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Everything You Need to Know About Diagnostic Exams

Posted on: April 11th, 2013 by admin No Comments

Test prep is a journey. If you don’t know where you’re starting from, it’s awfully difficult to figure out where you’re going!

The first, and most important, step in your test prep process is to establish your baseline scores. Taking a full-length, timed diagnostic SAT will do the following for you:

1. You’ll immediately get a better idea of what the exam is like. Familiarity breeds success – the more comfortable you are with this test, the better you’ll do when you take it.

2. You’ll know how far you have to go. It’s impossible to set proper goals and plan realistically unless you know where you currently stand. If you need a 2100 and you’re at a 1950, you’re in pretty good shape. If you need a 2100 and you’re at a 1430… there’s some serious work to be done. I’ve seen bigger score improvements than that, but it takes a lot of time and a lot of work. Knowing what’s ahead of you and what you need to do is essential.

3. You’ll UNDERSTAND YOUR WEAKNESSES. Good test prep is all about identifying, isolating, and then squashing your weaknesses one-by-one. Accurate, timed diagnostic exams are, by far, the best way to figure out where you’re strong and where you’re weak. Once you see how you’re scoring by section, and what’s giving you the most trouble in each section, you’ll be able to study as efficiently as possible.

You need to start your test prep process with a diagnostic exam. Follow the steps below to take your exam the right way and squeeze as much useful information out of it as you possibly can.

ACTION STEPS:

1. Purchase the most accurate testing booklets for the SAT. (If you are using The 30-Day SAT Crash Course or The 60-Da y SAT Prescription, these books will be shipped to you free, along with the Barron’s SAT book)

The Official College Board Guide to the SAT

McGraw-Hill’s 12 SAT Practice Tests

These books cost less than $13 each, and they’re absolutely necessary for all your future test prep activities. Pick them up on Amazon or at your local bookstore as soon as possible.

Note: when you get these books, it’s essential that you ONLY use them for diagnostic exams. I’ll recommend other resources for practice problems. The grading rubrics in these books are 100% accurate and developed by the actual test makers. The rubrics in other books and systems are just educated guesses. Save these booklets so that you can accurately gauge your progress.

2. Schedule a test block into your calendar and treat it as an unbreakable promise to yourself. There is nothing, and I repeat, nothing as important to your test prep progress as this initial diagnostic exam. If you don’t have the time, make it.

3. Before you take it, study the format of the SAT, read the instructions for each section, and get accustomed to what you’re going to take. Don’t go in completely cold! Spend an hour with the exam before you take it to get a feel for what each section is asking, how the timing works, etc.

3. Take a TIMED, REALISTIC diagnostic exam. When I say realistic, I mean:

A) No TV, radio, or computer anywhere near you.

B) Your cell phone is turned off and put away.

C) Take the exam in the morning, on a good night’s rest, after eating a healthy breakfast – the same way you would a real test. If you’re on 4 hours of sleep and haven’t eaten, you’re not going to get a true idea of your actual abilities.

D) Make sure no one bothers you the entire time. Tell friends, family, and every else to leave you alone.

E) Take the test in a comfortable, well-lit, and QUIET location.

F) FOLLOW THE TIME RULES. Every section lets you know how many minutes is allocated. Use a watch or timer and follow this timing exactly. Remember: the point of this exam isn’t to prove to yourself how good you can be – it’s to figure out what you’re scoring and where your weaknesses are. Timing can be a big weakness. Don’t cheat at all.

G) Take two or three 5-minute breaks between sections. You’ll get these same breaks during your actual SAT.

H) Use the actual bubble charts provided in your testing booklet. Don’t just write your grades on the page – I want you to get used to the full testing experience as soon as possible. Emulate everything exactly.

I) Make sure you have a legitimate calculator on you. You need to have a good calculator on the SAT math sections, so be sure that you’re packing. Of course, the best calculator for the SAT is: The TI-83 Graphing Calculator

Now take your test all the way through, following all the above rules.

Once you’re finished taking both exams, it’s on to part two: Learn How to Find Answer Explanations in the Official College Board SAT Manual.

