Successful math test prep rests on four pillars: skill, strategy, practice, and focus. To maximize scores, students must optimize performance in each of these domains. Nowhere is this more important than on the SAT/ACT. Of course, superior mathematical skill is required to achieve an excellent math score. This is obvious. Less well-known is the fact that mastery of key test taking strategies, implementation of a powerful practice regimen, and development of the ability to concentrate with an aggressive, razor-sharp, winning focus are often just as important.
A secure command of test material is the most fundamental prerequisite for success on the SAT/ACT. Unfortunately, improving mathematical skill is mainly a function of time. There are no shortcuts.
Years of diligent, dedicated effort inside and outside the classroom are necessary to develop “mathematical maturity,” a level of mastery at which reliable intuition starts to take hold, problem-solving abilities become potent and instinctual, and students experience math as a creative endeavor as well as an intellectual one. This is the level of
competitive mathematics.
For a number of reasons, however, the vast, overwhelming majority of students never reach mathematical maturity. and must work on building strength in the three remaining pillars in order to reach impressive levels of performance on the SAT/ACT math test.
Strategy and tactics comprise the second pillar. Correct general approach and specialized test-taking strategies enable students to correctly answer difficult multiple-choice math questions with relative ease.
In 1946, Kaplan was the first company to offer SAT test prep courses. In the 1970s, Kaplan, Gruber, and others sold early test prep books alerting students to simple techniques they could use to quickly raise scores.
In the early 1980’s, the Princeton Review became famous for challenging the College Board’s claim that its SAT test could not be hacked, that test prep could only marginally improve scores. After a number of unsuccessful lawsuits targeting the Princeton Review, and the tremendous success and growth of the test prep industry in the 1990s, the College Board finally relented and began offering test prep strategy instruction in it’s own publications.
So, yes – learning and applying testing strategies can significantly improve results. Although compensatory modifications in recent years have made the SAT harder to game, mastery and consistent use of key test-taking strategies is still the best way to rapidly improve scores on both the SAT and ACT math tests.
Practice is the next pillar. An old story illustrates its importance.
A man was lost in downtown Manhattan, late for a concert. He stopped to ask a stranger for directions. The stranger happened to be a famous violinist. The man asked, “How can I get to Carnegie Hall?” The maestro answered, “Practice, practice!”
No athletic team competes for a championship without months of grueling daily practices. No good musician performs a recital until countless hours facing the same sheet of music are clocked before the big day. No professional dancer would think of performing without first mastering the choreography through a long series of arduous practice clinics and rehearsals.
We've all heard that “practice makes perfect.” Well, not really. Practice generally leads to improvement, however, and without lots and lots of it, most students won’t be able to significantly raise their SAT/ACT math scores. Disciplined, dedicated, dynamic practice is crucial in the quest for success.
But not all practice regimens are equally effective. At least 3-5 hours a week for several months must be devoted to practice testing. It will involve sacrifice. And there are rules:
Multi-tasking isn’t allowed. Realistic test conditions and use of official practice tests are musts. No music while studying (have you ever been allowed to listen to music while taking a test?). No late night practice work, and no test taking in the car or on the plane. The mantra: practice, critique, review, repeat!
Finally, an intense (even aggressive) yet controlled state of concentration is critical to performing at one’s best. This is true of any competitive activity, whether in athletic, performing arts, or academic contexts.
Winning Focus enables students to make the most of what they already know, think quickly and creatively, and problem solve effectively. The ability to generate this state of mind at will is so important that, without it, almost nothing else matters.
Most test prep coaches endeavor to raise scores solely by improving math skills. But this approach is misguided. Except in rare cases, a one-dimensional, skills-based approach cannot and does not take the place of simultaneous instruction in all four essential areas of preparation.
Working to bolster each of the four pillars is the best way to optimize SAT/ACT math scores.
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