7 Tips for SAT/ACT Test Day Success
Published on Aug 22, 2018
The school year is just around the corner and for Seniors, that means college applications. Many of you have begun researching schools, drafting essays, asking for recommendations, and starting your CommonApp. While most have already taken the SAT/ACT, it isn’t too late to improve your score. Those few extra points can be the difference between a scholarship and no aid, or even acceptance vs. rejection. This Fall will be your last chance to improve your scores, so make sure you signup today.
Signup for the SATs Here, Signup for the ACTs Here
7 Tips for SAT/ACT Test Day Success:
1. Come Prepared: Take as many practice tests as possible. This will familiarize you with the test format, increasing your speed and eliminating the bad habits that lead to careless errors. Here is where you can practice for SAT test (link to Khan Academy).
2. Come Equipped: Bring two sharpened pencils with good erasers. Bring a sharpener. Struggling with broken pencil increases stress and can lead to unnecessary frustration.
3. Sleep, Eat, and Take Care of Yourself 🙂 Get a good night’s sleep before the test- don’t try to cram the night before. Eat a good breakfast. High-protein foods like eggs are proven to increase concentration and energy. Avoid sugary food. Visit the bathroom 15-30 minutes before the test. Try not to over-drink during the test. There will be opportunities to use the restroom, but you don’t want to go during test time.
4. Remain Calm: If you start getting anxious, take deep breaths. Don’t worry about other people finishing early. Smart people know to use all available time to double-check their work.
5. Pace Yourself: Before the test, calculate the amount of time you have to answer each question. If you get stuck on a question for too long, skip it and return to it once you have finished others. Sometimes fresh eyes are all that’s needed. Quickly flip through the section before beginning and try to predict if you will need extra time for certain questions that involve a reading or word problem.
6. Read Questions in Full before Answering: Some of the answer choices will be designed to trap students who don’t read the question fully. Identify the answer (or a ballpark answer) before looking at the answer choices. This practice will help you eliminate misleading answer choices. Eliminating a few wrong answers can increase the chances of a random guess being correct. There is no penalty for wrong answer so be sure to answer all the questions!
7. Consider All Answer Choices: If you believe that many of the answer offered may be correct, look for an “all the above” answer at the end.