►What are standardized tests?

►Why do I need to take them?

►What is the difference between SAT & ACT?

►Which one should I take, or should I take both?

►What do they test?

►Do they really predict how well will I do in college? In life?

►Who creates standardized tests?

►What do I need to do well in the standardized tests?

►Can I really improve my performance?

►Can you help me?

► How much time do I need to really prepare?

► I am 2 years away from standardized tests. What can I do to build the foundation?

► What if I mess up?

What are standardized tests?

Standardized tests are tests administered, evaluated and scored in a consistent manner at all times, all locations and for all test takers. The idea is to put everybody through the same conditions, same evaluation processes and determine how good or bad their performance is, relative to each other.

Why do I need to take them?

This one is a no brainer. Really. You need to put yourself through this ordeal because you want admission in a college. Now, why do colleges need you go through all this? Well, simply because they want to know how well do you perform under standard conditions against 5000 others who are seeking admission in the same college. It helps them get a better handle of your mathematical, reasoning, reading and writing skills as compared to other hopefuls for the same college seats which are limited and hence cannot be given to everybody who applies. It's one of the colleges' ways to give you an opportunity to strut your stuff.

What is the difference between SAT and ACT?

In short, a lot. The two tests differ in structure, content, testing focus and scoring.

ACT is more of a knowledge test in the sense that it is more curriculum based while SAT is more of an aptitude test focussing on your test taking skills under pressure, "courage under fire". ACT questions are more straightforward while SAT has a lot of abstractness built in the question itself, so you first need to figure out what is actually being asked.

Content wise, ACT tests grammar punctuation and usage while SAT tests vocabulary. ACT math section has a trigonometry section which is not there in SAT. ACT has a science reasoning test which examines your ability to make sense of scientific data, analyze it and generate logical conclusions. ACT writing is optional (though recommended in most cases) while SAT writing test is compulsory. SAT tests vocabulary while ACT focusses on grammar, punctuation and usage. SAT

Structurally, ACT has only multiple choice questions while SAT also includes questions where you need to workout problems and produce answers. The difficulty level remains the same in ACt throughout while it keeps going up in SAT. The number of questions is higher in ACT leaving less time per question. However, ACT has no worng-answer penalty while SAT penalizes you for wrong choices.

In terms of scoring, ACT provides you a score out of 36 which is the average of your scores (again, out of 36) in all the four sections. SAT, on the other hand scores you on a scale of 200-800 in each section.

Which one should I take, or should I take both?

If you have been a good to great student in an academically rigorous high school, ACT would suit you better. Being more curriculum based, it will test you on what you are good at. If you have strong deductive reasoning skills, are comfortable playing with the abstract and are good at figuring things out, SAT could be a better choice.

Your choice of the test also has to take into account whether your target colleges accept the particular test score. While SAT is accepted everywhere, you must confirm if ACT score would work in lieu of SAT.

Writing both the tests is usually not the most effecient strategy. If you are willing to work hard and prepare well, you can score well in whatever test you choose. However, in some cases, it does make sense to go for both of them.

If, for example, you believe you are more of an ACT person but a couple of your colleges require you to take SAT, you may want to take both the tests and send ACT scores wherever possible and SAT scores only where required. Of course, it will aslo depend on how much money you can spend and what your time commitments are.

What do they test?

Essentially, the standardized tests examine you to check how well have you imbibed the knowledge and skills taught to you in a US high school. They also seek to predict (or at least give an indication) of how well suited are you for the challenges of college environment and rigor and how well will you do in college.

The tests are designed and administered by different companies and are driven by slightly different testing philosophies. SAT focusses more on skills - your ability to process given information and get to the core of the issue (figure out what is asked), your ability to handle the pressure of a testing environment, competitive stress and time limits; your basic math and reasoning skills, your reading and writing ability and competence in understanding the nuances of the written word.

ACT too seeks to do the same though in a more curriculum focussed way with some elements of knowledge testing built in. It is more specific and predictable and hence, if you have been a good stuent throughout and have had some kind of an academic focus, you are better off writing the ACT provided, of course, your target college accepts ACT scores.

Do they really predict how well will I do in college? In life?

They seek to do just that - predict how will you perform in your college. However, how accurately the standardized tests actualy do that is, at best, debatable. The reality is, the tests test you on how well have you learnt the skills and knowledge taught in high school, period. Even if you were not a great student in high school, you could still shine in the college provided you "rise up" and make up for the lost time, knowledge and skills. However, the college admission committee would still prefer going with a student who has shown consistency, discipline and a hard working streak upto high school, more so, because that is all a high school student typically has to show.

