Covid-19 has disrupted all of our lives and the educational sector is no exception. Due to the pandemic, a lot of rules and regulations have been changes and students faced huge uncertainties concerning their next steps. But hopefully, we are moving towards normalcy and things are picking up. Among the big changes in major exams is the SAT. The optional essay has been removed from the test and the SAT Subject Tests will also no longer exist for June 2021. Nonetheless, these standardized tests have not lost their importance among students and it is essential to do well in these exams if a student wants to get into a great undergraduate educational institution. It is a definite guarantee if a student submits their SAT or ACT scores with their college applications, their chances of getting admitted will be significantly higher. Since these are tests that are taken by high school students, they have to start preparing while attending high school classes. Professional SAT or ACT coaching centers like EduQuest help in that respect. The mentors have had years of experience training all kinds of students, regardless of their learning styles, and their instruction has benefitted every single one of them.
Why are the SAT and ACT important?
Every good college or university gets thousands of applications every year. It is no secret that the competition is intense and thus it is a really good idea to submit your individual SAT or ACT scores even if the college doesn’t deem it to be mandatory. Colleges and universities rely on these tests to narrow down among the applications and often these scores make a huge impact on acceptance. In addition to its obvious uses, SAT or ACT exams can be used to get scholarships.
When you enroll in a coaching center, it helps you know more about the preparation strategy and you won’t be clueless like many of your peers. Especially, coaching centers like EduQuest have been around for a long time and they know how to take an average student and ensure that they also get high scores. Numerous testimonials bear witness to their tried and tested adaptive model of coaching.
Important differences between SAT and ACT exams
The main difference between the SAT and the ACT exams is that the ACT includes a science section. But the SAT exam has a Math section in which the student is not allowed to use a calculator. The Science portion of the ACT exam is not based on one branch in particular, but it does test the student’s scientific thinking capabilities. Students do not have to worry about specific scientific knowledge. ACT exam also does not have any rules against the use of a calculator by the students.
The scoring scale of SAT ranges between 400-1600 whereas the scoring scale of ACT ranges between 1-36. While SAT Reading contains the Evidence support Reading Questions but this section is absent in the ACT Reading.
The important thing is to remember that, no matter which tests you are studying for, your current educational board does not matter at all. As the mentors at EduQuest will tell you, it doesn’t matter if a student is from an ICSE board, IB, IGCSE, CBSE board, or any State Board, or even some state boards of education, their training modules apply to all. The educational board will not decide whether you should opt for the SAT or the ACT, but your capabilities do.
If a student has better knowledge of maths, then he or she should go for the SAT exam. But if the student has the niche for data interpretation questions, then the ACT exam might be a better choice. All of these decisions will seem easier to make after some expert guidance from the teachers. The mentors at EduQuest will give the students opportunities for diagnostic tests, the results of which will determine whether a student should go for the ACT or SAT.
In this article, several tips are mentioned through which a high schooler can prepare for the SAT or ACTs.
Details
This is the very first step in your preparation. Every test taker should understand the test pattern thoroughly. Knowing these types of details will save a lot of time during the actual exam day. It is not a tough task either, there are official detailed instructions for the SAT and the ACT exam too. The student should also familiarize themselves with the differences between the SAT and ACT to avoid any confusion.
Keep at it
This is a no-brainer. Previous students who have aced these types of standardized tests will tell you that practice is the key. It is very easy to lose motivation or neglect the areas in which you are confident early on. But regular practice will keep you on your toes. Make sure to take full-length practice tests. There will be a limited scope of doing that if you are not enrolled in any SAT/ACT coaching center as good centers like EduQuest have a lot of full-length tests for their students. All of their practice tests are relevant as the questions are set up by experts. Practice will make the student accustomed to working within a time limit. Make a target score and try to inch towards it with every mock test.
Read and then read some more
There is no way to escape this as SAT and ACTs require you to have a good vocabulary. There are a lot of online resources and the student can avail of those to improve their reading habits. Even if someone doesn’t want to join a coaching class, there are official sources like SAT prep books or ACT prep materials which gives a great overall idea about the materials. In the event of the absence of great mentors, the student can ask their high school counselor about which books to buy.
Consistency
Most students need a lot of time to prepare for the SAT/ACT. This is not a surprise as these tests are not easy to crack. The student needs to be consistent in their efforts. Keeping a daily plan might be helpful. There should be at least three months for preparation and the plan should include the taking of 10 to 15 full-length practice tests. Reviewing the mistakes are also an important part of preparation. Most teachers will tell you that you will learn a lot from your mistakes. It is okay to get stuck but be sure that you understand your weak areas and why you got stuck in the first place.
As the mentors at EduQuest will inevitably tell you, do not let a couple of bad scores on practice tests bring you down. It takes a lot of time and energy to identify and fix your mistakes.
Don’t start cramming
Many students rely on cramming but on tests like SAT or ACT understanding the concepts is the main key to success. Therefore cramming is always a bad idea even though you may feel like you are retaining a lot of information while you are doing it. Instead of just memorizing everything, the student should keep on reviewing what they have learned and try to understand the main points. The teachers at EduQuest start teaching from the basic concepts so that no student falls behind. Make sure that you fix the number of study hours or else you will get burnt out. The brain can only take so much at one time.