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It is time to wrap up this series, and reveal an important truth. Like most of life, there are no shortcuts that effortlessly lead to the results you want, unless your standards are really low. Simply reading this series is not enough. Success takes hard work. The more these strategies are applied and practiced, the more effective they are. Armed with the tips and knowledge from this series, a diligent person can strategically apply them into a winning routine.
We end with a suggested course of action. I present it in an idealized format. While this might yield the best results, the key thing is learning and applying the tips and strategies often.
Start with a precise goal, which in this case, is a certain test score. Research has shown that making an explicit, precise goal increases the odds of improvement. It even helps more to have the goal written.
Next, establish the amount of practice time available prior to taking the test. Depending on the amount of improvement sought, it may require a year or two. Ten weeks is typically adequate for a realistic goal, and even 5-7 weeks will do for most.
We will go with a 10 week example. To start the first week, administer a practice test and score it. Make sure this test is a released test that mimics the test to be taken as closely as possible. Make sure it takes the same amount of time. Make the conditions as similar to the actual test as possible. In other words, if the real test will be given on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. and it will consist of 6 30 minute sessions with a 20 minute break after session 4, take your practice Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. with the same 30 minute sessions and break, if possible.
While perfectly mimicking the testing experience is optimal, it is better to take the practice test at 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon on Tuesday if that is the only time available, than to not take it at all if your Saturdays are hopelessly booked up. Just remember that the optimal preparation is to create as similar an experience as the actual test as possible.
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Once the test is scored, compare the score to your goal. This will determine the next course of action. If your goal was a 520, how many more questions would you need to get correct to achieve that score? Throughout the various sections of the test, were you on pace to achieve the 520 score? Were there any particular areas where you struggled?
Look for those sections and questions where you did well and where you did not do well. As you have guessed, taking and scoring a practice test in a meaningful way requires becoming quite familiar with the test—a key strategy. Understanding and calculating a score also requires substantial knowledge of the test specifications. These are important things that will lead to better test scores.
Start working on the areas indicated as weaknesses. Practice applying the steps presented in the series. See what the correct answer choices are and learn why they are correct. Just as importantly, go over the correct answers and learn what is wrong with the wrong options.
In two weeks, take another test. Review your results and go over the same process. In a short amount of time, you will see if you are able to accomplish your goal or not. Invariably, test takers make the mistake of allocating too little time to achieve their goal. If your goal of 700 on the Math SAT seems out of reach because you are only scoring 540 on your fifth practice test, you will need more time. By starting early, you will have plenty of time to review the math content and practice, practice, practice.
Some people might like to adjust this routine. For them, taking a test every week is better than every 2 weeks. I think it simply is up to the individual and their time commitments. If you have plenty of time to complete all of the work in one week, that is ideal. I have found that for full time students, this is unrealistic except in the summers.
If you do enough practice tests and go over the solutions with a skilled teacher, you will begin to recognize the test. On the day of the test, you will be so familiar with the test that you will not only know the answers, but you will know why the test maker put in the other answer choices to distract test takers. The biggest test prep companies in the country are so confident that if you follow their program you will achieve your goals that they offer a money back guarantee.
If you see that you are not improving, something is wrong. In most cases, the problem is not familiarity with a question type but a lack of content knowledge. This content knowledge can be gained but it will take time and practice. Like many a golfer who is trying to relearn how to swing a club properly, sometimes performance will decrease as you learn a new way. Over time, performance will outstrip the past, flawed swing, but it might take a little time and many repetitions.
The bottom line is anyone can ace a standardized test. All it takes is knowledge of how tests are created and practicing the test taking strategies that flow from the precepts of how standardized tests are created. I have helped self-proclaimed “test phobics”, “bad test takers”, “bad students”- you name it. Anyone and everyone who was willing to put in the work was able to achieve their goal score.
Decades of experience suggest that a skilled guide can help. One reason to sign up for a class or a private tutor is that few people have the self-discipline to take the time to research and learn all about test specifications. If you do not know the test, it is hard to practice purposefully and efficiently. If having a class or a tutor increases the likelihood that a student will take preparation seriously, then I cannot recommend it highly enough. A skilled guide (all of the national test preparation companies have highly skilled specialists) can be particularly helpful if the test taker is trying to do everything right, but the scores are not climbing commensurately.
Learning to ace a test is a set of skills that can be mastered and applied to many different situations. The favorite test taker in your life can benefit greatly by following the tips and strategies outlined in this series. Feel free to email your questions to WestwoodInAMinute@gmail.com, and I will respond to them.
Eric Wright is a longtime educator who has helped improve many of his students' test scores. If you found this article interesting or helpful, please consider supporting local news by subscribing to Westwood Minute's free daily email newsletter. Just click the blue "Sign Up" button below.
