College entrance exams are certainly one of the more stressful tests a high school student will face in their young academic career. With a little knowledge and preparation, you can help your son or daughter get the best ACT or SAT score possible.
There are a variety of SAT and ACT preparatory classes available to college applicants. They range in price from affordable to exorbitant. One thing a parent must remember is that prep classes are only refresher courses. They aren’t going to magically transform your slacker son into a Harvard-bound genius.
However, they do offer good students a chance to take their skills to the next level. They are also useful for brushing up on skills that haven’t been used in awhile. If your child took geometry three years ago, chances are they would benefit from a class to help them remember theorems they learned years ago. Also, prep courses teach your son or daughter test-taking techniques and ways to handle the stress they will face before, during and after the exams.
Many college applicants get higher test scores simply because they feel more confident after taking prep classes. With classes available online and at study centers all over the country, it is important to give your child some sort of preparatory program for the SAT, even if it is just a book or flashcards. Other children taking the test will have had the opportunity to prepare by taking prep classes, and your child should have the same advantage when test day arrives.
If your college applicant doesn’t do as well as they had hoped on their first time taking the ACT or SAT exams, they can re-enroll and take the test again. Since your son or daughter will be taking the test for the second (or perhaps third) time, they will be more familiar with the process. Hopefully, this will make them feel more comfortable with the procedure and therefore score higher.
It is very important that you remind your child that the SAT and ACT are only one factor when it comes to the college applications process. They need to keep their classes challenging, their GPA’s high, and show leadership in their extracurricular activities.
Look online to find out the average SAT or ACT scores for the colleges your son or daughter wants to attend. For instance, the average SAT scores of an incoming student at Northwestern University were 702 for math, 687 for critical reading, and 670-720 for writing, according to The Princeton Review. New York University’s average scores were 660 for math, 658 for critical reading and 640-700 for writing according to the same source. Aim above the average for your son or daughter’s most selective school, and encourage your child to keep all of the other factors on their transcripts up to par.
Have your son or daughter keep taking the tests until they feel satisfied that they have achieved their personal best. Regardless of their standardized test score, let your child know that they will find the college that’s right for them.
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