Why Should I Prepare for the SAT / ACT?
Only a handful of students, if any, actually enjoy taking tests. Everyone else finds them uninteresting, or even worse, terrifying. Nonetheless, almost every high school student is faced with the reality that they will have to take either the SAT or the ACT. These tests can be instrumental in determining your college prospects, especially if you apply to competitive schools. Over the last decade, parents and students alike have watched the test preparation industry explode. Still, many parents and students wonder if all of this preparation produces results.
When it comes to the effectiveness of test preparation, the outcomes are undeniable. I have personally seen impressive results with my own students’ surging test scores. Beyond anecdotal evidence, the College Board itself has released data suggesting that even twenty hours of self-guided SAT preparation can lead to a 115 point increase for the average test taker.
With all of the books, online resources, and self-study courses, many parents wonder if one-on-one tutoring for test preparation is necessary. I am the first to admit that individual tutoring is not the right solution for every case. Some students (myself included) find reviewing practice tests and strategy guides to be a necessary pastime. They are self-motivated and eager to learn with the innate ability to get the scores they desire after sufficient self-preparation. These students make up a small minority of those taking the test.
The remainder of students present a clear case for additional test preparation. We can divide those who can benefit from test preparation into a few easily understandable categories: last-mile students, apathetic students, and curriculum-deficient students.
Last-mile students take an interest in test preparation but still need guidance. You fall in this category if you still have to overcome the remaining hurdles holding you back from your ideal score. A common example would be if you have scored a 1500 on the SAT but still want to break the 1550 barrier. In this case, a tutor works with you on the exact types of problems and strategy issues that are troubling you. This targeted focus on specific problems and strategies can help you bolster your test scores in a few lessons.
Apathetic students make up perhaps the largest category. You might find test preparation boring and generally refuse to study (at least as much as you should). By engaging your interest from new angles, a tutor provides the structured guidance necessary to help you increase your scores in the shortest amount of time. I prefer to view these tests as more of a logic game than a pure review of knowledge. For students who are bored with preparation, a tutor will help design a custom course that focuses on key test-taking strategies, making the test easier to beat and more interesting. As needed, the tutor will focus on major pain points in subject-specific knowledge. Overall, this increases the likelihood that you will actually prepare for the test, reduces the amount of time needed for preparation, and results in higher test scores.
Curriculum-deficient students struggle on the test because they have not learned all of the subject-specific knowledge required to excel. As English and math departments across the country have begun to shift focus away from the fundamentals, I have noticed an increasing number of students who have not covered key topics. If you fall into this category, a tutor will analyze the writing and math topics that you are missing and will work together with you to build a tailored course. Identifying the relevant knowledge gaps and focusing review on deficient topic areas yields direct results in score improvements.
While students can fall into a combination of these categories, identifying their main pain points on the test is the first step to success. Although students often exhibit traits from each category, I prefer to examine each learning style separately. This allows me to hone in on the direct causes for each missed question in a student’s test, helping them to find permanent solutions and improve future scores. If you (or your student) are struggling to achieve your desired score on the SAT or the ACT, I strongly recommend reaching out to discuss building a preparation course customized to your test-taking needs.
