Are ACT Prep Classes Worth it
December 27, 2022Get Smarter Prep

Are ACT Prep Classes Worth It?

Are ACT Prep Classes Worth It?

The answer is: it depends on your goals. This course is designed for students who enjoy a small classroom setting (between 3-6 students) and feel comfortable learning with a other students scoring in a similar ACT range, specifically between a 19-26 composite score. With that taken into consideration, and if you want to improve your score 2-5 points on the ACT, then an ACT prep class is a good fit for you. 

We know that when students take an ACT prep class, they want to know exactly what they’re getting out of it and what they can expect from the experience. Our goal at Get Smarter Prep is to ensure that every student who takes a class with us understands exactly what they’ll learn, how long it will take them to see results, and build confidence when it comes to taking the ACT.

So, here’s a quick rundown of what our ACT prep classes entail:

– 20-hr Course Instruction (8-week course) meeting 1-2x per week for 2 hours each session. Students will have approximately 90-180 minutes of homework per session.

-Learn about all four sections of the test (English, Math, Reading & Science).

-Learn strategies for solving problems in each section so that you can complete them efficiently and quickly.

-Get more practice under your belt by taking a practice test, midterm and final. Each of these tests are full-length, proctored ACT tests from previous real ACT’s. Our students will have taken three full-length ACT’s before taking the official ACT, which makes them more comfortable in a real-life setting.

-Get feedback from your tutor on the ACT’s you’ve taken to be able to see where you’ve improved and what you still need to work on.

Are ACT Prep Classes Worth It? In short, yes. However, it does depend on whether or not the student puts in the effort, mindfully completes the homework and is engaged in class. If students can do that, then an ACT Prep Class is 100% worth it. 

Our tutors want to be a resource for you, sharing their expertise and knowledge in a way that helps you better understand the material and achieve your goals! GSP tutors have a combined 100 years of experience working with students, and we’re excited to get to help you achieve your ACT goals!  Start Today.

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Week Leading up to the test
October 19, 2022Get Smarter Prep

Planning for the Week Leading Up to the Test

The week leading up to the ACT can be very stressful. Here are some tips for focusing on the most important things to help ensure your success!

  • Sleep.

I know, you’ve got a thousand things to do and it’s Simply. Not. Possible. But here’s the truth: there are an immutable number of hours in each day. Only a certain number of things can fit into those hours. If you have more things than hours, you have to prioritize. Making a decision to sacrifice sleep is also a decision to sacrifice test performance. This is science, and you’re not exempt from scientific reality.

If you’re already in the habit of ruthlessly going to bed on time, that’s fantastic! If you aren’t, it’s time to begin to cut down on your sleep debt this week. Please don’t think you can stay up all week studying and go to bed at 8:00 PM on Friday night and make it all up. The math just doesn’t work. Think about what you might be able to skip or postpone until after the test, and get to bed earlier.

  • Keep studying.

If you’ve been preparing, you should feel pretty ready by the week before the test. (If you haven’t been studying, and you know you’re not prepared, consider not taking the test.)

Continuing to practice your strategies this week is a great idea. Pick a couple of specific things that you feel you could still improve on. This isn’t the time for radical changes, but maybe you want to decrease your time per Reading passage by one minute. Maybe you need to review punctuation questions one more time, or spend some more time with geometry formulas.

Spend a bit of time each day studying, if you can. But don’t skip sleep to study, don’t plan to take eighteen practice tests this week, and don’t practice when you’re not feeling at least mostly calm, focused, and alert.

  • Eat well. (But don’t make drastic changes).

This is not the week to start a juice cleanse or to cut out sugar completely. It won’t hurt, however, to eat a few more fruits and vegetables. And if you’re not in the habit of eating breakfast, start now! Breakfast on test day is important, and starting a week ahead will give you a chance to see what works best for you. Does cereal leave you hungry ninety minutes later? Do eggs and bacon make you feel sluggish? Maybe smoothies are more your speed?

  • Get everything ready ahead of time.

Make sure your admission ticket, ID, pencils, calculator, watch, and snacks are all ready to go, well in advance. Double-check batteries in anything that needs batteries. Make sure your calculator is approved by ACT. Put everything in one place Friday evening, so that the morning is as simple as can be.

  •  Take it easy on Friday, and wake up early on test day.

Don’t plan to spend Friday working on ACT prep. Use Friday to relax and get to bed early.

In the morning, leave yourself plenty of time to wake up, eat breakfast, and get to the testing center. If you end up with extra time, take a quick walk or read a bit – anything to make sure you’re fully awake, especially if you’re not a morning person!

The ACT can be a stressful experience, but preparation is key! Having a clear plan and getting plenty of rest can ensure that you’re ready to face the test and reach your goals.

By: Audrey Hazzard, Premier-Level Tutor

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30 ACT Score
August 17, 2022Get Smarter Prep

The Infamous 30 ACT Composite Score

Everyone wants the infamous 30 ACT composite score. Why does every student desire a 30 on their ACT?  Just to say they have a 30? What does a 30 composite score actually get you?  More scholarships? Entry into a highly selective school? The ability to say you scored a 30?  Maybe.  Maybe a 30 composite score will get you all of those things, but let’s take a closer look to see if that score is the right score for you.

