How to Stay Test-Ready Amid COVID Uncertainty
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt students’ academic plans, the one question Ivy Link has been getting the most from parents is: does my child still need to prep for the ACT or SAT?
The short answer: yes.
As we mentioned in our previous posts for a number of schools going test-optional, the new testing policies, temporary or permanent, do not mean students get a free pass. If two students with similar profiles apply to the same competitive school, but only one has test scores, the one with test scores is much more likely to be accepted. Here’s how your child can stay test-ready:
Keep your days structured. If the bulk of your time is now being spent at home, utilize it! Make sure you have a place to work that is free from distractions, or rather notifications (i.e. your phone!) Carve out a set time specifically for test prep, even if your testing date has been canceled or postponed.
Practice is the greatest tool at your disposal when it comes to standardized testing, and if your test dates are affected because of COVID-19, use it as a continuing opportunity to keep your skills sharp. Don’t let all of the time you’ve already invested go to waste with frustration.
Make sure to take time to rest and recharge. It’s common to want to overload studying as the test gets closer and closer, but burning yourself out, especially if your test gets canceled, can make it more difficult to retain information in a thoughtful way and that may affect your performance later on. Instead, use the time you strategically. Test-taking like any other form of exercise, it requires consistency as well as time to recuperate.
Stay up to date with the colleges that you’re most interested in as they continue to announce how they are adapting their admissions process to suit the ever-unstable state of the world in the face of COVID-19. How will their adaptations affect you, and your college experience, specifically?
Use every resource available. Many organizations such as the NACAC are taking steps to provide virtual resources for college applicants this year, all you have to do is find and use them. Moreover, advisors and tutors, like the experts at Ivy Link, are available to provide additional information and guidance for test preparation and the state of college admissions.
Ivy Link programs to consider for your student:
ACT and SAT Small-Group Classes
College App Fast-Track for H.S. Seniors
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