LINK TO ARTICLE: https://criticalpointprep.com/whyisn...
Today we’re going to be talking about the 3 most common reasons your SAT and ACT scores might not be going up.
At this point, I’ve helped hundreds of students increase their scores on the SAT and ACT. There are a couple of main reasons why I see students struggle with improving their scores. And while these aren't all of the reasons why a student might not go up on the test, I wanted to share my thoughts with you.
REASON #1: you’re avoiding your weak spots.
This is probably the biggest reason a student’s scores don’t go up on the SAT and ACT. It sucks to focus on things you suck at. No one’s denying that. And it also feels good to focus on things you’re good at. But the whole point of test prep, or trying to improve in anything, is to improve the things you’re not good at. If you only focus on the aspects of SAT prep that you enjoy or have a natural proclivity towards, you will simply not improve as much as you can.
I have my students create a spreadsheet, and every time they get a question wrong, I have them write down what the test was, the section number, the concept being tested, and why they got it wrong. Did you not understand the concept? Did you just make a sign error when distributing? Get down all that information, and then focus on it. Get a workbook. Practice on Khan Academy. Do whatever you have to do in order to ensure you never that mistake again.
And that sounds so simple and obvious, but so many students don’t do this, and that’s why they don’t improve.
REASON #2: You’re making the test out to be a lifechanging event
Here’s the reality: the SAT and ACT might affect your future to a small extent, but it won’t dramatically change the course of your life.
It’s third on the list of college admissions factors. Number one is GPA: are you getting As, Bs, or Cs? Number two is strength of curriculum: how hard are your classes? And only at number three is SAT and ACT scores.
So to a certain extent, the caliber of school you’re eligible for has already been decided by those first two factors, GPA and strength of curriculum.
A lot of students forget that. They think the SAT is the endall beall test, and if they don’t get a good score on this test, their life will be over.
When I went to college, there were a lot kids I met the fall semester who scored a lot higher than I did—1500s on SAT and 35 on the ACT.
However, when the spring semester came around, a lot of those kids ended up dropping out. They partied way too much, and didn’t go to class.
There is so much more that goes into being successful and having a fulfilling life than getting a high score on the SAT or ACT. The point that I’m trying to make is this: I want you to get your highest scores on these tests, but when you make them out to be so important in your mind, the likelihood you’ll choke on test day is very high.
I know it’s counterintuitive, but a lot of you out there care way too much about these tests and it’s stopping you from doing your best on them.
Last thing I’ll say here is that there are tons of people who are extremely successful who never even go to college. And no, I’m not talking about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. I’m talking about average Americans who work as electricians, plumbers, or landscapers. A lot of those people work $100,000 per year or more, and there are many multimillionaires who made their wealth working ordinary jobs.
REASON #3: You’ve reached your potential.
Maybe you started at a 900 and now you’re at a 1200 or 1300, but you’re trying to go up from here and you just can’t.
I hesitated to put this on the list because I worry that a lot of students will look past reasons 1 and 2 and conclude they’ve already reached their limit. This should be the last reason you default to. I would wager only 5 to 10 percent of students whose scores aren’t improving is because of this reason.
If you were born 5 foot 1, are you ever going to be able to dunk a basketball? Doubtful. And there’s nothing wrong with that. There are loads of other talents you can have and things you can be good at. But you have to be realistic with yourself. If you think you go up 500, 600 points, it might just not be a reality.
For more weekly videos on SAT and ACT prep, like, follow, and subscribe. And if you’re looking for expert help with the SAT and ACT and you’re located in or around Wayne, PA, feel free to reach out to Critical Point Test Prep via phone at (610) 7442527 email at [email protected] or on our website at www.criticalpointprep.com . We’re always happy to help. And if you’re not around Wayne, PA, we also do interactive online tutoring with distance students.