Helping Students Who Haven’t Hit Their Target ACT® Score Goal (Yet!)
We’ve all worked with a client who feels stuck, taking the ACT® multiple times but still falling short of their target score.
When this happens, it’s easy for students (and their parents!) to feel frustrated. But instead of just simply encouraging yet another retake, guiding our clients toward a smarter, more strategic approach to test prep is the key to getting our clients out of that test score rut!
Here are 3 crucial steps to help your students maximize their academic potential and make the most out of their test prep before they retake the ACT®.
Step 1: Dig Deeper Into Score Reports
The first step is to analyze what’s working and what’s not. Look at those past score reports to see where progress was made and areas of weakness to pinpoint exactly where to focus your efforts.
Encourage your students to order the ACT My Answer Key (formerly the ACT Test Information Release [TIR]) when for every test they take. The My Answer Key provides:
A digital copy of the multiple-choice test questions
The student’s answers
A copy of their answer document
The answer key and conversion table
This report can help you identify specific content gaps, question types that trip them up, and time-management pitfalls. Instead of broad, unfocused studying, you can drill down on the areas that will yield the biggest score improvements.
If your client doesn’t have an ACT My Answer Key from their previous tests, they can refer to their ACT® score reports to gather similar insights.
Additionally, their past ACT® practice tests and corresponding score reports can offer valuable details to help build a newer, stronger test-prep strategy.
Step 2: Rethink Study Strategies
For our students who have already put in the effort and hours of studying without seeing significant growth, a change in approach is pivotal to achieving score improvement.
Consider these 4 strategies:
Active vs. Passive Learning: Watching videos or rereading notes won’t cut it for the boost these students need. Encourage your clients to actively engage with the test material through more effective study strategies to aid their long-term retention, such as spaced repetition, interleaved practice, and visual aids.
Prioritize Weaknesses: Many students default to practicing what they’re already good at, assuming that their academic strengths will ultimately bring their scores up. Unfortunately, that’s not how score improvement works. At this point in the game, they need to pay special attention to those weaknesses that keep dragging their scores down. Have them devote a more significant amount of their study time to their weakest areas, choosing the most important concepts to prioritize.
Simulated Test Conditions: Taking full-length, timed practice tests can help with endurance, confidence, pacing, and test anxiety. The more closely you make the practice test setting to the environment and conditions test takers experience on test day, the better prepared they’ll be.
Refined Timing Strategies: Timing is everything when taking a standardized test, and your students should be trained to manage their time most effectively. A key part of time management during the ACT® is teaching test takers when to skip and return to difficult questions, how to pace themselves across sections, when guessing strategically makes sense, and how to use any extra time wisely.
Step 3: Master the Art of Strategic Guessing
Encouraging your students to complete the ACT® every time can significantly affect their final score. Here’s how you can guide them to utilize strategic guessing most effectively:
Elimination Techniques: Teach your students to eliminate obviously wrong answers first. This not only increases their chances of guessing the right answer but also helps them focus on the most plausible options, improving their odds of selecting the correct response.
Time Management: Ensure your students know how much time they have for each section and keep track of their pace. If they find themselves running out of time, they should be prepared to implement guessing strategies. Training them to recognize when it's time to make an educated guess and move on from a question can prevent them from leaving answers blank.
Best Guessing Practices: Sometimes, an educated guess can be based on partial knowledge of the question. Encourage students to pick up on keywords or familiar patterns in questions they're unsure about, which can lead to more accurate guessing.
Probability and Statistics: For questions where an educated guess is necessary, understanding basic principles of probability and recognizing common trap answers and distractors can also help improve the likelihood of a correct guess.
Key Takeaways
Analyze Score Reports: Utilize the ACT My Answer Key to pinpoint specific weaknesses in previous tests. This focused review helps identify critical areas for improvement.
Rethink Study Strategies: Shift from passive to active learning, concentrating on areas of weakness rather than strengths. Employ varied study methods like spaced repetition and interleaved practice.
Simulate Test Conditions: Regular practice under timed conditions can improve pacing and reduce test anxiety. This makes the actual test environment feel more familiar and less intimidating.
Teach Strategic Guessing: Educate your students on elimination techniques and when to make educated guesses. This ensures that they complete the test in its entirety, maximizing their score potential.
These steps will help your clients overcome the challenges of retaking the ACT® and move closer to achieving their target ACT® score.
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