SAT Tips from a High School Computer Science Enthusiast

Many students are not comfortable with taking tests.

I am sharing some tools and tips for the ACT/SAT and the AP Computer Science exam.

How to Prepare for the ACT or SAT

STEP 1: HAVE A PLAN

During the pandemic, many colleges became test optional for standardized tests.

For instance, UCs and CSUs are not considering the ACT or SAT for admissions. However, students can choose to use their scores for course placement once admitted.

Stanford and Princeton also became test optional for this year, meaning students have the option to take the SAT or ACT for admissions.

STEP 2: KNOW THE AVERAGE SCORES OF COLLEGES

Different colleges have different admission rates and competitiveness.

For that reason, you should know where you want to go to have a goal of what score you should get.

For example, Harvard has a SAT range of 1460-1580 and an ACT range of 33-35. You would want to aim for at least the middle to have a better chance of getting admitted.

Also, not all colleges require the essay portion, so keep that in mind!

STEP 3: WHAT SHOULD I STUDY TO PREPARE?

For the ACT, you will be asked multiple choice questions in Science, Math, Reading, and English, as well as an essay portion.

For the SAT, on the other hand, you will receive the same sections except for science.

You should also know how much time is allotted for each section so you can practice pacing yourself while answering.

Next, you should use all resources you can get to prepare. In my experience, I used a book that has around five practice exams. It actually helped me as I was able to practice how the test would go. It will also help you know which areas you should work on and what strategies will help you for the tests.

Lastly, take your time studying as much as you can.

STEP 4: THE DAY OF THE EXAM

The key to everything is confidence.

If you know that you did everything you could and studied diligently for the past several weeks, then you will be more comfortable and less nervous.

Just trust yourself and live with the results.

After all, even if you did not like the results, you can just retake it, and at this point, you already have the experience!

Prepare for Your AP CS Test

If you want to explore the fields of AI and engineering in college, then taking AP Computer Science in high school will be to your advantage.

Currently, I am taking the AP CS course my senior year. But I can say that it seems like it’s not an AP class because of some background I received.

So, for my tip: use all resources you can get to prepare yourself for the course.

Knowing that I would be taking the course without any background about programming, I was willing to attend and participate in coding workshops.

I found Inspirit AI and applied for it because the program doesn’t require any background about coding.

At the start of the Inspirit AI workshop, they placed us in small groups of around three students with one mentor. This small group size allowed us to have a personalized, collaborative experience.

In a course of just two weeks, I was able to learn a lot of basic things about coding and even did a project which helped me with my Computer Science class.

If you are serious about studying AI and computer science in college, then you should consider taking the Inspirit AI courses and workshops to help prepare you for not only the AP CS Test, but also college and beyond.