Learning Center
Education insight for parents
To test or not to test Taking the SAT and ACT in a student’s junior year offers the most flexibility
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unior year of high school can be very busy: Academics ramp up, students may take on leadership roles in extracurricular activities, and then there’s the college admissions process. It may be tempting to push off college admissions tests — the SAT or ACT — but there are several reasons why it makes sense for your teen to complete the test in his or her junior year of high school. Here’s why: ACADEMIC READINESS. “Spring of your junior year is the optimal time to take the SAT or ACT. By then, most everyone will have a firm foundation in the math subjects covered by the SAT
and ACT. Also, by junior year, ent times of the year, how many your student will have encountimes you intend to take the tered some of the rigorous read- SAT/ACT, and the list goes on. ing passages to develop higher Some students use the summer level critical thinking before their junior year to skills,” says Anathea gear up for the exams, Simpkins, direcbut most start prep by tor of product in the winter for management at a spring exam. Sylvan LearnGearing up for ing, a tutoring the exam can and test prep take many forms, company. but many take some kind of test PREP TIME. preparation course. How much prep you These classes provide practice do for the SAT or ACT detests, study tips and individualpends on many factors – your ized assessments. Once the stugoal score, your score without dent knows their strengths and prep, how many hours you are weaknesses, they know where to willing to devote to prep per focus their time, so that they can week, what your sport/club/ maximize their scores. activity schedule is at differ-
Patrick McNamara
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HOW TO PREP. Whether or not a student prepares for the SAT or ACT is a personal decision. The SAT and ACT tests are very different than typical high school tests, and like any other test, if you prepare, the odds of achieving a higher score are improved. There are many prep options available. Khan Academy is a free online option with SAT prep materials. There are also many SAT/ACT prep books for sale. These two options work for students who are good self-learners and can stay on an independent study schedule. For many high school students with demanding schedules, independent study will very often result in a failure to prepare sufficiently, so there are many
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