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February 17th, 2015

Make the Most of Your Prep at Home

shutterstock_114474988Your parents have plunked down the money for prep, you’ve dutifully attended the sessions, now that first practice test is waiting to be tackled. Keep in mind that your score on the actual ACT or SAT will largely be determined by the work you do at home. Beyond conscientiously working to internalize the taught strategies and tactics and adhering strictly to time limits, what else can you do at home to maximize your prep? Try paying attention to your environment.

Study locations: If you usually complete your homework in your room, stick with it. If not, beware because no room contains more distractions. Then again, if you typically complete your homework in front of the tv, better find a different location. Ideally, you want to approximate the test location as closely as possible. This means finding a location with minimal distractions. Avoid spots where people will talk to you, where there is a lot of movement, or even locations that are too quiet. The test room will be quiet, but not silent.

Background noise: Research demonstrates that doing any kind of homework with headphones on decreases retention. Yet, background noise has been found to increase students’ focus. Some studies even suggest that certain types of music – Bach, Beethoven, or flowing instrumentals – may even increase intelligence and retention of material.

Lighting: The test rooms will be well lit. Turn those lights on if knocking those tests off in your room, or if in a library or cafe, sit where the lighting is good.

You want a great score, then give every effort. Find blocks of time that will allow you to complete entire sections, review the tactics and strategies right before practicing, time yourself strictly and avoid doing work on the bus or in front of the tv. Environment matters!

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