Taking ACT/SAT From Years Ago Is Still Helping You in Life and You Don’t Even Know It

Summary

The author argues that skills developed from preparing for the ACT and SAT, such as speed reading, data analysis, and grammar, continue to provide lifelong benefits in productivity and decision-making.

Abstract

The article "Taking ACT/SAT From Years Ago Is Still Helping You in Life and You Don't Even Know It" emphasizes the enduring value of the skills honed during standardized test preparation. The author identifies three key skills: speed reading, which enhances the efficiency of information consumption on platforms like Medium; the ability to quickly analyze charts, figures, and tables, which is crucial for interpreting the vast amounts of data presented during events like the current pandemic; and a solid grasp of grammar, which improves writing proficiency. These skills, while often associated with the ACT and SAT, are not exclusively derived from standardized testing but are reinforced by the preparation process. The author posits that these competencies are essential for both high school graduates and university-educated individuals, regardless of their field of study.

Opinions

The author believes that standardized testing, despite its unpopularity, imparts valuable skills that extend beyond academic settings.
Speed reading is presented as a superior alternative to video content for obtaining information quickly and efficiently.
The author suggests that the ACT and SAT place a unique emphasis on rapid data analysis, which is particularly useful in today's data-saturated environment.
There is a critique of high school English courses for not focusing enough on fundamental grammar rules, which the author believes are adequately covered in standardized test preparation.
The author asserts that standardized testing is a common learning experience that equips students with universally applicable skills, transcending the relevance of the test scores post-admission to university.

1. Speed Reading

With their being so many platforms for entertainment, education, and current events, majority of our time is spent on these platforms. Since I found out about medium, I use medium to get majority of information and entertainment now instead of youtube. The developed the habit of speed reading when I prepared for the ACT and the SAT; I have never looked back since then. I use it every day. Speed reading allows me to use Medium effectively to obtain the maximum amount of information in the least amount of time. With youtube now encouraging creators to make videos longer than 10 minutes to be able to maximize earnings on pieces of contents, watching each video on youtube has become a big commitment. Why would I watch a 10–12 minutes video on how Elon musk spends his day if I can just skim through a medium article and get the important information while ignoring the unnecessary information in about 1–2 minutes. Reading a piece of writing while only focusing on the important information is an essential skill that guarantees productivity. Practicing ACT/SAT passages repeatedly enforced not only reading quickly but extracting the overall idea of the reading at the same time.

2. Analysis of Charts, Figures and Tables

It would be wrong to say that the skill of data analysis of charts, figures and tables is only provided by standardized testing; these skills are also provided by many other high school courses, but ACT and SAT emphasize being able to analyze a figure quickly. During the current pandemic, tremendous amount of data is thrown at us, but the skill of being able to analyze these data without reading an article that explicitly states the importance of the data comes from preparing for standardized testing. For example, when you look at the table below, how can you tell which country is affected the most by this pandemic? Is it the country that that has highest number of affected people? Anyone that studied well for the ACT would know to look at the ‘cases per 1M people’ column to determine the most affected country.

Table showing the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in each country on Google

3. Grammar

As an ACT and SAT tutor, I get students all the time that do not know the basic grammar rules ( I am talking about something as simple as it/its/it’s or usage of commas). Even high school english courses don’t emphasize specifically on grammar. Studying for the ACT and SAT makes students better writers without them even realizing it.

I am not implying that these skills can only be earned from preparing for standardized testing, but standardized testing is the only common learning experience among all of America that teaches these essential skills. These are essential skills that a high school graduate and a STEM major with a bachelor degree would both have. Although ACT and SAT scores are considered useless after being admitted into a university, the learning that comes from these tests provides you with essential skills that everyone uses for the rest of their everyday life.

Taking ACT/SAT From Years Ago Is Still Helping You in Life and You Don’t Even Know It

These skills have helped me get the most out of my Medium membership.

1. Speed Reading

2. Analysis of Charts, Figures and Tables

3. Grammar