All high school students are familiar with the pressure to get a good ACT or SAT score for better college opportunities. While these standardized tests are certainly not the only factor in college applications, the exams can open more doors if test-takers score well. Test-takers can use certain techniques that might reduce the difficulty and stress of the SAT and ACT and improve results.

Uncertainty in specific academic areas, limited time, confusion regarding the meaning of questions, or small errors, generally cause the most mistakes. To avoid the first mistake, it is vital that testees review questions they got wrong while studying. One of the best ways to study uncertainty in math problems is redoing the question and studying how and why the question you chose is wrong. Go back to the foundation of the concept and build from there to understand the principles of the problem. Khan Academy has amazing instructional videos and examples to use.

One useful strategy for the SAT and ACT is the process of elimination. This may be the most helpful tool since there are a great number of multiple choice problems. In addition, focusing on eliminating the choices rather than debating why all of them may be correct corresponds with the elimination technique. This mindset guides test-takers to focus on one correct answer. Another piece of advice would be to ensure that examinees eliminate questions for particular, accurate reasons that they are certain of. It is crucial that testees do not eliminate the answers without a genuine reason to.

Questions on the SAT and ACT, especially on the reading and writing sections, may have options that seem opinionated. Those answers are most likely incorrect. All answers should be supported by evidence that you can directly pull out. If not, then there must be a better answer within the options.

For the math section, it is best that you understand the foundations of math and the basics of the content. If test-takers do not understand the very root of math, the amount of practice they have with the problems will be superfluous. Testees need to understand why they are doing particular steps in math. They should be capable of explaining how and why to solve the problem. Once testees understand the content, the last hurdle is small, careless mistakes in the work. Due to the time limit, it is helpful to process which parts of the question are most necessary and memorize the formulas to save time going back and forth for formulas.

For essay writing, examinees should memorize the grammar rules so that they don’t do worse for silly mistakes that can be prevented. Moreover, grammar questions have a more straightforward answer, so you generally only need a few sentences to reinforce and support the answer. However, the ACT and SAT include a myriad of questions, not just grammar problems. In cases with a less direct answer, comprehending the entire passage is key. Memorizing grammar rules allows testees to eliminate answers by the grammatical accuracy of the options. For example, examinees should pick the most concise and grammatically correct answer.