Effective 2021, SAT Subject Tests are no longer offered by the College Board. To show subject matter expertise, consider taking AP exams instead.
SAT Subject Tests are the lesser-known cousin of the SAT and AP exams. About 2 million students take the SAT each year, and about 2.8 million take AP exams each year, but only about 200,000 take SAT Subject Tests. Keep reading to learn whether you should be one of them.
What Are SAT Subject Tests?
SAT Subject Tests (once known as SAT IIs) are one-hour multiple-choice tests offered in a variety of subjects. They can be used to bolster college applications by demonstrating mastery in certain subject areas.
The Complete List of SAT Subject Tests
The tests are offered in nine core subject areas:
- Literature
- S. History
- World History
- Math Level I
- Math Level II
- Ecological Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
In addition, there are 12 foreign language subject tests:
- French with Listening
- French Reading
- German with Listening
- German Reading
- Spanish with Listening
- Spanish Reading
- Chinese with Listening
- Japanese with Listening
- Korean with Listening
- Modern Hebrew Reading
- Italian Reading
- Latin Reading
Should I Take SAT Subject Tests?
Whether you should take SAT Subject Tests depends on a lot of factors. There are some students who should absolutely take them:
- Students who might want to apply to colleges or programs that require SAT Subject Tests. (Check out our post on SAT Subject Test policies to learn more.)
- Homeschooled students—a lot of colleges require that homeschool students submit standardized test scores to support their transcripts.
But even if you’re among the majority of students who don’t absolutely have to take SAT Subject Tests, most students can benefit from them.
- Although few colleges require them, many recommend. Such recommendations should be taken very seriously—if a college recommends something, the admissions officers really prefer to see it.
- Even more colleges consider SAT Subject Tests, and if you can score well, these test scores help build your case for academic achievement.
The biggest mistake you can make is to realize at the last minute that you need Subject Test scores. Since colleges change requirements from year to year, and students change college preferences over time, we recommend that you take SAT Subject Tests as you complete the relevant courses. This ensures that you’ll have the scores if you need them.
What Is A Good SAT Subject Test Score?
The short answer: depending on the subject, you need to aim for at least 750 out of a possible 800 points.
The long answer: thanks to several factors, percentile rankings vary pretty widely from subject to subject, and the percentile ranking is what tells you how you perform relative to other test-takers. This is the metric that determines what a “good” score is.
Let’s look at an example:
This graph shows the percentile rankings for scores of 800, 750, and 700 for four SAT Subject Tests. Notice that a PERFECT SCORE on Math Level II places you at the 78th percentile, but the same score on Literature places you at the 99th percentile. 22 percent of test-takers earn a perfect score on SAT Math Level II.
Sweet! you think. SAT Math Level II must be really easy!
Not so fast.
These numbers tell us two important facts, but neither of them is that SAT Math Level II is easy:
- Anything less than a perfect 800 is not a very good score on SAT Math Level II. After all, a good score is one that places you higher than most other test-takers.
- The students who choose to take SAT Math Level II are really good at math, so the grading scale is pretty harsh.
Unlike the SAT, which is taken by a lot of students of widely varying academic abilities, SAT Subject Tests are most often taken by students who feel really confident in their subject mastery—the competition is a lot stiffer.
Which brings us back around to our short answer: depending on the subject, you’ll need at least a 750 to earn a good score.
How Many and which SAT Subject Tests Should I Take?
With the exception of Georgetown, which “strongly recommends” 3 SAT Subject Tests, most colleges that have a preference for the tests want to see scores from two tests in two different disciplines.
If you’re planning to apply for a STEM program, you’ll most likely need SAT Math Level II and a science test of your choosing.
If you’re not going into a STEM field, you should choose to take the tests that you feel most confident about—with one exception: don’t take the test for a language you speak at home. Colleges are unimpressed (and maybe even a little insulted) when students submit SAT Subject Test scores showing mastery in a language spoken in the home—this doesn’t show academic skill or intellectual growth.
How Do I Prepare for SAT Subject Tests?
SAT Subject Tests are entirely multiple choice—there’s no essay portion. This automatically makes them easier than some other subject-specific tests (we’re looking at you, AP exams). With that said, the stakes are high—for your scores to help your college admissions chances, you’ll need as close to a perfect score as possible. Clearly, thorough test prep is necessary.
