The December SAT and ACT are both in approximately one month. While previous blogs have focused on what to do for this final month of preparation, we are going to skip ahead and tell you what you need to plan for that final week before test day.

Content Consolidation

Good SAT scores and good ACT scores require a broad and flexible understanding of mathematical concepts, intricate knowledge of grammar rules, and an incisive critical reading ability. On test day, you need all rules and concepts at the tip of your mental tongue in order to let your working memory deal with the questions, passages and data in front of you. Spend at least 60minutes per day writing out the grammar rules and maths equations needed for the test: practice using them with practice drills and ask someone at home to quiz (try jumping around the topics to test your mental flexibility!).

If you need more practice drills, we recommend our Book of Knowledge, which has questions for every topic covered on the SAT and ACT across English, Reading, Maths and Science.

Test Practice

In the week of the test, you do not want to exhaust yourself by doing a full test every day. However, ensure you sit at least 1-2 timed sections per day and that you have sat at least 2 full, timed practice tests before your exam. A-List offer in-person and online proctored tests on weekends: contact our Client Service Team to book in! These are invaluable opportunities to simulate real test conditions and are vital to hone your ability to wield both test content and techniques under time pressure in an unfamiliar environment.

Test Study

To maximise your score, ensure you build in the time to review your corrections and study the test questions themselves: you should unpack the exact approach for and design of each question, holding them up against your strengths and weaknesses. Compare multiple tests: what types of questions did you struggle with? What can you do to troubleshoot this in an exam scenario?

Ultimately, the best preparation is to brainstorm these answers and hone your strategy with an experienced private tutor. Our A-List private tutors are Ivy-League graduates with both extensive teaching experience and targeted practice materials to give you the tailored guidance for optimum scores. Whether for last minute strategies or longitudinal support, our tutoring team is here to support your needs.