Studying for the ACT can be very difficult for high school students, because now more than ever, teenagers have very little free time. And with scholarships and colleges so competitive now, an average ACT score just won't cut it. But the problem is finding time to study to get a high ACT score. Whether it is a part-time job, sports team, club or other extra-curricular activity, there are many claims on a student's time. For that reason, it is especially important to know the tips and tricks that can help you learn more in less time. That is working smart instead of merely working hard.
In order to work smart, students have to be willing to question the conventional wisdom about studying long hours for the ACT. While marathon study sessions may make mom and dad happy or impress friends, this age-old strategy is counter productive. The reason is that every person, whether they are a teenaged student or a middle-aged adult going back to grad school, has their own cycle of study peaks and valleys in any given study session. When you begin to study, your mind gets 'warmed up' and then operates efficiently and then the efficiency drops off. Once you have passed the peak, the best thing to do is save your energy and come back after a break so that you can quickly get to your next study peak. Then you will learn more quickly and retain more of what you are studying, in addition to not getting mentally and even physically exhausted.
Though everyone may have different study peaks and valley, almost nobody has a study peak that lasts for hours. The trick is to study in shorter bursts in order to spend the most time possible in the study peak and the least possible time studying in the valley.
A great example of this in the physical realm is how the Roman armies used to march many miles a day to fight a battle. They knew that, no matter how important it was to get to an objective, they had to get there with some energy left to fight. This is how "Roman Running" was developed. The army would run for 100 paces and then walk for 100 paces. They got where they were going a lot faster than if they just ran until they dropped from exhaustion.
The efficient study equivalent of Roman Running is to study in short bursts. For example, you will be able to take more in and then retain more if you study in 20 minute bursts. This way, you are always fresh when you are studying. You then take a 10-20 minute break and come back for another burst.
Abraham Lincoln once said that if he had 12 hours to chop down a tree, he would spend 6 of those hours sharpening his axe. This is wise advice and it applies to studying or any other mental exercise. Spend time sharpening your mental study axe and watch your ACT score increase!
In other words, if you have a three hour block of time available for studying, spend at least one third, or better yet one half of that time taking breaks and doing other activities to give your brain a rest and keep fresh. You will take in more information, retain more information, and be better prepared on test day. This will mean a higher ACT score and therefore better chances at scholarships and admission to the college of your choice.
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Plants are shaped by cultivation and men by education. .. We are born weak, we need strength; we are born totally unprovided, we need aid; we are born stupid, we need judgment. Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given us by education.
(Jean Jacques Rousseau, Emile, On Philosophy of Education)
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