From your very first test prep session with a CollegePrepExpress instructor, you are trained to think of standardized test preparation as a twofold proposition: 1) study the specific material covered on the test, 2) take practice sections under test conditions (i.e., using bubble sheets, timed, etc.). Like prepping for the state championship, it’s a matter of scrimmaging (i.e., practice tests), and doing drills on what needs work (i.e., studying material you get wrong or leave blank).
In another blog post—How Much Should I Study for Standardized Tests?—I suggested that, solely from the perspective of getting into the college of your choice, you ought to treat your preparation like a really important course. Several important courses, actually, if you do the admissions math. And while it makes sense in theory to carve out a good chunk of time every day for study and practice throughout the year (as you would carve out class and homework time for regular school courses), most students choose not to take their studying seriously until the weeks or even days before D-Day. Their chances for admissions in the era of diminishing acceptance rates are slim.
The secret magic formula for standardized test preparation is simply this: Spend 30-ish minutes a day MEMORIZING material that’s covered on the exam and/or taking a practice section. Each week of implementing this magic formula, of waving this particular magic wand, will net you approximately one full practice test and 1.75 hours of learning the material that’s covered on it. It will prove as effective as Harry Potter’s Phoenix Fawkes’ tail feather core wand. Do this week after week and you will see dramatic improvement in your scores. Do this month after month, and hello Harvard (or wherever else you have your heart set on going) :-).
To turn this study routine into a cramming routine, you simply double up in the last week or two before your exam. I’d recommend doing the 30 min of memorization during the first half of your day. First thing in the morning would be terrific since a) morning is when you’ll be taking the real deal so you may as well get used to having your brain work on this stuff during the morning hours, and b) your brain likely functions at a higher level in the first half of the day than the second half, even if you think you’re a “night person.”
What exactly should you study during this half hour? Great question. 1) You should memorize (not read, not review, not glance over, not look at) our Math Review Packet and 10 Essential Writing Rules, and 2) you should flip or scroll through all the practice tests you’ve taken to date and quiz yourself on all the items you got wrong or left blank. Do you know the math facts/concepts or writing rules now? Could you get those (or similar) items right if they appeared on game day? For those items with which you continue to struggle, make flash cards or write a new, condensed set of notes. Continuously writing and then condensing your notes is a fantastic study habit to develop for college. Use Khan Academy for drilling. Why not practice new study habits for college, even as you study for college entrance exams? As a reward, you may just get the scores you always dreamed of.
Another secret to using this secret magic formula is not to think of the all the work you have to do all at once (see Slow and Steady Wins the Standardized Testing Race). Even during final-stretch cramming, think only of ONE HALF HOUR this morning (or early afternoon), and ONE HALF HOUR tonight. You can’t do tomorrow’s or the next day’s work today, so don’t waste a second thinking about it. Focus on today only. When tomorrow comes, focus on one half hour in the morning and one half hour at night. THAT is manageable.
Don’t get left behind the wave of CollegePrepExpress students who have taken up the challenge by committing to an hour-a-day regimen. Here are a couple of recent, actual emails, transcribed verbatim:
“I’ve been studying a lot …. I’ve taken a practice test and I feel like my studying has already paid off especially on the reading. It makes me eager to study more because it is so rewarding!”
“Just wanted to let you know I began my three weeks of torture. Here’s proof attached (Quizlet card stack of SAT material)…. I went over the notes on Practice Test #2 yesterday, made flash cards for the words I didn’t know now, and went over the flashcards from both tests. I also took a math section. So far so good!”
Now it’s your turn! Get to waving the magic formula wand and, if you feel like it, post your experiences by clicking Add a Comment below. If you need help keeping this magic wand at your side, we’ll be happy help put you on a program of daily to-dos, including highly condensed materials for you to master as your scores take off for the stratosphere. We have also recently launched a DESIGN YOUR OWN SAT CLASS SCHEDULE and DESIGN YOUR OWN ACT CLASS SCHEDULE, to accommodate even the busiest students. Commit NOW to a regular routine of practice and study, practice and study, practice and study—wash, rinse, repeat—and the entire application process gets a whole lot easier.