It feels as though the lockdown is engendering difficulty in every corner of our lives, most notably impacting our ability to concentrate on studies. This might be especially true if you’re preparing to take an important entrance exam, whether it is the GRE, SAT, or TACHS. If you’re hoping to apply to Catholic high schools, but worried that getting the prep you need will be hard to come by during these tough times, then the following guide is for you. High school is an exciting time in everyone’s life, and something to look forward to. Even though it’s more difficult than usual to plan for the future, there’s no reason to stop working towards your goal. Read on for more information on how best to prepare for this important exam.
Understand the Scoring System
The exam is roughly two and a half hours long, including two hundred questions all of which are multiple-choice. The areas covered are reading, language, math, and abilities which are a catchall section that covers important principles of logical reasoning such as abstract reasoning. The best scores range between seventy and ninety-nine. Even though you cannot fail or pass, a higher score is considered a win, and something to aim for to help you get into the best catholic high schools. Admissions officers will account for your other capacities, but the exam is an important tool to gauge your skillset and how well you would do in an academically rigorous environment.
Initial Skill Assessment
First things first, take a practice exam. To prepare properly, you should first get an appropriate assessment of where you are and how well you do in each section. Or, understand which sections in which you would do poorly so that you can focus your energies on getting better. This initial assessment of your current skill set will allow you to better understand in which direction you should take your exam prep in the coming weeks or months.
Review Best Test-Taking Strategies
Like all standardized tests, some questions may come across as far more difficult than they are. This is because there is a certain language used in the asking of the questions, and in the ways, the answers are lined up, designed with the prime intention of throwing you off. Arguably, the best chance at success would be to work hard to break the exam’s “code” while also taking into account rigorous study to help you tackle each section. Understanding how the questions are asked is almost as important as figuring out how to answer them.
Online Prep Courses
Thankfully, there are plenty of resources online, from free diagnostic exams to e-books available for purchase. This makes studying for the test during lockdown a lot easier. While in-person tutoring is ideal, that clearly cannot take place safely during these tough times. However, there are plenty of online prep courses you can sign up for to help you get the score required and eventually get into the school of your dreams. These can be customized according to your own needs, and you can also choose which sections require more work on your part to excel. Look into qualified and certified instructors or organizations online, and then work to organize the best possible tutoring sessions you can.
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Speak to Admissions Counselor
Since there’s no hard and fast passing score for the TACHS – although the goal is to get the highest score you can – you might want to email or call an admissions counselor and set up an online appointment to learn more about the school you’re interested in. Specifically, you should find out what the average TACHS score is for the students who take the exam and make sure that you meet that range as you continue to study. This will help you be more exacting as you work hard to prepare for the exam.
Practice Makes Perfect
Finally, as with most things in life, you need to practice, practice, practice. You especially need to get used to taking the exam timed so that you are sure you can finish it within the allotted time frame by the time you take the real test. Have someone at home test you as you would on the date of the TACHS, and do this several times till you feel more comfortable with the time limit.
The TACHS is the first in a series of important exams you will take in your life as a student to help you advance your academic goals. It pays to review as much as possible, practice, and seek appropriate guidance to help you make it past the finish line, and go to the school you’re most excited about.