Start with a practice test. This will give you an idea of your starting point, help familiarize you with the test format, and give you an idea of which concepts you need to review the most thoroughly.
Gather your materials. You can start here with the College Board’s Student Guide. When you choose a test prep book, we recommend starting with the ones published by the College Board so that you’re getting your practice material straight from the horse’s mouth.
Create a plan. Figure out how much time you can reasonably devote to SAT Subject Test prep each week. Pencil your study sessions in on your calendar (or enter them into your calendar app).
Kill two birds with one stone by combining SAT Subject Test prep with AP exam prep. Taking the relevant AP course gives you a strong foundation for success on SAT Subject Tests. Since you’ll need to spend weeks (months, really) prepping for the AP exam, which covers the same material but in a different way, you may as well work some SAT Subject Test practice in there. Register for the SAT Subject test in June, just a few weeks after your AP exam, and you’ll be ready to rock test day!
What’s the Difference Between These Tests and AP Exams?
SAT Subject Tests and AP exams are offered in a lot of the same subject areas, so it makes sense to prepare for them together if you’re taking an AP class.
But the tests are far from identical:
| SAT Subject Tests |
AP Exams |
| 1 hour |
~3 hours |
| Entirely multiple choice |
Multiple choice and free response |
| More fact-based |
More analytical |
Although most students find the individual questions on the SAT Subject Tests to be easier than those on AP exams, it’s actually easier overall to score well on the AP exams than on the SAT Subject Tests. To earn a good score—meaning a near-perfect score—on an SAT Subject Test, you can usually only afford to miss a small handful of questions. To earn a perfect 5 on an AP exam, you might only need about 70% of the total raw points.
What Should I Do Now?
Here’s our SAT Subject Test advice:
- When you take an AP class, register for the relevant SAT Subject Test at the end of the school year.
- It’s better to have scores and not need them than to have to sit for tests you’re not truly prepared for at the last minute.
Taking the tests might help your applications, but they won’t hurt them—there’s really no downside. You can get a free consultation at your local 宝博体育 Education center and figure out the best way to approach these tests.
New AP Exam Registration Deadline for 2019
APStarting in fall of 2019, the College Board implemented a few important changes to the AP exam registration process.
In the past, most students waited until spring to register for the May AP exams. Some students liked this flexibility: It allowed them to wait to decide whether to take the May AP exam until after they had a good idea of how well they were mastering the course material.
Now schools are required to register for AP exams by November 15, which means that students must make the decision to take AP exams just weeks into their AP courses. The College Board’s research shows that students perform better on end-of-year exams if they commit to taking those exams early in the school year.
This makes sense: after all, having clearly defined goals provides motivation.
Note that AP exam registration is still done through students’ schools, and some schools may establish different registration deadlines or fee schedules. The College Board’s changes will likely affect your school’s registration process.
So should you register for AP exams?
Unless finances are a limiting factor (AP exams can be costly), we recommend registering for the AP exams before the November 15 registration deadline. You’ll benefit from the motivation of preparing for the end-of-year exams. If you ultimately decide that you don’t want to take the exam, you can cancel your registration later (though there is a fee).
Can you change your mind in the spring?
Any changes to registration status after the November 15 deadline will incur a $40 fee. If you register for an exam that you ultimately decide not to take, there’s a $40 cancellation fee. If you don’t register for an exam and then you change your mind, there’s a $40 late registration fee.
How to Improve Your GPA in High School
HIGH SCHOOLIs your GPA just plain scary? If so, you’re not alone. Plenty of students get a shiver up their spines when they think about their GPA—how will I ever go to college with bad grades like these? Fear not: No matter where you are on your college admissions journey, there are steps you can take to fix your broken GPA.
Fixing your GPA: Freshmen and Sophomores
Good news! It’s early yet. You have time to bring up your GPA before college applications roll around. Here’s what you need to do right now:
Talk to your teachers.
They (probably) aren’t going home at night thinking of new ways to torture you. On the contrary—your teachers WANT you to succeed. Ask them for help! Even if they won’t allow extra credit, they will usually be more than happy to help you understand the concepts that you’re just not getting.
Do your homework.
This one seems like a given, but it has to be said: If your grades are bad because you didn’t turn in your homework all semester, stop that now. Do your homework EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.
Ask for partial credit.
