The Score, Issue #4: For Optimum ACT and SAT Prep, Harness the Power of Deliberate Practice
Say goodbye to the frustration of mindless grinding. Say hello to maxing your score by focusing on specific skills and tactics.
Introduction
In my many years of experience as an SAT/ACT test prep tutor, countless students have sought my help after experiencing frustration by their lack of score improvement despite completing many practice tests. Their problem is invariably the same: they were not using Deliberate Practice.
In this article, I'll explain why Deliberate Practice is crucial for test prep and how you can use it to maximize your score gains.
Understanding Deliberate Practice for Test Prep
While success on the ACT or SAT does involve general reading comprehension ability, as well as the memorization of particular information and rules, those things are by no means all that is necessary. More importantly, increasing your scores requires honing specific skills, many of which are unique to the test itself.
To improve these skills, you need to focus on specific elements during practice. Deliberate Practice is the key to achieving this level of focus. It involves breaking down complex tasks into smaller components and practicing those components with the goal of continuous improvement.
Mastering Question Type Tactics
One major skill necessary for improving SAT and ACT scores is learning and applying specific question type tactics. These are step-by-step procedures to execute every time you encounter a particular category of question. To maximize score gains, you must first memorize these tactics, then apply them in practice, and finally receive feedback on your execution.
Developing Skill in Hyper-Literal Textual Analysis
Another essential skill for score improvement is learning and applying Hyper-Literal Textual Analysis (HLTA). This foundational skill mostly applies to the reading section but is also useful in the writing section. To improve in this area, follow the cycle of Learning/Memorization → Deliberate Practice → Analysis and Feedback. For more details, check out Quiz Hacker's in-depth blog article on HLTA.
Avoiding the "Churn and Burn" Approach
To reach your highest potential score, you can't rely on the "churn and burn" or "mindless grinding" approach of simply completing a large number of practice tests. This type of “brute-force” approach might help you excel in school, where you're only competing against a small pool of local students, but on the SAT and ACT, you're competing against the best from around the world.
For example, imagine a local track star who, thanks mostly to natural talent and having the discipline to run five days a week, wins the district championship. That’s a notable accomplishment. But if that athlete wants to compete at a higher level, say national championships or the Olympics, talent and hard work won’t be enough. In order to do well at those levels, the athlete will need to star focusing heavily on technique.
Think of the SAT or ACT as the academic Olympics. To succeed, you must focus on Deliberate Practice with specific strategies and tactics.
The Mastery Cycle for Maximum Score Improvement
Achieving mastery requires continuously cycling through three stages:
1) Learning/Memorizing (information, rules, tactics, strategies)
2) Deliberate Practice (drills and official practice tests)
3) Feedback (from a quality test prep tutor or Quiz Hacker's self-feedback system)
For those interested in trying the self-feedback system, following is a very basic introduction. When analyzing your misses:
Identify the question type and ask whether you correctly applied the corresponding rule or tactic.
Analyze your incorrect answer by determining why it's wrong and what led you to choose it. Did you misinterpret the passage, overlook a word, or fall for a common trick?
Understand why the correct answer is correct, locating its basis in the passage or recalling the relevant grammar or rhetoric rule.
Conclusion
The tips mentioned above are just a basic introduction to applying Deliberate Practice in your SAT/ACT test prep. Subscribe to Quiz Hacker to access more in-depth information on how to use Deliberate Practice effectively, and unlock your highest potential score on these crucial exams.