I have taken the SAT, the PSAT, and the MoGEA (Missouri's version of the SAT), but I know enough about the ACT to give some helpful information about that. I have also taken and passed the Biology CLEP test (and failed my first attempt- so I know how to recover from a major test fail, too).
1. What to Study
- Know Your Resources
Check with your school or library to find out if they have any study books or practice tests available. Companies like CLEP sell books that contain practice examples. Some third-party sources make great resource books that also have practice tests in the back.
- Use Google & YouTube
There are so many free resources, even if one of them will not have all of the information you need. Sometimes you need to do some digging of your own to find the answers to the questions you have.
- Practice Tests
These might be worth paying for. Or, again, there are so many free resources that you can use if you take the time to scout out good free online resources. Sometimes you can find some SAT or ACT prep books at a library or check to see if your school has a copy that you can borrow.
2. What to Prepare
- Have Good Test Taking Strategies
Know what you want to spend time on. If you don't know a question, is it better for you to get it figured out or to skip it? Time yourself- how long does it take you to answer each question on average? Will you have a go-to letter that you will choose if you don't know? Does it help to flag your questions to come back to them later?
-Information Online
For example, I took a MEGA (which is a test that the state of Missouri has for college students who are trying to become teachers) and on their website they had a PDF of many standards and sub-standards that would be featured on the test. These gave me specific areas of what I needed to study for.
- The Red Light, Yellow Light, Green Light Method
My favorite method to study for a test is the stoplight method. If I have something such as the standards breakdown or a completed practice test, or even work from the unit that I am preparing for, I will look through the materials and identify what I already knew really well, what I kind of remembered learning about and knew the answers to, and what I struggled with or did not remember at all. Especially if time is not on my side, I would focus on studying the "red light" areas first- what I did not remember at all. Once those become yellow or green lights, then I will work on the "yellow light" section, including the areas that became yellow from being in the red section. The goal is that everything becomes a green light, and even then, it should all be reviewed so you can feel even more confident on it before you begin the test.
- Test Taking Strategies
Should you always choose the answer "C" when in doubt? Should you read through all of the questions first? Do you get points taken off for guessing an answer wrong? Understand how the test is set up and any test-taking strategies that a book or resource gives you. I don't think that there is always a go-to most common letter to choose if it is multiple choice. But I do know that if you can rule out one or two options, having a 50/50 chance is always better than a 25/75 chance.
3. What to do the Night Before
- Sleep Well
- Don't Study
- Prepare & Pack
- Know Where You Are Going
4. What to do the Day of
- Wake Up Reasonably
- Eat Healthy
- Go Through Checklist
5. What to do While Waiting for Scores
- Celebrate
- Write Down What You Remember
The number of times that I finish a test and then go home and Google part of a question I remember at this point is uncountable. It has happened so many times, that it is second nature. I wish I could take notes out of a testing site, but I know why I cannot do so. However, it does not stop me from wanting to still learn. Especially if I am sure I got it wrong, I want to remember the question, but also remember as many answers as I can. There have been times where that information sticks in my brain more because I spent time memorizing it and looking it up of my own free will. So, if I have to take the test again, hopefully I will not need to re-study that piece of information.
