How to Handle Taking the SAT or ACT York PA

Steps

1. Be proud of yourself! You have been asked to take the SAT/ACT which is a very big honor, and you should be proud of yourself. Congratulations!
2. Don't freak out! Don't think that just because you have to take the SAT/ACT, you have to study like crazy to make a good grade! You are taking a test meant for people 4-6 years older than you. They have learned more, and you shouldn't try to compare yourself to them. This is just an opportunity to see how you do on an upper-level test.
3. Don't immediately go out and buy a SAT/ACT preparation course! Some of these kits are not worth it. When you take the test again, your junior high scores will be deleted. If you really want to study, here are some links that might help you.
   • ACT[6]
     • ACT sample tests
     • Tips for Taking the ACT
     • Preparing for the ACT
   • SAT
     • CollegeBoard Today's Question
     • Official SAT Practice Test
     • SAT Critical Reading
     • SAT Mathematics
     • AST Writing
     • SAT Test-Taking Approaches
     • SAT Skills Insight
4. Stay calm at the test! This is just a little fun test for you, but these other juniors and seniors only have one or (in the case of juniors) two shots at it! You're in 7th grade! You have 6 shots[7] at it! Don't worry!
5. Do the easy questions first. Don't spend ten minutes on a question, because there will probably be some that you don't know.
   • If you guess on the SAT and get it wrong, you lose points. So try not to guess!
   • If you're taking the ACT, guess on every one you don't know! Don't leave one blank!
6. Don't expect to make a 36 / 2400 when you receive your score report. Here's the average of 7th graders on these two tests. As can be seen, the averages are not too high![8]
   1. ACT:
      • Mathematics: 17
      • English: 17
      • Reading: 17
      • Science: 18
      • Composite: 17
   2. SAT:
      • Critical Reading: 420
      • Mathematics: 440
      • Writing: 411

Sources and Citations

1. ? Duke TIP on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talent_Identification_Program
2. ? GATE/TAG on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifted_education
3. ? CTY on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_Talented_Youth
4. ? SAT on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT
5. ? ACT on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACT_(examination)
6. ? ACT Inc. http://www.act.org/
7. ? SAT FAQ: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/about/sat/FAQ.htm
8. ? http://www.tip.duke.edu/talent_searches/grade_7/7TSResultsSummary.pdf

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