College Entrance Exam Anxiety

          As students decide where to apply, it is important to make note of the college entrance exams that schools require for admission.  There are two major college entrance examinations administered in the U.S. today:  the SAT and the ACT.

            The SAT is designed to test skills in math, vocabulary and reading comprehension, and is scored on a scale of 200-800 for both the math and verbal sections.

            The ACT is designed to test skill levels in English, math, reading and science reasoning.  This multiple-choice test is scaled from 1-36.

            Today, most colleges will accept either test.  It is prudent to check with the college of your choice to ascertain whether they have a specific test requirement or preference.  If not, students may take both tests, or pick up sample tests in the counseling center to determine with which test they are the most comfortable.

            Here are some tips students should keep in mind for test day.

Be equipped.  On the night before the test, you should gather everything you’ll need:  admission ticket, valid form of photo identification, several No. 2 pencils, calculator with fresh batteries, watch and a high-energy snack.

Don’t cram.  The best thing you can do the evening before the test is to get a good night’s sleep.  Get into test mode:  calm, rested, confident, and ready.

Dress in layers.  Be prepared for extreme temperatures.  You need to be comfortable to perform your best.

Don’t spend too much time on one question.  Each question is worth the same number of points.  If a question is confusing or too time-consuming, move on to the next question.  You can always come back to harder questions if you have time left at the end of the section.

Guess aggressively.  If you don’t know an answer, eliminate the choices you know are wrong, and then make an educated guess from the remaining options.

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