Know the Rules | SAT Test & ACT Test
A key component of success in any field of life is the ability to recognize the rules that govern that particular arena and make sure not to violate it. In basketball don’t step out of bounds or it’s a turn over. In business, treat your customers right and they will rave about you. On a test know the rules (do’s and don’t) and you are certain to be more successful at it.
This Blog post will go into the dos and don’ts of the SAT test & ACT test.
#1 Know the Rules of the Test You Are Taking
Each test has different rules. For example…some students do not understand the benefit of omitting answers on the SAT. What is omission some may ask? Toomit just means to skip. Unlike ordinary tests students take throughout the school year, the SAT does not take off points if you omit or skip a question.
On the other hand, when taking the ACT or most other standardized tests, it is very important that you finish and do not leave anything blank. Why? You will be penalized by getting the question wrong automatically if it is left blank; therefore put something.
To Skip or not to Skip
Since omitting questions is important, how do you know when to skip a question? You should skip questions when you have no idea how to get the answer or if you are not able to narrow down your choices to two. If you guess out of the five choices, your chance of getting the question correct is only 20%. On the contrary if you are able to narrow down your choices to two possible answers, your chance of getting the question correct is increased to 50%.
#2 Use Your Time Wisely
With most tests, you are not able to return to a section when you are finished with it. So if you happen to complete the section with time left over, you shouldn’t take a brief nap or lose focus. Use this time to review your answers in this section if you are allowed to. We make careless mistakes sometimes that can cost us important points. Be careful to not second guess yourself but do review your work carefully for errors.
#3 Focus on What you Know
It is easy to get frustrated on tests by noticing everything you don’t know. Try focusing on what you DO know and you will be surprised how your attitude and confidence will change. Do not expect to know everything when taking a test but do expect to employ test-taking skills like the process of elimination to help you get to the correct answer.
