August is finally here. It is the last month of summer and it has the best weather (for California at least). As much fun August holds, it still marks the end of summer, and the arrival of the school year. For most of you out there, school does not just mean AP classes and sports, it also comes with the dreaded standardized tests. You know which ones I am talking about, the SATs and ACTs. Colleges use your scores on either of these tests to measure you up against other applicants, so they are crucial in the admissions process. Not only are these tests push your knowledge to the limit, but they also force you to stay concentrated for up to 5 hours, which was something I had a lot of trouble with. But with having already taken these tests during my junior year, I have learned some tips and tricks that will prove to be very useful for all. Since every type of test is different (SAT reasoning, ACT with/without writing, and SAT subject), the ways to approach each test is very different.
SAT Reasoning test:
- The majority of students across this country take this test and use their scores in their college application. It is the most popular test to take, statistically. This particular test is full of tricks meant to fool you into wrong answers, so it is best to START EARLY when preparing for this test. I would say anything over a month is enough time to prepare. This allows you to get familiar with the test format, and figure out all the different tricks the writers throw at you.
-Also, the students that tend to do best on this test seem to be the English/History types of students. Not to say that they are the only ones who do well, it is just that this test involves a lot of reading and comprehension, so be prepared. The best prep book you can buy is the Official blue study guide made by Collegeboard themselves. It has a lot of practice questions and also uses practice tests that are the most similar to the actual test.
SAT Subject tests:
-Usually, colleges require students to take 2 SAT subject tests along with either the SAT reasoning or the ACT. These tests are focused on particular subjects, and students choose which ones they would like to take.
I found that when you decided to take a math based subject test (Math Level 1/2, Physics etc), that the best thing you can do is to do practice tests non stop. THis will not only help you get faster at doing the problems (trust me those time limits really push it), but also helps you memorize the formulas you need to know. I would say start at least two to three weeks before the test, this will help greatly.
-The only other subject test I have taken was Biology M, which required a lot memorizing. With that said, I found that practice tests really didnt help that much because it was either I knew it or I didn’t, and there wasn’t any other way to find the answer. So what I did was that I just read a prep book constantly about a week before the test. I would not advise anybody to do that, although I scored a 700, I think my AP Biology class helped a lot. So Start at least 3 weeks before hand, so you can work at a leisurely pace, and not wear yourself out.
ACT with/without Writing:
-With this test, there aren’t any fancy tricks in it. It is straight knowledge based, and the key component is efficiency. Basically, the ACT wants to see how well you can handle different subjects under an extreme time crunch. This test is divided into 4 sections:
1.Math: As I said before with the SAT subject tests, practice is your best friend when it comes to math.
2.Writing: This section contains basic grammar questions, in the forms of passages, so definitely do prep questions to help you with them. For the essay, it differs much from the SAT essay. The ACT essay basically asks your opinion on a problem facing students today. The only thing i can really say is to stick to your opinion and make sure you acknowledge counter arguments. That will show the graders that you understand both sides of the problem.
3.Reading: For me, this was the hardest part of the test. They give your 35 minutes to read 4 passages and answer 40 questions. WHEWW. What I had found very useful was to read the questions first, then skim the passages. This will allow you to utilize your time and not waste it reading irrelevant information.
4.Science: The science section is a killer for most students. The best thing to remember is that if there is a graph with the question, the answer lies within that graph. Don’t waste your time reading the large block of info accompanying it.