If the problem is missing assignments, ask your teachers very, very nicely if you could earn partial credit by turning in late work. Even a 25% is better than a 0%! Remember: your teachers are under absolutely no obligation to give you any credit at all for missing assignments—but you never know if you don’t ask.
Identify the problem.
Once your identify the problem, you can take steps to fix it.
Even if you can’t fix the grades you have now, you can—and should—fix the underlying problems so that you earn better grades going forward. If you struggle to understand the material in your classes or you have study skills problems that you can’t seem to solve on your own, get the help of a qualified tutor to build the foundation you need to succeed in the future.
Improving Your GPA for Juniors
Junior year is tough. In addition to all the other stuff you need to do to get ready for college applications, you’ve also got the pressure to excel in your classes because (sorry to stress you out even more) junior year grades are arguably the most important grades on your transcript. After all, these may be the last semesters to show up on your transcript before you apply to college, which means that these grades will offer the clearest view of your current academic abilities.
It’s no wonder you’re having nightmares.
Here’s what you need to do:
Math. Yes, math.
Do some calculations to figure out what’s possible with your GPA. The reality is that you have a finite amount of time to fix your GPA. Depending on the time of year, you might only have 1 or 2 semesters of grades to try to dig out of the hole you’ve found yourself in. If you’re a junior with a 2.0 GPA, it’s just not reasonable to think you’re going to somehow bring it up to a 3.5—and no one will be helped by setting an unattainable expectation.
Let go of the past.
What’s done is done—you haven’t change the grades you’ve already earned. What you CAN do is show a pattern of improvement. Even if your overall GPA is low, you can still show colleges your potential by demonstrating that you’ve improved your performance. You can’t change that bad grade from last semester, but you CAN get a good grade this semester.
Fix the underlying problem.
What’s causing your bad grades? Whether it’s trouble understanding the material, difficulty studying for tests, or problems with organization and procrastination, once you’ve identified the reason for the bad grades, you can take steps to fix things. And if you find that you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Your teachers, counselors, and tutors are there to support you!
Bolster other parts of your application.
Even if you can’t totally fix your GPA, you can make the other parts of your college applications as strong as possible. Maximize your SAT or ACT scores, go for the leadership positions in your extracurriculars, find some meaningful volunteer opportunities to dig into, and take some SAT Subject Tests in the subjects you feel most confident in.
Seniors, There’s Still A Chance to Fix Your GPA.
Never say never! Here’s what you need to do:
Don’t apply early.
If your GPA is borderline, hold off and apply to college through regular decision so that you can include your fall semester grades in the mix. Really strong fall semester grades might help.
Take the moon shot.
If you’ve got a college on your radar that you know your GPA is too low for, apply anyway. The worst thing that could happen is a rejection letter, and you never know…you might have that special something that overcomes your bad grades to win admission.
Know that you WILL be able to go to college.
It just might not be the college you always dreamed of. Despite the record-low admission rates published by elite universities year after year, the overall admission rate for all four-year colleges has remained steady at around 65%. There are absolutely schools that you can earn admission to, even if they aren’t top 100 colleges.
Come up with your backup plans.
You have options.
You can’t hide from a scary GPA—you’ll have to face it head-on. 宝博体育 Education’s got your back. If you think you need help with your grades, visit your local 宝博体育 center for a consultation.
The Complete Guide to SAT Subject Tests
TEST PREPEffective 2021, SAT Subject Tests are no longer offered by the College Board. To show subject matter expertise, consider taking AP exams instead.
SAT Subject Tests are the lesser-known cousin of the SAT and AP exams. About 2 million students take the SAT each year, and about 2.8 million take AP exams each year, but only about 200,000 take SAT Subject Tests. Keep reading to learn whether you should be one of them.
What Are SAT Subject Tests?
SAT Subject Tests (once known as SAT IIs) are one-hour multiple-choice tests offered in a variety of subjects. They can be used to bolster college applications by demonstrating mastery in certain subject areas.
The Complete List of SAT Subject Tests
The tests are offered in nine core subject areas:
In addition, there are 12 foreign language subject tests:
Should I Take SAT Subject Tests?
Whether you should take SAT Subject Tests depends on a lot of factors. There are some students who should absolutely take them:
But even if you’re among the majority of students who don’t absolutely have to take SAT Subject Tests, most students can benefit from them.
