Online Prep For SAT/ACT: A Self-Learning Opportunity

Online Learning—Challenge Or Opportunity?

Self-learning in an online space takes some getting used to— learning in front of a screen as a lecture continues instead of being there with your peers in the same classroom. However, you need to remain objective and focused on your learning objectives. Remember that any online class, workshop, or lesson also puts in an added effort to minimize distractions and focus on structured learning with defined parameters. So if you feel you have to put in added effort to focus on the lesson, understand that you are also likely making more measurable progress.

For a standardized test such as the SAT or ACT, an online environment works to your advantage. Instead of wasting time traveling to classes and doing assignments that are not customized to your specific learning needs, you get to minimize distractions and focus on what you need to practice and learn in order to increase your scores.

On an online platform where every worksheet and every question you solve is used to track your overall progress, you become a more efficient learner. Instead of test reviews that keep you guessing and dependent on the availability of teachers in an offline environment, you get to learn faster and streamline your practice to the areas identified by your online worksheets and tests. Furthermore, you get to discuss your identified improvement areas with the faculty.

Self-learning in an online environment gives you the freedom to take charge of your own preparation. This skill of self-learning becomes even more crucial once you have achieved your college admission goals and moved into “real life”. The ability to set your own learning objectives will determine your success in college, from internships to class assignments, as also in your career. 

Steps to self-mastery of the SAT and the ACT

1. Decide between SAT and ACT. https://collegify.com/sat-vs-act.
2. Take a full-length diagnostic test for the test identified (SAT or ACT).
3. Read the detailed analytics and identify improvement areas.
4. Receive focused faculty guidance on improvement areas. 
5. For all other topics, start practicing regularly.
6. Read our smart tips, tricks and strategies to relentlessly improve speed and accuracy.
7. Take and review at least 8-10 full length mock tests before the actual test.

Why is self-learning important? 

The SAT and ACT are standardized tests. To aspire to that standard and achieve your target scores, you need to be appreciative of your own strengths and improvement areas and motivated enough to work on them through sustained and effective practice. We are there to help you monitor and optimize your own practice and performance through our analytics so that you know exactly where you are in your prep and what still remains to be done. Autonomy, Motivation, and Success form a virtuous cycle that leads to ever higher scores.

While the Collegify e-learning platform empowers you with the autonomy necessary for customizing your prep and learning at your own pace, what about motivation? How exactly will you stay motivated when weathering a ton of commitments and SAT/ACT prep on top of that? The answer is simple: 80% Self, 20% help

Motivation is both intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is what pushes you to come back to the same worksheets and solve them till you have got them right. Intrinsic motivation is what pushes you to take every weekly quiz. Intrinsic motivation is the value you place on your own self, your own goals, and your own dreams.

You need to be invested in your prep. The 20% help comes in the form of test prep material and structure, but, without you in there, the cycle (Autonomy—Motivation— Success) will just stop moving.