Pacing and Time Management
Maintenance of a steady, productive pace and effective management of limited time are keys to unlocking optimal performance on the SAT/ACT. Getting stuck, spending far too much time on a small number of crazy-hard problems, can destroy test results. So can mindless rushing. These twin evils, once discovered, must be quickly and thoroughly exorcised. Fortunately, bad testing habits like these can be uprooted and replaced with better ones. Getting hung up on annoying, difficult questions for long periods of time makes several things happen, all of which are bad for SAT/ACT math scores. Having wasted valuable minutes, you’re now behind the clock and feel an even greater need to rush. The added time pressure also increases stress. Realizing those sticky questions were too hard, and that you probably answered them all incorrectly despite the extra time and effort spent on them, you’re in a bad mood. All this is quite distracting and makes it hard to be energetic, creative, and attentiv...