hours out of her weekend, which a pretty dedicated thing to do, so, kudos to her!

What one of my friends did:

She loaded up on some books from Barnes & Nobles for SAT and ACT. She pulled them out before school, during lunch, during her free periods, and afterschool as part of her homework. When she didn’t understand something, she asked our math teacher to explain it to the class if there was time left over. She really used a lot of her time and the resources around her. I was glad to hear that her scores improved from the first time she took the test, because it showed that a little perseverance and the right materials are all you really need ^^

What my school did:

Our school offered weekly courses to fit into our schedules, our counselor told us about text resources and local programs, and at homeroom every day, we had the word of the day or SAT problem of the day.

Really, the lesson is here is DEDICATE YOUR TIME. That will get you where you need to go, not just with standardized tests, but in life!

Please enjoy my mediocre doodle as you contemplate your next course of academic action ^^