WHY SKIP THE "TRIAL ACT"

Don't let the first ACT obscure your true potential to succeed in college.

Taking a "trial" ACT just to see "how I might do on the real test" is putting the cart before the horse.  The ACT and SAT are supposed to predict readiness for college, and although you might be intellectually prepared for everything a university curriculum might challenge you with, a "pop quiz" effort is not likely to present a realistic portrait of your talents.
  
Taking any test without knowing how to respond to the
unique parameters (content, format, structure, allotted time) is like  trying to take a typing test on a manual typewriter without ever having seen a QWERTY keyboard.  You will be slow.  You won't know how much pressure is needed to make those keys hit the paper. Your fingers will accidentally hit wrong keys.  Mistakes
generated by lack of practice will obscure your true ability to type.  Don't let your first ACT obscure your true potential for success in college.

According to the publishers of the ACT, the practice of retaking the exam has gained popularity over the years.  In 2009, 41% of the tested students took more than one administration; by 2015, the number had increased to 45%.  Although 57% of the multiple-testers improved the score, 27% went down!  Of the retesters, an average increase of only 2.9 points was earned and only by sitting up to 10 times!!  Based on statistical analysis, ACT predicts that simply taking the test a second time will earn an average of only 1.1 composite points. 

To achieve a noticeable elevation in score requires identifying
     -- a clear baseline of existing knowledge,
     -- gaps in comprehension AND application, and
     -- suggested alternative strategies.

The first ACT experience should be untimed and given over a period of days so that each section receives "fresh eyes."

Analysis of the results should differentiate between concepts the student already knows and can be exploited, as well as principles that require a revised approach or additional study.

The test, taken in a stress-free environment, should pinpoint the student's natural pace in order to predict the need for timing mitigations to be instituted after sufficient mastery of concepts has been proven.

And the results should be presented as input for the sole purpose of designing an efficient, effective study program, not an intimidating appraisal of the student's intelligence.

Sitting for the ACT or SAT (in either a national administration or a "mock" setting) without sufficient preparation doesn't give a fair reading of the student's true potential on the exam.  So skip those options and find a program that focuses on a workable analysis that will inform your personal study plan.

Work smarter, not just longer or harder.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEARNING AND STUDYING

At the risk of stimulating the philosopher that lurks in the farthest recesses of your mind, I’d like to first describe briefly what is covered in a philosophy course called “epistemology.” It is the study of the nature of knowledge especially with regard to its limits and validity. In epistemology, we think about questions like, “If you know, does it follow that you know that you know?”

And that’s the difference between learning and studying. In learning, you come to know something; in studying, you ensure that you know that you know it and can use the information when appropriate -- on a test for example.

So you’ve done your duty and competed every homework assignment. You might even have checked your answers, found your own mistakes and corrected them. You’ve LEARNED the material. Now comes the test and it’s time to actually STUDY. Here are a few tricks to help design a smart study plan.

1. REVIEW PAST ERRORS. Look at your Math homework, for example. Rework any problems that you didn’t answer correctly the first time. If you’ve been correcting mistakes on daily work, you should have learned the algorithms and now is the time to check to make sure that the steps have been effectively stored in long term memory. You’re asking yourself, “CAN I SOLVE THAT PROBLEM OR ANSWER THAT QUESTION CORRECTLY NOW?”

This is a cyclical process. Any mistakes put the problem back in the cycle until you can correctly answer without error. It’s like when you were in grammar school and had those weekly spelling tests. To help you study, your mom may have quizzed you on the words, eliminating each as you could spell it correctly but coming back to any “misses” until you got it right.

Homework assignments are just the beginning. Save and review all related quizzes and class notes also.

2. LOOK AT A QUESTION BACKWARDS. Actually, you’re looking at the answers and thinking of questions which would result in those answers. This is an especially useful tool for anyone who is thinking in only a straight line. It happens frequently in Algebra. If you see a quadratic equation, you instinctively know to factor, set the factors equal to zero, and solve for X. But what happens if you’re given the binomial factors? Normally the instruction would be to FOIL, so you do. But if you were supposed to solve the problem, your straight line of thinking would have led you down the wrong path. By looking at problems “through the back door” so to speak, you’re developing a deeper understanding of the role each solution step plays. You’ll be able to jump into a question at any point and be sure you’re working through it in the right direction.

