hypothetically, let’s say you just got your results from a recent SAT/ACT….and you’re majorly bummed.
And majorly confused. You’re usually an excellent student with a heavy-hitter GPA. Wasn’t it written in the stars that you’d ace your first standardized test?
Then again, something DID feel “off” the morning of test day. You were tossing and turning the night before; you had to break several traffic laws to make it to your testing seat on time; and when you actually began the test, it seemed FULL of material you’d never encountered before.
Little wonder that the next few hours were kind of a disaster.
So, you weren’t totally taken by surprise when you saw those lower-than-expected results. But you still didn’t think they’d be THAT low! Jeez!
You’re not alone. A lot of my new clients step through my door desperately seeking standardized testing prep help, and tell me a similar tale of woe (or two). They're gifted students, just like you; they’ve diligently prepped, just like you; and then….a rough test score out of the blue destroys their confidence and perhaps even their identity as a “smart kid.”
If you’ve been nodding along to all of that, today’s post is designed to help you feel better now…and SCORE better next time. There are concrete steps you can take towards a higher score, and I’m sharing the most effective ones here.
ARTICLE CONTENTS
1. Video version of this article
2. How to feel better about a low test score
3. Tips for getting a higher SAT or ACT score next time
a. Schedule a second test date
c. How many practice tests to take
4. The night and morning before the SAT or ACT
a. Sleep
b. Breakfast
c. What to wear
d. Arrive early
5. Strategies during the test itself
b. Pacing
f. Be decisive
6. Conclusion
Watch this article as a video:
How to Feel Better about a Low Test Result
I’m not here to offer you empty consolation. Instead, I’m going to draw on facts and experience to offer you a REAL perspective shift. As someone who’s helped hundreds of students get into their dream schools over the course of more than fifteen years, I have seen concretely and often that a low test score does NOT necessarily destroy a student’s life….OR their chances at admission to an elite college. Please take a big breath in and out, and remember that one result does NOT equal who you are as a person or an applicant.
Instead, think about it like this: a low test score simply shows you that something about your current approach to the test needs an adjustment. It may be that you’ve simply not had time to learn or prioritize some of the content that’s showing up on the test…or that you DO know the content, but are being sabotaged by test anxiety.
Whatever the case, the below sections of this article lay out some tried-and-true solutions that will help you do better next time. But, before we even get to that, I also want to lower the stakes of this first test sitting you just completed by saying:
Don’t give too much importance to your first real SAT or ACT.
Most students score better on their second or third sitting of the test—in fact, very few students hit their target score on their first try! So, no matter how low your test score was this time, you can still SERIOUSLY improve. And the strategies below are a shortcut to doing so. Let’s dig in.
How to Get a Higher SAT or ACT Score
So, now that you’re done giving yourself a hard time over a sub-optimal test score, let’s talk about best practices for making your next SAT or ACT a huge improvement.
Schedule a Second Test Date
Thankfully, as you probably already know, both the SAT and ACT offer multiple exam dates throughout the year. I’ve laid out all the dates for 2025-26 in this one-stop post, but here’s the abridged version:
U.S.-based test takers can sit for the SAT in August, September, October, November, December, March, May, and June.
The ACT is offered here in September, October, December, February, April, June, and July (all states except NY).
See the post linked above for international test dates!
Depending on how much time you have before you need to start applying for colleges, I recommend that you give yourself at least four weeks before taking a second test. Why? Well, because you’ve got to….
Draft a Study Plan for the SAT or ACT
Makes sense, right? Now that you’ve got a date to work towards, it’s time to create an effective study plan that will tee you up for a triumphant score.
Your individual plan will vary, but here are a few best practices in creating the perfect study plan (a professional tutor can also make this study schedule for you, btw):
Study every day, not all in one chunk on the weekends or just the week before your test. In this sense, your test prep is like a homework assignment.
Study in short bursts. Don’t spend four hours a day on studying, but do spend at least half an hour each day.
