NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Three pieces of advice for students preparing for both SAT and ACT:

1.)   Prep for one test at a time.  The material will be somewhat similar but the timing and strategy can be very different.  Preparing for both simultaneously can make it tough to keep things straight.
2.)   Make sure to take practice tests in a “Test-like” environment like a library or a study hall.  Part of these tests is being able to block out distractions and focus on the task at hand.
3.)  Spend time getting familiar with question formats and pacing for the tests.

Think you know it all?  Take this quiz! (Answers below…don’t peek!)

Q1: How many sections are on the ACT?

Q2: How many sections are on the SAT

Q3: How long is the SAT? ACT? Subject Tests?

Q4: Which test(s) deduct points for wrong answers?

I. SAT
II. ACT
III. SAT Subject tests

a. I only
b. II only
c. II and III
d. I and III
e. I, II, and III

Answers:

A1: 4 and an “optional” writing section.

1. English – 75 questions, 60 minutes
2. Math – 60 questions, 60 minutes
3. Critical Reading – 40 questions, 35 minutes
4. Science – 40 questions, 35 minutes

A2: 3 categories (Critical Reading, Math, and Writing) with 10 sections:

1. 3 Critical Reading Sections
a. 24 questions, 25 minutes
b. 24 questions, 25 minutes
c. 19 questions, 20 minutes
2. 3 Math Sections
a. 20 questions, 25 minutes
b. 18 questions, 20 minutes (includes grid-ins)
c. 16 questions, 20 minutes
3. 3 Writing Sections
a. 25 minute essay (always first section)
b. 35 questions, 25 minutes
c. 14 questions, 10 minutes
4. 1 Experimental Section
a. # of questions varies, 25 minutes

A3: These tests are not short.  The SAT and ACT are nearly 4 hours long and the Subject Tests are an hour long each.  This means that mental endurance is going to be a huge factor in your success on these tests.

A4: The answer is d.  The SAT and SAT Subject Tests will deduct ¼ of a point from your raw score for each question you answer wrong, whereas the ACT will not.  This means that guessing is good on the ACT, but you have to be careful when you guess on the SAT and SAT Subject Tests.

To learn more about these tests and how you can maximize your score, go to revolutionprep.com or call them at 1-877-738-7737.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 9:10 am and is filed under Athletic Scholarships. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.