The biggest mistake you can make is to realize at the last minute that you need Subject Test scores. Since colleges change requirements from year to year, and students change college preferences over time, we recommend that you take SAT Subject Tests as you complete the relevant courses. This ensures that you’ll have the scores if you need them.
What Is A Good SAT Subject Test Score?
The short answer: depending on the subject, you need to aim for at least 750 out of a possible 800 points.
The long answer: thanks to several factors, percentile rankings vary pretty widely from subject to subject, and the percentile ranking is what tells you how you perform relative to other test-takers. This is the metric that determines what a “good” score is.
Let’s look at an example:
This graph shows the percentile rankings for scores of 800, 750, and 700 for four SAT Subject Tests. Notice that a PERFECT SCORE on Math Level II places you at the 78th percentile, but the same score on Literature places you at the 99th percentile. 22 percent of test-takers earn a perfect score on SAT Math Level II.
Sweet! you think. SAT Math Level II must be really easy!
Not so fast.
These numbers tell us two important facts, but neither of them is that SAT Math Level II is easy:
Unlike the SAT, which is taken by a lot of students of widely varying academic abilities, SAT Subject Tests are most often taken by students who feel really confident in their subject mastery—the competition is a lot stiffer.
Which brings us back around to our short answer: depending on the subject, you’ll need at least a 750 to earn a good score.
How Many and which SAT Subject Tests Should I Take?
With the exception of Georgetown, which “strongly recommends” 3 SAT Subject Tests, most colleges that have a preference for the tests want to see scores from two tests in two different disciplines.
If you’re planning to apply for a STEM program, you’ll most likely need SAT Math Level II and a science test of your choosing.
If you’re not going into a STEM field, you should choose to take the tests that you feel most confident about—with one exception: don’t take the test for a language you speak at home. Colleges are unimpressed (and maybe even a little insulted) when students submit SAT Subject Test scores showing mastery in a language spoken in the home—this doesn’t show academic skill or intellectual growth.
How Do I Prepare for SAT Subject Tests?
SAT Subject Tests are entirely multiple choice—there’s no essay portion. This automatically makes them easier than some other subject-specific tests (we’re looking at you, AP exams). With that said, the stakes are high—for your scores to help your college admissions chances, you’ll need as close to a perfect score as possible. Clearly, thorough test prep is necessary.
Start with a practice test. This will give you an idea of your starting point, help familiarize you with the test format, and give you an idea of which concepts you need to review the most thoroughly.
Gather your materials. You can start here with the College Board’s Student Guide. When you choose a test prep book, we recommend starting with the ones published by the College Board so that you’re getting your practice material straight from the horse’s mouth.
Create a plan. Figure out how much time you can reasonably devote to SAT Subject Test prep each week. Pencil your study sessions in on your calendar (or enter them into your calendar app).
Kill two birds with one stone by combining SAT Subject Test prep with AP exam prep. Taking the relevant AP course gives you a strong foundation for success on SAT Subject Tests. Since you’ll need to spend weeks (months, really) prepping for the AP exam, which covers the same material but in a different way, you may as well work some SAT Subject Test practice in there. Register for the SAT Subject test in June, just a few weeks after your AP exam, and you’ll be ready to rock test day!
What’s the Difference Between These Tests and AP Exams?
SAT Subject Tests and AP exams are offered in a lot of the same subject areas, so it makes sense to prepare for them together if you’re taking an AP class.
But the tests are far from identical:
Although most students find the individual questions on the SAT Subject Tests to be easier than those on AP exams, it’s actually easier overall to score well on the AP exams than on the SAT Subject Tests. To earn a good score—meaning a near-perfect score—on an SAT Subject Test, you can usually only afford to miss a small handful of questions. To earn a perfect 5 on an AP exam, you might only need about 70% of the total raw points.
What Should I Do Now?
Here’s our SAT Subject Test advice:
Taking the tests might help your applications, but they won’t hurt them—there’s really no downside. You can get a free consultation at your local 宝博体育 Education center and figure out the best way to approach these tests.
Which Colleges Require SAT Subject Tests?
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSEffective 2021, SAT Subject Tests are no longer offered by the College Board. To show subject matter expertise, consider taking AP exams instead.
