<p>I’m not the greatest test taker…i mean regular test at school are ok but standardized tests and test similar are kind of scary for me. I don’t know how to study for them…
and i’m a sophmore right now & was told I should take them twice when should I take them?</p>
<p>First of all, banish the thought “I’m not a good test taker” from your mind. Anyone can be a good test taker, it just takes strategy and practice. Don’t have a defeatist attitude before you start.</p>
<p>Secondly, only worry about taking the SAT or ACT twice if you’re not satisfied with your first score. The plan is generally to do it in the spring of your junior year, and then if you aren’t happy, in the late summer or early fall of your senior year.</p>
<p>Studying for standardized tests is just like studying for other types of test. The difference is in what you study. The SAT in particular is not really about content; you’ll know most of the math backwards and forwards (the highest they go is basic trigonometry) and you already know how to read and fill in the blanks and write essays. Rather, the SAT is more about your critical thinking skills: the way in which they ask the questions is supposed to provoke you to think beyond the superficial, especially on the math section, where the right answer is not always the most obvious answer.</p>
<p>The best thing to do is to buy an SAT prep book and study from it. The best book is the blue book published by the College Board, so every SAT student should have that one. There is a plethora of other options to chose from, so I suggest that you flip through the other SAT books in your local bookstore to see which one you think is the best. (I used Barron’s, because it has a fantastic 3500 word list and good practice questions). Look at the strategies presented, and practice using those strategies - they are tried and true. Do as many practice questions as you can, over and over, until you get the hang of each question type.</p>
<p>After a couple of weeks of practice it should become apparent to you what you are really good at, and what you need more practice with. Concentrate on your weaker areas.</p>
<p>If you’re planning to take the ACT, the technique is similar - get a prep book, practice - but the ACT is a bit more content-driven than the SAT.</p>