when you practice, do it for real.
The best way to study for the ACT, the SAT, or the PSAT is to practice, practice, practice.
And it pays to practice correctly.
This involves taking practice tests. It involves following all the time limits written on the practice tests. It involves work.
Here's the plan I like to follow for the four or six weeks before the test.
If you're just getting started and you don't have that much time, don't freak out. Just take a deep breath and start where you are.
where can I get practice tests?
From Amazon.
SAT: Princeton Review's 11 Practice Tests for the SAT and PSAT
ACT: Princeton Review's 1,296 ACT Practice Questions
Books-A-Million also usually carries these. Auburn Public Library has some resources as well. Go to the actual library to access them. Ask a librarian if you need help. They are friendly and nice.
taking the practice test
1. Take a practice test, maybe on a weekend morning so you're fresh and ready to go. Sharpen some pencils ahead of time. Tear the bubble answer document out of the test book so it's ready. Then start.
2. If the directions for the section say to take 25 minutes for that section, pull out an old-fashioned watch with hands, turn it to 11:35 so there are 25 minutes until both the hands are pointing to 12, and start that section. If the directions say it'll take 60 minutes for that section, set the watch to 11:00 and you'll know to quit at 12:00.
3. Work. Fill in the bubbles. When time is up, STOP. Don't give yourself those extra ten seconds, because you won't get them in the real test. Move to the next section.
4. Repeat till you're done taking the test. I'm proud of you. Take a break. Reward yourself. (For example, I like to make a frappe in the Zoku.)
scoring the practice test
1. This is the most important part. Score the test yourself. You're a responsible human being. I know you can do it.
2. Go to the answer key in the test book. Compare each question with your bubbled answer. Mark a check on the ones you got right, an X on the ones you got wrong, and an O on the ones you didn't fill in.
3. Go to the scoring page that's right after the answer key. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY. Get your parents to check behind you if you can.
4. Don't freak out if your score isn't where you want it to be. If it's your first try, it's probably going to be really bad. Mine was atrocious.
5. You can bring your score way up. I believe in you. The SAT tests how well you can take the SAT. The PSAT tests how well you can take the PSAT. The ACT tests how well you can take the ACT. You can learn how to take a test.
6. Take a highlighter, go back through the test (where the problems are written, where you actually took the test) and highlighter around the questions that you missed so you can easily see what you need to work on.
7. Rework those problems, using the answers as a reference. You may have "aha!" moments where you realize that you really could have gotten that question. Be proud of that. If you don't have any "aha!" moments, just keep going. That's the important part.
8. Take any problems that you still don't understand to your math teacher. Or to your brother. Or to your girlfriend who's great at math. Talk about them. See if you can figure them out over the course of the week. Google concepts you don't understand. Sparknotes has resources for the SAT (also applies to the PSAT) and ACT.
9. Take another practice test next weekend. I don't believe in luck; I believe in work. Here's where I talk about the payoff.
10. Don't hate me when it gets hard. Actually, I take that back. Go ahead and curse my name. Just use Shakespearean curses! If I'm going to be cursed, do it with flair.) Just keep going. It'll pay off. I'm so proud of you. (See? My pep talks are invincible. Your Shakespearean curses can't touch this. Oooooh can't touch this.) (Sorry.)
And it pays to practice correctly.
This involves taking practice tests. It involves following all the time limits written on the practice tests. It involves work.
Here's the plan I like to follow for the four or six weeks before the test.
If you're just getting started and you don't have that much time, don't freak out. Just take a deep breath and start where you are.
where can I get practice tests?
From Amazon.
SAT: Princeton Review's 11 Practice Tests for the SAT and PSAT
ACT: Princeton Review's 1,296 ACT Practice Questions
Books-A-Million also usually carries these. Auburn Public Library has some resources as well. Go to the actual library to access them. Ask a librarian if you need help. They are friendly and nice.
taking the practice test
1. Take a practice test, maybe on a weekend morning so you're fresh and ready to go. Sharpen some pencils ahead of time. Tear the bubble answer document out of the test book so it's ready. Then start.
2. If the directions for the section say to take 25 minutes for that section, pull out an old-fashioned watch with hands, turn it to 11:35 so there are 25 minutes until both the hands are pointing to 12, and start that section. If the directions say it'll take 60 minutes for that section, set the watch to 11:00 and you'll know to quit at 12:00.
3. Work. Fill in the bubbles. When time is up, STOP. Don't give yourself those extra ten seconds, because you won't get them in the real test. Move to the next section.
4. Repeat till you're done taking the test. I'm proud of you. Take a break. Reward yourself. (For example, I like to make a frappe in the Zoku.)
scoring the practice test
1. This is the most important part. Score the test yourself. You're a responsible human being. I know you can do it.
2. Go to the answer key in the test book. Compare each question with your bubbled answer. Mark a check on the ones you got right, an X on the ones you got wrong, and an O on the ones you didn't fill in.
3. Go to the scoring page that's right after the answer key. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY. Get your parents to check behind you if you can.
4. Don't freak out if your score isn't where you want it to be. If it's your first try, it's probably going to be really bad. Mine was atrocious.
5. You can bring your score way up. I believe in you. The SAT tests how well you can take the SAT. The PSAT tests how well you can take the PSAT. The ACT tests how well you can take the ACT. You can learn how to take a test.
6. Take a highlighter, go back through the test (where the problems are written, where you actually took the test) and highlighter around the questions that you missed so you can easily see what you need to work on.
7. Rework those problems, using the answers as a reference. You may have "aha!" moments where you realize that you really could have gotten that question. Be proud of that. If you don't have any "aha!" moments, just keep going. That's the important part.
8. Take any problems that you still don't understand to your math teacher. Or to your brother. Or to your girlfriend who's great at math. Talk about them. See if you can figure them out over the course of the week. Google concepts you don't understand. Sparknotes has resources for the SAT (also applies to the PSAT) and ACT.
9. Take another practice test next weekend. I don't believe in luck; I believe in work. Here's where I talk about the payoff.
10. Don't hate me when it gets hard. Actually, I take that back. Go ahead and curse my name. Just use Shakespearean curses! If I'm going to be cursed, do it with flair.) Just keep going. It'll pay off. I'm so proud of you. (See? My pep talks are invincible. Your Shakespearean curses can't touch this. Oooooh can't touch this.) (Sorry.)