7 Steps to Creating Test-like Conditions at Home
Most of our test-prep students take a full SAT or ACT every week before meeting with their tutors.
While students are always welcome to take their tests at the offices in Studio City, many Preppers complete their tests at home. By following a few simple protocols, students can effectively mimic proctored testing conditions almost anywhere, resulting in practice test scores that are more reflective of their abilities and predictive of their future success.
Leave the bedroom. Consider taking the test in a semi-public space like a dining room or office ... over a bedroom, where a student can be too comfortable or distracted. (It's always good to alert other folks in the house when a student is taking the test so everyone can work cooperatively to lower noise levels.)
Use a watch. Students should use an analog watch for timing and pacing (every Prepper is given a testing watch for this purpose.) Phones should be put on airplane mode and then placed in a 'phone safe' in another room (the pencil boxes included in the Mighty Tote are perfect for this purpose).
Perfect your posture. Preppers should be sitting upright at a hard-surface ... not on the floor, couch, bean bag chair, etc.
Make it Early. Mornings are better than afternoons, the early the better. Most likely, the student will take the actual test at 8:30AM. Evenings are generally bad for practice -- we see a sharp score drop-off as the brain goes to power-save mode.
Chew It Over. Students can have super spicy / minty gum to stay alert (if they are a gum chewer); such ‘stimulants’ are better deployed at the end of the test than at the beginning.
Habits Matter. Students should get into the habit of using test-approved devices -- i.e. using pencils over pens and the proper calculators (as opposed to doing calculations on their phones).
Take it all, in order, at once. The order of test sections matters. Taking the test out of order, doing Math first for example, can distort scores. Likewise, breaking up the test over multiple days can also inflate results. If a student doesn’t have three hours to spare, splitting the test in half is the best option.