Junior year is the year of the standardized test. It’s the year of PSAT, ACT, SAT, AP, and many other jumbled non-acronymic letters that float around there, and I’ve had (and still have yet) to go through every single one of them. I took the PSAT last October, the SAT on March 1st, and the ACT today. I have SAT Subject Tests coming on May 3rd and another SAT run-through this fall. I took one AP test last year and have two more coming up in May, as well as one more during senior year.

However, there’s definitely one thing about all this that I’ve learned that I would have flat out refused to accept this time a year ago. Doing well on one of these tests doesn’t just depend on you knowing the academics, it requires you to learn how to take the test. Doesn’t that kind of sound like those video games where the only way to win is to buy the book that tells you how to win? Yeah, it’s kind of like that.

I’m very strong academically–math is my forte but I’m proficient in reading and writing and all that. However, going into one of these tests unprepared is still not a good thing to do. I took my first stressful-type of standardized test in October 2006, as a tenth grader, for the PSAT. (That was the year when the score doesn’t even count for anything, it’s just an optional practice to get exposure.) And man, was that ever stressful! I mean, that first PSAT was like taking shock treatments. I’m going to be expected to do this? And on a longer test besides (referring to the SAT)?

It was last summer, while at the Apple Store, that I saw them showing off a program for SAT/PSAT/ACT test prep done by one of these test prep companies called Kaplan, and while I wasn’t sure just how useful it would be, I decided to ask my parents to purchase it so that I might ease the stress a bit for the tests I would be taking during junior year.

Although somewhat reluctant to spend the money, my parents went ahead and got it so that we could try it out. The program has been somewhat of a mixed blessing. The program is somewhat dated in that, although it runs in Mac OS X, it feels like an OS 9 app. It’s rather uncommon for apps these days to require you to have the CD in the computer for it to run, but such is true for this program. It’s also the kind in that it has its own proprietary interface for everything and blacks out the rest of the background, making the program the main focus. Then again, that could be a plus, since it lessens the effect of other distractions and makes it easier to focus on the lessons. The program has some other small bugs while running under Leopard.

Oh, and the program is VERY VERY corny. I’m not kidding, this program has some really corny stuff that they throw in to help relax you, although they almost seem aimed at the person considering jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge due to the anxiety. However, despite the corniness, that program did certainly help by unlocking the treasure chest with all the secrets to these tests. I mean, how else are you supposed to be expected to get all those questions answered in the limited amount of time they give you unless you know the tricks for how to get around the test? Although there’s always a bit of nervousness surrounding these tests due to a desire to do well, I did quite a bit better on my 2007 PSAT versus my 2006 PSAT, and my March SAT scores fell pretty much in line with my 2007 PSAT scores (though I had been hoping for slightly higher SAT scores). As for the ACT, I like that test MUCH more than the SAT, and I think that I did REALLY well this morning and cannot wait to receive my scores in about a month.

In addition, about a week or so ago my AP US History teacher highly recommended purchasing a prep book for that test (he recommended the one published by The Princeton Review, which my parents bought for me), and it too has been quite helpful in prepping me for the AP US History exam, learning strategies for tackling those three essays that I’ll have to do (fun, heh), and all that.

So, I find it very interesting that there is a difference between knowing the material and taking the test. On the one hand, I’m glad to have learned that so that I’m learning how to take the test, yet on the other hand, it is somewhat disappointing that a lot of our academic record is based on a couple of hours that we spend on a Saturday morning filling in bubbles that requires a completely separate course, practically, on how to do such things. (And, of course, in addition to the test prep solutions that these external groups sell, the College Board and ACT, Inc. are more than ready to sell you their immortalized test prep resources to you as well.)

Nevertheless, for anyone out there who reads my blog and still has these tests down the road during the next year or two, take my advice: prepare for these tests before you take them. Be willing to spend a little money to get some kind of a preparation guide or class for these tests, and spend time reading/taking them. Plus, take advantage of opportunities to take practice versions of these tests under the same time constraints–it’s excellent practice to get you ready for the big day. However much I may somewhat disapprove of the system, it’s certainly helped to bump up my scores and will likely help yours as well.

Tags: ACT, Advanced Placement, AP US History, article, colleges, Kaplan, preparation, PSAT, SAT, standardized, testing, The Princeton Review, thoughts, tips