#test prep

Holy shit, I just found this picture of all the SAT/ACT prep books I worked my way through in high school, not to mention all the online tests and questions of the day that I did. It’s wild to look back and think about how much effort I put into tests that ultimately don’t matter in the long run. (5 years, y’all! I studied for these tests for 5 effin’ years!)

In honor of this nostalgia trip, I figured I’d share some of the tricks and tips I meant to compile into a post 3 years ago. The tests have changed since I took them, but this should be evergreen advice. I scored a 2330 SAT and a 35 ACT with these tips, for what it’s worth.

1. Don’t try to master the test material; learn how to beat the test. These tests are not like the finals your Lit and Algebra teachers are going to give you at the end of the year. You could learn the raw material, but learning to beat the test is much more efficient. Learn what grammar rules and math formulas they’re more likely to test so you know what formulas to apply first. Memorize a few stock essay templates, a few emotional but morally ambiguous stories and examples, and whip out essays that are little more than eloquent Mad Libs. Figure out how the test makers are going to try and waste your time, and then learn to counteract those tricks.
2. Understand why the wrong answers are wrong, not just why the right answers are right. Make sure you sit down after every practice test and go through every single question, even the ones you got right, to understand why each answer choice was presented to you, why each wrong answer is wrong, and why the right answer is right. The testmakers often function on the principle of the “least incorrect” answer, not the “most correct” answer. Being able to identify distractors will help you narrow down what the testmakers want you to pick. Moreover, understand what errors you made that led to you picking the wrong answer, and then make a concerted effort to recognize and preemptively correct those errors the next time you take the test.
3. Start studying early, especially if you aren’t aiming for a near-perfect score. I’d recommend hitting the books the summer after your freshman year. Pick up the subject that’s the least daunting for you, and get good at it. Once you have confidence in your abilities, move on to another section. With some aggressive studying, you might be able to get a score you’re happy with by sophomore spring or junior fall; my sophomore SAT score would have earned me a half ride to my state university. Get the tests done early when you have fewer obligations so you can focus on college apps, extracurriculars, and just having some free time when things get really hectic.
4. You probably don’t have to take both the SAT and the ACT. Most colleges accept both, though some colleges accept only one. See if all of your colleges of interest accept one of the two tests, and then focus your attention on that test only. If all your colleges accept either test, focus your efforts on the test that is easier for you.
5. Practice, practice, practice. The primary reason I kicked ass at standardized tests is that I knew practically every trick, question type, and shortcut in the book. Learn this test better than you know the back of your hand. Your most useful skill going into these tests is going to be your ability to ignore distractors so you can immediately start attacking the questions. Get used to the format. Get used to the time constraints. Memorize the directions at the beginning of each section so you don’t have to waste time reading them on test day. Don’t just do 2 or 3 practice tests and say “well, I basically know everything I need to know.” You don’t. The test makers live to use everything you don’t know on the test.