Essential Tips and Strategies for Taking the SAT and ACT

You’re about to continue the long and noble tradition of high school students freaking out over, taking, and surviving one of the two main standardized tests colleges use for admission: the ACT or SAT. Nervous? Don’t be. You're going to walk into your exam with something many test-takers don't have: a strategy.

While these study tips may not guarantee perfect standardized test scores, they can boost your confidence—and hopefully your correct answers. We’ve broken down these tips by ACT and SAT subjects, plus some general test-taking advice. But keep in mind that the SAT is now a fully digital, adaptive exam, and the ACT will introduce significant changes in April 2025. Here’s everything you need to know.

What to do before taking the ACT or SAT

You want to be in the right mindset on test day, and these tips can help get your head in the game. 

• Don’t panic. Easier said than done, I know, but even though these tests can be scary, freaking out will do you no good. (In fact, it might actively hurt your score.) Give yourself lots of time for test prep and planning. Also include self-care in your test prep routine: Meditate, eat well, and get plenty of sleep. 
• Understand key changes to the ACT and SAT. The SAT has transitioned to a fully digital format and is also adaptive, adjusting question difficulty as you progress through the test. In contrast, the ACT will introduce a digital version in April 2025 but still offer the traditional paper option. The ACT is also dropping from 215 to 171 questions, giving you more time per question. The Science section will become optional, and experimental questions will be integrated into the test. It helps to familiarize yourself with official practice tests for both exams to get comfortable with these formats. For the SAT in particular, focus on digital practice resources instead of the PSAT. This pre-test is still useful, but the best way to prepare for the SAT is by using the College Board’s new digital tools.
• Pump yourself up before the test. It might mean listening to an upbeat song, wearing your favorite outfit, or bringing a little good-luck charm. It doesn’t matter if you actually think it brings you luck; if it gives you confidence, you should have it on test day.
• Come up with a calming routine. Despite everything I said above, no one’s brain is ruled entirely by logic. Have a strategy for if you do start to lose it during the actual test. This could be anything from repeating a calming mantra, playing a snippet of a happy song in your head, or taking three deep breaths. Whatever it is, it should be silent and calming. To make a long tip short: Come up with an instant anti-adrenaline shot before you take the SAT or ACT.
• Eat breakfast. Even if your nerves are running wild and it feels like you can’t eat a thing, try to down something. Don’t make yourself sick, of course, but at least attempt to get something healthy in your stomach. Also remember that hunger can become a distraction when you’re taking the test. Ideally, your breakfast will be something with complex carbs and protein, so you’ll be fueled all morning without getting a sugar high. Go for things like multigrain cereal, avocado toast, low-sugar oatmeal, an egg-white omelet, or fruit.
• Bring a snack and water bottle. I promise this is the last food tip. These standardized tests can last for several hours, but they almost always let you bring a snack, so take advantage. Just like with your breakfast, choose something fairly healthy like a piece of fruit or protein bar. Drink plenty of water too!

Related: Top 3 Smart Tips for Stress-Free Test Prep 

ACT English and SAT Reading/Writing tips

For these sections, check out the CollegeXpress SAT Word Game and follow the advice below.

• Read the questions first. On both the SAT Reading and ACT English sections, carefully reading the whole passage as soon as you see a block of text is simply a waste of time because there won’t be questions about every single paragraph. You’re better off reading the questions first and skimming the passages. The questions will often tell you exactly where you need to read by giving you specific reference numbers too. Only read the whole passage if a question asks you about the whole thing.
• Study word parts. Knowing lots of word parts (e.g., bio-, cert-, en-, -ly, -tive) is a great test-prep strategy for both the SAT and ACT. If you memorize a word, you only know that word, but if you know the roots, you can figure out dozens of words. The best way to learn these word parts is to study Greek and Latin word roots as opposed to entire lists of vocabulary. Even if you only know what half of a word means, you have a far better chance than blind guessing.
• Homophones: they’re there! The SAT and ACT love throwing homophones at you. Know the difference between common homophones as part of your test prep, such as there, they’re, and their; it’s and its; where and wear; do and due; etc.
• Less is more. Conciseness is important on these standardized tests too. On the sentence corrections, you’re often better off going with the answer that clearly states the information in the fewest number of words (while still being grammatically correct).
• Trust your gut. If all else fails on a sentence correction question and you have no clue, go with what sounds right. Repeat the sentence to yourself in your head (since you can’t speak aloud). You’ve been hearing English for years. That might be all the strategy you need!

ACT and SAT Math tips

Don't forget your calculator—it's allowed for both tests!

