SAT/ACT: Are Mock Tests Important?

Mock tests, practice exams or test simulations, however you want to describe them, are pivotal to your preparation for tests such as the ACT and the SAT. Designing a well-planned schedule of diagnostics you can adhere to, should be one of the first steps in building a test prep plan that maximizes your potential and scores. 

A common paradox explains the need for mock tests in as simple terms as possible— “Don’t go into the water unless you know how to swim.” You cannot know how to swim unless you get into the water. So the suggestion or order is a bit of a paradox isn’t it? Unfortunately, we tend to take the “stay out of the water till I learn to swim” approach with standardized tests.

“But my syllabus isn’t complete!” is a common doubt you might feel whenever you are asked to take a mock test either at the beginning of your test prep journey or at some later point. This doubt comes from a deep-rooted familiarity with exams throughout our school days. The diagnostic seems like an unfair test. You will find yourself thinking “First let me finish my syllabus, practice my concepts, and then you can test me!”

To address these potential doubts and motivate you to look forward to your mock tests, let’s take a look at a few ways in which mock tests fit into your preparation for the ACT and the SAT.

Mock tests familiarize you with the “standardized” aspects of standardized testing

A standardized test has standards. These standards relate to the number of questions, time per section, topic areas, question difficulty, scaling of scores, and a host of other factors. These tests don’t go beyond what you have studied in school already. So what is it that you have to prepare for but the specific demands of the test? By starting your prep with a mock test (popularly called 'the diagnostic'), you can cut through the clutter and immediately get to experience what the test is all about. We cannot overemphasize the value of such an experience. 

Unless you sit through a grueling set of reading comprehension passages on the reading section of the SAT or struggle through details of an experiment on the science section of the ACT, how are you supposed to figure out the effort required to take these tests? Once you have figured out what the test is like, the focus and patience it demands, the time constraints you have to operate under, the level of difficulty of each section and question type, you will be ready to start your preparation in earnest.   

Not only will you have a benchmark in terms of your performance (a benchmark that you will start exceeding by leaps and bounds in the weeks to follow) but you will also know how hard you have to work to achieve your SAT or ACT goal.  

Mock tests tell you what to work on to reach your individual best

Mock tests tell you which areas you need to focus on. You might have a vague idea that you are good at Math. But for all you know, you might find out after the diagnostic that you have got a perfect score on SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing while your SAT Math needs work! The more detailed your diagnostic report the better will be your understanding of what you need to focus on and prioritize in terms of concept building and practice. Test prep should not make you spend hours doing stuff you are already good at! You need to focus on what will increase your scores as fast and as reliably as possible. That means addressing all conceptual gaps with targeted, intelligent practice.

Mock tests set clear performance milestones

Nothing sabotages preparation better than doing bits and pieces of Math and Verbal half-heartedly and with no clue about where it’s all leading to. You might have a vague idea of how you are working toward the SAT or ACT but you will lose the necessary sense of urgency and start thinking “It’s all the same”! 

The truth is it’s not all the same unless your scores have stalled.

You need to have clear goals leading right up to the test day. Diagnostics spaced out to accommodate practice and continuous improvement in scores serve as dependable milestones. After each diagnostic you know exactly where you are in terms of your prep and goals. Since a mock test you on everything and does not focus on one or the other area, your strengths and weaknesses will become apparent. Remember that the first step to getting a higher score is acknowledging what you are not getting right and then working toward closing those gaps.

Where do I start?

1. Take a comparative diagnostic to choose the right test for you - SAT vs ACT

2. Take full length mock tests at the beginning of and during your preparation to check progress

3. Take full lenth mock tests regularly in the weeks leading up to your final test. This will help you review and rectify mistakes.

Conceptual clarity is only one of many performance attributes for success on the SAT and the ACT. You need to be a better test taker in terms of pacing yourself intelligently, choosing the correct order of solving questions, solving both easy and difficult questions without losing your stride, and the list goes on.

Collegify analyses your performance on each test and develops a personalized step-by-step prep program, right up to test day. An intuitive dashboard provides you with an overview of your SAT readiness as well as your progress, matched against real students all over the world! Collegify Mock tests are intended to help you learn advanced techniques to answer questions faster and better. Each mock test that you attempt will give you an opportunity to learn and apply effective strategies when you review the test.