Make Your Practice ACT® & SAT® Tests Feel like the Real Thing

One of the best marketing tools at your disposal as a test-prep business is free practice test sessions. They provide opportunities for lead generation and sales unlike any other.

However, just getting students in seats for your practice test event isn’t enough. Your sales conversions will rely heavily upon your ability to deliver a meaningful practice test experience. 

There are several factors that determine whether or not your test day delivers a return on your time and investment. Chief among these is whether your testing experience is an authentic one or simply a meet-and-greet with paperwork. 

That said, there is a balance that you and your fellow proctors must strike between being a rigid stickler and a likable prospective tutor. This may seem like a daunting tightrope walk, but it doesn’t have to be. 

Know and Deliver the Format of the Actual SAT® and ACT®

While you may view your practice test session as a marketing coup, remember that the test is the main event – not you or your company. People register and attend your free practice test session to take the actual test.

As such, your practice test should conform to the standards of content, testing conditions, and timing set by the actual SAT® and ACT® tests. Offering anything short of this level of realism will lead to test takers smelling a rat. You promoted a practice test, you need to deliver one. Losing credibility from prospective clients is a surefire way to miss out on the opportunities for their business.

The testing environment is a big part of the overall test-day experience. Much of your practice session’s authenticity will hinge on your ability to recreate what an actual test center will be like. Regardless of whether you are offering the SAT® or ACT®, these conditions are similar:

• seats should be in single-file rows

• students should be able to see a functioning clock

• restrooms should be easily accessible

• the testing room should be a comfortable temperature, well-lit, and properly ventilated

• the testing room should be a distraction-free environment

• food, drinks, and personal belongings should be out of sight

It doesn’t hurt to draw attention to these features in your introductory instructions to drive home how their practice test session relates to what they will experience on their actual test day.

Once testing begins, stick to the instructional patterns of the actual tests, complete with section introductions, section times, and breaks. 

See the timing and order of each test section below:

SAT® Section: Total Testing Time: 3 hours, 50 minutes

• Evidence-Based Reading: 52 questions, 65 minutes

• Evidence-Based Writing: 44 questions, 35 minutes

• Mathematics (no calculator): 20 questions, 25 minutes

• Mathematics (with calculator): 38 questions, 55 minutes

ACT® Section: Total Testing Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes with writing

• English: 75 questions, 45 minutes

• Mathematics (with calculator): 60 questions, 60 minutes

• Reading: 40 questions, 35 minutes

• Science: 40 questions, 35 minutes

• Optional Writing: 1 essay, 40 minutes

Note that the times above do not include breaks.

Inject Some Personality and Humanity Into Your Practice Test

Many students who sit for a free practice test have yet to sit for the real tests. So, while your test day needs to be an authentic introduction to what the grind of a 3-hour test session feels like, you need to be wary of the anxiety and nervousness many of your test takers will feel.

Along those lines, the proctoring instructions included in our complete practice test guide include both the rules and the robotic proctoring language similar to the actual tests, but they also provide some specific opportunities for flexibility. These small gestures can lower the tension by a few notches and help promote a less stressful atmosphere.

Some examples include:

• allowing students to use whatever calculators they bring – even supplying backups for those who arrive without

• providing extra pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpeners for student use

• supplying healthy snacks and drinks for break times

• providing additional test-timing devices for student use

While these gestures may not be considered “by the book” for an actual ACT® or SAT® test day, they help serve the overall purpose of allowing students to experience a lower-stakes testing simulation.

Avoid Shortcuts

A free practice test may be the only opportunity that you have to make an impression on certain potential students. This means that you must make sure you dot your i’s and cross your t’s. There may be easy ways to get your practice test day off the ground, but be careful not to rely on shortcuts that may harm your ultimate goal of drawing in new business!

Choose the right tests. It may be tempting to simply print out the practice tests from the College Board or photocopy an old ACT®. DON’T DO IT!

Sure, practicing with real tests makes more sense than using fake ones. However, there are legalities involved in what you can reproduce and share with students (prospective or otherwise) and what you cannot. Be sure that the materials you use are obtained legally and are licensed for reuse.

Protect your brand. Don’t set students up to take a practice test featuring someone else’s brand. Sitting students at computers to take a Khan Academy practice test is an advertisement for Khan, not for your business. Similarly, don’t hand out any materials – from pencils to test timers – that promote another company. 

Instead, be sure that any tools or forms you hand out, including answer sheets and score reports feature your company’s logo and identifying information.

Assessment is the key to conversion. Once your practice test day is done, then the real work begins! Don’t just send off a score report and hope for a call back. Follow up with test takers by using their score sheets as a consulting opportunity. Dive into the data as if they are already your clients and develop a strategy for improvement. Instead of just delivering numbers, present evidence, tools, and solutions for personalized score improvement.

For more tips and strategies for the best possible practice test experience, check out our guide: How to Generate and Convert Leads By Hosting Free Practice SAT® Tests. This free and practical toolkit walks you through the entire practice test process including:

• research

• promotion

• materials

• proctoring

• assessment

• lead conversion

• business growth

Download your free copy and get started supercharging your upcoming practice test events!