When it comes to college admissions tests, some questions are easier to answer than others. For instance, you already know that you almost certainly need to take the SAT or the ACT. And you probably want to take steps to prepare for those tests. But what about those weird second-cousins to the SAT, the SAT Subject Tests? Are SAT Subject Tests required?
The answer to that question is a little more complex. Colleges have widely differing policies about SAT Subject Tests. We’ve compiled a list of top colleges and their SAT Subject Test policies to help you figure out the best testing strategy.
SAT Subject Test Policies
SAT Subject Test policies can be put into five categories:
This chart shows the standardized testing policies for the 2019 application season. Remember—colleges can change their minds from year to year! You should always visit a college’s website to confirm testing requirements before you apply.
· College of Engineering recommends Math II and Physics or Chemistry
· Dietrich College of the Humanities and Social Sciences recommends Math I or II and one additional test
· Information Systems majors are recommended to take Math I or II and one additional test
· Mellon College of Science recommends Math II and one Science
· School of Computer Science recommends Math II and one Science
· Tepper School of Business recommends Math II and one additional subject
No subject preferences except for Engineering, which recommends Math I or II and either Physics or Chemistry
Subject preference varies by major
· Arts/Humanities/Social Science: Any 2 subjects
· Nursing: Science, preferably Chemistry, and another subject
· STEM: Math II and a Science
· Business: Math 2 and another subject
ISP: Chemistry, Physics, and Math II
Home-schooled students: Math I or II plus 2 others from different disciplines
Are You Taking the SAT Subject Tests?
Once you’ve researched and found out that the schools you want to apply to require or recommend the SAT Subject Tests, it’s time to start planning out your test prep strategy. To get started, you can read our blog post on “Prepping for the SAT Subject Tests.” You can also get a free consultation at your local 宝博体育 Education center and develop your own personalized test prep plan.
Applying to College Early: Is It Worth It?
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSLet’s take a deep dive into one of the most common college admissions questions out there: Should you apply to college early?
Early Application Programs: What’s the Difference Between Early Action and Early Decision?
Colleges offer a few different early application options, so do your research. Before you click submit, make sure you know exactly what you’re agreeing to!
Early Decision Applications
By applying through Early Decision, you’re giving the college a promise ring: If only you’ll take me, I’m yours! If you are admitted through Early Decision, you are obligated to attend the school (barring extreme financial hardship or other extenuating circumstances).
The good news? Early decision applicants usually have a significant leg up in admission rates. Check out these numbers:
Proportionally, way more students get in through Early Decision than through Regular Decision. This doesn’t mean that it’s easier to get in through Early Decision—the pool of applicants tends to be stronger overall—but the added demonstrated interest of applying through a binding Early Decision program certainly helps.
Early Action Applications
Early action programs are pretty flexible. You get to apply early, you get to find out the answer sooner, and you’re not committing to anything. The downside is that Early Action doesn’t usually confer the same admission benefits as Early Decision.
While only a small percentage of applicants make the commitment required by Early Decision programs, nearly half of all applicants at schools with Early Action apply early. Applying through Early Action just doesn’t show the same level of interest in the school as Early Decision does. This helps to explain why Early Decision tends to give a greater admissions bump than Early Action.
Single-Choice Early Action
And then there is the relative newcomer to the early application party: Single-Choice Early Action. Schools like Harvard and Princeton employ Single-Choice Early Action programs to get the best of both worlds.
Students who apply through these programs are not obligated to enroll if they are admitted, but they are not allowed to apply early to other private colleges. A student who applies through Single-Choice Early Action is showing demonstrated interest by forgoing the possible benefits of early applications at similar colleges, but the student still has options open after admission decisions arrive.
Does Applying Early Boost Chances of Admission?
The short answer: usually.
At some colleges, there is a significant difference in the admission rates between early application programs and regular applications programs. At other colleges, there is virtually no difference. And at very tiny handful of colleges, admission rates may actually be higher through regular admission than through early application programs.
In other words, it’s worth doing your research.
That said, there can be some benefit to applying early at particularly competitive colleges. At highly competitive schools, sometimes it is the smallest details that can make the difference between admission and rejection. By applying early, you send the message that you are incredibly interested in attending that school; this may make a very slight difference in admission decisions. Moreover, if you are deferred into the regular admission pool, your early interest may further emphasize your interest in the school, thereby slightly helping your chances of admission.
Should You Apply to College Early?
Maybe.
