One thing I learned after going to school all the way through medical school:  Test taking is a learned skill and you get higher scores the more and better you practice.  Looking back, I wish I had know this before taking the SAT and ACT as a high school student.  A few practice tests and some directed technique drills would have easily raised my scores.

If you have a teenager who plans to take these tests for college entrance, start early and integrate a bit of test taking skills into your homeschool curriculum.

Check out MSN Encarta’s site with tips, resources, and links to ACT/SAT test taking strategies. 

Although the overall picture of your college applying child is important, a few more points on their test scores can only help open more doors.