Avoidable SAT/ACT Test Prep Mistakes
Updated: January 23rd, 2023
Mistake #1: Not Practicing Enough
You can never be too prepared for a college admission test. Whether it’s the SATs, ACTs, or international equivalents, practicing is the key to reaching your dream score.
Search for keywords such as “SAT test practice online,” and get hold of as many practice tests as possible. Spend 30 minutes to an hour, once a day, tackling a subset of questions. Compare your answers to the correct ones, and this is the perfect strategy for acing the college admission test.
Mistake #2: Preparing Too Late and Too “Perfect”
Here is another one of my favorite test prep strategies: Start early.
Students who choose to “cram” as a method of study are associated with relatively poor academic performances.
So instead, we should focus on long-term consistency rather than short-term perfection. Consistency might look like sitting down for 30 minutes 6 times a week, and solving 5-10 math problems, while perfection is sitting down every day (but only for a month) just to complete one practice test.
Overall, it is better to have short, consistent study sessions over time than it is to cram the night before.
Need more SAT/ACT Tips? Check out:
I co-wrote the article with Tutors Suzanne Davis (www.academicwritingsuccess.com) and Kailey Ossanna (www.kotutoring.com)