High school students across the country are preparing themselves for the fall round of standardized testing. Whether you are taking the PSAT, SAT or the ACT, the key to scoring well on these tests is practice. Practice, practice and more practice.
Your standardized test scores are very important in the college admissions process precisely because they are standardized. These scores allow admissions officers to make a quantitative comparison between two students from different schools that have taken similar courses and achieved similar grades.
While elite colleges look firstly at your grades and course schedule from high school, getting an outstanding score on the SAT (or ACT) is one of the best ways to increase your chances of acceptance at your dream schools. Colleges report their SAT ranges, and this is a factor in their ranking by the US News and World Report. Accordingly, colleges don’t want to pull down their averages by accepting a student that is well below their published range. There are always exceptions, but generally, unless you are an Olympic athlete or your parents have donated a building to the school, you are unlikely to get accepted with below-average scores.
That being said, no score, not even a 2400 on the SAT, guarantees your admission into an elite school. Harvard brags about the number of students with perfect SATs that they turn away each year!
Here are 5 things you can do to maximize your success with standardized tests!
1. Choose test dates that maximize your opportunities to retake the tests: Colleges generally look at the top scores on each section of the SAT I, each Subject test and each ACT composite. Superstar Students take the tests multiple times, and you want to leave enough time to study and retake the tests before the early application deadline. That means taking the SAT I early Junior Spring, so you can retake it later in the Spring, and then a last ditch-effort early in the fall of Senior year.
2. SAT Subject Tests:
The goal with SAT II Subject Test timing is to time the tests with course completions so as to take advantage of knowledge that is ‘fresh’ in your mind. Don’t wait until months have passed between the end of the course and the corresponding Subject test. Allow yourself enough time to take 6 or so Subject tests so you can put your best foot forward on your applications.
3. Prep Courses: It seems that prep courses are now standard fare when it comes to preparing for the SAT or ACT. This is for good reason: they provide structured study and teach students how to take the test. That being said, you do not need to take a prep course to do well, if you are disciplined about studying. There are many books and even a few video games that can be used by the self-starter to study. And obviously, practice tests are vital, whether or not you take a prep class.
4. Private Tutors:
Private tutors can be ideal for test prep, depending on the circumstances. Tutors can focus on student weaknesses and teach directly to an individual learning style. To maximize the benefit of a private tutor, make sure you tell them from the outset what your goal score is and your college goals. Also, make sure they are not just giving you practice tests and watching you take them – you can do that on your own time.
5. Cram: In addition to daily preparing during the months before the test date, make sure you cram the day before the test. You need to pack as much vocab etc. into your short term memory as possible!
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