Are your SAT and ACT test scores not high enough to put you in the running for your dream school?
Are you an athlete who has been told that the admissions office says you need higher test scores?
Do your SAT and ACT test scores not reflect your academic standing?
Do you want to significantly improve your SAT and ACT test scores?
You CAN improve your scores if you are willing to make a commitment to the following training plan.
Training Plan
Preparing for the SAT and ACT is similar to training for a marathon (I have run two). Training takes a personal commitment to spend the time and energy necessary to reach the finish line under your time goal.
Set a goal score based on the median test scores of the reach schools on your list of colleges.
Set a goal to complete 8 SAT practice tests and 6 ACT tests. Write your goal down and post it in place you will see it first thing in the morning (bathroom mirror).
Schedule a time to train (25 or 50 minutes five days a week).
Memorize the test directions.
Learn strategies and techniques to approach the critical reading and writing questions and math problems.
Practice with the answer book open.
Close the answer book and take practice test sections.
Take timed practice test sections.
You can beat the test!
Plan to win!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
SAT & ACT Training Plan; Step One: READ
The best advice that one can give a person who wants to get more enjoyment and value out of their life is to read novels, non-fiction, The N.Y. Times, national, literary, and news magazines like New Yorker, New York Magazine, Discover, The Economist, Harpers, The Atlantic Monthly, Time, Newsweek. These magazines can be read on line at: Literary magazines
Reading is the BEST single thing that a student can do to improve their SAT and ACT scores. Two thirds of the SAT score is comprised of the scores of the Critical Reading and Writing sections. The SAT critical reading section tests reading comprehension, and vocabulary. The only way to improve reading comprehension is to READ and reading is the best way to improve vocabulary. In a way the SAT and ACT is a vocabulary test. If you want to do well you need a strong vocabulary. If you don't understand the words in the reading passages you will struggle with comprehension. When you read, you learn vocabulary in context giving your mind a schema or framework for remembering the meaning of the word. We remember things better when they mean something. The SAT tests the secondary and tertiary definitions of words which are learned from seeing words in context.
Vocabulary
Gary Gruber Ph.D is recognized nationally as the leading expert on standardized test. His book, Gruber's Complete SAT Guide 2010 is in its 13th edition. Gruber analyzed 47 SAT tests and published a list of SAT words that appeared more than once over those 47 tests. The list is less than 140 words. Gruber lists 291 words that he, designates as, "frequently used." If you are committed to memorizing vocabulary you will get a better pay off learning Greek and Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes that you can use to decipher words. Sixty percent of all the words in the English language are derived from Greek or Latin.
In addition to reading, listen to quality radio and T.V. and to people who speak well. Playing word games like cross word puzzles, anagrams, and Scrabble will help you increase your vocabulary. (Gruber) When you come across a word that you don't know send your self a text or Facebook message with the word and its definition in it.
READ something every day from the sources mentioned in the first paragraph. When you read note the words that you don't understand and try to define them in context. Send your self a reminder message with the word and the sentence.
Active Reading Approach
Be an active reader and read with a purpose. In other words ask yourself the following questions as you read.
1.What is the main idea?
2.What is the author's opinion?
3.What is the tone or mood (serious, satirical, humorous, critical, mysterious)of the piece of writing?
4.What key information does the author use or imply in defending their thesis?
5.Predict what the author is going to say or the character is going to do?
6.Think of questions that you would like to ask the author and read to find the answers.
7.What do you like and dislike about the characters?
8.Underline and annotate (take notes in the margin)words and phrase that help you answer the questions above.
Be curious when you are reading. Read what interests you. Enjoy reading.
Reading is the BEST single thing that a student can do to improve their SAT and ACT scores. Two thirds of the SAT score is comprised of the scores of the Critical Reading and Writing sections. The SAT critical reading section tests reading comprehension, and vocabulary. The only way to improve reading comprehension is to READ and reading is the best way to improve vocabulary. In a way the SAT and ACT is a vocabulary test. If you want to do well you need a strong vocabulary. If you don't understand the words in the reading passages you will struggle with comprehension. When you read, you learn vocabulary in context giving your mind a schema or framework for remembering the meaning of the word. We remember things better when they mean something. The SAT tests the secondary and tertiary definitions of words which are learned from seeing words in context.
Vocabulary
Gary Gruber Ph.D is recognized nationally as the leading expert on standardized test. His book, Gruber's Complete SAT Guide 2010 is in its 13th edition. Gruber analyzed 47 SAT tests and published a list of SAT words that appeared more than once over those 47 tests. The list is less than 140 words. Gruber lists 291 words that he, designates as, "frequently used." If you are committed to memorizing vocabulary you will get a better pay off learning Greek and Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes that you can use to decipher words. Sixty percent of all the words in the English language are derived from Greek or Latin.
In addition to reading, listen to quality radio and T.V. and to people who speak well. Playing word games like cross word puzzles, anagrams, and Scrabble will help you increase your vocabulary. (Gruber) When you come across a word that you don't know send your self a text or Facebook message with the word and its definition in it.
READ something every day from the sources mentioned in the first paragraph. When you read note the words that you don't understand and try to define them in context. Send your self a reminder message with the word and the sentence.
Active Reading Approach
Be an active reader and read with a purpose. In other words ask yourself the following questions as you read.
1.What is the main idea?
2.What is the author's opinion?
3.What is the tone or mood (serious, satirical, humorous, critical, mysterious)of the piece of writing?
4.What key information does the author use or imply in defending their thesis?
5.Predict what the author is going to say or the character is going to do?
6.Think of questions that you would like to ask the author and read to find the answers.
7.What do you like and dislike about the characters?
8.Underline and annotate (take notes in the margin)words and phrase that help you answer the questions above.
Be curious when you are reading. Read what interests you. Enjoy reading.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
"The" College Admissions Essay And Other Admissions Advice
There is "unlimited" advice available on how to write "the" college admissions essay in the blogosphere, on websites, in books, from guidance counselors (private expensive, and very expensive and at your high school), English and history teachers, friends and parents.
One of the student's toughest jobs may be to decide which advice to follow. This task may test your critical thinking and analytical skills more than the SAT Reasoning Test.
