We all know there is a lot of material to learn on the path to mastering the SAT or ACT — formulas, grammar rules, reading strategies. But there is another skill to master: the mind game.
During the lengthy exam, pacing, endurance, and fatigue become huge factors in your mental performance. These hurdles make up the mind game: the psychological prowess needed in partnership with the material to maintain rigorous concentration during the test’s unique conditions. Rather than being learned in a lesson, these skills come from building the muscle of focus. And like any muscle, it needs to be trained.
Training is not something that happens overnight — after your second trip to the gym, you don’t go out and run a marathon. Instead, you take active steps to train your muscles during your practice.
Practice. Interesting word, that. What do we know about practice?
We are taught that practice makes perfect. This is not true. An aspiring pitcher who practices by bowling the baseball probably isn’t going to be very successful, even if they practice all day every day. The truth is:
Practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect.
This means when you prepare for the test but do not exercise the muscles of your mind game, you make permanent the limited focus and energy you bring to your practice. That is why it’s so important to push yourself to improve focus during all your SAT/ACT practice.
There are steps you can take to train your focus and improve your mind game when you study for the tests:
1. The Environment
Just like on test day, your practice space needs to be distraction free. Find a quiet space, preferably with as few people around as possible. This isn’t always as easy as it sounds. If your little brother is always practicing his air guitar and mom always has an endless number of phone calls, tell your family: “Hey, I’m going to be studying for the SAT/ACT at 7 tonight, can I have an hour of quiet-time in the house?”
Most importantly, put your phone away. In another room, preferably. Practicing with it buzzing at the other end of the table is going to make permanent that little voice in your head wondering what your friends are texting you about. It won’t be there on test day, so get it outta there.
Or better yet, head to the LogicPrep office, and we’ll set you up in a distraction-free study space or an empty room. We’ll even hold your cell phone behind the front desk for you.
2. The Body
Given the intensity of high school, it is understandable that sometimes SAT/ACT homework happens later at night than you might want. But attempting these endurance-based tests when you’re losing your energy to stay focused is bad practice, and builds bad mental habits. If you feel yourself losing steam, it might be best to call it a night and start up again in the morning.
Hunger can be just as distracting as tiredness. Stock up on brain foods to snack on before you begin your SAT/ACT practice, like nuts or berries. Just like with your phone, you don’t want to make permanent the state of distraction that an empty stomach brings.
3. The Mind
You know the feeling when you’ve read the same paragraph for the third time but still can’t remember what it’s about? That’s your mind’s signal telling you that your focus is temporarily low and needs a little reset. There’s no use reading it a fourth time — you don’t want to make that mental state permanent.
Instead, take a micro break. Try moving your body: walk up and down the stairs or do ten jumping jacks. Use this moment to wipe your slate clean and return to the question at hand as if it’s the first question you’re working on today. Slowly, your mental muscles will get stronger, and you’ll be able to reset and focus by simply taking a deep breath. But until then, note when your mind is drifting, and take active, physical steps to correct it.
In order to build the mental muscles required for staying focused during these long tests, it’s essential that you study in test conditions. Remember: Practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect.