Winter break is quickly approaching, and with it comes a respite for high schoolers. The holidays are also an opportunity for students to focus on the academic tasks that may have taken a backseat during the end of the semester.
One important consideration for juniors is how to use the coming weeks to best prepare for the SAT or ACT ahead of late winter or spring test dates. View winter break as an opportunity to set a foundation for exam preparations without other pressing distractions.
Here are three tasks to start off your SAT or ACT preparations.
[Read 10 test prep tips for SAT and ACT takers.]
1. Set clear goals for your exam performance: One way to lessen anxiety about college entrance exams is to research the scores you will need for admission to your preferred schools. Determining a target score can give you motivation and a framework for your studies.
You can use resources like U.S. News’ College Compass or the College Board’s BigFuture tool to research schools’ average SAT and ACT scores. For example, at Rice University in Texas, most fall 2016 freshmen had average ACT scores between 32 and 35. If you want to stand out as an applicant to this school, you’ll want to aim for an ACT score of 34, 35 or 36.
During the holidays, set aside a morning or afternoon to take an initial practice test and to see how close you are to your target score. Once you have scored it, ask yourself these two questions: How large of an increase do I need between practice tests and the real exam? How long do I have to review? Th ese questions will help inform your study plans and the test – prep resources you’ll use.
[Discover how students and parents can partner on SAT prep.]
2. Determine what study resources you will need: Once you’ve established your target test scores, decide which tools you will use to review for the exams.
If your practice test score is low and you’ll need to pursue an ambitious increase , or if you need near-perfect or perfect results to apply to your dream school, you may want to take advantage of customized support. A personal tutor is one form of customized support.
For others, a guidebook or series of online videos may be more than sufficient. If you have a significant score gap to close, you will likely require a minimum of eight weeks to review, while you could accomplish a smaller score increase in several weeks.
When choosing your study resources, consider your budget, learning style and timeline. A study group, for instance, may be wise for one student but a terrible choice for another, if he or she struggles to concentrate around others.
[Learn college students’ best SAT, ACT test strategies.]
3. Organize applicable class notes: The ACT and SAT are designed to measure your mastery of high school content. For example, the math sections for both exams revisit topics from arithmetic, algebra and geometry.
For this reason, your class notes from subjects like English, history, math and science can be very helpful as study tools. Over the holidays, collect and sort through your notes to separate out those that apply to the SAT or ACT.
In particular, you’ll want to be sure to review aspects like basic formulas and rules for numbers like exponents. For the reading sections, you’ll want to review any notes about annotation and comprehension.
In preparation for this, create your own key for how you will take notes on the exams. For instance, you might use different shapes — such as boxing v ers us underlining — to differentiate between various kinds of information.
You can also review grammar rules for both tests, as well as general essay tips for the writing portions. And for the ACT science section, be certain you understand the scientific method.
More from U.S. News
Transform Your PSAT Score Into an SAT Game Plan
3 SAT, ACT Considerations for Gap-Year Students
3 SAT Physics Subject Test Prep Strategies
Juniors: Use the Holidays to Make an SAT, ACT Prep Plan originally appeared on usnews.com
