By junior year, most high school students have been told that they need to ace their standardized tests in order to get into college. But what does acing it really mean? We have the answer. Your child can use this step-by-step guide in order to create a personalized ACT or SAT goal score. This way, they will know precisely when they have hit the mark. Make a list of prospective schools Every university has their own requirements. Make a spreadsheet of every school your student plans to apply to attend. Be sure to include safety schools, dream schools and reach schools. Nothing is off limits–think broadly here! Find the average ACT/SAT scores of admitted students You can use the College Board database to figure out average test scores for current students. While not all universities report these statistics, a great many do so on College Board. Search for a school’s name, and under the “Applying” heading you will find a tab labeled “SAT and ACT Scores.” Look for the score range that contains the largest percentage of students, and input the low and high thresholds of that range into your spreadsheet. Calculate your goal score This is it: the moment you have awaited! Find your child’s goal ACT or SAT score by calculating the average of all the low-threshold scores, and the average for the high-threshold scores. For example, if Harvard College’s SAT threshold is 1460-1590 and Yale’s is 1420-1590, then you will average the low end of the range ((1460 + 1420)/2 = 1440), and the high end of the range ((1590 + 1590)/2 = 1590), separately. Do this for all schools on the master list. In the end, you will have a score range that takes into account the expectations from your student’s college application list, instead of just an arbitrary number. In the example given, the goal SAT score range to apply to Harvard and Yale is 1440-1590. Calculating a personalized goal score helps provide a metric during test prep time. By keeping in mind the requirements needed to be a competitive college candidate, your child is more likely to meet their goals. Once they earn the score and get admitted, you all can celebrate the victory!
Regardless of whether your child attends elementary school or university, studying remains an essential part of academic life. Often, the month of October ushers in a period of midterm assessments. Students might juggle oral exams, written tests and essays. Take advantage of a few study tips we have compiled to make midterms go more smoothly. Restrict Notes to One Page per Chapter – This prevents students from compiling pages upon pages of notes that they will never have the time to review. By restricting the available space, students distill notes to only the most pertinent information. Color Code Common Themes – Particularly for history and literature courses, identifying recurring themes is crucial. Assign colors to majors ideas the teacher explores in class, and continue this colorful annotation in the reading and notes. When it comes time to study, similar themes will be grouped in advance, making for associative learning. Don’t Go Crazy with Highlighters – Many students go overboard with highlighting. Efficient studying focuses only on the key information, and uses notes to help with details. If your student has a tendency to highlight everywhere, suggest that highlighter only be used for a specific type of detail, i.e. historic dates or vocabulary words. Mark Deadlines – Write down upcoming deadlines for every major assignment. Then, plot out which will require the most time to complete. Next, identify what assignments prove most challenging. Prioritize based on deadlines and difficulty and write out a plan of execution. Tiny, Daily Chunks of Study Time – Cramming can be effective for passing a test, but it is not good for retention. This means that when final exams roll around, knowledge may be forgotten. Instead, commit 20 minutes of study time to each subject, everyday. So, if your child has 6 classes, their total study time would be 2 hours. Break up these 2 hours into study chunks. Perhaps try an hour directly after school and an hour before bed. You decide what is more manageable. Talk It Out – True mastery means being able to teach the material. Have your student teach you the concepts that they are learning. And remember to set a time limit. Ideally, they feel confident enough about their material to recite the lessons at a conversational pace. Take note of concepts on which they flounder, those need more study time. Studying is a very personal activity, and no single solution suits everyone equally. If you find that one of these tips works better than another, embrace that! With the multitude of learning styles, variety equals healthy study habits. As long as your child can master their information in an efficient amount of time, midterms season should be a cinch.