The essay is the best opportunity for students to differentiate themselves from all the other wonderfully capable, accomplished applicants with comparable grades and test scores. Writing the college essay is an incredible opportunity to let the admissions staff get to know you. I visited with the Stanford University Dean of Admissions at revisit day for the class of 2012 and asked him how they made admissions decisions when they had more than enough highly qualified candidates to fill the freshman class many times over. He said that student's essays and teacher recommendations were the differentiators.
The N.Y. Times started a blog about the college admissions journey named, The Choice. Note I said journey, if you are the parent your job is to make the journey fun by staying out of the way and by understanding first and foremost that you aren't the one going to college. Read the N.Y. Times article on the college essay and the advice contributed by the Dean of Admissions at Connecticut College
The best tips from The Choice. Write about yourself. Use your own Voice, that means use your own vocabulary and sentence construction. Don't allow anyone to take away your voice. It must be yours, any college admissions staff can easily pick out essays influenced by adults.
College.http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/tip-sheet-essay/
The University of Virginia posted an article titled, Writing the Essay: Sound Advice from an Expert. This is the best advice that I am aware of on writing a college admissions essay.
The author advises not to write the McEssay because he knows what is coming next. McEssays are like the Big Mac they all look, smell, and taste the same regardless of where in the world you buy them.
Show, don't tell. Showing appeals to all of the senses. Pick a topic with a sharp focus that provides the room for a lot of descriptive detail. The detail in your essay will differentiate you as an individual.
http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html
15 tips from the Carleton College admissions staff.
Most important tips: Be yourself! I'd go beyond that and say reveal yourself. What makes you tick? What makes you stand out? Be yourself, don't try to impress.
Tell the reader something new about you that they won't find somewhere else in your application.
http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/apply/essay_tips/
Three Steps to a Great College Essay
The writing process is laid out in steps for you by the College Board and they must know since the colleges trust their Writing test as a credible measure of student's writing skills.
http:
//www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills/9405.html
The 2010/2011 Common Application will be available at www.commonapp.org, August 1, 2010. The Common Application is accepted by over 400 schools. Go to the website and register, it's easy and it's free. After registering click on "My Colleges" link and add all the colleges that you are interested in applying to. This gives you access to any supplements that your specific schools of interest require.
Tips for the personal essay option on the Common Application
http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/a/EssayPrompts.htm
The advice the stands out above all else is to write about yourself. In your own voice show the reader what you want them to know about you. Your personal experiences are what differentiates you from the crowd. You are unique, show them who you are, let them experience you.
One of the student's toughest jobs may be to decide which advice to follow. This task may test your critical thinking and analytical skills more than the SAT Reasoning Test.
The essay is the best opportunity for students to differentiate themselves from all the other wonderfully capable, accomplished applicants with comparable grades and test scores. Writing the college essay is an incredible opportunity to let the admissions staff get to know you. I visited with the Stanford University Dean of Admissions at revisit day for the class of 2012 and asked him how they made admissions decisions when they had more than enough highly qualified candidates to fill the freshman class many times over. He said that student's essays and teacher recommendations were the differentiators.
The N.Y. Times started a blog about the college admissions journey named, The Choice. Note I said journey, if you are the parent your job is to make the journey fun by staying out of the way and by understanding first and foremost that you aren't the one going to college. Read the N.Y. Times article on the college essay and the advice contributed by the Dean of Admissions at Connecticut College
The best tips from The Choice. Write about yourself. Use your own Voice, that means use your own vocabulary and sentence construction. Don't allow anyone to take away your voice. It must be yours, any college admissions staff can easily pick out essays influenced by adults.
College.http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/tip-sheet-essay/
The University of Virginia posted an article titled, Writing the Essay: Sound Advice from an Expert. This is the best advice that I am aware of on writing a college admissions essay.
The author advises not to write the McEssay because he knows what is coming next. McEssays are like the Big Mac they all look, smell, and taste the same regardless of where in the world you buy them.
Show, don't tell. Showing appeals to all of the senses. Pick a topic with a sharp focus that provides the room for a lot of descriptive detail. The detail in your essay will differentiate you as an individual.
http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html
15 tips from the Carleton College admissions staff.
Most important tips: Be yourself! I'd go beyond that and say reveal yourself. What makes you tick? What makes you stand out? Be yourself, don't try to impress.
Tell the reader something new about you that they won't find somewhere else in your application.
http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/apply/essay_tips/
Three Steps to a Great College Essay
The writing process is laid out in steps for you by the College Board and they must know since the colleges trust their Writing test as a credible measure of student's writing skills.
http:
//www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills/9405.html
The 2010/2011 Common Application will be available at www.commonapp.org, August 1, 2010. The Common Application is accepted by over 400 schools. Go to the website and register, it's easy and it's free. After registering click on "My Colleges" link and add all the colleges that you are interested in applying to. This gives you access to any supplements that your specific schools of interest require.
Tips for the personal essay option on the Common Application
http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/a/EssayPrompts.htm
The advice the stands out above all else is to write about yourself. In your own voice show the reader what you want them to know about you. Your personal experiences are what differentiates you from the crowd. You are unique, show them who you are, let them experience you.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Summer Learning Activities
We have been waiting for the good weather to come to Maine. It finally arrived yesterday although next week's forecast is not that great. I have been gathering together ideas for summer learning activities over the past few months primarily by using Google Alerts which sends me links to articles and blogs about summer learning.I have reviewed them all and selected the best to share with you.
Summer Doesn't Mean It's Time to Stop Learning
It is necessary to mention that students are in school approximately 180 days a year. That leaves 185 days that they aren't in school. Research shows that students can loose 2.6 months of progress in math and one month in reading over the summer. the decline of reading skills over the summer can add up to two years by the time the child reaches middle school. (see blog post titled, "Stopping the Summer Backslide"). The notion that students need a break from learning over the summer doesn't serve the child well although it may be easier on the parents. A 1978 study, "Summer Learning and the Effects of Schooling" found that students' participation in library summer reading programs were key to getting children to read over the summer. Summer reading programs were found to be more predictive of vocabulary gains than attending summer school. (Lindhal, 2001)http://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp262.html
Reading and Writing Activities
Parents, encourage our children to read. Your encouragement is essential and more effective than any prize that you could give them. Check your local library for their summer reading program.You can work with your child to build a family tree. They will learn important research skills at the library and on the internet. Genealogy makes history lessons come alive in a very relevant way. Write a travel journal, real or imaginary. Research interesting places to visit. Schedule time to read aloud to family members. Take turns reading a book that everyone in the family will enjoy. Play word games in the car or at home. Scrabble, Boggle, and Quiddler are popular word games.
