Bradshaw: Critical reading skills are key to performing well on PSAT, ACT, SAT

Dear Mr. Bradshaw,

I am a sophomore in high school and need some pointers on preparing for admissions tests. I plan to take the PSAT/NMSQT this fall and the ACT and the SAT in the spring of next year. I want to do well on the PSAT because the National Merit Scholarship uses these scores to determine winners and top ACT and SAT scores will be critical for my applications to top colleges that are now on my list.

What do you suggest I do to prepare for the tests?

Signed,

High School Sophomore

Dear High School Sophomore,

You are right in that your performance on the PSAT can earn you scholarship dollars. The PSAT and the SAT are nearly identical. Your timing is right as well because you have the summer to prepare. The ACT prep will also provide a great foundation for brushing up on your test-taking skills. There are some good prep books available as a guide.

I am sure that you know that the pandemic has led some schools to go test-optional, so do check on the colleges on your list to see what the requirements are. This has meant a sea change in how admissions decisions are made. MIT has announced that it will once again require that you submit test scores. The future of testing will rest on studies of how each cohort performs in the academic environment. It remains to be seen. There are more than 1,800 colleges that will go test-optional this fall and there are plans for the SAT to go digital in 2023.

In my opinion, the key to doing well on these tests is to focus on your critical reading skills. Math and writing are important but critical reading is usually the most difficult section of those tests to master. The key is in improving your verbal performance. This will help not only on standardized tests but eventually in the classroom as well. The time you put into mastering reading skills will pay big dividends.

One way to improve verbal performance is to increase your accuracy and reading speed. This takes a great deal of practice. I would suggest that you form the habit of reading challenging articles on a variety of subjects on a daily basis. You will find that The Wall Street Journal is one of the better overall publications to provide that challenge. They have outstanding journalists who are specialists in all fields. The stories are interesting reading and educational all at the same time.

You need to learn to read for 100% comprehension. Read with a dictionary. This is not what you will do on standardized tests, but you must train your brain to read with accuracy. When I tutor the SAT, I often spend as long as an hour analyzing three or four test questions. You need to understand how the question is written and why the next to the right answer is not the right answer. I also insist that my clients know the correct definition of all of the words in the question — even if they get an answer right.

Be sure to think about how the prompt sets up the main arguments and the main point of the passage. What are the solid facts vs. opinions and vague assumptions? Remind yourself that you have to stay focused if you want to avoid being tricked into choosing the wrong answer. After all, your discernment is what the test is designed to determine.

It is recommended that you spend 10 to 20 hours a week over a two or three month period preparing. Take some practice tests. The SAT is currently a 3 hour and 50 minute exam including reading, writing, and math both with and without calculator.

Gerald Bradshaw is an international college admissions consultant with Bradshaw College Consulting in Crown Point.