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Clear Your Mind and Increase Your Scores

Posted on: April 3rd, 2013 by admin No Comments

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A wandering mind full of racing thoughts is the last thing a student wants when preparing for and taking a test. A recent article in Scientific American discussed a study done on the practice of “mindfulness.” For those who don’t know, “mindfulness” is a meditation practice that is all about actively focusing on the present and increasing the attention span.

For this study, scientists gathered college students who were preparing for the GRE standardized test. For two weeks, half of the participants attended eight sessions of a mindfulness course while the other half took eight sessions of a nutrition course. Students who were participating in the mindfulness training saw greater improvements in memory and GRE scores after just two weeks of mindfulness training. Mindfulness training showed an average of a 16-percentile boost in GRE scores.

When preparing for any major test the best thing you can do is focus on the task at hand. It’s not easy to clear your mind of everything else going on in your life, but it will yield better results. Studying for the SAT is difficult because you are still enrolled in classes and have a large amount of schoolwork on your mind. However, if you can clear your thoughts for just a few hours of prep a day to focus at the task at hand, you can improve the material retained. While sitting through the exam itself, you should also try to only focus on thoughts related to the SAT, and nothing else going on that day, week, or weekend. A clear train of thought can equal higher test scores; it may just take some practice.

For more information on study techniques and mindfulness, be sure to sign up for our mailing list on the right. You’ll receive advice on how to prepare for test day, improve your test scores, and get into the colleges of your dreams.

If you have any techniques or study tips you’d like to share with us, please feel free to email us at Support@TeachYourselftheSAT.com, or leave a comment below.

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Elite Colleges Fail to Reach Talented Poor

Posted on: March 29th, 2013 by admin No Comments

photo credit: Werner Kunz

A recent article in The New York Times revealed that elite public and private colleges are failing to attract applications from low-income students. Despite the colleges’ stated desire to recruit economically diverse groups, the article reported that they have largely failed to do so. According to the study, top low-income students in the nation’s fifteen largest metropolitan areas do often apply to selective colleges, but such students from smaller metropolitan areas and rural areas typically do not. Overall, elite colleges may soon face more pressure to recruit low- and middle-class students, if the Supreme Court restricts race-based affirmation action.

For students of all economic backgrounds, the best way to feel confident about submitting a college application to an elite public or private college is to achieve a high SAT score. Regardless of income, a high SAT score shows colleges that you are academically capable of succeeding at their institution. Although high SAT scores are often associated with high income, students can level the playing field by creating a disciplined study plan and preparing for the SATs at least 3 months in advance of the test date. For more information about affordable SAT prep, check out this article on viable options for students to improve SAT scores in 30 days, or learn more about our long term SAT prep program, The 60-Day SAT Prescription.

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Tags: elite college admissions, elite colleges, how to apply to an ivy league, how to apply to college, how to study for the SAT, ivy league admissions, ivy league SAT scores, low-income students
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Incorporating New Study Strategies Can Increase Your SAT Scores

Posted on: March 28th, 2013 by admin No Comments

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If you’re hitting a road block in your SAT prep, you may want to incorporate new study strategies to improve your learning.

According to a recent article in The Daily Gate City, switching the way you study can help increase your understanding of the material and your test scores. The article reported on a school that had implemented new strategies to teach grade school students math. The fourth grade classes switched classrooms and teachers when it came time for math, while the fifth grade classes used a method called Response to Intervention. Both new strategies to the school resulted in a noticeable growth in math skills over the school year, proving that the way students study material matters. Within one year, fifth graders went from 12% of the classes scoring over 90% to an astounding 90% of the classes scoring over 90% on a math assessment.

You may have all the materials you need to study for the SAT, but unless you are using the right strategy, you may not be reaching your full potential. Just running through practice problems or making a few flashcards may seem like the only kind of studying you can do, but there are so many more strategies out there to help you get higher scores! If you sign up for our mailing list on the right, we’ll send you our most powerful strategies and up to the minute research to help you improve your SAT studies and achieve a high SAT score.

