Students every year prepare for the big test. Where one point can make a difference between admission and rejection, between a full ride and partial scholarship. Standardized testing can be stressful for anyone – add in the extended time sitting in one room while the pressure of your future rests on the results of that standardized tests and it’s no wonder that students all across the U.S. dread the ACT. Make the most of your 4 hour time period and ACE this ACT with these GOAT Tips.

Prepare the night BEFORE

Getting ready in the morning is always a bit smoother when the routine is second nature…getting up early on a Saturday is not routine for most students. Gather your supplies the night before – you calculator, pencils, erasers and sharpener – and make sure your morning goes as smooth as possible. No one likes to run late because you can’t remember where you put your calculator a week before when you moved it to a new place to “remember where I put this”. And there’s nothing more stressful than standing at the check-in desk and realizing you left behind your registration number…Grab your check list and put everything in a go-bag the night before to start your ACT morning on a GOAT note.

Get a good night’s sleep

Many students stay up late the night before a test…last minute cramming session – gotta get ALL the info down pat and make sure you review, review, review up until the last minute, right?
WRONG!
Studies have shown that getting a good night’s rest is important to memory retention. Your brain is like a sponge, but it doesn’t soak everything up if you continue to drown it. Take some time at night to set your ideal sleeping setting; dim the lights, put away all those screens, have a nice cup of tea and let your mind settle. While you may be resting, your brain is still working at night. Allowing your mind to settle will give it time to absorb all the information you’ve been trying to study and retain. Plus, it’s never a good sign to fall asleep during your test – even if it is 4 hours long.

Enjoy a Light Breakfast

You know the saying – “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” – and they would be right. The day of the ACT, breakfast is even more important. You’re about to enter a testing day that takes up all your mental energy…and you’re going to try to do it on an empty stomach? Absolutely not. Feed your brain, feed your score. It doesn’t have to be a heavy breakfast since that isn’t always the best way to wake up, but be sure to grab some yogurt or granola or a bowl of cereal before heading to the testing center…something is better than nothing, your brain doesn’t like to worry about a growling stomach or getting hangry when you’re already under high stake pressure.

Take a Snack

Speaking of feeding your brain, be sure to take a light snack with you. Halfway through the ACT, students will have a break to run to the restroom and stretch their legs. Now is a great time to refuel. Take a light snack and keep up your momentum when testing this semester.

Leave Your Phone in Your Car

Is there anything worse than preparing for a test for months only to get kicked out because your PHONE went off? No…in fact we’re convinced that spending months studying and panicking only to get kicked out because your non-committal situationship sent you a text is one of the top worst things to happen in this world. Cruel and unusual punishment could be made from it. Save yourself the trouble and just leave it in your car.

If absolutely necessary – turn it completely off or on airplane mode.

But we also understand that late millennials, gen z and gen alpha love their phones and carry them around like a security blanket. We all fear the end of the world and need our phones on us JUST IN CASE (not that they’d help if cell towers go down, but that’s beside the point). SO – if it it absolutely necessary for you to have your phone with you, at least put it on airplane mode…or better – do what you’ve never done since you got your first cell phone – turn it ALL THE WAY OFF.

Answer every question, there’s no penalty for guessing

And lastly, this is the one time that you need to start guessing. The ACT is such a long test, it takes forever, and it’s extensive. But the good news, you don’t get penalized for incorrect answers like with other tests. If you’re short on time, or you’ve hit a wall with a question, it’s okay to guess. And tbh, you’ve got a one in four chance of getting it right, so take a guess what we’re going to recommend next.

GET A GOAT

You guess right! Get a GOAT! GOAT Tutors has experts equipped and ready to help with your test prep journey. No one LIKES studying for months on end for one endless test, but with a GOAT Tutor, you don’t have to do it alone. Book today for weekly, bi weekly or even monthly sessions and get a GOAT to get ahead and ACE your ACT this semester. Or don’t and retake the test next semester…up to you!