SAT AND ACT IMPROVEMENT: PSAT/SAT/ACT BLUES AND GOOD NEWS By Dr. Wayne Adams
About this time each year, I receive many calls from parents and students about what I call the “PSAT/SAT/ ACT Blues”. The cause is that a strong student, often in IB, multiple AP classes, or dual enrolled, did not score at the level expected on the PSAT, SAT, OR ACT in October. The inevitable questions are “Why”, and “What can we do about it?” THREE MAJOR REASONS STRONG STUDENTS DON’T SCORE WELL In my experience tutoring SAT and ACT over the years, there are three major reasons. Reason #1: Most high school students lack key fundamentals such as having
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had phonics, grammar, “recall” vocabulary, critical thinking, and the mathematics needed to do well on these exams. Without the ability to pronounce words, students avoid them or forget the definitions quickly. Most students cannot write a topic sentence, support an argument logically with reasons other than personal experience, and often are not able to correctly use basic punctuation such as commas and semicolons. Reason #2: Educational directions in most high schools do not match what is required to do well on the SAT and ACT. Pre-calculus, most geometry, and most algebra courses poorly prepare for these exams. Recently, I tutored a 7th grader who had
not had algebra or geometry. His baseline score as we started was 375. When he took the actual ACT exam, he scored very close to a 600 in math. Writing essays in high school are often an exercise in how long a sentence or a paragraph can be, thinking this shows academic achievement. In fact, it shows an inability to focus thoughts, to structure a clear argument, to use topic sentences supported by logical and memorable sentences, and to build a coherent conclusion that leaves a reader wanting “more”. Yet this is what is required for the SAT and ACT essays. Reason #3: Most Prep Classes in high school are woefully inadequate. Recently, I learned that a leading private
high school used the worst SAT prep book on the market today and the students were bored to death. In other words, prep classes are seen as “fluff” breaks between the real “academic” work at school … yet the SAT and ACT results often have more impact on students’ future (admissions and scholarships) than most classes in high school. WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT The Good News: I consistently find that students respond incredibly well and improve when they become both teacher and student as in a college seminar at the junior or senior level where I am their coach. My role is to quickly help them determine where they need to work
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