Majority of parents are perplexed with respect to the SAT, ACT, PSAT preparation. The time frame, the resources, the right person, and the syllabus everything is available but which one to tap is the question. Many spend thousands of dollars yet fail to get satisfactory results. This can be frustrating at times, so let us enlist a few to-do lists before you and your child take the plunge.
The main question that arises in the mind of parents when the child is balancing his schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and the test preps is, “How much of this is applicable to the real world?’’ Yes, it’s a very valid question with a simple response. It all depends on which field the student is interested to pursue their career in. ACT, SAT, PSATS cannot be crammed and cracked within a short period of time. All the preps have to start as early as elementary to middle school with simple Math basics. If the child is prepared from the beginning they can develop critical lateral thinking.
When to start the prep? Preferably grade 1 to grade 5 should be devoted to simple math. Anyone contemplating exam prep in junior year is really late. To begin with, the child can start playing with all the mathematical operators like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Then slowly move to logical puzzles, applying the concept and eventually the word problems (when the child also moves ahead in his language skills, what is asked in the question needs to be understood first)
If the child is able to manage these problems then the bar model for the child’s future is set, it’s like before building a structure one has to have the scaffolding in place. The child then simply keeps polishing his skills and eventually gets ready for tougher math problems which actually means applying the concept he or she has learned.
Once your child reaches the age to take the SAT, ACT, or PSAT then they have to adhere to the following steps to ascertain top-notch scores :
- Learn the exam format.
- Set a Goal for the scores
- Take practice test
- Analyze the mistakes
- Use question bank to practice more and more papers
- Last 3 months to concentrate on weak areas which require regular practice.
- Make a second attempt in case not satisfied with the performance.
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