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The Best SAT Math Advice? Don’t Do Much Math.

Posted on: February 18th, 2013 by admin No Comments

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Just because you’re good at math doesn’t mean that you’ll get great SAT scores. And just because you’re “bad at math” (I hate that phrase because it’s inaccurate – you’re not “bad” at it – you just don’t know how to do it properly yet) doesn’t mean that you can’t get perfect or near-perfect SAT scores.

The SAT Math section has almost nothing to do with how good you are at math and everything to do with your math HABITS. A student of mine illustrates this point quite well.

Justin, as I’ll call him, has received As or A+s in every math class he’s ever taken. Currently a Junior, he’s already taking calculus, and he’s performing better than the other 5 students in his class, all of whom are seniors. After my first two sessions with Justin, I was literally intimidated by his math abilities – he can solve multi-variable equations in his head. He’s a genius.

Yet his SAT Math scores were hovering somewhere around 450-500 when I met him. He had been working on his own for 3 months, and his family finally called me when he wasn’t showing any progress. It took about 30 seconds with Justin to figure out what was wrong:

Justin thought that scoring well on the SAT Math section had something to do with math ability.

It doesn’t.

Without further ado, I would like to emphasize the key lesson that I teach to all of my SAT students:

SAT MATH IS NOT HARD. FIGURING OUT WHICH MATH YOU NEED TO DO ON THE SAT IS VERY DIFFICULT, AND TAKES A LOT OF PRACTICE.

Let’s look at a simple problem that illustrates this point perfectly:

A “triple-factorizing” number is any number that is the product of three consecutive integers. What is the total number of positive triple-factorizing numbers below 1,000?

Justin saw this problem and immediately started doing math. He set up equations, whipped out his calculator, and got busy. This couldn’t be further away from what he should have tried to do.

Good SAT students contemplate before they act. They figure out what’s actually being asked of them so that they can solve for that, rather than for some sort of hypothetical or imaginary math problem.

What complicated math can be done to solve this problem? Almost zero. Instead, this problem takes logical thinking, patience, and a proper setup.

A great SAT student would think like this:

1. I need to find all positive triple-factorizing numbers. A triple-factorizing number is a number that is made by multiplying three consecutive integers, like 3X4X5 or 13X14X15.

2. I need to find the number of POSITIVE ones that exist below 1,000.

3. Are there any equations I know to help me with this sort of problem? No – they do not exist, and any algebra I do here will probably be more complicated than a “guess and check” method.

4. So, let’s find the smallest triple-factorizing number and build up.

5. All negative numbers multiplied together in threes are negative. So this won’t work. If I include 2 negative numbers, I’ll have to include 0, which means that the result will be 0 and therefore not positive (-2X-1X0, -1X0X1, 0X1X2), so the first positive triple-factorizing number is 1X2X3=6.

6. From here, I’ll count that as #1. Next up is 2X3X4=24. That’s #2.

7. Now I’ll just keep multiplying, using my calculator, until I find a number bigger than 1,000.

What that student did wasn’t hard. It doesn’t take an Einstein. There’s no crazy algebra, or calculus, or magical formula that only the true math cognoscenti know. 99% of the time, the SAT math section requires nothing more than a proper system and a proper approach.

You won’t beat the SAT math section with brute force. You’ll beat it when you have the right system in place. Fewer people have the patience to learn the right systems, and even fewer have the discipline to avoid math in favor or rigorous logical reasoning.

After forcing Justin to use my system, and to keep his calculator out of his hands until he:

1. Used my three-point math checklist

2. Defined his ultimate objective

3. Established the tools necessary reach his objective

his math score went from ~480 to 760. Not a bad improvement.

If you’re trying to get a better SAT math score, stop worrying about your math ability, and start focusing instead on the SAT itself and the strategies necessary to beat it. Give me any “average” student with the right strategies over any “math genius” any day of the week.

Whether you decide to use my 60-Day SAT Prescription or 30-Day SAT Crash Course, or to study on your own, please take the time to familiarize yourself with the test, and not with the material. Your strategy and your approach matter 100X more than your native abilities ever will.

