D. Sen currently attends UNC-Chapel Hill as a student of the Kenan-Flagler Business School ('24). She was a National Merit Scholar, the president of DECA and Spanish Club in high school, received a 36 on the ACT, won international and state DECA awards, and received 4s and 5s on all 13 of her AP courses.
This is the second part in a 3-part series featuring D. Sen's advice and experience.
Important things D. Sen shares:
" Knowing the material is definitely important, but the more you know the formats of these tests, the better you can predict what they’re going to ask and be prepared to approach the question."
Q: Which standardized tests did you take? How did you determine which one fit you best?
A: I took both the SAT and ACT multiple times. Originally, I took the SAT in middle school for the Duke Talent Identification Program. I took it a few more times over the years for different reasons, as well as the PSAT for the National Merit Program. While my scores were good, I didn’t feel they accurately represented my learning. Taking the ACT was more comfortable for me, and I appreciated the addition of the science section. After I took that a few times, I had a score that I was happy with.
Q: What type of resources did you use to study (study groups, tutors, Kaplan, official test preps, online sites, etc) ? Were they helpful?
A: I used Khan Academy to some extent but that’s still pretty much it.
Q: What is one strategy that you used on every single test to help you prepare?
A: Practice test, practice test, practice test. Knowing the material is definitely important, but the more you know the formats of these tests, the better you can predict what they’re going to ask and be prepared to approach the question. The only way to do this, in my opinion, is to do as many practices as possible.
Q: Did the schools you applied to superscore your tests? If so, did that change your strategy for studying and test-taking?
A: I believe most of my schools did superscore my tests, but I went into every test planning on the idea that they would not, and just trying to do the best that I could on every section.
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