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Taking the test – Your grandma’s advice of getting a good night’s sleep and having a healthy breakfast the morning of the test is good advice to follow. Set your alarm clock so you will get up early enough so you won’t need to rush out the door. Also set a back-up alarm just in case a battery runs out or you have a power outage, etc. The night before the test, set out the things you need for the test – picture ID, an approved calculator, two number 2 pencils, etc.
During the test, plan out your time. Know the end time for each section and pace yourself. For your questions on strategies for taking the tests, look at the ACT (www.act.org) and SAT (www.collegeboard.com) websites for strategies for the test. For the ACT you are not penalized for wrong answers, but you are for the SAT.
For test sections where you need to answer questions about a passage you read, there are different strategies. Some recommend to first read the questions and then read the passage and some say the other way around. Do what works best for you. Look at these and other websites for more strategies.
I recommend for my students to take both the ACT and SAT tests if they can afford it because they test a little differently. Some students will do better on one than the other. Then the test you score better on, take that test again to see the highest score you can get. Some colleges prefer one over the other. Check with the colleges you are applying to and see if they have a preference.
Find out if the major you are interested in pursuing in college requires you to take SAT II tests. These are also administered by the College Board and are usually for extremely competitive majors and used as another tool in admissions’ office decisions. They are single subject tests of which three are typically required – depending on the college major. Check with the colleges to which you are applying to see if your college major requires you to take the SAT II tests. Then go to www.collegeboard.com for more information or talk to your school counselor.
Studying for the test – Do a search online for ACT/SAT test preparation and you will find books, websites, computer software, and classes you can take for preparing for the tests. Pursue what fits your budget and time constraints. Again, ask your school counselor for resources in your area.
Some schools or other entities offer test prep classes that can range from about $50- $1,500. Sometimes they help and sometimes they don’t. The absolute best preparation for these types of tests is doing well in your classes throughout the school year. Also ask your teachers at school for help in the subject areas you are weakest. They know many strategies that can help you too and what subject matter the tests cover.
Also if you took the PLAN (practice ACT) or PSAT (practice SAT) tests, you can use that information to help prepare for the ACT and SAT tests respectively. Lots of information can be gleaned from those results regarding the areas you may need to brush up on in preparation for the ACT/SAT tests. If you have misplaced that information, your school should have a copy of those test results.
Cost/deadline for registration – Plan ahead and register in plenty of time before the deadline. Go to www.act.org (ACT test) or www.collegeboard.org (SAT test) to get all the details about the deadlines. If you would like to apply for a fee waiver, check with your school counselors. They have access to the forms you need to fill out to apply for the waiver.
If you have a disability or condition that qualifies you for extra time or other help on standardized tests, ask you school counselor about that so accommodations can be applied for before the deadline – these must be applied for three to six months ahead of the test. Some students decide to take the test the first time without the accommodations to see how they do, and then apply for accommodations if the test was a struggle. Others apply for accommodations automatically for every test they take. Talk with your parents and school counselors about all this.
At my school, we recommend students take their first ACT/SAT test around April of their junior year because a lot of what is on the tests isn’t covered in school subjects until then. Then if they want to retake it, they can do so for the June test of that same year. Tests won’t be given again until the fall, so if you need to retake it again you can study more during the summer.