Check out the National PTA reading resources pages at www.pta.org. Read, Write and Think, http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/ has booklists, podcasts, videos and activities organized by age for reading and writing activities for summer vacation. Join the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge,read books, play games and earn points. http://www.scholastic.com/summerreading/
Math Activities
Playing math games is a great way to keep your child involved in math over the summer. Cooking with your kids teaches them understand and work with measurements and fractions. They can cut a recipe in half or double a recipe to get a real live look at how proportions work. When your in the car make a game out of practicing math facts. Add and subtract numbers on license plates, figure change by counting back, estimate tax and tips, exchange currency, compute batting averages are fun and practical activities. Play Sudoku.
Science Activities
For science activities visit the NASA website, http://www.nasa.gov/home/, Boston Museum of Science, http://www.mos.org/. Museums, zoos, aquariums have summer programs and learning opportunities for children.
Learn a New Language While Having Fun
Sign your child up for music, art, dance, cooking classes taught in another language. This gives them the opportunity to learn another language while doing something that they enjoy.
Gifted and Talented
Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth has openings in their summer programs.
http://cty.jhu.edu/
MIT Summer Programs
If you'd rather study the human genome or build a robot than master the finer points of archery or memorize this year's summer TV reruns, we've got the programs for you:
MIT's residential summer programs offer a great way to keep your brain fizzing happily, get a feel for what it might be like to attend MIT for real, and meet a lot of other young people who also get a kick out of using their heads.http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/before/summer_programs/
Camp Mom, Projects to Do at Home
http://www.blisstree.com/playlibrary/5-fun-summer-projects-for-kids/
Summer Bridge and Rainbow Bridge resources will help parents keep PK–8 children active and learning during the summer and all year long. Workbooks, activity books, and games will enrich children’s learning experiences and keep them interested and motivated.
http://www.summerbridgeactivities.com/index.htm
Camp Mom,Weekly Activities Planned by a Mom of Six
http://www.lifeasmom.com/2009/05/camp-wannalaffalotta-stay-tuned-for.html
Enjoy the summer, learn something new and exciting, read and practice math, get outside, enjoy with weather and be active.
Summer Doesn't Mean It's Time to Stop Learning
It is necessary to mention that students are in school approximately 180 days a year. That leaves 185 days that they aren't in school. Research shows that students can loose 2.6 months of progress in math and one month in reading over the summer. the decline of reading skills over the summer can add up to two years by the time the child reaches middle school. (see blog post titled, "Stopping the Summer Backslide"). The notion that students need a break from learning over the summer doesn't serve the child well although it may be easier on the parents. A 1978 study, "Summer Learning and the Effects of Schooling" found that students' participation in library summer reading programs were key to getting children to read over the summer. Summer reading programs were found to be more predictive of vocabulary gains than attending summer school. (Lindhal, 2001)http://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp262.html
Reading and Writing Activities
Parents, encourage our children to read. Your encouragement is essential and more effective than any prize that you could give them. Check your local library for their summer reading program.You can work with your child to build a family tree. They will learn important research skills at the library and on the internet. Genealogy makes history lessons come alive in a very relevant way. Write a travel journal, real or imaginary. Research interesting places to visit. Schedule time to read aloud to family members. Take turns reading a book that everyone in the family will enjoy. Play word games in the car or at home. Scrabble, Boggle, and Quiddler are popular word games.
Check out the National PTA reading resources pages at www.pta.org. Read, Write and Think, http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/ has booklists, podcasts, videos and activities organized by age for reading and writing activities for summer vacation. Join the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge,read books, play games and earn points. http://www.scholastic.com/summerreading/
Math Activities
Playing math games is a great way to keep your child involved in math over the summer. Cooking with your kids teaches them understand and work with measurements and fractions. They can cut a recipe in half or double a recipe to get a real live look at how proportions work. When your in the car make a game out of practicing math facts. Add and subtract numbers on license plates, figure change by counting back, estimate tax and tips, exchange currency, compute batting averages are fun and practical activities. Play Sudoku.
Science Activities
For science activities visit the NASA website, http://www.nasa.gov/home/, Boston Museum of Science, http://www.mos.org/. Museums, zoos, aquariums have summer programs and learning opportunities for children.
Learn a New Language While Having Fun
Sign your child up for music, art, dance, cooking classes taught in another language. This gives them the opportunity to learn another language while doing something that they enjoy.
Gifted and Talented
Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth has openings in their summer programs.
http://cty.jhu.edu/
MIT Summer Programs
If you'd rather study the human genome or build a robot than master the finer points of archery or memorize this year's summer TV reruns, we've got the programs for you:
MIT's residential summer programs offer a great way to keep your brain fizzing happily, get a feel for what it might be like to attend MIT for real, and meet a lot of other young people who also get a kick out of using their heads.http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/before/summer_programs/
Camp Mom, Projects to Do at Home
http://www.blisstree.com/playlibrary/5-fun-summer-projects-for-kids/
Summer Bridge and Rainbow Bridge resources will help parents keep PK–8 children active and learning during the summer and all year long. Workbooks, activity books, and games will enrich children’s learning experiences and keep them interested and motivated.
http://www.summerbridgeactivities.com/index.htm
Camp Mom,Weekly Activities Planned by a Mom of Six
http://www.lifeasmom.com/2009/05/camp-wannalaffalotta-stay-tuned-for.html
Enjoy the summer, learn something new and exciting, read and practice math, get outside, enjoy with weather and be active.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Asking for College Recommendations
There is no better time then now to ask for college recommendations.
