A Step-by-Step Guide to Do-It-Yourself Test Prep (and why you might not want to do it alone)

A Guide to Do-It-Yourself Test Prep (and why you might not want to go it alone)

Can you prep for a test like the SAT, ACT, or GRE yourself? Absolutely. Should you prep for it yourself? Maybe, maybe not.

How Do You Prepare for a Standardized Test on Your Own?

Before I get into the benefits of working with a tutor or class, I’m going to give you readers free (that’s right—free!) instructions about how to prepare yourself. This might seem like a bad business strategy for a test prep tutor, but I am sympathetic towards students who don’t have the resources to pay for a tutor or class—when I was in high school, I was that student. By working hard on my own, I was able to successfully prepare myself to ace the SAT, which is one reason I ended up in the test prep business.

The first step to preparing for any test is to get an idea of your starting point, AKA your “baseline score.” To do this, take a diagnostic test—preferably an official, full-length test. Most testing services offer at least one free practice or diagnostic test that you can download and print or take online. If you’re preparing for a less common test that doesn’t offer a free official diagnostic, search Amazon and the internet for the highest-rated tests available for a reasonable price.

One important note: I do NOT recommend using Chat GPT or another AI program to create diagnostic or practice tests. These programs don’t always have full (or even partial) knowledge of the test you’re taking, while the companies that make the tests and specialize in test prep do. I once experimented with ChatGPT and asked it to write some “very difficult” SAT math questions. It gave me questions that were so hard I couldn’t solve them… then, I realized that they were unsolvable (and “no solution” was not offered as an answer choice)! When I brought this up with ChatGPT, it admitted that there was no correct answer choice and offered to rewrite the question, but I might not have realized the program’s errors if I wasn’t a test prep tutor. If ChatGPT didn’t know about the SAT, one of the country’s most common standardized tests, I don’t have faith it will know about other, more specialized tests. Since most tests have resources available written by people who know the test well, it’s worth a little money to obtain an accurate practice test.

When you take the diagnostic, be sure to mimic test conditions—take the test in one sitting in a quiet place, with cell phones away and no help from family, friends, or AI. If you’re taking a paper test, make sure to practice with the answer sheet. If you can’t come close to mimicking test conditions, be aware that your diagnostic may not give an accurate picture of your true test score.

Once you’ve taken your diagnostic, get your results by using online tools or correcting it yourself. To improve your score, it’s important to understand not only what you missed, but why you missed it. Go through the questions you missed and divide them into three categories:  

a.    Oh, I get it!- Questions for which you look at the correct answer and understand your mistakes. Make a note of what you did wrong so you’re more aware the next time.

b.    Huh?- Questions which you review and either have no idea how to reach the correct answer, or still think your answer is correct. Note the concepts or types of questions that confuse you.

c.     Out of time- Try the question under untimed conditions and then sort into category a or b. Make a note of how far you got when you ran out of time to help with pacing practice.

Once you have a baseline score, set a reasonable goal for improvement and decide on your target test date. It’s your test date is coming up soon, register for the test, especially in cases where the most convenient testing locations might fill up.

Now, with your goal in mind, it’s time to focus on improving your skills and test-taking strategies. For most tests, I recommend purchasing at least two books: the official guide (when there is one), and the highest-ranked practice and strategy guide you can find on Amazon. If you are only weak in one area, you might purchase a strategy guide specific to that test section instead of the overall test. If you are taking a test, like the SAT, that offers high-quality free online resources, you might start with those and see if you need any additional resources later on in your test-prep journey. Some tests, like the ISEE, offer paid online resources that are expensive compared to a single book but very comprehensive and helpful (and probably cheaper than a tutor or class).

Once you have your books and resources, it’s time to learn and practice the skills and strategies you need for the test. This is where you need to put in time, effort and initiative: read the test prep guides and/or watch the videos, do practice drills, and make flashcards (or use an online program like Quizlet) to memorize key formulas and terms. If you’re stumped and can’t figure out something yourself, make a list of those concepts for a later tutoring session (I you can afford it), or politely ask relatives or classmates or teachers who might have time to help.

Along with practicing the specific skills and strategies you need for the test, you will need to take practice tests so that you are applying those skills in the test setting. Like the diagnostic, you should mimic test conditions as much as possible to get an accurate metric of your progress. If you’re taking the test on a Saturday morning and must wake up early, try to wake up early on a Saturday morning to take the practice test so that your mind and body get used to working hard at that hour. I recommend at least three practice tests: one about halfway through your preparation time, one 3-4 weeks before the test, and another 1-2 weeks before the test. After each test, review and sort your answers like you did during the diagnostic test. (If you don’t have time for this step, I recommend continuing to drill individual skills instead of taking a full test.) Make notes of areas or skills where you’re still weak and focus on those as you continue your preparations.

The night before the test, pack your bag with everything you need the next day. Make sure to get a decent night’s sleep, but don’t vary significantly from your usual routine. The same is true for breakfast—it’s a good idea to eat breakfast the morning of the test (even if you’re not a breakfast person), but don’t eat significantly more than you are used to. As you take the test, remember that you worked hard to prepare and be confident in your abilities!

If you get the test result that you want, congratulations! If you don’t, decide if you’re going to do additional preparation and retake the test. I often encounter students who take the test multiple times without doing additional preparation, and I find that they usually score about the same. Unless there were extreme circumstances, like illness or technical glitches, you usually won’t score significantly better unless you take more time to prepare and address your weak areas.

What are the benefits to working with a tutor instead of going alone?

The two biggest advantages to working with a tutor instead of prepping oneself are accountability and efficiency.

While anyone can prepare for a test themselves, many people won’t do it unless someone is holding them accountable and checking in on a regular basis. It’s similar to how I can theoretically complete an interval training program any day of the week using exercise bands I already own and free YouTube videos, but I don’t do it—online or in person—unless I sign up for (and pay for) a scheduled class. In today’s busy world of classes and homework and activities and/or work, it’s often hard to find time to prioritize test prep among all the other demands of life. If you must (or just want) take the test by a certain test date, paid classes or sessions with a tutor are an excellent way to hold yourself accountable and make sure you stick to your test prep timeline.

The other big advantage of working with a tutor (more than a class) is efficiency: tutors can zero in on the resources, skills, and strategies that best address the student’s individual needs. Most students have limited time and a lot on their to-do lists, so it’s important to maximize the test prep time they have. As  a tutor with years of experience who has worked through every practice test and book multiple times, I can provide strategies and advice in a single session that might take a student hours to research and figure out on their own.