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SAT Critical Reading and Quotation Marks

Posted on: February 11th, 2013 by admin No Comments

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When it comes to life, and especially to the SAT, there are very few absolutes. However, there is one exception: when the SAT Critical Reading section asks you “what do the quotation marks accomplish in this passage?”

As you know, quotation marks are usually meant to point out a quote. That’s obvious. So when you see something like this:

Deer are very sneaky creatures. ”I wouldn’t trust my silver jewelry with a deer,” says deer expert Mark Johnson…

You know that the quotation marks are just doing what they’re supposed to be doing – showing that the words within them are a quote. Pretty obvious stuff. Except…

When the SAT asks you what quotation marks are accomplishing in a passage, it has nothing to do with marking off a quote.

If the Critical Reading section is asking you this question, they’re looking for a very different answer. Here’s how this works:

Quotation marks surround words when those words are meant to mean something other than what they usually do!

Let me give you an example to show you what I mean:

Diana is a really “interesting” girl…

Do I actually mean that Diana is interesting? Nope. I mean she’s weird.

If I say:

Their house is very “cozy”….

What I really mean is that their house is very small.

Photo credit: SodaHead

That’s how this works. Imagine Dr. Evil over here using quotes around his words – he’s not doing it because he’s actually giving someone credit for what they said – he’s doing it because he doesn’t mean what he’s saying!

Whenever the Critical Reading section asks you what’s meant by quotes, they’re doing the same thing. So let me give you a few more examples that you might find in the SAT:

These “scientific” theories leave a lot to be desired.

The author means that he doesn’t think the theories are very scientific at all – he probably thinks they’re stupid and poorly researched.

These “sophisticated” people tend to throw very crude parties…

The author thinks that the people are actually unsophisticated, and is being sarcastic.

People who feel that they’re “educating” themselves by watching “reality” TV aren’t exactly doing themselves a service.

The author thinks that reality TV is far from educational, and he thinks that it’s not realistic at all.

Knowing this, there are three answers you need to look out for when the SAT asks you what the quotation marks mean:

1. The author is being ironic. That’s the most common answer. Since being ironic means saying something other than what you mean, this fits the bill perfectly.

2. The author is using the word in an unconventional way.

3. The word in quotes has a meaning other than the one indicated.

You’ll see some variation of these three answers every single time that you see this sort of question, and these answers are ALWAYS right. Of course, in the very rare case that the quotation marks actually are quoting someone, it’ll be blatantly obvious. But for the most part, this is a bulletproof rule.

You will see a question like this on your SAT. Remember this fact and you’re guaranteed to get at least one more question right.

Do you have any other Critical Reading tips you’d like to share? Any questions, comments, concerns? Leave a comment below and let me my readers know! Also, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter at the top right of this page to get new articles, discounts, and contest-entries mailed directly to your inbox!

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How to Find Answer Explanations in the Official College Board SAT Manual

Posted on: February 10th, 2013 by admin 1 Comment

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Lots of students have the same complaint when using the Official College Board SAT Manual:

“There are no answer explanations in the book!”

This is quite frustrating, but fortunately these answer explanations do exist – they just happen to be online, rather than in the book itself.

***If you are planning on using my 60-Day SAT Prescription, please DO NOT use these answer explanations until I tell you to. It’s important that you leave them until the prescribed times. For everyone else, have at ‘em!***

1. Go to the Official SAT Study Guide Owner’s Area.
(If the link changes, just Google “Official SAT Study Guide Owner’s Area”.)

2. Click the image of The Official SAT Study Guide 2nd Edition on the right.

3. Under the “Sign Up” tab, click “Create an Account.”

4. Follow all the prompts and fill in all the info to create your account.

5. Confirm your email address, enter the “confirmation” code on the site, and sign in. When you log in, you’ll be taken to a screen that shows a table with the ten tests, status, activity, and “View Explanations and Sample Essays.”

6. Click “View Explanations and Sample Essays” for the test you just took (60-Day SAT Prescription users – this will be test #2).