Early admission programs are popular for good reason: Nothing feels better than starting winter break with a few admission offers in hand. You can eliminate a lot of stress and potentially boost your chances of admission by applying early.
But there are some cases in which you should NOT take advantage of early admission programs:
In the first three scenarios, you’ll be a stronger applicant if you wait. Better test scores, a higher GPA, or a much stronger essay will ultimately make a bigger difference to your chances for admission than meeting an earlier deadline will.
The final scenario is worth highlighting: Never apply Early Decision at a school you aren’t sure you want to attend. If you get in, that’s it—you have to enroll. The decision is out of your hands. (What’s that you say? You fell in love with a different school? Gee, that’s tough. Maybe you can transfer there later…)
宝博体育 Education Huntington Beach now serving the community
CENTERS宝博体育 Education Huntington Beach is now open! Our newest center in Huntington Beach, CA is now open and ready to provide students with the expert help they need to succeed! For over 20 years, we’ve been working with students on their journey towards attending the school of their dreams. We’re bringing our test prep, tutoring, and college admissions counseling services to Huntington Beach and the surrounding community to produce the great results tens of thousands of our students see across the country.
宝博体育 Huntington Beach Stands Out from the Rest
What sets 宝博体育 Education apart from other tutoring centers? You’ll be impressed.
Start Today with 宝博体育
At 宝博体育 Education, we offer K-12 tutoring programs; test prep for the SAT, ACT, PSAT, AP exams; and college counseling services. We’re here to help get you into the school of your dreams. Our expert tutors are ready to create a custom study plan for you, so stop by 宝博体育 Education of Huntington Beach today, or call us.
宝博体育 Education Mount Laurel now serving the community
CENTERS宝博体育 Education Mount Laurel is now open! Our newest center in Mount Laurel Township, NJ is now open and ready to provide students with the expert help they need to succeed! For over 20 years, we’ve been working with students on their journey towards attending the school of their dreams. We’re bringing our test prep, tutoring, and college admissions counseling services to Mount Laurel and the surrounding community to produce the great results tens of thousands of our students see across the country.
宝博体育 Mount Laurel Stands Out from the Rest
What sets 宝博体育 Education apart from other tutoring centers? You’ll be impressed.
Start Today with 宝博体育
At 宝博体育 Education, we offer K-12 tutoring programs; test prep for the SAT, ACT, PSAT, AP exams; and college counseling services. We’re here to help get you into the school of your dreams. Our expert tutors are ready to create a custom study plan for you, so stop by 宝博体育 Education of Mount Laurel today, or call us.
Creating the Perfect Study Environment
TUTORINGStudy environments can have a profound affect on students. Your surroundings — whether you’re in a small or large room, a loud or a quiet one, even a blue or a red one — can change your emotions, thoughts and focus. That means that surrounding yourself with the correct stimuli can make the difference between studying that sticks…or doesn’t.
What’s more, the perfect study environment is, in fact, more than one place. While classic advice says to find a specific spot that you habitually use just for studying, research says the opposite. Studies have shown that studying the same material in different locations increases your ability to retain the information.
Your brain constantly processes sensory information, even when you don’t realize it. When you’re studying, all of this information—the sights, sounds, and feelings you experience—gets connected with the information that you’re purposely feeding into your brain. The more connections you can make to the information you’re trying to remember, the more likely you are to retain the knowledge.
There are characteristics you can look for in your several ideal study environments to enhance your focus and memory:
Color
While much of the field of color psychology is unproven, one study has noted a correlation between the color red and poorer test performance. No one knows why, but the common wisdom holds that red excites our nervous system, making us agitated or excited and less likely to focus. Of course it’s hard to dictate the color of the room that’s most convenient for you, but if you can, try to pick a room without loud colors. You don’t want the walls themselves to distract you!
Size
Are you claustrophobic? Then avoid the study carrels in the library! Room size has different effects on different people. While a small space would serve to block distractions from one student, it might make another anxious. Anxiety can lead to interruptions in certain cognitive functions, like working memory. Create environments that make you feel calm and happy when you start to study. Chances are you’ll pay better attention to your work.