Class of 2010; now is the time to approach teachers to write your college recommendations. By asking for recommendations before school lets out for the summer you are giving your teachers the time to write your recommendation when they don't have the pressure of school. I can assure you they will appreciate your consideration and will give your recommendation extra time and thoughtful consideration. In the fall they will be asked by the majority of students who are waiting until the last minute. You don't want to be in this group if you want a thoughtful thorough recommendation.
Who Should You Ask?
Ask teachers you had in junior year who know your character and academic abilities and potential. Pick a teacher whose class energized you, where you made thoughtful contributions to class discussions and met with the teacher outside of class time. Ask teachers where you did something outstanding in their class that makes you stand out favorably in their mind over and above your classmates. A class were you did your best work. You want teachers who will write you favorable recommendations, meaning that they will state that you are highly qualified to attend the colleges that you seriously want to attend.
How To Ask?
You should ask your referrers directly in person. Ask them if they feel comfortable writing a honest recommendation with sufficient detail that explains your character and academic potential. A recommendation that favorably sets you apart from the crowd applying to attend _____________ college. Do not ask over the phone, by text, email, Facebook message, ask in person. You want to see the teachers body language and be comfortable that they will write you the recommendation that will put you in the best possible light.
If They Say No, What's Next?
You are better off knowing that they won't write a recommendation saying that they support your admissions to the school(s) of your choice. Ask until to find a teacher who will support your candidacy for admissions to the schools of your choice.
Help Your Teacher Write Your Recommendation
Tell your teacher why you want to go to college and why the colleges that you have chosen to apply to are the right fit for you. This will show that you have thought through your applications and will give your teacher valuable information to help them make a case for you. You will want to help your teacher and guidance counselor with their recommendations by providing them with a resume. Include in your resume your academic, sports, arts, awards, and recognitions. Work experience and accomplishments, responsibilities and promotions. Leadership positions and roles. Eg. National Honors Society, team captain, student government, school leadership positions, committees. Extra curricular activities; sports, arts, community service, hobbies, and interests.
Follow up your verbal request with a hand written thank you letter confirming their agreement to write you a letter of recommendation. Follow up on any commitments that you made to the teacher. These actions on your part demonstrates that you are responsible and follow up on your commitments.
Good Luck!
Class of 2010; now is the time to approach teachers to write your college recommendations. By asking for recommendations before school lets out for the summer you are giving your teachers the time to write your recommendation when they don't have the pressure of school. I can assure you they will appreciate your consideration and will give your recommendation extra time and thoughtful consideration. In the fall they will be asked by the majority of students who are waiting until the last minute. You don't want to be in this group if you want a thoughtful thorough recommendation.
Who Should You Ask?
Ask teachers you had in junior year who know your character and academic abilities and potential. Pick a teacher whose class energized you, where you made thoughtful contributions to class discussions and met with the teacher outside of class time. Ask teachers where you did something outstanding in their class that makes you stand out favorably in their mind over and above your classmates. A class were you did your best work. You want teachers who will write you favorable recommendations, meaning that they will state that you are highly qualified to attend the colleges that you seriously want to attend.
How To Ask?
You should ask your referrers directly in person. Ask them if they feel comfortable writing a honest recommendation with sufficient detail that explains your character and academic potential. A recommendation that favorably sets you apart from the crowd applying to attend _____________ college. Do not ask over the phone, by text, email, Facebook message, ask in person. You want to see the teachers body language and be comfortable that they will write you the recommendation that will put you in the best possible light.
If They Say No, What's Next?
You are better off knowing that they won't write a recommendation saying that they support your admissions to the school(s) of your choice. Ask until to find a teacher who will support your candidacy for admissions to the schools of your choice.
Help Your Teacher Write Your Recommendation
Tell your teacher why you want to go to college and why the colleges that you have chosen to apply to are the right fit for you. This will show that you have thought through your applications and will give your teacher valuable information to help them make a case for you. You will want to help your teacher and guidance counselor with their recommendations by providing them with a resume. Include in your resume your academic, sports, arts, awards, and recognitions. Work experience and accomplishments, responsibilities and promotions. Leadership positions and roles. Eg. National Honors Society, team captain, student government, school leadership positions, committees. Extra curricular activities; sports, arts, community service, hobbies, and interests.
Follow up your verbal request with a hand written thank you letter confirming their agreement to write you a letter of recommendation. Follow up on any commitments that you made to the teacher. These actions on your part demonstrates that you are responsible and follow up on your commitments.
Good Luck!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Studying for Exams
Exams are coming up quickly. Start preparing one week in advance. Knowing what to expect is more than half of the battle. You don't want to waste your time reviewing/learning material that isn't going to be covered on the exam. Speak to your teacher. Find out what is going to be covered on the exam. Will it cover the material all the way back to the beginning of the school year? or the semester? or since the last exam? What type of test questions can you expect? Multiple choice, short answer, essay, problems, all of the above or some of the above?
Make a list of what you expect to be covered on the exam based on the information that you got by asking your teacher or by reviewing what was emphasized on in class, on previous tests.
Manage Your Time
Begin studying for your exams about one (1) week in advance. Plan your time. Pull out a daily calendar. Block out the time that you have available to study. Plan all your available time. Exams are your priority. Don't be tempted to do anything other than studying with your free time. Divide the time equally among your subjects. Plan all of the time the night before an exam studying for the next days exam. If you have two exams on the same day divide your study time between the two exams.
Now is not the time to re-read all of the material that is going to be covered. Pull out your old homework, quizzes and tests. Be sure that you know what you knew when you took the quiz or test. Learn what you didn't know? Look up the answers to the questions that you missed. Pull out your notes for the material that will be covered on the exam, rewrite them. The act of re-writing your notes is the best way of studying them. Just re-reading will not help. If you find that there are gaps in your notes fill them in by asking your teacher, refer to your text, ask a friend. Find the answer. Redo the homework assignments that will be covered on the exam. Active studying (actions described below) will help your performance on exams. Passive studying (reading alone) will not allow you to retain the information.
Be an Active Studier
Write a crib sheet
Take all of the most important information from your text, notes, homework, quizzes and tests and write it down in outline (abbreviated) form on one or two sheets of paper and then do all of your studying from these sheets.
