Although the answers will vary considerably depending on the particular student and family in question, most students should plan to spend at least one year thoughtfully and diligently preparing to take the ACT/SAT.
Whether one's plan involves hiring an coach, taking a course, or utilizing commercial prep books, three essential ingredients combine to enable successful performance on standardized tests like the ACT/SAT: subject knowledge, strategy knowledge, and test taking practice. Each one of these factors plays a crucial role in maximizing a given student's score, the ultimate goal of any prep plan. Without sufficient development in all elements of this triad, maximum performance is unlikely to be achieved.
To do very well on the ACT/SAT, it's (of course) essential to be academically strong and know as much as possible about the particular content tested on each of these important assessments! Superior subject knowledge and basic skills, however, require years of disciplined effort and excellent classroom instruction to obtain; they simply cannot be acquired or noticeably improved any other way, certainly not in the short run. The only way to strengthen this element of the triad is to take challenging classes and work hard in school over the long term.
Knowledge of effective test taking strategy, on the other hand, can have a dramatic positive effect on students' test scores and be very quickly learned and trained (in hours, rather than years). Many unfortunate students receive artificially low scores on the SAT that give an unfairly negative impression of their academic abilities – not because they aren't capable students, but simply because they don't know how to correctly approach and take standardized tests! Without realizing it, these students make fundamental strategic errors that have a disastrous effect on their scores. Fortunately, it is possible in a short period of time to “learn the ropes” of standardized test taking, for students to adopt simple, powerfully effective test taking strategies and learn simple skills that allow them to maximize their performance on test like the ACT/SAT. This “strategic approach” enables students to make the most of the knowledge and skills they already have, and can mean the difference between disappointing scores and real success. Utilizing the "strategic approach" is the only feasible way for most students to quickly impact ACT/SAT scores in a meaningful way, and hiring an experienced academic coach who specializes in teaching the strategic approach to ACT/SAT prep is the best way to ensure the success of any test prep plan.
The third key element in the triad is perhaps most important. One would never take piano lessons without practicing at home and expect to become a much better piano player. Likewise, students with advanced subject knowledge and strategic skill who nevertheless fail to practice run a high risk of falling short of their maximum potential score. Practice is the most critical factor in predicting large score improvements on tests like the ACT/SAT. There's just no way around it – substantial score improvement requires lots of practice! The long-term plans I recommend allow students sufficient time to be thoroughly trained in test taking strategy, take plenty of timed and untimed practice tests, and fully critique their practice work – and thereby maximize the odds of obtaining optimal test scores.
Just as an athlete always warms up before a sporting contest to ensure his body is primed and ready to function at maximum strength and efficiency, it is critical for academic competitors to "warm up" before any important testing experience. No serious musician would consider hitting the stage without first warming up her fingers and reviewing the music to be performed; so too must the ACT/SAT student awaken and warm up her test-taking "muscles" before each test rehearsal or performance to guarantee the best possible results. For at least 10-20 minutes immediately before dong any SAT practice test (30 minutes before any actual SAT test), students should diligently review all notes and earlier practice work, and intently visualize themselves putting to work all they've learned in the upcoming test they're about to take.
Taking practice tests at regular intervals (say, once each month) over a long period of time (at least several months), mastering and implementing the strategic approach, and carefully scoring, critiquing, tracking, and reviewing practice work is the best way to optimize scores on the standardized tests. Though it's possible to implement a successful plan that comprises only three or four weeks'' preparation, such a tight time frame makes it that much harder for most students to fit critically important practice testing into their already full schedules. Generally, it just doesn't happen – and without sufficient practice, students lack the experience needed to ensure the best possible result, and normally fall short of their goals.
Still, some preparation is much better than none! Some students will see remarkable improvement in test scores in just a few weeks by combining quality test coaching (emphasizing the strategic approach) with as much practice as time allows. While not as effective as the long-term approach I advocate, medium or short-term prep heavily focused on the most important test taking strategies, some carefully critiqued practice testing, and disciplined review can nonetheless lead to very pleasing results.
(Click here to go to Part 2.)
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