Benefits of SAT & ACT Prep

Some parents may have noticed that there are opportunities for their children to prep. But what benefits do these courses hold, and should your child take them? If you want to make sure your child is ready for the SAT or ACT, here are the benefits of SAT and ACT prep that can provide you an incentive to get your child started.

1. Students gain a better understanding of what the SAT/ACT is and how to take it.

The SAT and the ACT are not like normal tests that your child may encounter through high school. Rather, they are both a comprehensive exam designed to better determine whether or not your child has managed to acquire all of the skills and information that they needed to learn (as well as determine their preparedness for the next step). Making the decision to take a test prep course will help your student better understand what the test looks like, how much time they will have to take each section and all of the tips and tricks that will allow them to get through it more efficiently. Going into any of these tests blind can result in a low score and added stress as they try to find a new testing slot and get the score they needed the first time around.

2. Prep will give your child the support needed to successfully tackle whichever test they decide to take.

The SAT and ACT do cover some of the same content, but the tests are inherently different and have different structures and formatting that will require students to properly prepare for the right one. If your child hasn’t decided on the test they are going to take, or if they plan on taking both, going into prep will help them better understand why each test is important and what it entails, preparing them for whichever one they do decide to take. Remember, deciding to prep for a test (even if they do not take it) is never a waste of time!

3. Prepping will help improve scores, making it easier for students to get into the college of their choice.

If you haven’t already, it is important that you sit down with your child and figure out which colleges they are most interested in. Take a look at the average SAT or ACT scores and see what scores your child will need to have the best chance for success in being admitted (along with other factors like their GPA and extracurriculars). Once you have a better idea of their target score, you can enroll them in the proper prep course. Taking SAT and ACT prep can help boost scores, which can make a major difference in whether or not they are accepted when they do apply with their real test scores.

On that note, you should also sit down with your child and consider universities based on factors like distance and affordability. Ultimately, the college you decide on will determine the overall testing goal of your child (although going above and beyond is never a bad thing). If you need help making these considerations during the college selection process, you can use a resource like ValueColleges to find more information about affording college and how much value your child will receive from the universities they do decide to target.

Getting Started

Now that you better understand why prep is important, you may be asking yourself, how do I get my child started? When looking to enroll them in an SAT/ACT prep course, make sure to look for reputable testing prep services like Zinc Educational Services that are known for their engaging and comprehensive testing boot camps. With the right support, helping your child to get the score they want and get into the college of their dreams is more than possible!