Write Sample Essays
Anticipate the essay questions that the teacher is going to ask and write essays to answer those questions.
Solve Problems
For the exams that will ask you to solve problems. Solve as many problems as time allows from prior tests, homework and the text book.
Make sample tests. Take 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper and fold them in half vertically. On the left write questions, problems, terms, formulas, theorems. On the right put the answer to the questions, solutions to the problems, the proofs of the theorems, and solve the formulas. This makes a great study guide.
Memorize the questions and the answers. Cover the questions of the left side and write out the answers on blank paper over and over until you have memorized them. Reading the questions and reciting the answers will not cut it.
Study Until Your are Confident
Good Luck!
Source: How to Study, A Brief Guidewww.cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/howtostudy.html
Learning Built to Last, Study Strategies Every Student Should Know Club Z! In-Home Tutoring
Make a list of what you expect to be covered on the exam based on the information that you got by asking your teacher or by reviewing what was emphasized on in class, on previous tests.
Manage Your Time
Begin studying for your exams about one (1) week in advance. Plan your time. Pull out a daily calendar. Block out the time that you have available to study. Plan all your available time. Exams are your priority. Don't be tempted to do anything other than studying with your free time. Divide the time equally among your subjects. Plan all of the time the night before an exam studying for the next days exam. If you have two exams on the same day divide your study time between the two exams.
Now is not the time to re-read all of the material that is going to be covered. Pull out your old homework, quizzes and tests. Be sure that you know what you knew when you took the quiz or test. Learn what you didn't know? Look up the answers to the questions that you missed. Pull out your notes for the material that will be covered on the exam, rewrite them. The act of re-writing your notes is the best way of studying them. Just re-reading will not help. If you find that there are gaps in your notes fill them in by asking your teacher, refer to your text, ask a friend. Find the answer. Redo the homework assignments that will be covered on the exam. Active studying (actions described below) will help your performance on exams. Passive studying (reading alone) will not allow you to retain the information.
Be an Active Studier
Write a crib sheet
Take all of the most important information from your text, notes, homework, quizzes and tests and write it down in outline (abbreviated) form on one or two sheets of paper and then do all of your studying from these sheets.
Write Sample Essays
Anticipate the essay questions that the teacher is going to ask and write essays to answer those questions.
Solve Problems
For the exams that will ask you to solve problems. Solve as many problems as time allows from prior tests, homework and the text book.
Make sample tests. Take 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper and fold them in half vertically. On the left write questions, problems, terms, formulas, theorems. On the right put the answer to the questions, solutions to the problems, the proofs of the theorems, and solve the formulas. This makes a great study guide.
Memorize the questions and the answers. Cover the questions of the left side and write out the answers on blank paper over and over until you have memorized them. Reading the questions and reciting the answers will not cut it.
Study Until Your are Confident
Good Luck!
Source: How to Study, A Brief Guidewww.cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/howtostudy.html
Learning Built to Last, Study Strategies Every Student Should Know Club Z! In-Home Tutoring
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Do SAT Scores Matter?
The Effect of SAT Scores on Admissions Decisions
The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) released a study titled, Preparation for College Admission Exams. NACAC's agenda is to influence the way that admissions officers look at students test scores.
The NACAC wants admissions officers to eliminate the practice of using a hard SAT score cut off for determining admission decisions. Professor Briggs of University of Colorado at Boulder and the staff of NACAC conducted a survey to obtain information about the way that standardized test information is used to make admission decisions at four year, degree granting post secondary institutions in the U.S. The survey was sent to 1,075 post secondary institutions with a NACAC membership. 246 institutions completed the survey, a response rate of 23%. (Briggs,p.4)
The survey asked, "In what way are test scores used to make admissions decisions at your institution?" Defined Cut-off Threshold : 21%; Quantitative Index 31%; Holistic Approach:76%. When asked to rate the importance of test scores to admission decisions, "How important are the following criteria in admissions decisions made at your institution?" No/Limited/Moderate/Considerable Importance) 58 percent(127)of the institutions chose "considerable importance," with an average response between the categories of "moderate" and "considerable" importance. Only strength of curriculum and grades in college prep courses were weighted more heavily than test scores.(Briggs,p.8) The responses illustrate the importance of test scores in general and the importance of a small point improvement when applying to schools that have a defined threshold.
If marginal college admission decisions are made on the basis of very small differences in scores, a small gain made through coaching may be significant in yielding a positive admissions outcome where the data shows that an increase of 20 points on SAT-Math or an increase of 10 points on SAT-Critical Reading would, "significantly improve student's likelihood of admission." (Briggs,p.19). This is especially true for more selective institutions.
Research Conclusions
It has been found that even small increases in test scores may increase a student's chances of admissions at selective institutions. However this will primarily be true for students with above average admission test scores in the first place.
The bottom line is that SAT scores matter at selective schools and small increases in test scores can make the difference in being admitted or not.
The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) released a study titled, Preparation for College Admission Exams. NACAC's agenda is to influence the way that admissions officers look at students test scores.
The NACAC wants admissions officers to eliminate the practice of using a hard SAT score cut off for determining admission decisions. Professor Briggs of University of Colorado at Boulder and the staff of NACAC conducted a survey to obtain information about the way that standardized test information is used to make admission decisions at four year, degree granting post secondary institutions in the U.S. The survey was sent to 1,075 post secondary institutions with a NACAC membership. 246 institutions completed the survey, a response rate of 23%. (Briggs,p.4)
The survey asked, "In what way are test scores used to make admissions decisions at your institution?" Defined Cut-off Threshold : 21%; Quantitative Index 31%; Holistic Approach:76%. When asked to rate the importance of test scores to admission decisions, "How important are the following criteria in admissions decisions made at your institution?" No/Limited/Moderate/Considerable Importance) 58 percent(127)of the institutions chose "considerable importance," with an average response between the categories of "moderate" and "considerable" importance. Only strength of curriculum and grades in college prep courses were weighted more heavily than test scores.(Briggs,p.8) The responses illustrate the importance of test scores in general and the importance of a small point improvement when applying to schools that have a defined threshold.