Choose a different topic to study each day of the week. For example: study math on Mondays and Thursdays and grammar on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Plan to take several practice tests. (See the next section on how to get the most out of these.)
Improve Your ACT or SAT Score with Practice Tests
You read that right: that’s multiple "practice tests," with an "s"—not just one.
I really encourage you, if at all possible, to take four timed practice tests in the 4-6 weeks leading up to your actual test.
NOTE for ACT people: so far, we ONLY have four official new format “enhanced” ACTs available, but you can use a combination of old-format ACTs and new ones.
NOTE for SAT people: since we only have seven official BlueBook practice tests at the moment, your four tests can be a combination of non-official (think: Kaplan, Princeton Review, etc.) and official practice tests.
Why that many? Several reasons:
It helps you get comfortable with the experience of taking a test. Do you know why many high-achieving students stumble on their first SAT or ACT? Performance anxiety. Students understandably arrive at the testing center drenched in nervous sweat, their brains working a mile a minute because they don’t know what to expect. The test itself has come to represent an enormous amount of hope, fear, and energy for them. However, if you take multiple practice tests, you reprogram your brain’s way of thinking about test-taking. It becomes less intimidating because it’s now a thing that you’ve done before, many times over.
It helps you conquer the timing of the thing. Pacing yourself is a MAJOR part of doing well on any test—especially for the ACT, which moves at an infamously fast clip! It’s important not to rush through and flub answers in your desperate haste to finish. It’s equally important to finish ahead of the clock without sinking undue amounts of time into difficult questions you’re less likely to get right anyways. The more times you take the practice test, the better sense you’ll have of how long you have to answer each question.
It helps you feel comfortable with the language and format of the test. You won’t feel as intimidated by the (sometimes unnatural!) way that standardized test questions are phrased if you spend a good deal of time with the practice material.
Pre-SAT or ACT Routine: AM and PM
Get a Good Night's Sleep
I’m sure you’ve heard this advice from the adults in your life, but it bears repeating because 1) it really DOES impact your brain’s sharpness the next day, yet 2) so few students actually live by this advice. Your understandably anxious brain tempts you into thinking that you can cram in just…a few….more…..facts before the big day.
The truth is that last minute cramming doesn’t actually help you much, especially if you haven’t even touched that material before.
Mostly, cramming and not sleeping just floods your body with stress hormones the next day—hormones that can negatively affect your mental processes. This is definitely not good to do before a test.
The very best thing you can do is go to bed. At this point in the prep process, you know everything you’re going to know, and spending the night before a test trying to teach yourself something new or reinforce what you already know will hurt you instead of helping you.
What doesn’t harm you is giving yourself enough rest so that you come to the test wide-awake and focused. And that won’t happen if you’re bleary-eyed from a night spent “memorizing” facts you won’t successfully recall anyways.
Eat Breakfast before Your Standardized Test
This is another classic piece of advice that I beg you not to roll your eyes at…because your score will thank you.
A mental and physical marathon lie before you, and you CANNOT run two marathons on zero calories. Your brain needs carbs to function at a high level, and your body needs protein. Make sure you eat good amounts of both. (AND some healthy fats, while you’re at it!)
Also, bring snacks with you to the testing center! A banana or granola bar works wonders to restore your energy and focus when you’re starting to flag after an hour and a half of intensive work.
What to Wear to the SAT and ACT
Your exam is definitely not a first date. By which I mean: you’re not dressing to look good—you’re dressing to feel good so you can focus on this extremely important mental task.
No one’s looking at you anyway, believe me—they’re too busy worrying about the test before them! If you come to the testing room in sweats with your hair in a messy bun and no makeup but your lucky chapstick, that’s great.
You should strive to be as physically comfortable as possible. No high heels, tight pants, tube tops that need constant readjusting, etc.
Do, however, bring layers (like your trusty hoodie) in case the testing center is in one of those buildings where they love to blast the AC. (And review this list of 6-8 other items you should bring with you to the SAT/Digital SAT/ACT!)
