I. The ABC of the SAT/ACT exams

During the 2010 / 2011 school year, a record number of universities and colleges around the U.S. have received early admission applications. The college admission process always starts with taking either the SAT or ACT exams numerous times because students want to attain their highest possible scores. Generally, students are encouraged not to take these exams more than two or three times. The purpose of this article is to list several common strategies that will lead to your optimal SAT/ACT scores:

• Plan ahead!

Each student needs to build a timeframe for taking both exams. Most students take the exams in the spring of their junior year.

• Twice in a row!

Make sure that you have an option to take the exam again right after your first attempt. The probability of increasing your score right after your first attempt is high because all the material is fresh in your mind.

• Know the ABC of the exam!

You must know thoroughly the format and instructions for all sections of the SAT/ACT exams. Easy questions usually precede hard ones.

• Guess right!

An educated guess is the best guess. Try to eliminate wrong answers, thus increasing your chance of guessing right. Just by eliminating two wrong answers you increase your chance of guessing right by 15 percent. Remember to take an educated guess on any blank ACT question since you are not penalized for incorrect answers.

• Move Along!

Build a test-taking strategy before your first SAT/ACT attempt. Do not waste time on questions that you always get wrong. Skip them and only go back if time permits. Work at a good and confident pace.

• Look for Patterns!

Your SAT/ACT preparations should have taught you of all different patterns of questions. You have to be able to identify these patterns quickly. Trust yourself and rely on your intuition.

• Identify!

Identify easy and hard questions that you have left blank. Easy questions have easy answers.

• Calculator!

Your best friend on the exam is your calculator. Do not rush on questions, but do not spend too much time on any question.

• Practice! Practice! Practice!

Do not rely entirely on preparation classes. You should be spending at least 40 min-60 min a day in SAT/ACT practice at home.

• Rest!

Rest well the night before the exam and give it your best shot.

II. Specific Strategies for Individual Sections

1. Critical Reading- (Sentence Completion)

·        Read all choices before you make your selection

·        Unfamiliar words can be often interpreted by nearby words. Look for the context in which the word is used.

·        Try to fill in the blank with your own words even before you look at the given answer choices.

·        Words share similar prefixes, roots or suffixes. If you do not know a meaning of a word just try to relate it to a similar one.

·        In questions where you have two blank spaces try to eliminate any one word from the given answers that does not make any sense at all. This will increase your chance of guessing right.

·        Pay extra attention to words with negative implications.

2. Critical Reading- (Reading Comprehension)

·        Skim over the passage. Get the general idea of the text.

·        Your answers need to be based entirely on what is stated or implied in the passages.

·        Certain questions deal with specific lines from the passages. If you see that more of the questions are like that you don’t have to read the whole text. Just concentrate on the specific lines within the passage.

·        Memorizing details from the text will not help you.

·        The ratio of time spent on answering and time spent on reading should be 2:1

·        Take short notes while reading the text. It might help you with the general questions about the paragraphs.

·        Answer the easy questions first and then go back to the hard ones.

3. Writing Section- Essay

·        Structure of your Essay: Introduction, Body, Conclusion.

·        The Intro needs to clearly reveal your position and your main supportive arguments.

·        For every argument, try to provide at least two examples in the Body section of the essay.

·        Restate your thesis and remarks in the Conclusion

·        Do not spend more than 5 minutes thinking on the topic and plan for 5 minutes at the end to review and edit your essay.

4. Writing Section – Multiple Choice

·        Think wisely before you answer the questions

·        Most question will test your basic grammar, sentence structure, and word choice

5. Math- Grid Questions – Student Produce Response

·        There is no penalty for wrong answers in this section

·        Try not to guess unless that is your last option

·        Your answers should be always positive numbers

·        If you get (0.4444444) as an answer just fill the grid with(.444)

6. Math- Multiple Choice

·        The first questions are easier than the rest.

·        An educated guess is the best guess. Try to eliminate obvious wrong answers, thus increasing your chance of guessing right.

·        Look for shortcuts when solving the problems.

·        Try to draw diagrams/ schemes of all geometry and word problems.

·        Setting up the correct equation will always yield the right answer.

·        Pay special attention to questions which ask you to identify the WRONG answer.