6 Tips for Acing the ACT or SAT Assessment

Whether you are just beginning your junior year or senior year in high school, something that should be weighing heavily on your mind is the ACT or SAT exam. Depending upon which one you choose to take, this standardized assessment could be the difference-maker on whether you are able to attend your dream school or not. Don’t count on your grades and perfect attendance alone to get you into the college you want to attend. You will need a high score on the ACT or SAT to get in the door. The first month you will be able to take these tests is usually October during the school year, but you can actually take these tests as well during the summer months before the school year even begins if you would like. Consider these tips to prepare as you will be putting them to actual use as you try to ace the exam!

Take the Practice Exams

Studying for these tests is much easier than ever before. Not only can you sit down and study with a specialized tutor like the ones we offer here at iAchieve, but you can take free practice exams with us so you know just what you are in store for. In fact, after your practice exam is scored, it is best to go back to the questions you missed and understand exactly how you got them wrong. This will stop you from making the same mistake time after time.

Take Your Time and Read the Directions Thoroughly

One of the biggest mistakes students make when taking a test is not reading the directions completely. They see multiple-choice questions and start flying through them. Unfortunately, if they would have taken the time to read everything, they would have known they were supposed to mark in the top two answers. This happens more than you would think. Slow down and read everything completely before you cost yourself some serious points.

Get a Good Workout to Clear Your Mind

You are able to think much clearer after a good workout. Science shows that once the blood and endorphins start circulating, your brain powers are heightened. Exercising the night before will help clear your mind, eliminate stress, and allow you to get a good night of rest in the process.

Prepare for Months Instead of Cramming for Days

Slow and steady wins the race. Trying to cram all of your studying in at the last moment is just going to hurt your score in the long run. Take a few hours every week and complete some serious studying for these exams. After three to six months of consistent studying during your free time, you should be ready. It is just like how an athlete prepares for a big event. You train over a period of time and if you are committed, you have a better chance to come out on top.

Don’t Cave into the Pressure

It’s okay if you don’t know the answer to every question. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Nobody wants to be seated next to the kid that sighs as they read every question. Just put down your best-estimated guess and you may just get lucky. If you are getting frustrated too much while answering questions, you are dooming yourself mentally.

Read Over the Exam After You Finish

Everyone wants to speed up a bit once they see other students finishing early on the test. Just remember that they might have finished first, but that doesn’t mean their score will beat yours. Once you complete the test, go back and reread everything to make certain you didn’t overlook something you shouldn’t have. This exam is one of the most important things to getting into the college you want. If you need to spend an extra ten minutes on it to ensure you have answered the questions the way you wanted, then do it. Those ten minutes could make all the difference in the world.

Written by: Ryan Crawley

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