1) How to Easily Increase Your Test Score
Keep in mind that the SAT and ACT are games. Just as in playing chess, baseball, tennis, or any other game or sport, those who know how the game is played have a huge advantage over those who are ignorant of the game’s idiosyncratic rules.
2) Take realistic practice tests
3) Recognize the ascending order of difficulty
SAT and ACT math questions become more difficult as you go
through each section. If you are nearing the end of a section
and find that you cannot figure out the last few questions,
don’t waste your time trying to answer them. Your time will be
better spent reviewing your answers to the questions in the
beginning and middle of the section. Keep in mind that all the
questions are weighted the same. You won’t get extra points for
answering the hardest questions. Furthermore, a few blank
answers will not make a material impact on your score.
4) Read the questions carefully
5) Avoid random guessing in the multiple choice
sections
The SAT’s scoring formula has been “tweaked” to penalize you for
incorrect answers. As a result, you will not be aided by random
guessing. You lose more points for answering a question
incorrectly than you do for not answering it at all. As a
result, you will not be aided by random guessing. If you have
absolutely no idea what the correct answer is to a question, we
suggest that you simply skip it and move on. The only exception
to this rule is when you face a problem solving question that
requires you to write in an answer. In that case, obviously, you
don’t have a set of answer choices to give you a clue as to the
correct solution. All you can do is solve the problem to the
best of your ability and write in your answer.
6) Eliminate the deliberately deceptive wrong
choices
With practice, you should begin to recognize how the SAT and the
ACT present deliberately deceptive incorrect answer choices.
There are several common patterns here that will begin to become
apparent as you proceed through your preparation.
7) Practice, Practice, Practice !!
As we stated at the top of this page, there are tips and techniques to taking the SAT and ACT that will raise your overall score significantly. As a result, these are tests that you can prepare for – despite what the test-makers state. We strongly encourage you to takepractice tests that use actual questions from previous exams, as we have detected a material difference in the quality of the test questions prepared by the test writers and those written by the test prep companies. Finally, while we believe every test taker will benefit by reviewing each SAT or ACT exam section, we encourage you to spend the most time studying and practicing questions in your weakest subject area. This will provide you with the most efficient use of your test-prep time. Our Thoughts on Retaking the SAT or ACT Obviously, it will be in your best interest to do your best on the SAT and ACT the first time you take it. If, however, you believe your test score is not indicative of your best ability, it will generally not hurt you to retake this important exam. Most colleges will only look at your highest test score. Many of the admissions officers we know will even be favorably impressed if you show an improvement in your test scores.