“You should probably start preparing for SAT and ACT tests during the sophomore year of high school,” said Kellie Bauer, Director of Guidance and Counseling, AP Coordinator and Outreach Concern Liaison.

Bauer recommends the following tips:

1. Purchase a Princeton Review Practice Books

The Princeton Review offers practice SAT and ACT tests. The practice tests held at Mater Dei are highly recommended because they are very similar to what the real test will look like, but with a variety of different questions that will make you familiar with the structure of the tests.

2. Take both Tests

Mater Dei High School encourages students to take both SAT and ACT tests more than once because colleges will accept your highest score and look at results from both tests.

3. Read

For the reading portion of the tests, Bauer advises to purchase and read books to improve reading comprehension and vocabulary. Other ways to prepare are to focus on doing well in school and reaching for rigorous classes, hiring a tutor or taking a Test Prep class if possible.

The new SAT test has become more similar to the ACT tests. In this test, the essay is optional. In the old SAT, a perfect score was 2400. In the updated SAT, a perfect score is 1600.

Mater Dei holds test prep sessions on campus that are offered for free. Princeton Review representatives are present for these sessions to give students extra guidance and helpful hints to master the tests they are taking.