ACT Exam Preparation - How Parents Can Help Students Take Studying More Seriously

It can be very frustrating when a parent understands the importance of a good test score but their child just doesn't seem to get it. What generally happens then is that the parent pushes the child to study, sometimes without understanding how to study effectively, and the child just resists more and more. The worst thing to do is put more pressure on the student over the ACT exam.

Instead, relieve some of their pressure by sitting down with them and helping them to backward plan from the date of the test to figure out how they can get the most studying in without resorting to cramming at the last minute or losing their mind. Invest in their success by being a part-time study partner with them. They may not want you to be a full-time study partner (most teens don't want their parents being a study partner!), and you probably don't have the time anyway, but 5 minutes a day is something you can swing.

Use that 5 minutes to ask them a math question or see how they are coming along with understanding the rules of when to use a comma versus a semicolon. A lot of this will be learning for you too, but by engaging in it with them, you demonstrate that it is important and you care. This is a far cry from nagging.

Five minutes a day is a good discipline and is very powerful. As with learning a language, the best strategy by far is by studying a little bit each day, even if it is only 5 minutes. Subscribe to a newsletter that will send you a "Tip of the Week" so that you have an email reminder to check in and learn something new or verify that you've already mastered that tip. The test has 4 major portions, and it would be great even if you just set up a daily topic. While it would be ideal to do some diagnostics on weak points by examining the results of a practice test, you could start with something simple like this:

* Monday: Punctuation Rules ( comma, semi-colon, colon, etc.)
* Tuesday: Geometry (relationships of triangles, figuring area of various shapes, etc.)
* Wednesday: Science (basics of chemistry, electricity, etc.)
* Thursday: English - Grammar Rules (passive voice,
* Friday: Algebra: Select a word problem and practice putting it into a formula

Just remember the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. By beginning a long time before the test, you can get a lot done in just 5 minutes a day.

Source: EzineArticles.com