Let’s Talk about Mocks

There is nothing like a new year and new calendar to motivate everyone to start checking “to dos” off their lists. If one of the things you’d like your students to get “to done” is getting a baseline standardized test score, what we refer to as a practice or mock test, Applerouth is here to help.

As Scott Hamilton mentioned, you’ll want to consider each student’s academic readiness, school schedule, extracurricular commitments, admissions deadlines, and score goals when setting a testing timeline. But no matter when a student starts, the right place to start is with a practice test taken under traditional testing conditions so a student knows both what to expect on test day and what to expect when they get their scores back.

Applerouth offers a number of ways for your students to take their first practice test, and we invite them to try both the SAT and ACT to see which test might be a better fit for their learning style.

• Online practice tests with a live proctor during our National Practice Test Weekend event February 26 and 27
• Online, on-demand, computer-timed ACT and SAT to help accommodate busy schedules or time zone differences
• In-person in our markets with in-person tutoring including:
• Atlanta
• New York
• Washington, D.C.
• Seattle
• We also periodically host special events in our in-person markets including these upcoming opportunities:
• Houston (ACT and SAT at Houston Baptist University on February 5th)
• Chicago (ACT and SAT at the Winnetka Community House on February 26th)

At the start of the new year and semester, the recent receipt of PSAT scores dovetails nicely into planning upcoming official tests, especially for juniors who may have held off during the fall term as they adjusted to being back to school in-person and recovering from learning loss during the pandemic.

A mock test at the start of a program helps set a baseline to allow families and students to attain a better understanding of strengths and opportunities for improvement. We also regularly encourage students to take a mock after 5 to 10 hours of private tutoring to allow both the tutor and student to determine what is sticking and what might need a bit further reinforcement.

Once completed, your students can share their practice scores with you directly if they register for a mock via your dedicated landing page or have sharing permissions established. If you are not sure if you have a landing page or would like more information on this time-saving tool, contact your IEC Account Manager.

So let’s get those test dates on the 2022 calendars out, making note of the official test dates for the rest of the year (don’t forget to include school day testing that may be available), and start checking things off the list! The Class of 2024 (and their recently announced move to computer-based testing for the SAT) will be here soon enough…