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Test FAQ |
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When should I test? There really isn't a perfect time to take the SAT/ACT. But you should definitely take them before the end of your Junior year. I've heard of people taking them as early as 6th grade and tracking their progress as they retake them every year. I think this is a bit of overkill but whatever works for you is fine with me. Taking your test "early," like in your freshman year is a good idea. It will let you know where your weaknesses are so that you can take courses to "fill the gaps." For instance, if you know you did really bad in the Geometry portion of your math section, you know you'll need to take Geometry while you're in high school. Taking the SAT early will help you plan these courses in so you don't have to cram them into your Junior and Senior years.
What do these tests measure?
They certainly measure something different than what is
measured by grades! The best evidence of this fact is that young women get
better grades in school than young men but young men outscore young women on
these tests, especially on the SAT. Grades primarily reflect the successful
development of a knowledge base that is taught in school. These tests measure
a student's ability to apply that knowledge the way a test writer thinks
students should.
These tests correlate as highly with grades received by
first-year college students as do high school grades. That means that high
school grades and test scores are equally good at predicting your grades as a
college freshman. That's why the focus of the "REVELATIONS:
Demystifying Standardized Tests" program is on learning to think like the
test writer. The course will help you with reasoning skills that are useful in
college.
The full name for the SAT is the "Scholastic Assessment
Test I: Reasoning Test." Had you ever noticed it is a "Reasoning
Test?" An amazing thing about the SAT is that if you consider the math
that is on the test that the vast majority, probably as much as 80%, was
covered before you got out of the eighth grade! All the math facts you will
need are printed right in the test booklet! You even get to use a calculator!
Yet, students still only average about 50% of the points in math. That's
because it's a test of analytical skills. The test is all about using what you
know the way the test writer thinks you should. That is why REVELATIONS
has worked so well. I'll reveal the secrets of how the test writer thinks you
need to think.
What can parents do to help their teen
prepare for the SAT or ACT?
First, start thinking about the test as soon as possible. Get
a registration bulletin and free sample test from the school counselor. Even
as a freshman or sophomore, looking over the questions in the sample test will
acquaint your teen with the kinds of things that will be expected by the test
writers.
Second, make sure your teen is in the right courses at
school. Be sure the right information is covered by the school curriculum. For
example, there are specific grammar skills required by the ACT; but many
schools don't provide targeted grammar instruction. Let the curriculum
coordinator for your school know how important it is for the test.
Third, plan your teen's school course-work well in advance.
It can be disappointing to find out when it's too late that the college of
choice has requirements that cannot be met by the student. For example, if a
student's college of choice requires two years of a foreign language and your
teen hasn't taken any by their senior year, there's a big problem. Fourth, read the FAQ related to when a student should take
the test. Develop a schedule for registering for and taking the test.
Fifth, help make sure that your teens are getting prepared
for the test. It should begin at home. Reading is the best way for them to
develop the vocabulary and reading skills that are required by the tests.
Encourage it. Make sure your teen's course-work is appropriate. Talk to the
counselor about college applications and what the school does to prepare its
students for the tests. Ask specific questions: Do you offer a special prep
course? What materials are used? Has the teacher received special training?
What kind of results do students get? What do students say after taking the
course? (Refer to the FAQ related to the biggest SAT/ACT myth.)
Sixth, encourage them. Most teens already feel pressure
regarding the test, so support and encouragement from parents is important.
Keep in mind that the SAT and ACT are just part of the college application
process. In addition to transcripts, many colleges consider recommendations,
extracurricular activities, essays and interviews.
Finally, keep the last 24 hours before the test stress free.
If the testing center is at an unfamiliar location, make sure you've made a
trip there in advance so there isn't any undue stress trying to be on time or
trying to find it. Keep your teen at home so he/she can get a good night's
sleep the night before the test. Get up with them and fix breakfast based on
the recommendations made in REVELATIONS.
Tell them you love them!
What are the major differences between
the SAT and ACT?
After you get past the fact that both tests are developed in
the frigid north (ACT in Iowa and SAT in New Jersey), there are many
differences.
One big difference is that the ACT measures grammar and
science reasoning skills. Neither of these abilities is measured by the SAT I.
The ACT doesn't test your abilities with individual words as the SAT does with
its Analogy and Sentence Completion formats. The ACT math includes many
concepts from Algebra II and trig while the SAT only deals with Algebra I. The
SAT gives you the math facts you need to know while you need to memorize them
for the ACT.
While both test developers claim that analytical reasoning is
very important on the test, the SAT test writers have perfected this
philosophy while the ACT test writers are still trying to get there. Big
differences exist in the way questions are asked. ACT math questions, for
example, are based on what "math teachers expect their students to
know." SAT math questions are based on what the test writer thinks you
should be able to do with the math. The reading questions on the SAT are
primarily inference and logic related. The ACT asks many more detail
questions.
Should
I take the SAT or ACT?
Most colleges
and universities are flexible and accept both the SAT and ACT. However, you
need to check with the schools that are on your list because a few schools
still express a preference. You also should check with possible scholarship
sources to see if they have any preferences.
If it doesn't
matter to your potential schools, then you are in the "driver's
seat." In the Free Tour of the Castle of Wiz-dom, there are scoring
spreadsheets for both SAT and ACT released tests. Take these tests and score
them to see if you already do better on one than the other. If you have a
significant head start on one, then that's where you should focus your
attention.
How frequently
high schools administer each test often causes students to decide which test
to take. For example, some of my school district clients administer the ACT
several times a year but administer the SAT only once or not at all. Others do
just the opposite. | |
