This article is courtesy of Anthony James-Green of Green Test Prep, the $1000 per hour SAT & ACT tutor. He has been seen on CNN and Fox discussing standardize test and how to prepare.
Parents and students around the country have been thrown into quite a state by the New SAT – and I don’t blame them! The College Board’s decision to switch the entire format of their test has added more stress to an already-hectic college application landscape. Fortunately, you can easily handle this transition with just a few pieces of insider knowledge:
- The New SAT is going to be almost identical to the ACT. Want to know what the New SAT is going to be like? Look no further than the ACT. The SAT is switching the format to be a near-carbon-copy of the current ACT (most likely as a reaction to the fact that the ACT is now more popular than the SAT).
- Now is your last chance to take two different tests. Once the New SAT comes into play on March of 2016, both tests will be the same. If you want to take advantage of the current disparity, figure out whether you should take the SAT or the ACT using my free guide. If the current SAT is your best test, take it by January of 2016.
- The easy solution? Just study for the ACT! If you prep for the ACT, you’ll need to make extremely slight adjustments to take the New SAT as well (if you even decide to take it). If you’re not taking your test for a while, focus on the ACT – there are proven strategies available, tons of high quality practice materials published, and you know exactly what you’re going to get. Why be a guinea pig for the College Board?
- Colleges don’t prefer either test. Colleges take the ACT and SAT just as seriously. There’s no reason to favor the SAT unless you have serious proof that you’ll get a higher comparative score, which won’t even be possible once the New SAT comes out.
- ANY student is capable of getting great ACT scores. With steady, light, consistent long-term practice, any student can get fantastic test scores. So long as you learn the material and strategy and get enough practice tests under your belt, you can set yourself apart from the competition in a big way.
The best piece of advice? Start prepping early! The sooner you get started with this process, the more successful you’ll be, the less stressful your preparation will be, and the sooner you can focus on all the other issues of your college application! Whether you use Green Test Prep, my guaranteed online ACT and SAT course, or another option, just make sure to tackle this process as early as you can. There’s no need to worry about these tests so long as you deal with them head-on!
