Students Need Experience with Computerized ACT® and SAT® Test Tools
Computerized testing is undeniably gaining steam. In recent years, many states have shifted from administering their annual standardized tests with paper booklets, bubble sheets, and No. 2 pencils to computer screens and Chromebooks. The ACT®, SAT®, GRE, PSAT®, and AP tests have already moved to digital administration. While there are still paper-and-pencil options for the aforementioned exams, the shift to digital is a priority (especially in the face of challenges like pandemics and natural disasters).
Before long, it is reasonable to expect computerized administration to be the norm. Schools across the country have beefed-up their technological infrastructure and inventory of devices in the move to remote and hybrid virtual learning modalities. Suddenly, the expectation that test takers can be provided with both the tools and the networks capable of reliable digitized testing is much more realistic.
School districts and testing centers may be better prepared for online and computerized tests, but how prepared are students? Virtual learning has become more commonplace, but it is taking place across a wide array of services, platforms, and web tools. Assuming that students automatically will know how to engage with a digitized test - especially one as important as the ACT® or SAT® - is foolhardy.
Computer Use Takes Focus and Practice
In today’s world, screen time is at an all time high. Between quarantines, remote learning, video games, smartphones, and streaming services, students have plenty of time in front of digital displays. That said, actually being able to focus on a screen for a sustained period of time takes practice.
Our eyes can only take so much. There are plenty of suggestions for how to reduce the physical strains related to screen time. However, the physical challenges of digital work are not the only struggle. Focusing on a screen removes the tactile and physical components of working by hand. Many students need practice maintaining attention on a solitary device and digital task for the amount of time required for a full standardized test.
Typing is also a skill that deserves some attention. While most of today’s students are lightning-quick on touchscreen keyboards, there is still a lot of “hunting-and-pecking” going on when they are given a traditional QWERTY keyboard to use. Since standardized tests are typically administered on school or testing center computers, laptops and Chromebooks (read: not tablets or smartphones), it is essential that students have the ability to complete written responses efficiently using a physical keyboard. In most cases, planning and organization can happen on scratch paper, but “the writing you do on paper will not be scored.”
In each of these cases, the only way to be confident that a student can perform comparably on a digital test to a paper one is deliberate practice in a computerized format. For these reasons, Clear Choice has made digital learning a key component of our curricular offerings. Our software allows students opportunities to engage with SAT®- and ACT®-style material from their device screens as well as in traditional paper workbook formats.
Students Need to Know The Test-Specific Tools at Their Disposal
Just building digital endurance isn’t enough. Each computerized test comes with its own set of integrated tools and helps that students need to be aware of. The assumption is that all test takers have access to these tools, so all test takers should be using them. The reality is, just because a feature exists, doesn’t mean it has a practical application for every test taker.
Below are some of the most common computerized testing tools that are made available to test takers. Test prep tutors need to be deliberate in both sharing what they are as well as how they fit into proven test-taking strategies.
Flagging questions - To start with, most computer-based tests offer test takers the ability to flag a question for future review. This is a great way for students to identify problems or questions that they either skipped or would like to devote some extra time to if they finish the rest of the section early. This is a definite time-saver compared to the analog alternatives of flipping back and forth through a testing booklet trying to recall what still deserves the attention of those last valuable minutes and seconds. When a feature pairs so cleanly with a high-value testing strategy, it is worth making sure students know about it!
X-out answer choices - It is often common to find an “x-out” feature on computerized tests. This allows students to cross-out incorrect answers just as they would on a paper-based test. Some tests even offer full-on answer masking. Rather than striking though an answer choice, the answer is essentially redacted from the page. Which option a test taker uses boils down to personal choice, but once again, practical testing strategies in digital form are always a plus!
Marking the text - Many passage-reading strategies include making marks or notations in the text where important information or claims might be located. In some cases, this makes referring back to the passage on the hunt for a specific phrase or idea a much quicker process.
Line reader - Some tests allow for a virtual line-reading tool. It works the same way an index card with a line-sized window would work: text is isolated into single line chunks, eliminating the distraction of the surrounding type. This may be useful for certain readers - like those with ocular issues or difficulty reading from a screen - but it is likely more of a distraction than a help for most test takers.
Magnifier - Similar to a line-reader, a magnifying tool simply makes a box of text larger and easier to read. It may be useful when trying to read small print or discern details on a figure or graph. That said, the tests are designed to be readable without such a tool, so in most cases, a magnifier will go unused.
With all of these digital tools, don’t forget the analog ones! A trusty (approved) calculator, test times, and scratch paper are still three of the most useful things a test taker needs. For more, check out our free Illustrated Test Day Checklist. It includes all of the must-haves (and definite “nopes”) for any test taker - analog or digital.