“For many years our school has been a standardized test site for our students, some of whom were home schooled before they came to our school.  We also have made ourselves available as a testing site for home educating students in our area who are not enrolled at our school.

Some home educated students have less experience taking standardized tests than those who have been in school.  There is some truth to the adage “practice makes perfect.”  Although it is very rare for a student to get a perfect score, experience helps.  A student who has taken a particular test before, or has closely simulated the experience, will tend to enter the test environment with more confidence and less anxiety.  He or she will spend less time dealing with the mechanics of taking the test, will be better able to pace himself or herself, and can more easily focus on the content of the test.

How To Simulate Taking a Standardized Test

I recommend that all students take a full-length practice test before the actual test day.  For a home schooled student who may not have taken many standardized tests before, such a simulation can be especially valuable.

You can purchase practice tests for the PSAT, SAT and ACT in most bookstores or via the Internet.  In addition, you may be able to obtain a free practice test through a local high school’s guidance office.

I recommend taking the practice test in a local public library or similar environment. A library is a fairly close approximation to the atmosphere of a test center.  While the library should be relatively quiet, there will be minor distractions, just as there may be at the test center on test day.  You may hear people coughing, chairs creaking, and a bit of rustling around. You want conditions to simulate as closely as possible the actual test environment.

Here are the suggested simulation steps:

1. Get a copy of a complete practice test.
2. Go to your public library—or any library, to take the test.
3. If possible, take the practice test on a Saturday morning, because (for the ACT or SAT) that will be the day and time that you will actually take the test.
4. Take the test exactly as it will be given on the real testing day.

Follow the same amount of time to read the directions.

Fill out the ID information.

Spend the same amount of time on each section as will be given for the test.

When it is time to take a break, take the break.

5. Then, score your test.  The answers and scoring instructions will be provided in the practice test.

When students complete an entire practice test in this kind of simulation, they are less likely to be tripped up by the directions or by the logistics of taking the test.

After experiencing such a simulation, on the actual test day students tend to be more relaxed, confident, and better able to do their best.”

• Grew up homeschooled 
• Wheaton College graduate
• Currently a public school music teacher, for 1^st – 5^th grade

        While In High School – Dual Enrollment
        “If your state’s junior college or community colleges have that, it’s a great advantage.  I entered college with 42 college credits. Among them were many general education courses I had taken at junior college, which also counted for my high school requirements.  When I came to Wheaton I could get right to my major.  My program of music education would have taken five years, but instead, because I was able to come in with those credits, it took four years.”

        Practice Essay Writing      
        “In high school I spent two years practicing essay writing for college essays.  A few years early I downloaded college applications of the schools I thought I wanted to apply to, and then practiced writing the essays.”

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