About how well will you do in life, well, it's a much more philosophical question. Bad test scores may mean no Ivy League college for you but that in no way means you cannot be a winner in life. Success in life depends on a wide variety of skills, aptitudes and attitudes which probably cannot be predicted, not at least as yet. It's a much more dynamic and uncontrolled environment. Several of the very successful people have been high school dropouts, while plenty of Ive Leagu grads lead a routine life doing nothing extraordinary. It's a much broader game and you need not worry about it at this stage.

The best option is to take the standardized tests as just what they are - a tool to get admission in your desired college. Success in life is a much larger pursuit and you wil learn the rules as you go along. Don't worry about it at all.

Who creates standardized tests?

SAT is owned, published and designed by College Board and is administered by Education Testing Services (ETS).

ACT is owned, administered and designed by ACT Inc.

The design and development of tests is done by professionals who are specially trained to assess the achievement, knowledge and skills. Their job is to put you through tough situations in the test and see how you react and how well can you sail through the obstacles they set up.

What do I need to do well in the standardized tests?

The bad answer is that you should have done all your middle and high school math, reading and writing very well. It's bad because if you were les than spectacular in your middle and high school, it doesn't give you a way out.

The good answer is: know the test, know what they ask and practice. Practice, practice and practice some more.

Typically, you can prepare extremely well for the tests in a three to four month period. Minimize distractions, cut down on your extra curriculars, partying and scoializing and be completely focussed on the test.

Get good gudiance and work hard. Master all the review material and take a lot of section tests, which test you in parts on what you'd be eventually tested on. Learn some meditation or relaxing technique to help you quickly charge your batteries during the actual exam hour. Finally, take a lot of full scale, mock SATs (or ACTs) in strict exam conditions. Close your door, ask your parents and siblings not to disturb you for the whole duration of the test, keep a watch handy and time yourself. Do everything to create an actual test taking environment at home.

With sound preparation, you'd have actually written the test several times before you actually go write the test. You'd feel prepared, confident and adequate. The knowledge, practice and mental strength a good preparation would give you will see you through the test in flying colors.

Good luck.

Can I really improve my performance?

Of course you can.

The knowledge and skills that SAT and ACT test you on are well known. The knowledge component is the basics of mathematics and English usage that you did in school and even if you were less than stellar as a student, you have worked with these concepts sometime during your school. You may not feel fully confident in your knowledge of those concepts and that is absolutely fine. With focussed review and right guidance you can quickly master all the concepts and ideas that could form the basics of these tests.

The test taking skills are also, highly learnable. Most of the times it is commonsense, however, just becuase we are not consciously aware of them and how they could interfere in the test performance, we tend to ignore them. For example, getting a good night's sleep a day before the exam is basic commonsense but so many of us make the mistake of being up most of the night before the exam and then turning up all groggy eyed for the test. The right test taking skills can be built through generating awareness, focussed practice and periodic review.

Can you help me?

We are a team of teachers, test experts and researchers who continuously dissect and analyze the tests to determine how best to teach you exactly what you need to know to score your max in the tests.

Our easy to follow content and fully customized teaching methodology teaches you in a manner best suited to you individually. Section tests give you enough practice in every segment of the tests to make you feel confident and at ease with the concepts and test areas. The full length tests to be taken under exam conditions give you ample practice and exposure to exam stress and makes you completely battle ready.

Our material, instruction and guidance can help you really shine in the SAT and the ACT.

How much time do I need to really prepare?

Typically, a 3-4 month schedule with 2-3 hours a day of focussed study is good enough. Of course, things may be a bit easier for you if you have been a straight A's student throughout and have had a great reading habit.

Just cut out all distractions and be focussed. It is an important test and if you are serious about college, all the sacrifice is worth it. .

I am two years away from the standardized tests, what should I do now to build a foundation?

Be sincere and committed to your studies, develop a good reading habit and enjoy. Engage in a positive hobby, put your energies into something constructive and let all your physical, mental and emotional capacities expand.

What if I mess up?

No big deal. Everybody messes up once in a while.

Take a break for a weak and then have a relok at the whole thing. Determine the reasons why you messed up - were you not committed enough or did you lack proper guidance? Was your preparation inadequate or were you too stressed during the test?

eTutelage mentors can help in this introspection. Once you know what went wrong, you would be in a much better position to correct it next time around. If there were problems with your preparation level, get professional guidance; if there were problems with your mental orientation to the test or with your level of effort, commitment or seriousness, correct that behavior. Here again, expert help can really get you far.

Above all, realize that it is not the end of the world. There is always another day and there is always a new battle; there are always opportunities to rise and shine and achieve glory.