Just a friendly reminded that now is the time that high school juniors need to start seriously thinking about the college admissions process. The best time to take standardized tests is the spring of junior year and registrations need to be done.
Before taking any test, however, you should take a practice test of the SAT and the ACT. Free practice tests are available in most high school counselor offices. After taking each practice test, review to see which is your better test and focus on that test. Then try to take several practice tests of whichever test you are focusing on. After each test, review the answers to see which you got wrong and what the correct answer was. By understanding which questions you got wrong, you can hopefully avoid getting those types of questions wrong on future tests.
Ideally, you should plan on taking the March or April test with a second testing in June if you wish to improve your score. That will give you two tests under your belt before senior year. Hopefully you will not need to take any more tests.
Depending on your classes this year you may want to take some SAT subject tests this spring if you are considering any colleges that request them. Just remember, you can’t take the SAT and the SAT subject tests on the same date.
Now is also the time to firm up the classes that you will take as a senior. Colleges will be looking at the classes you are taking senior year so now is not the time to slack off in your studies.
if you haven’t already, start researching possible colleges that fit your needs. Here is the link to our webpage that discusses some of the issues you might want to consider in finding the best college for you. Once you have some idea of what type of colleges you are looking at, use College Navigator or the College Board MatchMaker site to find colleges that meet your needs.
You want to narrow your list of schools to 6-8 including reach, match and safety schools. Also, plan on some time to visit your top colleges. Visiting during your spring break of junior year is a good time to visit. You can also visit during the summer but this time is not as good since most students are not around during the summer.
For more information about the college search process, browse our website as we have discussed many topics over the years to help you in the search for the right college. If you think you might like some help with this process, please give me a call at 1-952-449-5245 or click on the free consultation button at the top of the page. I offer a free 1/2 hour consultation to discuss how I can help you find your perfect college.
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