7. Go through, section by section, and:

A) Read the answer explanations for all Reading Comprehension problems you got wrong. Compare these to your original answers for:

— Why your answer was wrong (you missed an error that was there)

— Why the right answer was NOT wrong (you saw an error that wasn’t there)

***If you haven’t already created flashcards for all these problems, do it now. You’ll want to create cards out of these problems to identify the question types that are tricking you. Now that you’ve read the answer explanations, you’ll have an even fuller idea of what exactly is going on.

***Remember – the second you think about why answers were “right,” you’re cooked. It’s all about errors, always. Never even think about rightness – JUST focus on wrongness.

B) Read the answer explanations for all Writing problems you got wrong. Create flashcards out of all the Writing problems you got wrong that you haven’t already. Write explanations and new, previously unknown grammar rules on the back.

C) Read the answer explanations for all the Math problems.

D) Re-solve each Math problem from scratch. Read the problem again (with the book next to you), and, while reading the explanation, actually go through the process of solving the problem out by hand.

–This will do crazily powerful things to your memory of how to solve the problem (kinesthetic learners will get an especially powerful benefit from doing this).

E) Create flashcards out of all the Math problems you got wrong with full answer explanations and new math rules on the back (if you haven’t done so already).

Photo credit: Plindberg

If you’re a kinesthetic learner, try writing notes on everything you see and creating a huge diagram of flashcards that you can use and shuffle around as you continue practicing.

If you’re a visual learner, be sure to close your eyes after each flashcard you create and each explanation you read and “imagine” the problem being solved.

If you’re an auditory learner, close your eyes after each answer explanation and explain to yourself, out loud, how you would solve the problem correctly next time.

From now on, this is going to be a part of you “test digestion” process. You’ll go through all the steps you usually go through when you process diagnostics, but you’ll ALSO be adding these new steps on.

If you’re scoring in the 2100+ range, this won’t take you too long. If you’re not, this might take you a while. Regardless, this is a new way to enhance your material, strategic, and retentive capabilities even further.

Go about doing this right now, and enjoy! You’re continually opening new pathways in your brain that’ll make future tests easier and easier.

Hopefully this quick guide helps! By the way – if you’re wondering what all the mumbo jumbo above is all about re: processing the problems, flashcards, kinesthetic learning, strategy, etc., you might want to check out either my short-term or long-term SAT programs! There’s plenty to learn about these tests, and I’ll show you what to learn, how, and in what order to get the best results possible. Just sign up for my free mailing list on the right or click the “Program” links in the menu to learn more!

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Picking the Right College: Advice from an Expert

Posted on: February 1st, 2013 by admin No Comments

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I spend so much time thinking about the SAT that it can be easy to forget the entire purpose of taking the SAT in the first place: getting you into the right college.

High SAT scores will open up your college options and give you a much wider variety of schools to choose from. I’ve already figured out a way to improve your SAT scores by hundreds of points, but once you get those high scores, what do you do with them?

To answer that question, I sat down with college expert Zach Adamerovich at www.CollegeProwler.com and picked his brain. Zach helps tens of thousands of students each year to attain college scholarships and pick the right schools, so he has more experience than almost anyone in this arena.

Below is a summary of our interview:

What’s the best way to start looking at colleges?

Every student is going to have a different method, but if you’re really stuck on how to start, then make it simple. Write everything that the “perfect school” would have down on paper. Then jot what you are considering studying at college. Then find colleges that have everything you just wrote down.

What’s the worst thing to do when looking at possible colleges to attend?

I’m not sure that there is a “worst” thing to do, but there are definitely methods that won’t help you or are not right for you. Some of these include (but are not limited to):

Choosing a school because it was a family alma mater. While these are often great choices for a lot of people, they may not be the best for you. Often students think the school is a perfect fit because they have been growing up hearing about it, but don’t limit yourself to the possibility of finding a whole new college just for you.

