In this post, Nurturing Wisdom President Pari Schacht demystifies one of the most common myths about the ACT and SAT.

I’m on a myth busting kick lately. I recently explained why both the ACT and SAT are accepted at all universities in the United States in my post on the Myth of Preference. Today, I want to talk about another common myth: junior year curriculum is needed for a student to take the ACT or SAT.

Many parents and students are told to wait to take the ACT or SAT until spring of junior year because junior year curriculum is tested on both tests.

In reality, there is almost nothing on the ACT or SAT that is covered in the junior year curriculum. Let’s look at this in more detail and address some of the most common misconceptions…

Melissa has helped several ACT students reach and surpass their goal scores through her thoughtful and tailored teaching of the Nurturing Wisdom ACT lessons. Below she shares an insight into the science section of the ACT:

After working with many students to help them prepare for the ACT, I’ve found that students have a lot of anxiety concerning the science section of the ACT. When students hear the term “science section,” they instantly start recalling all of the science classes they have taken and what they may need to remember: all of the elements of the periodic table (the symbols and atomic numbers), valance electron placement, balancing chemical equations, mitosis v. meiosis, physics formulas… the list could go on and on! As students rack their brains for all of the possible science questions they might be asked, they begin to dread the exam. They may feel that there is no way to succeed, because there is no way to prepare for that many possibilities. If the science section of the ACT were actually a “science” test, they would be right–it would be very difficult to prepare for such a test. However, the good news is that the “science” section of the ACT is not a science test at all–it’s a reasoning test!

We tutor many students each year for the ACT and SAT and frequently advise parents and students on how to get the best results while fitting test preparation into the student’s life.  We know standardized tests are an important piece of the college admissions process; however, so are grades, extra-curricular activities, essays, and (not to mention) the student’s social life and overall well-being. Therefore, we have to balance tutoring for standardized tests with everything else.

We have one important strategy that helps students work “smarter, not harder” when preparing for these tests.  Pick ONE test.

Two common misconceptions are that colleges prefer either the SAT or ACT and that you have to take both tests. Neither is true! 

Melissa has helped several ACT students reach and surpass their goal scores through her thoughtful and tailored teaching of the Nurturing Wisdom ACT lessons. Below she shares what makes our approach unique:

When I was first asked to tutor the ACT, I was a little nervous about my ability to do so effectively. Since my background is in elementary education, I didn’t think I had the qualifications necessary to tutor a high school test. However, once I became familiar with Nurturing Wisdom’s ACT curriculum, I grew more and more excited about tutoring test prep students, and my confidence grew, too.

Test prep tutoring yields more than just improved scores on one test. We often hear from students that the strategies they’ve learned from their test prep tutors also help them perform better on school tests. These students can now read faster and more smoothly, which leads to improved comprehension. And they have more confidence across the board.

Our ACT tutors notice these developments in their students and in themselves, too! Read what a few of our tutors have to say about the powerful effect of test preparation.

When preparing for standardized tests, some students reach a point when, although they have learned a lot about the test, they still haven’t reached their goal score. Heather talks about what it’s like to help one of these students pull it all together to achieve his goal:

Sometimes students just need a little “push” to show them that they can achieve their goals!  This is where I become a “coach” to help a student find out what is working well and what needs to be adjusted. For instance, maybe a student isn’t using strategies on the English section, so her score won’t budge. Or maybe a student is rushing through the reading section in order to finish, but is compromising accuracy while doing so. 

We encourage our tutors to be broken records with their students, especially when it comes to attitudes about homework. We want tutors to help their students define the right attitude and create a mantra to help their students believe in its purpose and significance. An effective homework mantra and resulting attitude adjustment can have real long-term benefits when it comes to homework completion.