Chariot Learning
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Our Curriculum
    • Areas Chariot Learning Serves
  • Services
    • SAT & ACT Prep
    • SAT/ACT TestFlip
    • Academic Coaching
    • Subject Tutoring
    • Strategic Reading Club
    • Proctored Practice Tests
    • GRE Prep
    • College Essay Coaching
    • Roots2Words
  • Calendar
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
December 18, 2018 by Patty Camloh

Looking for a Good Test Strategy? Think Sports!

How many high school juniors are athletes? Many are, and why shouldn’t they be? Athletics is a fun and social way to stay in shape and let off steam after school. For all the junior scholar-athletes out there, let me draw some analogies from the world of sports to describe the ideal SAT and ACT prep program.

NEW TO THE SPORT
Doing nothing at all to prepare for the tests is like trying to play a sport before you even know the rules. You arrive out of shape and unable to show off your skills. Students who walk in cold either assume they can’t study for a standardized test (wrong) or are unmotivated to make test prep a priority. Hang on… there’s a much better way!

TUTORING AND CLASSES
You’ve joined the team! All the instruction, coaching, and playing facilities are available to you. You have a great opportunity to sharpen your skills, learn new strategies, prepare for competition, and get into good mental shape. Juniors who view test prep as a season have a plan to follow and an end goal in sight. Juniors who prep early in the school year can use the fall, winter, and even spring seasons, if needed.

PRACTICE TESTS
Taking a full-length practice test is like playing in a scrimmage game. You can practice your game-day skills in a setting much like a league game, but without the risk of a poor performance hurting your record. The importance of this practice test setting and environment can’t be overstated: you can bring all your new skills to the forefront, PLUS GET A SENSE OF GAME-DAY TIMING, PACING, AND STRATEGY. Familiarizing yourself with the test structure is like knowing your opponent; the more you know, the better prepared you’ll be to go up against the big test.

PRACTICE TEST REVIEW
For an athlete, nothing compares to post-game analysis, the dreaded yet vital review of game tapes. For a test taker, test review is essential. By analyzing your practice test performance with your tutor, you greatly expand your skill set. You provide yourself a priceless opportunity to learn from your mistakes. This is where the “game” gets personal: how can I increase my chances of getting these types of questions right next time? After all, score improvement is often a game of inches, where just a few more right answers can be enough to get you into a new achievement bracket.

TEST DAY
At last, you’ve made it to the big game, prepared to win out over all obstacles. You know what’s expected, and what it will take to succeed: EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT. You fight for every point and leave it all on the field. You walk away fatigued, knowing you did your very best, right from the beginning of your prep season.

BETWEEN SEASONS
There is a lull in the action while you wait for your test scores. Time to rest and take a break from prep. Once the scores come in, you’ll find out if all your hard work yielded the results you wanted. If so, victory! If not, it’s time to apply the age-old line immortalized by Dodgers and Cubs fans: wait ’til next year. Except in your case, your next shot at the test won’t be a whole year away!

Student athletes, keep working on your game… your test game, that is! And stay in good physical shape too, by eating well, getting rest, and working out. You’ll be building physical endurance, which will offer added stamina for those four-hour test marathons.

performance sports

Previous articleWhen Does an SAT or ACT Class Make Sense?Next article Linked Evidence Questions on SAT Reading
Patty Camloh(https://chariotlearning.com)
Patty Camloh, our lead Syracuse-area tutor, uses her background in engineering and education to help students achieve their best results. She has worn many career hats, including environmental engineer, high school teacher, and counselor. Patty also has experience as a specialist in high school to college transitioning for a college consulting firm .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Helping high schoolers with tests, school, and life is what Chariot Learning is all about. Let us know how we can help you!

Latest Posts

  • How to Read Percentiles
  • Do SAT & ACT Subscores Matter?
  • Evaluating College ROI
  • What to Read This Summer
  • Best of Luck to June Test Takers!

What is TestFlip?

Learn about the ultimate in self-directed supplemental SAT/ACT prep, powered by Chariot Learning:

  • You have no idea what you can "survive" until you have no choice!
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    You have no idea what you can "survive" until you have no choice!
  • Being intelligent is not a felony but may get you in trouble anyway ;)
    by chariotlearning 1 week ago
    Being intelligent is not a felony but may get you in trouble anyway ;)
  • When someone says you can
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    When someone says you can't do it, do it twice and take pictures!
  • Be patient when becoming someone you haven
    by chariotlearning 6 days ago
    Be patient when becoming someone you haven't been before.
  • Set goals that are *almost* out of reach.
    by chariotlearning 1 week ago
    Set goals that are *almost* out of reach.
  • Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. Here
    by chariotlearning 3 weeks ago
    Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. Here's to your success!
  • Do not waste time thinking about what you could have done differently. Keep your eyes on the road ahead and
    by chariotlearning 2 days ago
    Do not waste time thinking about what you could have done differently. Keep your eyes on the road ahead and
  • Life is about
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    Life is about 'not knowing' and then doing something anyway. Get good at it!

Subscribe to Mike’s Podcast

Subscribe to Tests and the Rest

PARENT GROUP AND NEWSLETTER

Are you an Upstate New York parent with questions about college admissions, testing, and scholarships? The Upstate NY College Conversations Facebook group is for you. Join today!

And also sign up for College Road, our free email newsletter delivering expert educational advice, test news, admissions action steps, special offers, and more.

Upcoming Events

  1. SAT/ACT Extended Class – Summer Mornings 2022

    July 6 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
  2. SAT/ACT Online Flipped Class – July 2022

    July 6 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  3. Practice SAT – Brighton (7/8/22)

    July 8 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  4. Practice ACT – Pittsford Library (7/12/22)

    July 12 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  5. SAT/ACT Extended Class – Summer Evenings 2022

    July 12 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

View All Events

Testimonials

We highly recommend... We considered classroom instruction given by national programs, but having one-on-one instruction, on our schedule, in our home, with the focus on areas and skills critical to our daughter’s success was important to us. Teaming up with Chariot Learning was definitely the right decision for our daughter and my family.

Eileen, Rochester mom

Read more testimonials...
© 2022 Chariot Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.