3. PREDICT TEST QUESTIONS. By looking at a Math problem backwards, you are predicting the kinds of questions which could be asked on the test. But this strategy works well in other disciplines also. Take History as the example. If you have learned a series of dates, you can predict that a question might ask “What happened next?” -- or “What caused this event?” -- or “How is this event similar to or different from another?” Thinking about what might be asked puts you in better position during the test because you’ve already considered how to answer.

It is also useful to look at questions that weren’t covered in homework. In History, look at the chapter review questions that weren’t assigned. In fact, in EVERY class, check out all of the textbook resources (the questions, study stimulators, discussion starters, and reviews) that were never assigned. Some teachers create the tests from these assets.

4. LIST TOPICS AND RELATED ISSUES. If you did any “webs” in grammar school, you understand this process. Start with a central idea and branch out to related concepts. Some elementary schools use KWL: what do you Know, what do you Want to know, what did you Learn? Start with a central idea and list every thing you already Know about it. Same strategy, one using a visual diagram with words and the other using a list of words. (Refer to the blog on learning styles to discover which approach fits your style.)

5. BE PHILOSOPHICAL. Ask yourself the question, “Just because I know the material, do I know it in such a way that it will be useful to me on the test? Do I KNOW that I KNOW?” Your grade on the test will provide an answer for you, but too late for you to do much about it. So study what you’ve learned and be truly prepared to achieve the "A" you deserve.

ESSENTIAL STUDY MATERIALS FOR COLLEGE

In addition to your MP3, microwave, dorm refrigerator, cell phone, new clothes, laundry bag, and all those other "necessities" of college, there are some educational supplies that will be helpful for getting organized and studying.

1) ASSIGNMENT PLANNER, date book, calendar. Whichever system you prefer, you should definitely have some way to keep your engagements and assignments in one central location. I recommend something that can be carried around. You'll undoubtedly make social plans at the Student Center and assignments for class may be altered from the general syllabus during class time. You will need to write these things down "on the fly," so having a date planner handy will avoid the need to recopy a date from the cafeteria napkin.

2) Separate 2-POCKET FOLDERS for each class*. You may not have used this type of system in high school, especially if you had a schedule that included every class, every day. In college, you'll be going to English 3 days a week and History only 2. Every day will be a little different. Having separate folders for each class will allow you to carry around only the materials that are relevant for that day.

3) HIGHLIGHTER PENS. In many high schools, textbooks are loaned. In college, you'll be the proud owner of very expensive textbooks for each class. Don't worry about reselling these resources. Use your books to the fullest potential. Be prepared to interact with the material, including highlighting reading assignments and making notes in the margins. What you might lose in resale value will certainly be recouped in greater learning, possible scholarships for elevated grades, and avoidance of duplicate tuition fees for replacing a lackluster class grade.

4) INDEX CARDS. Even if you're not a flash card learner, index card notes can be your best friend when it comes to writing research papers, organizing a bibliography, or memorizing equations and facts.

5) BULLETIN BOARD, magnetic board, French message board. No matter how organized and careful you are about putting notes in your date planner, having one place to stash little scraps of paper will have positive payback when you're looking for the inevitable tidbit of lost information.

6) Separate SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS for each class*. (See Tip #2 and apply the same logic.) And none of those 3-subject spirals unless you expect to use all 3 sections for the same class. Mixing subjects in college just doesn't work!

7) PAPER CLIPS, clamp fasteners, stapler, scotch tape. Well, the scotch tape is just something I like to have, but the fasteners are important for keeping related papers together. I didn't learn this until tutoring in Calculus where I was doing all the homework assigned to my students, but one class might be on chapter 2 while another group was already on chapter 3. I found that keeping my homework assignments in chapter order, bound with a jumbo clamp fastener (and with a title page) made it easier for me to access the appropriate homework for each student.

FINAL WORD: If you look in my attic, you'll find all of the notes from all of my graduate classes, archived in a bankers box. I'd recommend saving all of your classroom materials, at the least until you're finished with school. Notes, written papers, and past tests can all be useful resources in subsequent classes. You might even think of assembling a binder of past research essays from high school. A little more work and some of your papers might have applications in college as well. (Yes, I have my own binder. Periodically I look through it with mixed reaction: "What was I thinking?!?" or "Hmm, not bad." Either way, the resources cited are useful. I used material from several Philosophy and Education undergrad courses when writing my Doctoral dissertation!)

*ABOUT COLOR CODING
Need a little visual stimulus to stay organized? I'd recommend having a color coding system for classes: red for English and blue for Math, for example. Have your pocket folder and spiral in different color for each class. It would be a "bummer" to mistakenly bring your history spiral to English class.