Tips for Effective Summer SAT/ACT Prep
By Huntington Learning Center
Why Take the SAT/ACT
Many colleges and universities across the country have made headlines recently by reinstating the SAT and ACT test score requirement for applicants—including Yale, Brown, Georgetown and MIT. As the year progresses, other schools will do the same.
“Standardized test scores are a much better predictor of academic success than high school grades.”
Christina Paxson, President of Brown University
“To Test or Not to Test: A letter from the President”
June 20, 2023
The majority of students applying to test-optional colleges submit SAT/ACT scores. Not doing so could negatively affect your student’s admissions into their dream school.
No Better Time Than Summer
Summer is a welcome opportunity for college-bound high school students to focus their efforts on all things college—especially preparing for the SAT and/or ACT. The break from school is your student’s best chance to focus their time on preparing for the exam they plan to take. Aside from the obvious (a more relaxed schedule), there are many other reasons that summer is the best time for SAT/ACT prep:
- The summer schedule gives upcoming juniors (11th graders) time to focus on test prep success. Many high school students take the SAT/ACT for the first time in the fall of their junior year, so the summer is the best time to start that SAT or ACT test prep. The SAT and ACT math sections have many questions focused on algebra and geometry and more advanced math. Keeping these skills fresh in their mind during the summer will prepare them for their fall test dates. It will also give them an opportunity to learn new skills that they will be tested on.
- Summer prep allows juniors time to retest if needed. Junior year is the most important year academically in high school, so your student’s main focus should be keeping their grades up during the school year. If your student has many AP and honors classes junior year, taking the SAT or ACT in the spring might conflict with their final exams and AP exams. By prepping in the summer and testing in early fall, 11th grade students give themselves the flexibility to prep again and retake the SAT or ACT in the spring if they want to improve their score.
- For students starting their senior year, summer prep offers one final chance to earn a strong score. Many students like to retake the SAT in August or October and the ACT in July or September one final time before they start applying to schools. And with the quiet of summer, they can really put all their attention toward targeted studying with practice exams in order to achieve their best scores before applying in the early fall.
- Summer prep helps students improve skills lost during the past school year. There’s a lot of crossover in content tested on the SAT/ACT exams, so summer test prep can be an excellent way for students to reinforce skills and solidify knowledge headed into the next school year.
A summer SAT/ACT prep plan will help your student improve their test score. Huntington’s SAT/ACT prep programs are developed based on a student’s specific needs, strengths and weaknesses. Our tutors work one on one with your student to improve their skills and reach their target score.
Call 1-800 CAN LEARN to learn more about Huntington’s individualized exam preparation programs.