Get a High Score on the ACT and SAT by Arriving Early
Finally, carefully plan your wakeup and departure time the night before. Leave your travel plans enough cushion so that you’ll arrive at your testing spot with plenty of time to spare. It’s essential that you have time to calm your mind and get comfortable with your environment before the test starts. You don’t want to begin a high-pressure exam already in a state of panic because you barely made it through the door in time.
Testing Tricks to Improve Your SAT and ACT Score
Now, let’s briefly touch on some things to keep in mind while taking your test for the second (or third…or fourth) time.
Stay Positive during the Exam
Do not permit your mind to go down a negative path. If you start feeling your mental chatter turn towards thoughts like “I can’t do this, I don’t know what this means, I’m bombing this test,” then gently redirect them towards more upbeat and focused thinking.
Repeat to yourself a simple, positive mantra like, “I’ve studied; I’m ready” or “I’ve got this.”
How to Pace Yourself While Taking the ACT or SAT
While I don’t recommend looking up at the clock every five minutes, do keep an eye out and keep yourself on track. This is why it’s important to prep with timed practice tests: you can train yourself to stay on time, and to sense when you’ve been spending too much time on a question.
(The Digital SAT and online ACT have built-in timer features, too!)
Always Look at All of the Answer Choices
You may think that B is the answer—until you reach D and realize that it’s a better answer. So, be sure that you’ve checked out each answer before making your decision.
Cross out the choices (or use the “eliminate” feature to digitally cross out the choices) that you know are wrong. That will make it easier to decide between the choices you have left.
Should You Skip an SAT or ACT Question When You Get Stuck?
Yes, you should. Sometimes a question seems so out-of-left-field and unfamiliar that you’ve just got to move on. You can’t waste any more time on this toughie when the other questions—all worth the same number of points as this one!—are likely lower-hanging fruit. Return to this tricky Q if you have the time at the end of the test.
Guess at Questions You Don’t Know
Yeah, so that question that you skipped over because you couldn’t make heads or tail of it in the moment? If you come back later on and still can’t make heads or tails of it, just make an educated guess. Who knows? Even with a random guess, you have a 25% chance of answering correctly! (For info more on the BEST way to pick randomly, read my post on the art of guessing *strategically* on the SAT and ACT.)
Be Decisive
Don’t second-guess yourself. If you find yourself going back and forth between two answer choices, go with the one you were first drawn towards. Your gut instinct is often right, and sometimes that’s the best strategy when you’re uncertain. Then MOVE ON.
Double-check Your Answers
If you’ve completed the section or module with extra minutes or seconds to spare, don’t just sit there whistling a merry tune ‘til the proctor says “time” or the countdown timer runs out! Look back over your answers. Double-check to ensure that you’ve actually arrived at—and actually selected—the right answer for each Q.
Conclusion
You may have been disappointed by your first ACT or SAT test score, but that’s water under the bridge now. With the right strategies, you WILL do a lot better on your next exam. It’s practically guaranteed.
After all, you’re going to use these next few weeks/months to improve your readiness, but the test will remain at the same difficulty level! So, take a deep breath, study hard, and say to yourself, “I’ve got this,” because you totally do.
And if you find it comforting to have the strategies in this post in your back pocket, how great would it be to have dozens MORE practical tips and tricks for getting your highest SAT or ACT score ever? If you work with me one on one, you’ll gain access to just such a treasure chest of my field-expert’s knowledge.
OR, if private tutoring doesn’t fit your budget or study style, never fear! My online course is a great alternative:
This is fully digital, go-at-your-own-pace video class will help you conquer your test-day nerves. I walk you through over a DOZEN tricks and strategies for keeping calm and testing on. So if you liked the hack that today’s post had to offer, just imagine the kind of score you can achieve with loads MORE of them!
(And as a happy bonus: the course will also give you a leg up on any other tests you take in life, from AP exams to college finals.)
