Taking the ACT or SAT? Here’s How to Rock’em

As soon as the students enter to the classroom where they will be taking the SAT and ACT exams the mood changes. You are able to feel the tension of the students who are going to take a one of the most important test of their lives, their score decides whether or not they enter to the most prestigious universities of the world.

Students at The Columbus School use a variety of studying strategies to score high grades in the upcoming SAT and ACT exams. This year, students will take the ACT on April 8 and the SAT on May 8. Both exams are used by universities as part of the admissions process to evaluate knowledge in each individual student when considering them for a acceptance.

The exams consist of the same basic areas taught at school. The SAT covers reading, vocabulary, math and essay writing, which is optional. The ACT covers the same topics, but also includes a section on science. While doing these kinds of exams there are some tips to ensure students have a higher chance of answering correctly.

Be careful! There are lots of sources on the internet that claim to help students score well on these exams, but not all are effective. These tips all come from reputable sources like the College Board, the organization that administers the SAT and ACT exams.

Studying for the SAT and ACT

Strategies

When the time to study for an important exam comes, there are thousands of methods students use. A couple of study methods for school tests include: memorizing, use of flashcards, reading their notes, etc. For exams like the SAT and ACT there is a limited number of ways to study.

Online there are thousand of booklets and example questions such as Khan Academy  that has been really helpful for students. For students that have difficulty concentrating when using technology they prefer to take a course with a teacher, in Medellin here are a couple courses available in El Poblado at an institution named Open Doors. Finally an old school, yet reliable resource is using study guides from companies like Princeton Review, which can be found in The Columbus School High School library.

“The method that I prefer for studying is using online booklets or ACT questions found in Khan Academy because they are the ones that are the most similar to the real ones,”  Sofia Montoya, 11th grader at TCS who is going to take the ACT, said.

After signing up for the exams on The College Board website, their website offers online quizzes and other activities, like The Question of the Day, which simulate real exam questions.

“I recommend using the quizzes The College Board Website offers since they show questions that help students analyze and understand how the questions and answers are written,” Maria Teresa Mejia, TCS College Counselor, said.

Time

The time you spend studying will be reflected on the score you get on your exam; the more you study, the more prepared you’ll be for every question in each area. Experts said that students who study for 150 hours or can improvement of 200 points or more.

“I have been studying for about 6 weeks, 3 times a week for 2 hours per session, I think it is enough, getting saturated with information is never good, you just stop learning,” Montoya said.

The are many types of students, some are good at math, others are good at reading or maybe science. Focusing more on your weakest area will help you do better in the exam and finally make your score rise.

The Day Before the Exam

Stressing out isn’t good at all. It makes people feel blocked and causes anxiety. Some tips to avoid this include going to bed early, drinking a hot beverage right before going to bed, eating well, aromatherapy and exercising. To avoid mishaps, be sure to be prepare the day before by packing all necessary materials like the admission ticket, a #2 pencils, erasers, wrist watch (cell phones are not allowed) and calculator.

“The night before the exam I was really stressed out, what helped me stay calm was that I stopped studying about 2 hours before going to bed  and I had a game night with my friends and family, we had a really good time,” Sofia Cardamone, 11th grader, said.

On the Exam

Reading strategies

When doing the reading sections in the SAT and ACT, it is essential for you to read the passage of introduction which  identifies what type of narrative you will be reading. Right after that skim through the passage, look for keywords that frequently appear. Try read the passage strategically to avoid wasting time, and most importantly, read carefully. For some students it might be helpful to read the answers first and then the passage. Pay careful attention to connotation and context, just one world can slightly change the answer.

Math strategies

The math exam is a little bit more complex, so memorizing some formulas will save you tons of time. You may want to start by underlining key parts of the word problems, this will avoid confusion when solving for an unknown variable. The most important part is focusing on the missing information, be sure to write down both the information that you have and the information that you are missing.

Writing strategies

Writing requires a lot of attention. A basic need for any good piece of writing is grammar and spelling. Your writing must be clear in order to be effective. When it comes to the content of your writing you should first analyze and then write it down. Evidence is your best friend and direct quotes are even better. Finally if your answers is the option ‘no change’, means that you think the passage given is perfect, take a look at it twice since only 20 % of the questions in the writing area will be ‘no change’.

Basic recommendations

Some other tips are to always look for keywords which will allow you to understand easily. Looking for the wrong answers is often the best way to find to the right one, this is called the elimination method. Finally, try to answer all of the questions.  Save time at the end to fill in any unanswered questions. Your score is based on the number of correct answers, so don’t leave any questions blank.  Last but not least, check you answers at the end.

Taking standardized tests is a stressful experience under the best of circumstances. However, you can minimize that stress and maximize your success by studying, this ensures you the confidence you need to stay clam and the knowledge you need to score a high grade.