The notion of acceptance in academic institutes is commonly linked to a respectable GPA, good letters of recommendations,and quality research papers. However, standardized tests such as SAT and ACT scores don’t get the attention they deserve, but they pretty much remain the major benchmark for academic acceptance.

There are three million students that take SAT each year. The importance of good scores is not only linked to the admission, but also to scoring merit based financial aid/ scholarships.

There are several ways to prepare for such tests, but the best method is to adopt a productive approach.

Steps for adopting a productive approach towards SAT prep

1.  Make a plan of action

In order to do well in practice exams, a plan of action is required. Full time student may not have time for SAT prep at institutes, but resources such as Huntington Learning center provides online prep programs in a methodological manner. The prep tests are a personalized tutoring service that allows the student to assess their challenges and weaknesses all from the comfort of their homes. The most important thing is that such tests help the students to develop a directed approach.

Students would know how many point they need to score in order to get to their desired institute. They can then work on scoring areas and improving on below par areas. The flexible schedule of online prep prevents them from comprising current studies.

2.  Adopt the Student Learning Approach

Another thing to think about with respect to scoring high on the SATs is the student’s learning approach. San Diego SAT prep classes are ideally suited to cater to this need in the sense that can evolve with the student’s learning preferences in mind.

The productivity of the student is enhanced when they do not take the test as a burden. This is ensured by the interface of the prep courses and also the interaction with the resources available to them.

The tech savvy student population can opt for apps that can help them with prep. Remember that the productivity of the student is not dependent on the kind of money that is spent on preparatory courses, but on the learning approach.

3.  Take advantage of smart learning

It is often said that there is no substitute to hard work. In the case of SAT, prep there is no alternate to smart thinking.

The most often suggested prep time is two to three months and time duration of 12-15 hours of total prep weekly. Those that have less attention spans can use smart techniques to good effect.

There are number question grids that are uploaded online and can be solved. They are graded in a very short period of time and instant feedback is provided. This is a decent way of getting ahead in less time.

Contrary to popular belief, the preparation is more about picking out trends rather than perseverance and persistence. The qualities of persistence is linked to performing in the test, but the background work has to be done with regards to which questions to expect, the past trends, examination styles, etc. 

If productive approach to SAT preparation is applied now, it is going to be very beneficial in the future. There already has been news that from next spring, seniors in nearly 200 colleges would take a SAT like assessment to provide their real value to employers. The test has been dubbed as the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), and those can do well in SATs now can definitely make the most out of CLA.

Learn more about preparing for college in our College Prep Series:

College Prep Junior Year

College Prep Senior Year