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A Parent’s Guide toACT® | SAT® PrepThe Test-PrepDilemmaDilemma
Preparing our children for college is one of the biggest challenges we’ll face as parents.We protected them as babies, packed lunches and led fundraisers in elementary school, survived the hormones of puberty and the hazards of dating. And now -- just when we thought we could take a break -- it’s time to prepare them for college. But most importantly, you’ll gain essential knowledge to position your child for ACT | SAT success. And let’s face it: The overall success of our children is all that really matters. Why?Because we’re parents.Discover the importance (and possibility) of individualizing test-prep for your childLearn what distinguishes one test-prep product from anotherBuild a timeline for study, practice, assessment, and final stepsReceive an important and practical buyer’s checklistFor most parents, the build-up to an ACT or SAT exam is their first Yikes-I-need-help-with-this-whole-college-thing realization. Long before the application agony, the financial aid obstacle, or the acceptance letter anticipation, these important exams show up on the calendar. Because these are high-stakes exams with real-life consequences, it’s crucial to choose the best study tools available in order for your child to perform well on test day. This parent’s guide is intended to help you do that. In just a few short pages, you’ll...Because We’reParentsParents
The benefits of an optimum ACT or SAT score are significant – it’s why the stakes are so high for these exams. When you, as a parent, identify and utilize the very best test-prep resource for your child, doors of opportunity begin to swing open. Can you guess which ones?What’s at Stakeat Stake*www.amtaa.orgWhat is the financial benefit of an excellent ACT | SAT score?Along with other factors, a high score on the ACT | SAT makes your child stand out. Top schools are looking for top students and they’ll oer scholarships to make sure they get those students. Preparing for high-stakes exams builds student confidence, aects college acceptance, and potentially reduces the financial burden on families like yours.Scholarship opportunities become available for top performers.A high score helps secure a student loan with lower interest rates.There is no benefit. I’ll have to set up a GoFundMe no matter what.How does a high score on the ACT | SAT aect college acceptance?Colleges look at a variety of factors when deciding which students to accept – GPA, class rank, extracurricular activities, college essay – but the ACT or SAT score carries significant weight. In order to get into the school of his or her choice, it is imperative your child score well on these tests. Dream schools require dream scores.Significant eect. Colleges and universities give considerable weight to ACT | SAT scores.No eect. Top colleges accept everybody.Overriding eect. The only thing a college considers is the ACT | SAT.What is the immediate benefit when my child has practiced, studied and prepared for the ACT | SAT?Studies show that 16-20% of students have “high test anxiety” and another 18% deal with “moderately-high test anxiety.”* Such anxiety can cause a student to freeze up on test day, forgetting what he or she has learned. This is one of the reasons test prep is so important. The right resource will mimic the actual exam and provide learning opportunities as your child practices. When the test day comes, he or she will be full of confidence and ready to perform at a high level.Test-taking nerves lessen and academic confidence soars.A perfect score is guaranteed.You’ll be recognized as Parent of the Year.
If you’re going down the test-prep highway for the first time, you know that there are a lot of road signs promising “great results” or a “guaranteed score.” This is one of the reasons why finding the right test prep is dicult – lots of options that don’t deliver. Don’t be fooled by the bright signs or flashy advertisements in the test-prep industry. Why is Finding theRight Test Prep So Hard?Right Test Prep So Hard?False. This question is a perfect example of why we all hate True or False – it’s a bit tricky. Hiring an exam specialist might help your child, but it is no guarantee. For students who are active learners, self-directed, online study is a better prep option. Furthermore, while there are some excellent specialists out there, most are not ACT | SAT experts. An exam specialist can be a beneficial supplement, albeit an expensive one, but this should not be your only means of preparation.False. True-or-False trickery strikes again! Practice is important, but if your child is practicing without learning, he or she may be reinforcing flawed learning techniques. You get what you pay for, and this is why free practice tests should never be the only way your child prepares for the test. The best test-prep resource will oer extensive practice and give detailed explanations for every correct and incorrect answer.True. Not every student learns the same way – one size does not fit all. The goal is to find a resource that can be individualized to your child’s needs. The best test prep allows your child to interact with the learning process (active learning), is self-paced in order to optimize the learning experience, and has a variety of learning tools so your child can utilize the options that work best for him or her. True or False: Paying an ACT | SAT exam specialist will greatly improve my child’s test score.True or False: Practice tests get the job done. After all, practice makes perfect. True or False: Test prep that is individualized for my child’s learning style is the best choice.
The Ideal Time toStart PracticingStart PracticingEssay Question:What is the ideal amount of study time for the ACT | SAT?Cramming for the ACT or SAT is not a healthy study technique. If I wait until the last minute to begin studying, practicing, and preparing, it leads to burn out and lessens my memory retention. The amount of time spent studying depends on my baseline knowledge and my goal ACT | SAT score. This is why taking a practice test, for the purpose of self-assessment, is so important. If my practice test informs me I am close to my goal score, I may need less time to study (i.e 30-90 days). If I have signicant ground to make up, I should begin studying well in advance of the exam.It doesn’t hurt to begin studying six or more months in advance -- it just changes the amount of questions I need to work through each day. A longer study plan is just a different approach. There is an academic benet to extended study as I’ll be learning reading, writing, and math concepts that will benet me in my daily schoolwork in addition to preparing me for the test. The best test-prep resources will offer a study plan that acts as a guide, showing me how many questions to work through each day depending on how many days I have until exam day. Whether I have 180, 120, 90, or 30 days until my exam, I could use a study plan to help me optimize my practice.Begin WRITING TEST here.
At UWorld, we know that students facing dicult, high-stakes exams need great practice resources so they can perform their best. Our experts are passionate about creating a test-prep experience that matches the style and diculty levels of both the ACT and SAT exams.What Sets thisTest Prep Apart?Test Prep Apart?More than a million students worldwide trust their high-stakes exam prep with UWorld for a reason. Our content experts are professional educators who have extensive experience in individualized, active-learning techniques that will have your child ready to perform at his or her best on test day. We don’t deal in test-taking tricks; we teach concepts so students can learn along the way and recall what they learned on test day. Best of all...it’s all online, self-paced, and aordable!See the buyer’s checklist on the next page to find out if UWorld is right for your family.Practice questions that mimic the actual exam to build confidence4,200+Performance monitoring and accurate score predictor to identify areas of improvementDetailed explanations and mini-lessons that teach key concepts
When choosing the right test-prep resource for your child, here are the things to look for:Buyer’s ChecklistBuyer’s ChecklistChallenging questions that mimic the actual examDetailed explanations for correct and incorrect answersEngaging mini-lessons and illustrations to help my child understand conceptsActive learning methodology that helps learners retain important information conceptsAccessible on desktops, laptops, and all digital devicesPerformance tracking to identify areas of improvementSelf-assessment and score predictor tools to gauge exam readiness Student-driven, so your child can practice exactly what they need to, when they want toA skill-building option that allows my child to focus on particular skillsA Study Plan to keep my child on track and assure test-day readinessUWorld checks all the boxes!No surprise here,Your child’s dream school requires a dream score.Find out how we can help make that dream a reality. CollegePrep.UWorld.comCopyright © 2019, UWorld, LLCSAT® is a registered trademark of the College Board. ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc.Neither of the trademark holders endorse or are aliated with UWorld.