If marginal college admission decisions are made on the basis of very small differences in scores, a small gain made through coaching may be significant in yielding a positive admissions outcome where the data shows that an increase of 20 points on SAT-Math or an increase of 10 points on SAT-Critical Reading would, "significantly improve student's likelihood of admission." (Briggs,p.19). This is especially true for more selective institutions.
Research Conclusions
It has been found that even small increases in test scores may increase a student's chances of admissions at selective institutions. However this will primarily be true for students with above average admission test scores in the first place.
The bottom line is that SAT scores matter at selective schools and small increases in test scores can make the difference in being admitted or not.
Why and How to Prepare for the SAT
Why Prepare for the SAT?
The CollegeBoard maintains that the SAT measures reasoning abilities(skills) developed gradually over the years of schooling preceding college. We all have heard of, or know a student(s) who got a 2400 without preparing for the test. This may be true, but 99.99% of the students who score 2400 put a tremendous amount of time and effort into preparation. Applying reasoning and critical thinking skills to the SAT takes practice for mere mortals.
Would you go into the most important athletic event, music recital, theater production of your high school career and say to yourself, "I have been preparing for my whole life for this event and I don't need to prepare any more in the months, weeks and days leading up to the event?" or, "Nothing that I do to prepare will make a difference in my performance."
Let's get real here. The College Board has an online course, they sell millions of prep books. Why would they claim that preparing for the test doesn't make a difference? They are concerned that students who don't have access to test prep materials would be at a disadvantage so they go to extraordinary lengths to demonstrate that test preparation makes a minimal difference in scores. See my 5/21/09 blog titled, SAT Prep, Is it Worth the Time and Money? You Decide. Maybe it is the CollegeBoard's capitalistic aspirations to provide future test takers with materials that will build revenue.
Never the less,it isn't worth the risk not to prepare. At the very least refer to my blog entry of 4/28/2009 titled, What You Can Do to Raise Your SAT Score the Week Before the Test.
If you want to give yourself the opportunity to have an outstanding performance read on.
Preparing for the SAT and ACT is like training for a marathon. You want to start months, even years in advance, (sophomore year is ideal), practice consistently, build up slowly over time to develop your technique, strategy, timing, endurance, speed, and composure.
Technique- Only take real SAT tests. Read the CollegeBoard Guide to the SAT at a minimum, also read Grubers, Complete SAT Study Guide, and Up Your Score. These books will give you ideas on how to tackle SAT questions.
Strategy- Try the techniques in the above books and identify the ones that work the best for you. If you want help sorting through these books, take a class on the SAT from a reputable teacher or find a reputable private tutor.
Timing- Take practice test to develop a sense of how long you can spend on each question in the different sections. Figure out the order that you want to answer the questions within each timed section.
Endurance- Take practice tests starting with one or two sections and adding sections over time until you can comfortably complete an entire test without mental strain. Meaning that you are still alert and thinking clearly at the end of the test.
Speed- Take enough practice tests until you recognize the question as being similar to ones that you have answered in the past and know the fastest most efficient way to answer the question correctly.
Composure- Take enough practice test so that questions won't rattle you, you won't be taken off of your A game by any question. You want to be calm and confident enough to sink the winning free throw with time running out on the clock. That is composure.
Stay tuned for the next blog for a training plan. It is never to early to start preparing.
The CollegeBoard maintains that the SAT measures reasoning abilities(skills) developed gradually over the years of schooling preceding college. We all have heard of, or know a student(s) who got a 2400 without preparing for the test. This may be true, but 99.99% of the students who score 2400 put a tremendous amount of time and effort into preparation. Applying reasoning and critical thinking skills to the SAT takes practice for mere mortals.
Would you go into the most important athletic event, music recital, theater production of your high school career and say to yourself, "I have been preparing for my whole life for this event and I don't need to prepare any more in the months, weeks and days leading up to the event?" or, "Nothing that I do to prepare will make a difference in my performance."
Let's get real here. The College Board has an online course, they sell millions of prep books. Why would they claim that preparing for the test doesn't make a difference? They are concerned that students who don't have access to test prep materials would be at a disadvantage so they go to extraordinary lengths to demonstrate that test preparation makes a minimal difference in scores. See my 5/21/09 blog titled, SAT Prep, Is it Worth the Time and Money? You Decide. Maybe it is the CollegeBoard's capitalistic aspirations to provide future test takers with materials that will build revenue.
Never the less,it isn't worth the risk not to prepare. At the very least refer to my blog entry of 4/28/2009 titled, What You Can Do to Raise Your SAT Score the Week Before the Test.
If you want to give yourself the opportunity to have an outstanding performance read on.
Preparing for the SAT and ACT is like training for a marathon. You want to start months, even years in advance, (sophomore year is ideal), practice consistently, build up slowly over time to develop your technique, strategy, timing, endurance, speed, and composure.
Technique- Only take real SAT tests. Read the CollegeBoard Guide to the SAT at a minimum, also read Grubers, Complete SAT Study Guide, and Up Your Score. These books will give you ideas on how to tackle SAT questions.
Strategy- Try the techniques in the above books and identify the ones that work the best for you. If you want help sorting through these books, take a class on the SAT from a reputable teacher or find a reputable private tutor.
Timing- Take practice test to develop a sense of how long you can spend on each question in the different sections. Figure out the order that you want to answer the questions within each timed section.
Endurance- Take practice tests starting with one or two sections and adding sections over time until you can comfortably complete an entire test without mental strain. Meaning that you are still alert and thinking clearly at the end of the test.
Speed- Take enough practice tests until you recognize the question as being similar to ones that you have answered in the past and know the fastest most efficient way to answer the question correctly.
Composure- Take enough practice test so that questions won't rattle you, you won't be taken off of your A game by any question. You want to be calm and confident enough to sink the winning free throw with time running out on the clock. That is composure.
Stay tuned for the next blog for a training plan. It is never to early to start preparing.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
SAT Prep, Is it Worth the Time and Money? You Decide
May 20, 2009 the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) released a study titled, Preparation for College Admission Exams. The media jumped all over the study because they saw an opportunity to blast the test preparation industry and the CollegeBoard. Market Place, an NPR production ran a lead story on the report with the headline, SAT Prep Courses Get Bad Score. The Wall Street Journal ran the following headline, SAT Coaching Found to Boost Scores--Barely. The Boston Globe headline was, Once Mighty SAT Loosing its Clout. I encourage you to read these articles.