Noise Level
Noise is another surprising stressor. We know you love that coffee shop, but some scientists think that background noise creates a certain amount of bodily stress, producing a hormone called cortisol. Excess cortisol keeps a section of the brain called the prefrontal cortex from working properly. The prefrontal cortex helps control what’s called “executive” functions, including planning and reasoning — two faculties you’ll need while you’re studying for a difficult exam! Scientific American claims that “the prefrontal cortex [may also store] short-term memories. Changes to this region, therefore, may disrupt a person’s capacity to think clearly and to retain information.”
What About Music?
But what about music? After all, plenty of people claim that listening to Mozart makes you smarter. Surely the right music could help you study, right? The science is pretty mixed. The so-called Mozart Effect was illustrated by a study in which college students who listened to Mozart performed better on a test of spatial reasoning than students who listened to relaxation music or to nothing at all. However, the boost to performance lasted only for a few minutes, and other studies have failed to replicate the results—so Mozart doesn’t make you smarter. Lots of other researchers have looked into the cognitive effects of music. Some studies have shown that music that promotes positive feelings and that doesn’t have a lot of tempo changes might be beneficial. Others have shown no effect regardless of the music or have shown inconsistent results. In the end, whether music will help depends on a lot of factors: what you’re studying, what music you play, how loud you play it, and your own personality and preferences.
What’s your perfect study environment?
Only you can figure that out, but our suggestion is to trust your gut. Look for a room that makes you feel at ease, probably a quiet one with cool colors. The more relaxed you are, the better you’ll remember why the Archduke Franz Ferdinand is important, or when George Washington forded the Delaware, or who discovered DNA. Find a great place, and hit those books! If you need help figuring out how your study environment may be affecting your grades and test scores, reach out to your local 宝博体育 Education center for a free consultation.
5 ACT® Math Tips to Achieve High Scores
ACT, TEST PREPLove it or hate it, there’s no escaping math. Students hoping to use the ACT® for admission to a dream college need to build the math chops for top ACT scores. ACT math questions are roughly ordered from easiest to hardest. Understanding this pattern can help you to pace yourself effectively: you’ll jump through the first questions faster in order to save time to tackle the tougher questions toward the end. Keep reading for our ACT math tips, so you can tackle every question, from easiest to hardest.
Tip 1: Know your geometry formulas for ACT math.
A decent chunk of the math section focuses on geometry, and unlike the SAT, the ACT doesn’t give you a handy little cheat sheet. ACT math success requires that you memorize these formulas:
Tip 2: Know what the question’s asking.
This seems pretty obvious, but the ACT math section can play tricks on you. For example:
The solution to this problem is x=2/3 and y=-1/2, and the test makers included both of these values as wrong answers to trick students who don’t read the entire problem. Always make sure you read the question carefully and know what you’re solving for before picking your answer.
Tip 3: Pay attention to units of measurement.
Another trick common to the ACT math section is sleight of hand with units. Many questions give measurements in more than one unit (a piece of lumber might be 8 feet long and 4 inches wide) or change units between the problem and the answer choices (if a truck drives 40 miles per hour, how many minutes will it take to travel 3 miles?).
You can avoid falling into this trap by converting all units into the units used in the answer choices before you begin solving the problem.
Tip 4: Visualize the problem.
If a question describes a scenario that lends itself to a diagram, draw one.
For example: Bayside High School’s practice field is 120 yards long and 50 yards wide. Mario runs sprints across the field diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner. How far does Mario run each sprint?
Visualizing the question will help you solve the problem. In this example, we know that we need to solve for x. We can also see the best way to solve the problem (1202 + 502 = x2).
This same advice applies when the test gives you a diagram but doesn’t label all of the information provided in the question—make sure you label everything!
Tip 5: Know when to fold ‘em.
The ACT math section includes some topics that only show up briefly in your high school math classes, like matrices and vectors. If you’re shooting for a perfect ACT math score, you’ll need to know every possible topic by heart—you can’t afford to miss any questions. But if your score goal is less than perfection, studying these rare topics isn’t going to give you much bang for your test prep buck. Instead, learn to recognize a topic you’re not familiar with and skip it. There’s no sense wasting previous time trying to remember a concept you learned years ago when you could be spending that time answering questions you’re more likely to get right. Instead, skip the unfamiliar concepts and go back to them if you have time remaining. And if you run out of time, don’t forget to guess—there’s no guessing penalty!
Get ACT Math Help
Want some extra ACT math help? Contact your local 宝博体育 Education center today and schedule a free consultation!