Not visiting a school. While it can be expensive to take a trip to visit a school, it is always a good idea to make it happen if you’re able. It’s hard to visualize yourself actually attending a school for four years if you’ve never stepped foot onto campus. It will cost you much more if you decide the school is not for you once you arrive.

Picking a school purely based off of tuition or scholarships. While school debt is an increasing problem, it is still important to know what you’re paying for. If you attend a school that is giving you a lot of scholarship money but has a poor program for your major, then your chances of being prepared for the field (and ultimately finding a job) will be significantly less. Paying off those loans just got a little harder then, huh?

Staying only within your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid to consider schools that might be different then you’d typically like. If you think you only want a small, private school, don’t be afraid to visit some large public schools. You may surprise yourself and by challenging your comfort levels, you may discover a whole new passion.

What’re the top things a student should do when deciding on colleges to attend?

These are in no particular order:

1. Choose a variety of schools and try to visit all of them.

2. Have a back-up school (or multiple back-up schools) ready.

3. Listen to yourself! It’s easy to be influenced by family, friends, mentors, etc.

What’re your favorite college scholarship resources?

Ours, of course! We have a large database of scholarships and give out our own scholarships as well. Just visit www.CollegeProwler.com to sign up for our free resources and gain access to scholarships for every type of school and student.

What activity is least valuable to colleges when students are applying?

Nothing is least valuable. Every student has different requirements or desires in a school. Just make sure that the activities you perform match the activities that schools are looking for, as well as your own unique story and selling points.

How quickly are college rankings changing, and why?

Some change quickly and some almost never seem to change. Rankings for a school based on services or structure tend to change more easily. A school can (relatively) quickly make changes to the accessibility of internet on their campus or dining options, etc. Rankings based on reputation or academics can take a lot longer. It takes a long time for a school to fully develop it’s curriculum, reputation, professors, etc.

What’s the most important new trend in college applications?

This isn’t necessarily a trend, but the digital aspect of applying to schools has definitely changed. Many more schools are embracing technology, social media, and other media more than they have in the past. This has allowed for a whole new method of students to engage with schools, admissions reps, current students, etc.

Who should you never listen to when making college application decisions?

Listen to everyone, but ultimately listen to yourself. Good ideas can come from anyone.

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The SAT is Tomorrow – 5 Tips for Insanely Enhanced Performance

Posted on: January 25th, 2013 by admin 1 Comment

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The SAT is tomorrow, January 26th. If you want to improve your score by 100+ points in the next 24 hours, you can – but not by cramming. Memorizing a few extra vocab words or a few random math facts won’t make a difference – the SAT tests your long-term memory and skill set, and cramming just won’t do. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to enhance your mental performance that’ll lead to at least 100+ extra points on your test. I use these tricks (and many more) with all my students, and the results are incredible.

1. Wake up at least 2 hours before your test starts. It takes at least 90 minutes for the human brain to “boot up” – to switch out of the brainwaves that characterize sleep. If you wake up at 8am and your test is at 9am… you’ll still be pseudo-asleep when you start. Make sure to wake up early (which means you should be going to bed earlier tonight to make up for the extra hour of sleep you’ll miss in the morning).

2. Bring practice questions with you to work on before the test starts. Tear a page of Math, Writing, and Critical Reading out of your SAT practice book (that you’ve already completed) and bring them to the testing center with you. When you show up, re-solve all these problems. You want to use problems you’ve already solved because you don’t want to stress yourself out – you just want to switch your brain into the SAT mindset. Most of my students used to do their worst on their first section of Math and Critical Reading because they hadn’t “gone into SAT gear” yet. If you spend 10 minutes solving a few practice problems from each section, your brain will be “warmed up” and you’ll get a much better score. Just be sure to conspicuously throw these practice problems away before you enter the actual testing room to avoid any cheating accusations.

3. Don’t talk to your friends before the test starts. Avoid them like the plague. Bring headphones and listen to relaxing music, and imagine yourself crushing the test with your eyes closed. Your friends will either be of the “oh my god I’m so nervous” or the “man I’m so well prepared” variety, both of which will stress you out. Sit down in a corner, listen to music (during and after you’ve finished your practice problems) and don’t talk to your friends.

