Prepmedians Blog

Tag: Practice

  • Should I Retake the ACT/SAT?

    Should I Retake the ACT/SAT?

    The time has finally come and your results are in. You’re scrolling through the page until BAM! there it is: your score bolded in large font. But the score you’re seeing isn’t the one you had hoped for. Now, you’re forced to make a decision and even though most students see that their scores improve substantially after their first test, retaking the test is a huge commitment in itself. And I hope that by the end of this article you will be able to determine what is best for you, and if that is retaking the exam then so be it.

    In order to answer this question of retaking the exam, you must also determine the factors beyond the opportunity cost of time and the monetary cost of the registration fee that you should weigh and the questions you should ask yourself. Let’s begin!

    Target Score?

    Figuring out your target score should be decided by the time you take the exam the first time around. Everyone’s target score will differ because it depends on the schools you’d like to apply to, your performance on practice tests, and honestly, how good you are at taking standardized tests. Determine if your current score is a fair representation of your ability and capability then move from there.

    Consider your target score, and the proximity of it to your current score when deciding to retake the exam. Ask yourself: “Do I have wiggle room? Can I surpass my current score?” For example, if your SAT score is hundreds of points away from your target score and you still intend on sending your score to the same schools, you should probably retake the exam. If it is less than fifty, reconsider how precise your target score is. Look at the average scores of the admitted students of the schools you are applying to and consider other external application factors.

    Will I Actually Improve?

    This is the question most of you want answered and is probably the reason as you decided to read this article. And I hate to tell you this, but it depends. However, I can tell you that simply retaking the exam does not guarantee improvement in your score. Consider these factors:

    Underperformance

    Just because you didn’t achieve the score you had aimed for, does not automatically equate to underperformance. One way to know if you truly underperformed on the SAT, for example, is if your score is over 100 points below your average practice test score.

    Underperformance is often synonymous with test anxiety or errors like filling in the wrong answer or reading directions incorrectly. The good thing is that these issues can be easily addressed and fixed, and in doing so, you’ll see a return to a value near your average range. To help with test anxiety, we at Prepmedians have put together a visualization exercise available for free that you can listen to so that you become more desensitized to the stress of test taking!

    Preparation

    If you didn’t study at all or as much as you should have, but you finally decide to apply yourself you will see a much larger improvement between test administrations. Therefore, if you decided to apply yourself using a service like Prepmedians the second time around, you will see large improvements in your scores. Between my first and second attempt, my parents and I decided to invest in proper preparation for the exam and that was when my best composite score came.

    Attempts

    How many times have you taken the test so far? We all know the saying “first is the worst, second is the best…” and generally speaking, this applies to standardized tests as well. The average student’s greatest score increase happens the second time they take the exam. However, this is not to say that your score won’t keep increasing after a second attempt. Most students continue to experience score improvement, but the gains are far less significant compared to that of the second exam. If you read my last article, you probably remember that I said I took the ACT five times. Well, my score didn’t keep improving after each time I took it. At some points, I dropped lower than my initial score and at others I remained stagnant. Out of all the times I did take the ACT, my best composite score was from both my second and fourth test. Just let that sink in for a moment.

    What’s the Verdict?

    I suggest that you definitely consider retaking the exam at least one more time considering the factors that I’ve stated above. Why? Because essentially you are taking advantage of capitalizing off the score improvement that is associated with a second exam attempt. That’s just my opinion, but ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what is best for your situation. Whatever your decision may be, just remember to believe in yourself because we at Prepmedians certainly do!

  • The Clock Never Stops Ticking

    The Clock Never Stops Ticking

    If you’re anything like me when I was in high school, you reign supreme in procrastination nation. If there’s a class called “Procrastination 101,” you’d ace it easily, and the concept of time management is completely foreign to you. But time management isn’t what it is perceived to be — it has nothing to do with managing time. Why? Because you can’t actually manage time, can you? Time is ineluctable. The grains of sand fall and time marches on whether you like it or not. Therefore, “time management” is simply behavior management, and it’s about managing your productivity within the time you’re given.

    ACT Pacing and Time Management Strategies

    The ACT is an oxymoron in itself; it’s both a road trip AND a ride around the corner to the gas station – it’s a long test that one must move through very quickly. The ACT tests more than your knowledge. The exam is also a measure of your performance under pressure and, essentially, the implementation of the test-taking strategies you practiced. Let’s go through some strategies that will help you tackle the ACT without running out of time!

    Strategy 1: Budget Your Time

    I suggest getting an old-fashioned watch to help you keep track of your pacing, without the added cost of constantly looking up and calculating how many minutes you have left. When practicing for the exam, divide each of the tests into groups of problems. This way, you’ll know the proper amount of time that should be allotted to every type of problem on every page for each section. And if you can’t finish within that allotted amount of time, remember to keep moving because you may be able to come back to it later.

    Strategy 2: Know the Format for Every Test

    Always keep track of the amount of questions you have left! Luckily, the number of questions per section never changes, so practice with the format in mind. The number of questions per section is as follows:

    • The ACT English Test has 75 test questions.
    • The ACT Math Test has 60 questions.
    • The ACT Reading Test has 40 test questions.
    • The ACT Science Test has 40 test questions.

    This is all discussed in Alan’s article on the ACT test breakdown. Check it out here!

    Strategy 3: Easy Questions

    Don’t rush through the first half of each section. Instead, move quickly through the easy questions to save time for the harder questions at the end. You can also try skimming through the test, only stopping to do problems you are 100% certain on.

    Either way, you are choosing a method that leaves you more time to work on the harder problems. However, this does not guarantee that you’ll get to every single problem.

    Strategy 4: Answer ALL Questions

    Don’t let a few hard questions ruin your chance to finish all of them because you refused to “give up” on them! Remember that there’s no wrong answer penalty on the ACT test, so when it’s coming down to the wire and you have to answer the last couple of questions, always bubble in an answer. When I was in grade school, everyone would tell you to guess “C” for questions you didn’t know the answer to or questions you didn’t have the time to answer. However, it’s NOT true that always choosing C will give you a better rate of success when blind guessing because ACT answer keys are completely computer generated and randomized. The best strategy is to pick your favorite letter and stick with it. Could that be the letter C? Sure, go right ahead! Just remember to choose it every single time when blind guessing. This strategy on average and over a spread, will let you maximize your overall point-gain in comparison to randomized guessing. All in all, if you’re spending around two minutes or more on a single question, it’s time to guess and move on because every point helps!

    Remember that…

    The best way to know what to expect on the test is to practice, and I can’t express that enough. Timed practice is more valuable than untimed practice, so practice, practice, practice!

    You can practice time management and learn more about the ACT by visiting our Prepmedians website and working through our modules. Have fun!