High School Seniors-Prepping for College Entrance Exams?

3. 1. 2012 | Info Tidbits, Seniors

prepping for SAT or ACT

Not exactly the first thing you want to do in 2012.  I remember well.  My daughter just graduated in June 2011 and I remember her preparing for this exam.  Fortunately she is self motivated to study on her own (so proud of her).  But I know not everyone is self-motivated.  So here are a few easy tips and tricks to help you ace those college entrance exams.

 

PREPARATION

  • Use Collegeboard.org’s SAT daily question email to get one sample test question in your inbox every day. It’s a simple, less overwhelming way to get your brain warmed up for the real thing. It’s also available as an iPhone app!  http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice…ion-of-the-day
  • Speaking of iPhones. If you have one, there are a slew of Apps to help you prepare for the exam.  You can find it here in the App Market.
  • Take a test prep class. Kaplan offers courses that are tailored to the SAT or the ACT. Check out their website: http://www.kaptest.com/College/SAT/index.html
  • Use a tutor to help you target your weakest subject.
  • If you’re a gamer, there is also a Game you can purchase for your Nintendo Game Systems called “My SAT Coach” to help you prepare for this exam.  I actually purchased this one for my daughter.

TESTING

  • Make sure you bring a watch, and don’t linger on one question longer than two or three minutes.
  • Answer the easier questions first and go back to answer the hard ones last. • Use the process of elimination to give yourself better odds on each question. If you know two answers aren’t right, that gives you a 50% chance of getting the right answer instead of only 25%.
  • If you have to guess, the answer with the most information is usually correct.
  • Never leave an answer blank. You should at least guess one of the options, because leaving it blank guarantees that you get it wrong.
  • If you read the question and come up with the answer before reading the multiple choice options, this will help you avoid getting confused by “all of the above” or “none of the above” type of situations.
  • Trust your first instinct—it’s usually correct!

Happy Testing!