There is important information in the report that is not covered in the "dramatic" headlines used by the journalists to grab your attention and sell papers.
The report was commissioned by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and written by Derek C. Briggs, Ph.D. University of Colorado at Boulder. Professor Briggs is the chair of the Research and Methodology Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is an associate professor of quantitative methods and policy analysis. The stated objective of the study is to determine if the, "benefits [of test prep] that can be expected for the typical student outweigh the costs?"(Briggs p.4)
Summary of Test Preparation Research
There are a number of interesting and relevant facts about the research that didn't make the headlines or the body of the articles.
Briggs writes, "although extensive, the academic research base does have limitations."
There are few published studies conducted on students taking admission tests since 2000 and there are no studies on students taking the SAT since changes were made to the test in 2005. In 2005 the CollegeBoard substantially changed the SAT to respond to criticism that the test put some students taking the test at a disadvantage because of social economic background. The CollegeBoard responded by dropping analogies, adding a writing section,eliminating quantitative comparisons and adding algebra II and trig questions to the math section. The research data doesn't include the new SAT test.
Briggs writes, "many previous studies were conducted on small samples or were methodologically flawed." The vast majority of the research doesn't control for the quality, quantity and method of test prep or the characteristics of the student populations. The vast majority of coaching studies conducted over a 40 year period from 1951 and 1991 tended to involve small samples that were not necessarily representative of the national population of high school seniors taking college admissions exams, and of the programs offering test coaching.
In 1992 51% of high school seniors took college admissions tests by 2004 the percentage taking college admissions test increased to over 63% because states began to administer the SAT or ACT to all students.
Study Findings
"The existing academic research base indicates that, on average, test preparation efforts yield a positive but small effect on standardized admissions test scores. Research suggests that the average gains made by coached students are in the neighborhood of 30 points." (Briggs p. 1) Uncoached students will on average improve their test scores by retaking the test therefore the estimate of the effects of coaching is adjusted to account for this effect. (Briggs, 2004) The 30 point gains referenced in Briggs report are for the old SAT, prior to 2005 and is based on a 1600 point scale.
The consensus position according to Briggs is:
Coaching has a positive effect on SAT performance, the magnitude is small although statistically significant.
The effect of coaching is larger on the math section of the exam (10-20 pints) than for the critical reading section (5-10 points).
The Effect of Different Test Preparation Methods
Briggs studied 1990-1992 test takers and 2002-2004 test takers who previously took the PSAT using a nationally representative samples of high school students. Briggs (2002) and Briggs and Dominques (2009)to evaluate the effects of multiple forms of test preparation for the SAT and ACT. The studies concluded that the only methods of test preparation to have a significant effect on SAT-Verbal and SAT-Math score gains were formal modes of coaching:
Private Tutoring or enrollment in a commercial coaching class. The magnitude of the effect was small- SAT-Math (20 points) SAT-Verbal (10 points).
Students who used a computer program had a small but statistically significant negative effect on SAT-Math score of seven points.
No forms of test prep had statistically significant effects on SAT-Verbal scores.
Students who had not previously taken the PSAT, enrollment in a special high school class was associated with a statistically significant negative effect of 10 points on the SAT-Verbal. (Briggs 2002, Briggs and Dominque 2009)
Although the articles published in the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, NPR and others call into question the validity of spending money on commercial SAT coaching it is important to ask if your child has the skills and discipline they need to compete for admissions to selective colleges. Would they benefit from the structure and coaching available? Ask about the methodology that the tutor/coach employs and the credentials of the coaches/tutors. Would you want your child to take the most important test of their academic life without preparation? Both the SAT and ACT encourage test takers to prepare.
Your comments are welcome.
There is important information in the report that is not covered in the "dramatic" headlines used by the journalists to grab your attention and sell papers.
The report was commissioned by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and written by Derek C. Briggs, Ph.D. University of Colorado at Boulder. Professor Briggs is the chair of the Research and Methodology Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is an associate professor of quantitative methods and policy analysis. The stated objective of the study is to determine if the, "benefits [of test prep] that can be expected for the typical student outweigh the costs?"(Briggs p.4)
Summary of Test Preparation Research
There are a number of interesting and relevant facts about the research that didn't make the headlines or the body of the articles.
Briggs writes, "although extensive, the academic research base does have limitations."
There are few published studies conducted on students taking admission tests since 2000 and there are no studies on students taking the SAT since changes were made to the test in 2005. In 2005 the CollegeBoard substantially changed the SAT to respond to criticism that the test put some students taking the test at a disadvantage because of social economic background. The CollegeBoard responded by dropping analogies, adding a writing section,eliminating quantitative comparisons and adding algebra II and trig questions to the math section. The research data doesn't include the new SAT test.
Briggs writes, "many previous studies were conducted on small samples or were methodologically flawed." The vast majority of the research doesn't control for the quality, quantity and method of test prep or the characteristics of the student populations. The vast majority of coaching studies conducted over a 40 year period from 1951 and 1991 tended to involve small samples that were not necessarily representative of the national population of high school seniors taking college admissions exams, and of the programs offering test coaching.
In 1992 51% of high school seniors took college admissions tests by 2004 the percentage taking college admissions test increased to over 63% because states began to administer the SAT or ACT to all students.
Study Findings
"The existing academic research base indicates that, on average, test preparation efforts yield a positive but small effect on standardized admissions test scores. Research suggests that the average gains made by coached students are in the neighborhood of 30 points." (Briggs p. 1) Uncoached students will on average improve their test scores by retaking the test therefore the estimate of the effects of coaching is adjusted to account for this effect. (Briggs, 2004) The 30 point gains referenced in Briggs report are for the old SAT, prior to 2005 and is based on a 1600 point scale.
The consensus position according to Briggs is:
Coaching has a positive effect on SAT performance, the magnitude is small although statistically significant.
The effect of coaching is larger on the math section of the exam (10-20 pints) than for the critical reading section (5-10 points).