4. Eat breakfast IMMEDIATELY upon waking up. As in, roll out of bed and eat breakfast. Have your parents bring you breakfast in bed if possible. You don’t want to be digesting food when you take your SAT, but if you take it on an empty stomach… bad idea. Eat a big, healthy breakfast right after you wake up to kickstart your brain, fuel your body, and give you time to digest. Mix in a ton of protein and complex carbs and avoid sugars at all costs. Eggs, peanut butter, whole wheat toast, milk, some cheese, some ham/bacon/sausage, or an omelet will all do quite well. Do NOT eat sugary breakfast cereals, bagels, or drink juice – all of these will cause you to crash and make your performance suffer.

5. Take a brisk walk immediately after breakfast. You’ll be sitting for hours on end – you need to get your blood pumping. As soon as you’re done with breakfast, go on a quick 15-minute walk. I’ve seen this make a consistent 30-50 point difference in my students’ scores.

GOOD LUCK TOMORROW! If you’ve been following a disciplined study program, you’re gonna do great! Have fun in there, and know that I’ll be rooting for you.

P.S. If you’re not taking the SAT tomorrow, I highly recommend you check out my self-study SAT program, which includes tons of additional tips just like this to further hone your mind on test day, and which is guaranteed to improve your SAT score by hundreds of points without tutors or classes. If you have less than 60 days until your upcoming SAT, check out my short-term study program, The 30-Day SAT Crash Course.

P.P.S. If you’re not already a subscriber, sign up on the right for free downloads, guides, and announcements, as well as invites to webinars with some of the best college experts in the country.

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The SAT Vs. The ACT: Which One Should You Take?

Posted on: January 23rd, 2013 by admin No Comments

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This morning, I woke up to a great question from a subscriber (name withheld) who asked the following:

We’re in the midst of deciding between SAT / ACT. My son is at [NYC Private School] where the ACT has been steadily gaining in popularity over the past few years. I would be interested in your take on this issue.

It’s a question that a lot of parents and students have. Here’s my answer:

Thanks for getting in touch! This is a great question and, fortunately, there’s a pretty black-and-white solution to figuring out whether to take the ACT vs. the SAT.

In my experience, the SAT is a much more “teachable” exam. While both exams test your knowledge of both strategy and material, the proportion of strategy tested by the SAT is much, much higher. I’ve tutored many students in both exams, and while my students improve in both, their gains on the SAT are much more significant.

This isn’t because I’m a “better SAT teacher” – this is because there are simple tricks on the SAT which can vastly enhance your performance, which isn’t really the case for the ACT. Preparing for the ACT is a slow and steady progress, due mostly to the fact that the ACT is so straightforward and so time-intensive. To show you what I mean:

An ACT math problem might simply be a set of three-variable equations. The problem will ask you to find the values of each of the variables. Difficult, but straightforward.

SAT math isn’t difficult at all, but it’s anything but straightforward. It might ask, “If Suzy has three times as much money as John would have if John were to steal half of Max’s money, and if Max had 30 dollars with interest because….”

In other words, the math is really simple – figuring out what math to do is really tough – AT FIRST.

However, once students gain familiarity with the problem-types on the SAT, and once they learn how to decipher the language of the exam and apply the proper strategies, they improve very quickly. On the ACT, I can take students from 75th percentile scores to 85th percentile scores. On the SAT, I can take them from 50th percentile to 90th percentile in the same amount of time.

But, before acting on this advice, consider one thing: some students naturally prefer one test over the other. Have your son take a look at a practice ACT and a practice SAT. Have him take a timed practice section of each section of each test. If he expresses a strong preference for the ACT, go with the ACT. If his aptitudes are already suited for the exam, then he’ll be able to hit the ground running. If, however, he has no preference, or likes the SAT more, then go with the SAT.

The short answer to your question: have your son try both exams. If he likes the ACT a lot more, then go with the ACT. If he feels the same about both tests, or likes the SAT more, then you have every reason to go with the SAT.

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