• Focus your test prep on algebra and geometry. The SAT and ACT math problems feature a lot of algebra and geometry. So focus your math test prep on these subjects, especially if you haven’t had one of these classes yet or haven’t had them for a while. Be sure to review those geometry theorems too—you can’t logic your way through those like you can with algebra.
• Pay close attention to graphs. Familiarize yourself with graph-question strategies for both the ACT and SAT. And when you come across a graph on test day, read it very carefully. (This also applies to the ACT Science section.)
• Prioritize harder question types. Since the ACT will have fewer questions starting in 2025, difficult problems may carry more weight. Focus on multi-step problems and advanced algebra during your prep.
• There's no shame in using a calculator. Don’t try to be a superhero. Both the SAT and ACT let you use a calculator on their Math sections. FYI: The SAT allows most graphing calculators, and the ACT has its own calculator policy that you should read up on. In either case, calculators can be a real time-saver on test day, so take advantage of them.
• If your answer doesn’t make sense, do it again. If you end up with a triangle with two 90-degree angles, something is wrong. Math is logical and structured. If something seems completely wrong, there’s a good chance it is.

Related: Tackling the Hardest SAT Math Problems 

ACT Science strategies

As of April 2025, the ACT Science section is optional—but if you choose to take it, here’s how to succeed.

• Remember your English skills. You know all the close-reading skills you learned in English? They can really help you in the Science section of the ACT. That’s because the ACT Science section is a lot of passage reading and analyzing. In that way, it’s actually more like the English section of the ACT than the Math section!
• Study prefixes, suffixes, and other word parts. Science is full of long words that you can break down into word parts (see study tip #7!). For example, “photosynthesis” is made up of “photo,” meaning “light,” and “synthesis,” meaning “make.” It literally means made with light. Study prefixes, suffixes, and other word parts.
• Know the graph; be the graph. Read every graph at least twice to make sure you understand it. Also, keep in mind that if the ACT gives you a graph, it will ask you something about that graph. They didn’t just feel like wasting ink. (This also applies to the Math section.)
• Consider skipping the Science section. If Science isn’t your strongest suit and your target colleges don’t require it, consider skipping the section to focus on other areas. But if you do take it, remember that English skills will serve you well here.

Essay and Writing tips

The standalone SAT Essay section has been discontinued, and very few schools require the ACT Writing section. You no longer need to prepare for these components unless you’re taking a state-administered version that still includes them. If that applies to you, you can follow these tips (or keep them in your back pocket for other formal writing assignments!).

• Don’t use “don’t.” Or any other contractions, for that matter. Contractions sound casual, and avoiding them can help make your writing sound more formal and academic. It may seem awkward to write out “do not,” but it will be worth it. Similarly, use proper English. No slang or casual language. Remember, you’re trying to show the test scorers that you’re ready for college-level academics, so proper English is a must.
• Stay in third. English teachers (and college professors) are typically looking for you to stay in the third person, meaning you don’t use any first- or second-person words like “I,” “me,” “mine,” “you,” “yours,” “we,” or “ours” unless you are using a direct quote. This makes your writing more authoritative since it doesn’t seem like you are letting personal feelings cloud your judgment. This may not sound like a big deal, but trust me when I say that it can make a difference.
• Don’t start a paragraph with “the.” This is hard to do, I’ll be the first to admit, but it can be a helpful strategy that improves your writing immensely. By forcing yourself not to start a paragraph with “the,” you tend to change your sentence structure for the better.
• Use active voice. If you can help it, avoid “to be” verbs such as “is,” “am,” “are,” “were,” “was,” etc. This will make sure you’re writing in an active voice, which is almost always preferable (and more impressive to test scorers). For example, “It revealed a truth about the character” is active, whereas “A truth about the character was revealed” is passive.
• Read your finished essay carefully. Proper grammar and usage count! Know your own weaknesses and proofread your essay with an especially critical eye for mistakes. Go over your essay slowly and methodically. If you just breeze through it, your brain will insert what you know you meant and not what you actually wrote. For once, skimming is not your time-saving friend.

Related: 7 Tips to Boost Your Writing for Homework and Essays

General test-taking strategies for the SAT and ACT

Try to keep these general ACT and SAT strategies in mind on top of everything else! 

• Skip questions that stump you. Whether you’re taking the SAT or ACT, if you stare at a problem for a full minute and have absolutely no clue whatsoever, move on. You can go back later. (Pro study tip: Taking timed practice tests can help you get a sense of how much time you can devote to a question.)
• Eliminate answers you know are wrong. If you’re struggling with a question, and especially if you’re straight-up guessing on the answer, eliminate any answers you know are wrong to improve your chances of guessing the right one.
• Never leave a question blank. You don’t lose any points for guessing a wrong answer on either the SAT or ACT. So if you have any time left at the end of the test, mark down something—literally anything—on all the questions you skipped. Even if you don’t make it to all of them, you will have a chance at getting some points. That’s better than zero.
• If you’re retaking the test, be realistic. Lots of students retake the ACT and SAT to boost their scores, but it’s important to be realistic about how much you expect your score to improve from an old PSAT, SAT, or ACT score. The odds of going from a 900 to a 1600 on the SAT are slim to none, and Slim just left town. That being said, you shouldn’t be discouraged. Even a few points worth of improvement is movement forward, and that is nothing to be scoffed at.

There you have it: A nice, long list of study tips and test-taking strategies for the ACT and SAT. We hope you learned something new to help you boost your scores. Good luck! 

Want more pro tips to maximize your SAT or ACT score? Check out our Test Prep section for even more strategies and insider advice!