The Full Guide
FITE Notes: SAT & ACT Prep
The test still matters — here’s how to beat it.
From Coach Fite
A test number nearly ended me. It won’t end you — the NCAA dropped that requirement. But a good score still gets you INTO schools and pays for them. So we’re not scared of the test anymore. We’re coming for it.
Why this still matters
You do not need an SAT or ACT score to be NCAA-eligible anymore — that requirement is gone. So why bother? Two big reasons: many colleges still use the score to decide who gets ADMITTED, and a strong score unlocks academic SCHOLARSHIP money — sometimes more than an athletic offer.
The bottom line
Test-optional for eligibility ≠ test-useless. A good score gets you in and helps pay for it. It’s leverage. Go get it.
SAT vs ACT — which one?
Colleges accept both equally. Pick the one your brain likes better, then focus all your prep there. The differences in plain terms:
- ●The SAT is now digital and adaptive, a bit more reading-and-reasoning, and gives you more time per question.
- ●The ACT moves faster, includes a Science (data-reading) section, and rewards quick, confident pace.
- ●Best move: take one free practice test of each, see which score and feel you like, then commit to that one.
The bottom line
Don’t split your prep across both. Try each once, pick your fighter, and train it.
What’s actually on the test
No mystery — both tests cover a small, predictable set of skills. You’re not learning everything; you’re drilling these:
- ●Reading — understanding passages and answering ONLY from what the text says (not your opinion).
- ●Writing/English — grammar, sentence structure, and making writing clearer and tighter.
- ●Math — mostly algebra, some geometry and data. A calculator is allowed on much of it.
- ●ACT Science — reading charts and experiments fast; it’s really a reading test in a lab coat.
Good news
It’s the same handful of skills every time. That means you can practice the exact thing the test asks — and get measurably better.
The moves that raise a score
These aren’t tricks — they’re how good test-takers think. They’re worth real points:
- ●Answer every question — there’s no penalty for guessing, so a blank is just a point you gave away.
- ●On reading, the answer is IN the passage. If you can’t point to the line that proves it, it’s the wrong answer.
- ●Eliminate two wrong answers first; guessing between two beats guessing between four.
- ●Don’t get stuck — circle the hard one, bank the easy points, come back. Every question is worth the same.
- ●Use a watch. Pace is a skill you train, exactly like a 40 time.
Coach Fite
A test is just another field. You scout it, you drill the reps, you control your pace, and you don’t panic when one play goes bad. Same dog, different game.
A study plan that fits around practice
You don’t need hours you don’t have. You need consistency. A tired athlete who does 25 honest minutes a day beats a fresh kid who crams once.
- 1Take a full practice test early to get your starting score and find your weak section.
- 2Spend the most time on your WEAKEST section — that’s where points are cheapest.
- 325 focused minutes, 4–5 days a week. After practice, after a shower, before the phone.
- 4Every couple of weeks, take a timed section to track progress like a stat.
- 5One full timed practice test in the two weeks before the real thing.
The bottom line
Short, daily, and aimed at your weak spot. That’s how a score moves — same as how a body changes.
Test day
- ●Sleep the night before matters more than cramming. Treat it like the night before a game.
- ●Eat something real. A hungry brain is a slow brain.
- ●Bring your admission ticket, ID, an approved calculator, and pencils. Check the rules the week before.
- ●Get there early. Rushing in flustered costs you the first section.
- ●When a question rattles you, breathe, circle it, move on. Bank the points you know.
Coach Fite
You’ve done the reps. Now trust them. Walk in like you walk onto a field on Friday — calm, ready, and expecting to win.