Did you know that the National average ACT score for college bound students is a 19.8? The average for the state of Kansas is 19.9 and the average score for the state of Alabama is a 18. Meanwhile, The District of Columbia averaged 26.9, keeping in mind the estimated percent of graduates tested was only 18%. We want state and national averages to be transparent because it’s important to understand how other high school students are scoring on their ACT test.

Average ACT Scores

Scholarships

So why does a 30 ACT score haunt high school students?  For most students, scholarship money is what drives a student to achieve the very best score they can. For example, The University of Alabama gives a break down of scholarships related to ACT/SAT scores, plus their GPA score. Students will be awarded $1,000 more if they score anywhere between 30-36 + a certain GPA. If you’ve taken the ACT 3x and can’t get past a 28 or 29, don’t worry about it. You’ll still get a great scholarship.

Make sure you at least have an outline of the types of colleges you would like to attend and then take those schools’ scholarship requirements into consideration. Most students would be shocked to realize the break usual isn’t at 30, but closer to 31, if not a 32 or higher.

College Entry

The same principal applies to college entry.  Highly selective schools typically don’t look for a standard of a 30 ACT (or it’s SAT equivalent). They look for higher scores starting at a 31 or 32, plus a fantastic GPA of around 3.75 or higher. For example, Vanderbilt University in Nashville typical accepts students scoring in the 33-35 range. The middle 50% of scorers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois is 33-35, similar to that of Duke University in Durham, NC. The bottom line is, do your research on the schools with which you’re truly interested and figure out if a 30 is sufficient or if you need to score even higher.

It’s so important to set proper goals based on what you are interested in, your ability, and what is tangible for you. If you take a pretest and score a 17 composite score, a 30 is big stretch – to say the least! Do you have endless amounts of time to study? What about your class schedule in high school? You don’t want to fall behind on your regular classes to study hours and hours for the ACT.

It’s so important to set proper goals based on what you are interested in, your ability, and what is tangible for you. If you take a pretest and score a 17 composite score, a 30 is big stretch – to say the least! Do you have endless amounts of time to study? What about your class schedule in high school? You don’t want to fall behind on your regular classes to study hours and hours for the ACT.

Extracurricular Activities

Another factor to consider is all of your extracurricular activities. Studying for and taking the October ACT while you are in football or volleyball will be totally overwhelming. How full is your schedule this semester? Do you even have the time and energy to spend on achieving a 30? The ACT has several test dates from which to choose throughout the year; choose one that makes sense for you and your schedule.

Get Smarter Prep has different prep options for any type of student: from a small group course to semi-private and private tutoring. Select an option and test date that will set you up for success, not overwhelm you.  Setting a tangible goal score will the best way to assure success, whether it’s the infamous 30, a solid 26, or a Kansas average of 19.8. 

 

 

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Start Preparing for the ACT Now
October 27, 2021Get Smarter Prep

When to START preparing for the ACT

When should I start preparing for the ACT? That’s a great question and it’s different for everyone for a multitude of reasons, but for this blog’s sake, we are going to generalize when students should start the process.

There are a number of ACT test dates throughout the year, and some are closer in dates than others and can feel like they are back-to-back. Take the June and July test. These test dates are only 5 weeks apart. The state of Kansas offers the ACT to every public-school Junior on March 1st, but the next national test date is April 2nd. So, when should students start preparing for the ACT?

Students should start preparing for the ACT 4-12 weeks prior to the test date. That doesn’t mean start mid-March for the April 2nd ACT. Three weeks of private tutoring is not a sufficient amount of time to reach your goals. Let’s say a student wants to jump from a 21 composite score to a 25-26 composite score. Three weeks of private tutoring won’t do it! Plus, that puts a lot of pressure on the student! Start preparing three months in advance so you won’t have to rush, you can pick up the strategies your tutor is implementing, and you can fully understand the timing aspect of the test.

ACT Test Dates - Prepare Now

Prepare!

If you no clue what you might get on an ACT, take a free practice test. We offer them every Saturday morning! It’s a great way to establish a baseline score and see what you might score on an actual ACT. Once you have a baseline score, our college experts can determine the amount of assistance you will need to meet your goals. For anything over a 4-5 point increase, a 12 week tutorial would be your best bet.

Our tutors understand that life happens and test dates sneak up on you. That’s why we do offer shorter tutorials such as 4,6 or 8 week tutorials. We see excellent results with shorter tutorials as well, but if you can prepare as much as possible, why wouldn’t you?

We also offer an ACT Prep Course. This course is designed for students who enjoy a small classroom setting (between 3-6 students) and feel comfortable learning with a other students scoring in a similar ACT range, specifically between a 19-26 composite score.

Bottom line: look at the ACT test dates that would be a good fit for you, decide on a date, take a look at the calendar and make sure you give yourself enough time to fit in a full tutorial (4-12 weeks depending on goals).

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