Short-form videos can be surprisingly powerful for SAT/ACT prep—especially when each one teaches a single “micro-skill” you can apply immediately on practice tests. In this article, we’ll group four quick lessons into one theme: how to think and work like a high-scoring test taker. That includes technical accuracy (so you don’t lose points to formatting) and flexible reasoning (so you don’t freeze when a problem feels unfamiliar).
On the Digital SAT, the Writing and Language-style questions (now inside the Reading & Writing section) reward students who can move quickly without getting sloppy. That usually means two things: (1) spot the grammatical “signal” the test is actually measuring, and (2) use the minimum amount of reading needed to answer confidently.
Two years ago, when College Board announced that the new Digital SAT would abandon dreaded long-passage reading comprehension questions in favor of a shorter, quicker, mixed verbal section, thousands of high school sophomores and juniors breathed a collective sigh of relief. Six paragraph science passages, plot-free fictional excerpts, and paired historical texts with flowery opaque language would all be retired with few lamenting their absence from the new exam. After all, these new passages were going to be easy! One and done! How could it possibly be difficult to guess the main idea of a five-line passage?
Should I take the ACT or the SAT? This is one of the most common questions students have when they begin to consider the college application process.
As a rising senior in college, I have had my share of first hand experience with standardized tests. Through elementary, middle, and high school, students in my state (like most states) are required to take assessment exams. When I had finally suffered through my last of those, the SATs and ACTs were right around the corner ready to greet me with open arms. I, on the other hand, wasn’t sure I was quite as ready to accept the challenge.
Even now, it seems as if new variations of standardized testing are being created yearly. Although a lot of controversy has surrounded the validity of this method of evaluation, for better or for worse, this is our country’s preferred approach. Instead of fighting it, I learned how to live with it. And this is an evaluation of my experience. Hopefully, if you yourself have not yet experienced the SATs and ACTs, or other similar standardized tests, this article will help ease your fears and confusion.