At most colleges, SAT or ACT scores continue to play an important role in admission and/or scholarship consideration. Most high school juniors took the PSAT in October and will have the opportunity in March to take the actual SAT that colleges consider for admission. That makes now a great time to use those PSAT results to determine how to improve on the SAT or explore taking the ACT, instead.
As with any exam, preparation for standardized tests tends to render better results. By virtue of simply taking one or more full-length SAT practice exams under real test conditions, students generally improve their scores by about 30 points. And studies have shown that students who prepare for these tests by focusing on areas of content where they have weakness and practicing test-taking strategies can improve their SAT scores anywhere from 100 to even 400 points, on average. Proportional improvements have been made on the ACT.
Practicing for standardized tests does not have to be expensive. Students can obtain practice tests online and take them on their own. They also can utilize the customized resources the Khan Academy makes available to every student who has already taken a PSAT or SAT. According to a joint study between the College Board and the Khan Academy, students who studied for 20 hours through their personalized lessons showed an average 115-point increase between their PSAT exam and the actual SAT.
But studying on your own does take time and discipline.That is one of the reasons some families choose to enroll their students in SAT (or ACT) prep courses at local tutoring centers. This is also a popular choice if students are looking to improve their scores by more than 100 points. There are a number of test prep centers in the area, each with their own teaching approaches, pricing structures and policies. Some offer money-back guarantees if students don’t improve their scores by a certain amount; others offer additional tutoring for free.
If this time of year is too busy to squeeze in test prep, that’s okay. Both the SAT and ACT are offered several times a year, from spring through December. Students can pick the time of year that works best for them to prepare and register for the next exam available after the conclusion of their course. This way, the content is fresh in their minds. Just make sure they pay attention to college application deadlines and give themselves enough time to work toward their target scores.
Finally, many people ask if it is ever too early to start preparing for the SAT or ACT. Test prep experts say “yes.” Since the math portion of the SAT covers Algebra II, some sophomores don’t yet have the all the knowledge they need to master the exam. Furthermore, studies have shown that the older students are, the better their concentration. The sweet spot to prepare for and take the exams is summer before junior year through summer before senior year, depending on students’ goals, academic readiness and schedules.
