From the Experts: The SAT/ACT Competitive Edge (Plus 9 Key Study Tips)
After grades, the SAT or ACT is the single most important piece of one’s college application. The SAT and ACT are standardized tests that measure a student's skills in three core areas: Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. Students in grades 11 and 12 take the SAT or ACT so that they can submit their scores to colleges as part of the college application process.
Even though most colleges are not requiring the SAT or ACT, students still need to take the test to be competitive. Most highly selective universities like Princeton, Yale, and Harvard are not releasing the percentage of students admitted with and without scores. Of the few elite universities that have released testing data, most don’t include such pertinent information in their press releases about their incoming classes but, the statistics point to the significant advantage students with test scores enjoy in admissions. For example, at the University of Pennsylvania, about 66% of Early Decision applicants to its Class of 2025 submitted test scores. And about 75% of Early Decision applicants who earned admission submitted test scores.
According to a New York Post article titled “Why Ivy League and top tier colleges aren’t truly test-optional” we learn “The test-optional policy inadvertently gives thousands of students a false sense of hope, as they may now feel like Ivy League schools are within reach even without submitting an SAT score. What they don’t realize, however, is that they are still at a disadvantage. Colleges will still favor students who have strong test scores over those who have none” So, for students who are planning to take a standardized test it is important to note, almost all students applying to competitive colleges engage in some type of SAT or ACT preparation. But not all prep is equal. To avoid the many common pitfalls and tailor students’ preparation programs to their unique needs, Ivy Link recommends that all students begin their SAT/ACT prep with an assessment. During this assessment, the student will take an SAT and ACT and then the parents will meet with our Director of Standardized Testing to determine:
When students should begin test preparation
What type and roughly how much preparation will be required
Preliminary schedule of when to take real standardized tests
Whether the SAT or the ACT is a better fit
How to best customize a curriculum for the student
For more information about Ivy Link’s SAT/ACT workshops or test preparation help contact us. In addition to personalized SAT/ACT test preparation for students, our team of experts compiled a list of 9 SAT/ACT study tips for students.
Create an SAT/ACT study schedule.
The SAT and ACT are not tests you can cram for. Start your prep about a year before you think you might take the real test. Remember to schedule regular study sessions. Try to budget at least 2-3 hours a week for studying. You want to keep the material fresh in your mind without burning out before test day. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint.Answer the Questions You Know First
Because the SAT and ACT are timed, making sure you utilize every minute you have is important. One common strategy for the SAT/ACT is to go through the current section you are taking and answer all the questions you know first. When you are quickly filling out the answers you do know, you’ll have more time to work on the ones you might not be so certain of. Don’t forget to mark any questions you are skipping so you can come back to them later.Don’t Leave Any Questions Blank
Gone are the days of the “guessing penalty,” so do your best to answer every single question on the SAT and ACT. Even if you don’t know the answer it’s better to guess.Study Formulas
We already know there will be a list of formulas you’ll have to put to use in the math section during your testing (on the SAT). We advise having all these formulas memorized beforehand, then you’ll be saving time and momentum instead of using up time checking them.Practice Makes Perfect
So many students make mistakes because they are feeling the pressure of the time ticking away. Taking many practice tests under timed proctored conditions will help you get used to the timing and the pressure you will experience on test day. In fact, studies have shown that repeatedly engaging in a stressful activity is one of the best ways to make that activity less stressful.Identify the “Rhetoric” Questions
A lot of SAT and ACT questions have “back doors” that can lead you to the answer almost instantaneously and rhetorical strategy questions almost always contain these back doors. Learning to recognize them can often help you to find the answer in a matter of seconds. These types of questions challenge students to inspect the whole paragraphs or the whole of the passage to find the right answer. However, some of the examples of rhetoric questions are questions about sentence function, the logical sequences of sentences, and the author’s style and tone. Do not forget to read through the paragraph quickly as a whole and then try to answer the rhetoric questions.Study Grammar Rules
There are a ton of online resources to help strengthen your knowledge on relevant grammar rules you may be faced with while taking the SAT or ACT. Even if you think you’re pretty good at grammar, it’s not always enough to just go by what “looks right” to you. While you might get 80% of the grammar questions right by “trusting your ear,” you can get 100% right if you know all the technical rules.Not All Questions Require Math Calculations
Even though the SAT allows calculators on one of the math sections and the ACT allows calculators on all of the math questions, doesn’t mean you always need to use them! Over-reliance on your calculator can really slow you down. For example, sometimes the answer choices are far apart and you can just estimate the answers with rough numbers without typing a bunch of calculations into your calculator. While your calculator is capable of solving some algebraic equations, it takes a lot longer to enter algebraic equations into your calculator. It is usually much faster to do the calculations by hand. Don’t overuse your calculator!Come To Test Day Prepared
That just doesn’t mean staying true to your study schedule, but also getting a goodnight’s rest and eating a balanced breakfast to fuel your brain on test day. You might even want to treat yourself to your favorite coffee or tea drink to get your spirits up. We recommend dressing in layers, too, in order to adjust if the testing room is warm or cold. In addition, take some time the night before to ensure you have everything you need packed in your bag-photo I.D, pencils, and a fully charged calculator.
