Standardized tests are coming up for a lot of students. Here’s some tips from students, for students taking the ACT or SAT!

Bryce Ojeda: Come prepared and be sure to get a good night’s sleep before.

Anonymous: Sleep. Please get some sleep, I’m begging y’all.

I can’t stress this enough; sleep is incredibly important for test taking. Not only will your brain function better when you’re fully rested, but the actual test taking can be very tiring. The human body isn’t used to sitting in one place for so long, and nodding off during the SAT is the last thing you want to do. Some people may be able to get by going to sleep at 2:00 am every night, but the day before a standardized test is not the best time to do so. Bryce’s tip about coming prepared is also very important. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a proctor who will let you borrow pencils when you need them. If you’re not so lucky… well you better hope you have enough sharpened pencils. And if your calculator is rechargeable, be sure to charge it the night before.

PJ Behan: If you don’t know, always guess a consistent letter, usually C.

The first part does make sense statistically; if you guess a certain letter enough times, eventually you’ll get an answer right. Although I can’t vouch for C being the correct guess, PJ seemed pretty sure of himself- and who am I to argue?

Cate Cody: Don’t feel pressured, many schools are test optional.

With the pandemic making test taking more difficult, a lot of schools have made SAT or ACT scores optional, instead focusing holistically on participation in meaningful activities, GPA and college essays. If you know all of the schools you want to attend are test-optional, don’t let these tests overwhelm you. I’d still recommend taking them, but don’t go so far as to lose sleep  over them.

London Iken: Go to the prep classes.

June Brown: If you don’t know the answer, move on and come back to it. 

Attending the school-organized prep classes exposes you to possible types of questions on the test, as well as useful strategies for pacing. For example, if you’re struggling with a specific question, don’t spend five minutes on it; it isn’t worth it. The class will teach you to use your skills to make an educated guess. There’s no consequence for guessing. Similarly to the “just guess” strategy, if you’re having trouble with a problem, there’s no shame in skipping it, although guessing would still be to your advantage

Overall, don’t worry about the tests! You can always retake them, and there are many classes and online courses to help you out. Good luck and happy testing!