SparkNotes

Don't Suffer in Solitude: Start a Study Club!

Studying for the SAT and ACT doesn't have to be a solemn, solitary endeavor. Put together a Study Club at your school and watch your love for the test blossom! (Okay, maybe it won't quite blossom.) It might sound geeky, but studying in a group can be a great motivator. It also offers everyone involved the opportunity to share experiences, strategies, study methods, and frustrations.

Study clubs can be organized in an informal manner, limited to your friends and friend's friends who are also taking the test. But if you're the kind of person who can't do anything small, go all out and make the SAT or ACT study club an official school organization through your school's club application channels. This process might be more time-consuming, with time devoted to advertising, electing officers, setting up meetings, and devising agendas. But the variety of members you might attract by spreading the word could completely transform the way you look at the exam.

Whether you go the informal or formal route, here are some basics to keep in mind while getting your club together:

Where to meet: Good meeting spots include a classroom or conference room at school, a study room in the local library, or a relatively quiet cafe. You can use a club member's house, but make sure you'll have uninterrupted peace and quiet during your meetings. Check potential locations for internet access so you can use online test prep tools!

When to meet: On weekdays, get together at least a two or three times a week for an hour or two after school (you may want to meet more often in the week or so leading up to test day). Hold longer meetings on weekends, and schedule an intensive session or two where everyone takes a practice test. If possible, arrange it so that your dedicated study space is available every day of the week. That way, club members can get some productive, uninterrupted studying done, even when no fixed meeting is scheduled. And always keep the room supplied with calculators, index cards, test prep materials, pencils and scratch paper. (Note: If you're meeting at school or a public library, make sure to reserve the room well enough in advance.)

What to do on day one: At the first meeting, assess the needs of the members and determine your collective goals. Take into account if most members are taking the test on an upcoming test date. Identify each member's strengths and weaknesses, and arrange for members to help each other out.

Here are some ideas for activities you can use during your meetings:

• Ask everyone to bring a pack of index cards and markers. Spend a meeting composing stacks of cards with vocab words, idioms, math formulas, or anything else you need to memorize for the test. Then take turns quizzing each other with your decks. You could even hold competitions to see who has memorized the most vocab words, idioms, or math formulas.
• Let members take turns giving presentations on a reading passage, math strategy, test-taking strategy, etc.
• Arrange for a college student, college admissions officer, or test tutor speak about the test from their perspective.
• Ask every member to review a recently completed practice test before the next meeting. Have each person bring in any questions they don't understand and take turns going over these difficult questions together.
• Complete a timed practice essay during the meeting. Take turns grading each other's essays and discuss the weaknesses and strengths.
• Get yourselves some Study Club t-shirts to show off your group pride.
• And, of course, throw an awesome party once the exam is over and before you start worrying about your scores!

This study club will only work if you're committed to it. Maintain consistency by meeting at least once a week, and make your best effort to attend each meeting. Keep in touch with other members through email or texts. You can even create a Facebook group or webpage, where your group can post meeting schedules, agendas, updates, and photos.

Do you have a study club? What kinds of things does your group do? Let us know in the comments, and email your questions to testpreptutor@sparknotes.com.

Related Post: SAT Sleepover Party

By: Suchi Rudra Vasquez

Topics: SAT, act, study groups

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