Sometimes, what NOT to do is often more important than what to do. For test prep, you could call what NOT to do the Seven Deadly Sins of SAT® and ACT® Test Prep. Make sure these seven things are not part of your test prep:
Pride: To perform your best, take this test seriously. Don’t be too proud to do the dirty work of reading regularly, practicing constantly, reviewing your errors and learning from your mistakes. Learning a new skill is humbling. Take your lumps, learn from mistakes and keep plugging. Hard work pays off. Envy: To attain your desired test score, focus on what you, personally, need to do. Not what your neighbor, friend or cousin is doing. You control your test preparation. Keep the singular focus on what you hope to achieve. Any time spent envying other’s performance is wasted effort. You can look for inspiration in other’s performances, just avoid the envy of comparisons. Greed: Greedy people are never satisfied. Avoid greed and focus on what is important and crucial. Satisfaction comes from working hard, seeing improvement and achieving realistic goals. Realize that there are many schools out there that want you for you, not your test score. Greedy people stress and stress is the enemy of test performance. Lust: Passion should be your focus, not lust. Lust is the desire for something unattainable or inappropriate. Passion is the pursuit of something positive or beneficial. Lust leads many to choose an immoral path. Choose passion, not lust. Gluttony: There is such a thing as too much good stuff. The glutton continues to consume and is unable to stop consuming at the expense of other things. Put down your cell phone, turn off social media, unplug from the gluttony of consumption and you will have plenty of time for test prep. Wrath: What good comes from being angry about the SAT® or ACT®? Sure, you can be upset that the test exists, that the test is biased, and that the test is unfair. But will that anger improve your score? Of course not. Understand the rules of the game and go out and play the game with a calm, cool and disciplined approach. This will improve your score. Sloth: Maybe the worst sin of all for anyone preparing for a test. Laziness is rarely the answer. Get off the couch and get to work! If you are ready to NOT do the above, and do some test prep, contact CROSSWALK today. CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for SAT®, ACT®, PSAT®, and SSAT® preparation.