Mistakes to be avoided while taking ACT

Mistakes to be avoided while taking ACT

Students taking ACTs should have the right frame of mind and readiness before anything else. There is no point in being pressured and rushed. There might be a time when the student is not comfortable giving a test and that is called the spotlight effect where the student might not give their 100%. Raising the heartbeat sweating and getting nervous is a natural response to any test but if it doesn’t calm down after some time in the exam hall then the student needs to rethink the readiness to give the exam in the first place.

So the first mistake is not giving the exam if not ready both in terms of Mental preparation and finishing with your studies.

There are various test dates which can be considered by the student a trial round can be given in October to test the waters and to gauge how much more preparation is required and in about a few weeks give the December test if not the February test.

So the second mistake is not giving a trial test before the final one.

Readiness for the test most of the time can be doubtful, parents might think what if my child had a few more months to prepare, should I give him a few more practice sessions or do I take the guidance of some personal tutor, the questions are endless. Here there has to be a mental deadline beyond which one should not wait for the readiness. The child learns basic math, English, and reasoning in his senior or Junior high school too, so overall the child does study the fundamentals in their day-to-day life.

The third mistake is procrastinating giving ACT till the last date

If there is a student who is a perfectionist and wants to do all the problems given, solve every English question, or is very meticulous to finish the book cover to cover it requires a lot of time and can impact other areas like focussing on Scholarships or preparing the essay or missing a deadline. The student might realise he has a lot to finish and the time left is very less, this might lead to fear and anxiety which are not good for grades. Here the student should avoid the fourth mistake.

The fourth mistake is not having a proper deadline in terms of readiness and giving an exam.

So in short the following are some easy steps every student should consider before giving the ACT

Prepare well in advance and zero in the dates of trial and final ACT.
Rushing last minute to cram every possible study material is not possible, so just focus on your strong subjects and try to maximize gaining marks in those areas.
Always look for options, speak to your seniors, take help from school counselors look up possible sample papers online, and appear for some short-term courses just to gauge where you stand.
Once you are ready don’t think about portions that are difficult or you feel might bring down your scores, just attempt the questions you are fully confident then get back to the ones bothering you.
Don’t focus all your energy on just test prep, give a fair share to other important aspects like the scholarship application deadline, chasing the faculty for recommendation letters, and relaxing your mind by playing a sport, or hitting the gym.