ACT Test Prep: Stop Calling Yourself a "Bad Test-Taker"
You’ve probably heard of the straight A, 4.0 student that doesn’t do so great on the ACT or the SAT. The student is clearly smart — their GPA and high-level course selection proves that. So why do they do poorly on standardized tests? We tend to label this type of student a “bad test-taker” and leave it at that. Well, here’s the truth: there’s no such thing as a bad test-taker, and you’d be smart to stop believing that there is. Here’s why…
Why the ACT is Stressful
The ACT is an important standardized exam that students send off to colleges who then evaluate them and determine if they will be a good fit to attend their school. That makes the ACT a high-stakes exam. The ACT isn’t meant to be easy — it’s meant to give colleges an idea of whether a student will excel academically at the college level and to what level of college academics.
Yet, oftentimes there is little discussion or information about the ACT prior to a practice test. Most schools in the midwest now offer a school day during which high school sophomores or juniors will take a Pre-ACT test or a real ACT test. This is a great resource for both students and parents. By providing this test at school, students and parents are guided through the confusing process, provided with information regarding registration, and more. But what often is lacking is adequate preparation or access to preparation.
We already noted that the ACT is a high-stakes exam. With that fact inevitably comes stress. It’s totally normal for students to feel increased levels of anxiety over the ACT, the same way they probably would feel more stressed out about a final exam that’s worth half their grade or a midterm paper that they have to present to a class. There’s clearly a weight put on these items of more importance, and there is no question about the importance of the ACT. Don’t get us wrong — schools will evaluate a student’s college application in full, taking care to review and consider all aspects, such as GPA, writing samples, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, and more. But the ACT has one key importance that makes it significant: it’s the same for everyone everywhere. School A may grade a little more harshly than School B, and Student A might have a 3.8 GPA because their teachers are more lenient, whereas Student B might have a 3.2 GPA but ultimately be more adequately prepared to excel at the college level. For this reason, it’s important for colleges and universities to have a way to compare the applicants that they are receiving. Now, many schools have gone test OPTIONAL, but just because the ACT is optional doesn’t mean you should disregard it altogether.
Anyway, the point is that the ACT is stressful, and that’s normal! Many students who claim to be “bad testers” are simply overly anxious about the exam, making them unable to perform to their full potential.
How to overcome ACT Test Anxiety
So what do you do when students are stressed out and anxious about an important exam like the ACT? The answer is simple: you PREPARE.
Think about it. Students sit in class and learn about a certain concept for several days and several hours, complete multiple homework assignments including practice problems and readings, and take quizzes, ask the teacher questions, and more before they ever take a test on a topic at school. So why do students get thrown into tests like the ACT without any preparation whatsoever? The same thorough process that’s used for concepts at school should be used for ACT test prep.
Students who put in the effort and time to prepare for the ACT will see progress in their scores. This is a test that anyone can do well on if they take the time to prepare because there’s no such thing as a naturally bad test-taker.
What do exist are students who are more anxious than others. These are the students that struggle with test anxiety affecting their ability to perform well on exams. Studies have found that students who say they struggle with test anxiety are also the students who make sure to over-prepare for important exams at school, who rehearse countless times prior to presentations, etc. The reason for this preparation is to ensure that things go smoothly and to lessen their overall anxiety toward a given thing.
What does adequate preparation look like?
First and foremost, adequate ACT test prep takes TIME. Think of all of the classes and activities and sports that students explore. Each one has a consistent schedule. Maybe soccer practice happens five days a week for two hours each day and karate class is every Wednesday for three hours. The required schedule for each student is unique. It’s important to take some key factors into consideration when determining an effective ACT test prep schedule for a particular student. Consider the following:
How much progress is the student trying to make? How many points increase do they need?
What does the student’s schedule currently look like? Consider school, sports, jobs, other activities. When will be a smart time for them to take the ACT? When will they have an easy time adding test prep to their busy schedule?
What year is the student? How much time do they have before it’s too late?
The student who is trying to increase their score by 8 points is going to need to spend a lot more time on test prep than the student who is only looking for the 2-point jump. Each situation is unique, so students need to assess their starting point and their goal and create a realistic plan.
Similarly, the type of ACT test prep should be individualized as well. Some students will prefer independent test prep using books and videos, while others will need one-on-one tutoring support to reach their ACT score goal. There are so many different ways to increase a student’s knowledge of the ACT:
ACT Textbook
Online courses and videos
Practice tests
Classes through school
Private group classes
Individualized, one-on-one tutoring
The test prep options above are ordered from least individualized to most individualized. Some students will need no more than to peruse a couple ACT books and watch a few YouTube videos. It all goes back to student goals and the difference between a student’s baseline and their goal score.
For students hoping to make small improvements of 1-2 points, it’s very possible that independent preparation will suffice. However, for students looking to make larger jumps, more individualized test prep sees more results. Similarly, students who are aiming for very high scores in the 30’s generally require individualized prep, as well, even if they only are trying to earn an extra point or two. The reason for this is that, in order to score in the 30’s on all four sections of the ACT, you really CAN’T get very many questions wrong. Being able to answer almost all questions correctly is a difficult task. That’s where an expert tutor comes in: a tutor can help identify student weaknesses and pinpoint areas that need increased practice, as well as identify strategies that may help the student be more efficient or move more quickly through the test.
At The Prepared Student, we take a three-pronged approach to test prep so that students are fully prepared to test to their full potential on test day. We acknowledge that there is more to doing well on a standardized exam like the ACT than simply learning and reviewing the content tested. There are also things to consider like time constraints and the overall pace of the student and their confidence level and overall stressors.
Why should I not call myself a bad test-taker?
The mind is a powerful thing - have you ever told a lie enough times that you start to believe it yourself? Or have you ever known someone who turned to the powers of meditation and yoga to heal an illness? This all comes back to the power of the mind.
Have you ever heard about the studies that show if you wake up in the morning and smile that you’re more likely to have a good day? That’s because you’re telling your brain that you’re happy. As soon as you call yourself a bad test-taker, you identify with that label you’ve given yourself, and you are more likely to perform accordingly. The same is true if you call yourself a messy person or a clean person - you’ll find that you behave accordingly.
Similarly, have you ever heard someone say that the first step to success is envisioning it? (Or something along these lines.) This is a prominent idea in business that you have to first believe that you are capable of something and see it happening in your future, and then you are no longer held back by your disbeliefs and can actually go and achieve it. The same is true for tests like the ACT. If I walk into the testing center with thoughts of negativity and failing the test, my brain is being flooded with negative thoughts, beliefs, and emotions about an outcome that hasn’t yet come true but probably will. In contrast, working hard mixed with positive, upbringing thoughts will help you more easily reach your goal and lessen any anxieties that you have about it.
So stop telling yourself you are a bad test-taker. Anyone can succeed on the ACT and reach their full potential, but that’s going to be incredibly difficult if you’re not opening your mind to it. Try using positive language associated with the exam. Stop yourself from making phrases and thoughts like “I don’t want to do this,” and “this is dumb.” Instead, look at the glass half full. “I can do this,” is going to set you up for more success than “I’m never going to be able to do this.” You get the idea.