Developing Bad Habits
As students gain academic experience, they cannot help but develop coping mechanisms or “bad habits,” which they wholly believe will enable their survival under the competitive pressure of college admissions. These behavioral patterns often serve them well…until they don’t.
For better or worse, we mimic the behavior of others, mistakenly accept bad advice as truth and obstinately cling to our ways and means of achievement even if these methods imperil our future goals. Consequently, “undoing” erroneous habits and rigid ways of thinking is essential for students to make genuine progress toward college acceptance.
It only stands to reason then that students, parents and educators alike must adopt a more adaptable and flexible attitude when approaching college entrance to ensure eventual student success.
Without Pretense or Euphemism, the ACT is a Beast of a Test
- Many tout it as “knowledge based,” when in fact the ACT requires nuanced reasoning, particularly in the Reading and English sections.
- Time is of the essence; in other words, you rarely have enough of it. In fact, students have only 35 minutes to complete 40 questions in both the Reading and Science sections, which boils down to 48 seconds per question! This barely accounts for time to read and truly comprehend the text.
- Lastly, the ACT is deceiving; in other words, it is not an honest, straightforward exam. Specifically, questions supply answer choices that contain misleading details from the passage that may be true in one context, but don’t actually answer the question at hand.
- Eliminate wrong answers before taking a stab at choosing the correct one.
Given Its Rigorous Timing and Trickery, Might the ACT Be One of Many “Bad Habits?”
- There is an abundance of costly SAT/ACT diagnostic tests, abbreviated exams that tout accurate predictions of which one is the more appropriate.
- The long and short of these magical shortcuts; they are not magic and rarely reveal an accurate picture.
- Rather, students can print a free online ACT and SAT, and complete each full length exam on their own or with a parent. Don’t forget to set the stop watch- timing is everything!
Be Willing to Confront and Accept the Frustrating Facts: The ACT is Not Your Friend
- Some college counselors and for-profit testing companies are often the perpetrators of bad advice that steer impressionable teens in the wrong direction.
- At ages as young as fourteen, some students are convinced that there’s only one way to succeed even when their testing data suggests alternative methods are necessary.
- For example, a young scholar may believe the ACT is the only route to college admittance even when he’s scoring a 16 out of 36– with guided instruction– which is an unacceptable score for any undergraduate institution.
- In actuality, the new “overhauled” SAT is usually the better test generally for one reason: more time per question.
- It’s imperative to switch gears if the ACT isn’t working and try something different!
Success Involves Many Avenues; When One Dead Ends, Follow Another
- Take both the SAT and ACT to start.
- Prep for the test with the higher score- See the Study Point Score Conversion Chart here
- If you’re scoring comparably or at roughly the same level on both, analyze which areas you’re scoring better or worse in; if the science section of the ACT is dragging you down, the ACT may not be your test.
- If you are a slower reader, the ACT is definitely not your test!
- If you’re scoring poorly on both, even with test prep, consider other options:
- Retake certain high school courses that you didn’t pass the first time around to fortify your basic English and math skills.
- Consider community college; if you perform well in your classes, you can save a boatload of cash and skip both ACT and SAT to transfer to a four-year.
- Don’t get stuck! Attempting the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome is one definition of insanity! When it’s time, move on.
To achieve college acceptance, you must first accept yourself. Unless you’re a gifted test-taker to begin with, the ACT will assuredly be a brutal, if not impossible journey.
If the ACT isn’t working, there are better choices that will reveal themselves to you if you’re mind is open and you adapt your behavior. Break some “bad habits;” turn left instead of right this time- try the SAT or junior college- or reverse course altogether and shore up basic skills before moving forward.
You will arrive at the gates of the university you were meant to attend when you finally step foot on the right path!