As August approaches, my phone starts to ring a bit more. Parents look at the calendar and realize that only weeks remain until their high school senior takes the SAT or ACT for the last time. So they call me in hopes of finding a good tutor for a quick fix, last-minute push to boost a test score. "There is not much time to make a difference," I always respond. "I can walk through some things but truth be told, the quick fix is rare and not much will happen in a month."
While I am always happy to meet with any student facing the SAT and ACT, I must confess that scores rarely increase very much if I only have a few weeks to work with the student.
There are exceptions to this, but in general, test improvement takes time. My students and followers of this blog now that time on task is the key to boosting a score.
Test-taking is like any skill: the first time you try it, you are not very good. But when you dedicate quality practice over time, you get better.
So here is the confession: not much will change in a test score if the tutor only has a couple of weeks or months to make a difference.
This means that students should plan ahead. Start your test prep with at least three months lead time. Six months is better and a 12-18 months is really where we see students make the biggest leaps.
I always confess to a family that short and sweet does not yield much yet this rarely dissuades them from wanting a quick fix.
The quick fix is rare so be sure you plan for the long term.
For more test prep advice, contact CROSSWALK. We offer private tutors and group classes for SAT and ACT prep as well as academic tutoring for all subjects. Learn more at our website, www.crosswakeducation.com.
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