Junior year is awfully busy.

You have to start thinking about colleges and prepare for standardized tests: PSAT, SAT, ACT, SAT II subjects, and AP tests. If this doesn’t seem a lot already, think about the activities you participate in and all the work you have to do for school.

Standardized tests are about as important as schoolwork, and everyone wants to perform well on their ACT, SAT, or whatever they’ll be taking. Preparing for these tests is necessary, and many students choose between two plans to help them get ready: take a prep class designed to improve test scores or buy a prep book and study on their own.

Although it may be too late for current juniors to begin preparing, sophomores should be planning for these tests next year. So what’s the most effective way to study and score well?

Everyone will have different answers. Personally, I think the students themselves must decide which way helps them more.

The Student Services Office has provided information on two local prep classes: Better Test Scores and Kaplan. People who find prep classes helpful are those who don't understand where they went wrong or how they can improve. Some students have problems with time management, and some always want to make sure their answers are always right, which slows them down a lot. However, students should see improvements once class sessions are over.

Students who already score very well on standardized tests may not need to take a prep class to improve themselves. If students know where their weaknesses lie and have ideas on how to improve, they probably don't need to take a prep class.

Standardized tests are significant. After all, most colleges require that students take them and have a score range that students should attain to have a good chance.

Some people perform well on these tests, and others perform poorly, but either way, there are many methods out there to help improve one's score. The best way to improve your score, however, is to find something that suits you and will ultimately be effective on test day.