There are several ways you can improve your SAT or ACT scores.  At Top Test Prep, we have improved SAT and ACT scores by isolating the following common issues: timing and test anxiety.  We’ve found ways to help you prepare for these exams and battle these major issues.

How to Improve your SAT or ACT scores:

(A) Timing: The biggest that most students have for either exams is timing.  Learning how to pace yourself for these exams is crucial.   One recommended strategy to use for the SAT and ACT exams is to take practice tests in real, timed conditions.  Often times students take “practice” SAT/ACT exams in pieces instead of in their whole parts.  First, always take the exams at the same time and day of the actual exam.  If you’re taking these SAT/ACT exams on a Saturday at 10am, I would highly encourage you to do all of your practice exams during the same time period.  In addition, if you’re having trouble keeping pace with the time allotted – usually 20 to 25 minutes for the SAT and 35 to 60 minute section on the ACT – try taking the exam under faster conditions.  Both strategies will give you an advantage over other students.

(B) Exam Anxiety: Taking these exams could be the biggest day of your life.  You are bound to be nervous and anxious to complete the exams so that you can move on to bigger and better things like college.

I would recommend you do the following before exam day to calm your test exam anxiety:  (1) Don’t try to rush your studying to the last minute.  Instead, complete your test prep studying a full day prior to exam day.  This will give you some time to relax and not worry as much.  (2)  Don’t have too much caffeine before the exam.  Drinking too much coffee might off-set your heart rate and could cause you unnecessary anxiety.  (3) On test day, if you can get up early enough, go for a quick jog in the morning.  A short 20 minute jog will get the blood flowing in your body and will allow oxygen to travel with it.  Exercise can help you perform better on the exams, and will keep you happier.

Overall, if you can conquer both SAT/ACT exam timing issues and anxiety, you’re half way through the battle of improving your test scores.  Our SAT tutors and SAT prep program can help you, as well as our ACT tutors and ACT prep programs.

Give us a call at (800) 501-PREP if you have more questions.

Best regards,

Ross Blankenship

President, Top Test Prep

Tags: ACT Prep, ACT exam, SAT Prep, SAT exam // Add Comment »

For the students out there taking the January 23 2010 SAT Exam (and the SAT overall), I would like to give a few key tips to prepare for this SAT exam.  As you probably know, the SAT exam is broken down into three parts: Writing, Math, and Reading.

In preparing for this exam, I’ll suggest one simple thing you can do for each section to get prepared.  Though there are many strategies which we use at Top Test Prep to help students, these will give you some quick tips to share with your friends.

For the SAT Writing sections:  Consider reading through the “sentence error” sections of the SAT writing and looking at the whole sentence instead of the sentence in parts.  Instead of stopping each time you read an “incorrect” error in a passage, read the entire sentence first and then assess the answer choices for the right answer.   Often times students taking the SAT exam fail to consider the sentence on the whole and instead fragment it into parts.  Our natural speech pattern recognizes errors, assuming a basic understanding of the English language.  If you do have a basic understanding on nouns, adjectives, possessives, conjunctions, articles, adverbs, etc, you will be able to read a sentence and hear it for its whole part – hopefully hearing what sounded best between the answer choices.

For the SAT Critical Reading sections: Consider looking for the author’s attitude and tone when analyzing and preparing to answer SAT critical reading questions.  Once you have read a reading passage in the SAT, go back through the passage and circle words that suggest how the author feels about a certain thing or issue.  Often times students read SAT critical reading sections and forget to look for the big picture.  Remember:  the SAT authors aren’t trying to test you on your ability to remember minute details, rather they want to make sure you can read a passage and understand the tone, rhetoric (argument), and outline of the main body.

For the SAT Math sections:  If you only have a couple weeks left to prepare for the SAT, spend time on only two key main subjects within the SAT math section like solid Geometry or coordinate Geometry and any algebra that is required to answer these SAT math/geometry questions.  Or if you have more time to prepare for the SAT, take the all-inclusive SAT math formula box, and try to develop your own questions that are applicable for the SAT math section.  After all, they say the way you know a problem or issue best is if you can explain it to others.   Try these questions which you have developed, on your friends and see if your answers and methodology make sense.

I hope these SAT preparation tips help you in preparing for the SAT Exam.  At Top Test Prep, we pride ourselves in provides excellent SAT tutoring and test prep for students.  Top Test Prep also has an excellent ACT prep program as well if you are taking the ACT exam.

My best wishes for you and get in touch if you need more help improving your test scores.

Ross Blankenship

President

Top Test Prep

(800) 501-PREP

Tags: SAT Prep, SAT exam, Test Prep, private tutoring // Add Comment »