Many people ask me what’s the right way to prep for college tests.
The first thing one must recognize is what these tests are and are not.
Did you know that they are not academic tests? They are not math, English, reading, writing or science tests. In fact, there is no Biology, Chemistry or Physics on the science portion of the ACT.
So what do they test?
They test your student’s ability to solve problems under pressure, and many students–because they fail to recognize this fact–will bomb the tests because they are treating them as academic tests. Many students run out of time on the tests because they are taking them as they would a test in one of their high school classes.
Unfortunately, many prep courses train students as if they were taking an academic test. They will reteach high school. They go over grammar rules, math formulas and science concepts. Knowledge is good and helpful. But many “A” students won’t score as high as they expected because they don’t know how to do 60 math problems in 60 minutes.
Other prep courses present a few tips and tricks in an hour-long class to the masses. Realistically, how much can you possibly get out of a short one-hour class?
A final wrong way to prep for college tests is to hand students the SAT or ACT book of tests and ask them to “study hard.” Do you realize that those books are often bigger than a Physics textbook? Also if students don’t know how to approach the test properly, then they may be “studying” hard in the wrong way. I like what Vince Lombardi said, “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”
So what do we recommend to prep for college tests?
When students prep for college tests, they should train like an athlete, not like a school!
Here is our advice to students:
- Get sound counsel and advice! Don’t try to do this alone.
- Take the test early and often.
- Focus on scoring points to increase scores.
- Learn proven test-taking strategies, tactics, and techniques to help you learn to BEAT the tests!
- Use reasoning and problem-solving skills
- Figure out what types of problems you are missing and learn to apply the proper techniques to future questions.
So how about it? Is your student on the right road to scoring higher on his or her next college entrance test? If not, learn how to prep for college tests the right way and sign him or her up for one of our upcoming BEAT the tests courses.