The Effect of Different Test Preparation Methods
Briggs studied 1990-1992 test takers and 2002-2004 test takers who previously took the PSAT using a nationally representative samples of high school students. Briggs (2002) and Briggs and Dominques (2009)to evaluate the effects of multiple forms of test preparation for the SAT and ACT. The studies concluded that the only methods of test preparation to have a significant effect on SAT-Verbal and SAT-Math score gains were formal modes of coaching:
Private Tutoring or enrollment in a commercial coaching class. The magnitude of the effect was small- SAT-Math (20 points) SAT-Verbal (10 points).
Students who used a computer program had a small but statistically significant negative effect on SAT-Math score of seven points.
No forms of test prep had statistically significant effects on SAT-Verbal scores.
Students who had not previously taken the PSAT, enrollment in a special high school class was associated with a statistically significant negative effect of 10 points on the SAT-Verbal. (Briggs 2002, Briggs and Dominque 2009)
Although the articles published in the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, NPR and others call into question the validity of spending money on commercial SAT coaching it is important to ask if your child has the skills and discipline they need to compete for admissions to selective colleges. Would they benefit from the structure and coaching available? Ask about the methodology that the tutor/coach employs and the credentials of the coaches/tutors. Would you want your child to take the most important test of their academic life without preparation? Both the SAT and ACT encourage test takers to prepare.
Your comments are welcome.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
SAT/ACT Comparison; Which test is for you?
The ACT is the other college placement test. It is accepted by almost all colleges and universities including the most selective schools, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford.... Check the college admissions websites for the schools that are of interest to find out the tests they require for admissions. Also visit www.fairtest.org for the schools that don't require standardized tests or have de-emphasized their importance in the admissions process.
Test Description
The ACT and the SAT are timed paper and pencil multiple choice tests with a handwritten essay. The SAT is a critical thinking reasoning test that employs arcane language which makes the SAT difficult for many students. The SAT requires mental quickness and the ability to solve puzzles. The ACT is a straight forward curriculum based test that requires reasoning skills. The SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800 and the ACT on a scale of 1-36. The ACT gives a composite score that doesn't incorporate the score of the optional writing section. The ACT's writing section is optional and the score is not reported as part of the composite score.
Examples of SAT sentence completion questions.
Dangerously high winds _______ attempts to begin the space shuttle mission on schedule, delaying the launch by nearly a week.
(A) thwarted (B) forfeited (C) implemented (D) discharged (E) redoubled
Answer: A
Actors in melodramas often emphasized tense moments by being ______ , for example, raising their voices and pretending to swoon.
(A) imperious (B) inscrutable (C) convivial (D) histrionic (E) solicitous
Answer: D
(The Official Guide to the SAT)
The ACT doesn't have sentence completions questions and instead presents five passages with underlined (bold in this blog) words and phrases. The test presents alternatives to the underlined parts and asks the test taker to pick the best answer.
ACT sample question
For some people, traditional American Indian music is associated and connected with high penetrating vocals accompanied by a steady drumbeat.
A. NO CHANGE
B. connected by some of them
C. linked by association
D. associated
Answer:associated
Preparing for the ACT
Both the SAT and ACT are similar from the perspective that they are designed to test a high school student's academic skills and their knowledge of a standard high school curriculum experienced by college bound juniors. The SAT and ACT both test English language usage, writing, reading, and math. In addition the ACT has a science section which, "measures the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem solving skills required in the natural sciences." Preparing for the ACT
Reporting Scores to Colleges
The SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800 and the ACT on a scale of 1-36. The ACT gives a composite score that doesn't incorporate the score of the optional writing section. The ACT and the now the SAT allows students to pick the test scores by the date of the test that they send to colleges. The student may pick the specific SAT subject tests that they want sent.
Time Allotted
The SAT allots more time per question for fewer questions than the ACT.
The SAT test is a total of 3 hours and 20 minutes, 170 questions plus the essay (25 minutes). The ACT test including the optional essay is 3 hours and 15 minutes and has 215 questions plus the essay (30 minutes). The SAT critical reading section has 67 questions with 70 minutes to complete them (63 sec. each). The ACT English section is 75 questions with 45 minutes (36 sec. each) to complete them and the reading section has 40 questions with 35 minutes to complete them (52.5 sec. each). English and reading sections combined total 115 questions with 80 minutes to complete them (41.7 sec each). The SAT math section has 54 questions with 70 minutes (78 sec. each) to complete them and the ACT has 60 questions with 60 minutes to complete them (60 sec. each).
Pacing
The SAT organizes its questions by level of difficulty except in the critical reading section. About 87-88% 0f the critical reading and math questions are categorized by the CollegeBoard as easy and medium difficulty. If the test taker answers all of the easy and medium questions correctly and leaves all of the hard questions blank they will score between 660-740 on critical reading and between 660-720 on math. This means that the test taker who is shooting for a score that is in the above ranges could allocate all of their time to the easy and medium questions giving them about 12% more time to work those problems. The ACT does not arrange their questions in order of difficulty making pacing on the ACT more of a challenge.
Guessing
The ACT does not penalize for random guessing where the SAT deducts 1/4 point for every wrong answer in the multiple choice sections. The SAT typically gives five answer choices and the ACT four choices, making random guessing on the ACT more advantageous than on the SAT.
Essay
The SAT writing prompt is less straight forward and the questions are more esoteric than the ACT prompt. The test taker is given 25 minutes by the SAT and 30 minutes by the ACT to write their essay.
The following is the essay prompt from the first practice test in The Official SAT Study Guide
To change is to risk something, making us feel insecure. Not to change is a bigger risk, through we seldom feel that way. There is no choice but to change. People, however, cannot be motivated to change from the outside. All of our motivation comes from within.
Adapted from Ward Sybouts, Planning in School Administration: A Handbook
Assignment: What motivates people to change? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations. (The Official SAT Study Guide)
ACT Assessment Writing Test Prompt
Many high school libraries use some of their limited funding to subscribe to popular magazines with articles that are interesting to students. Despite limited funding, some educators support this practice because they think having these magazines available encourages student to read. Other educators think school libraries should not use limited funds to subscribe to these magazines because they may not be related to academic subjects. In your opinion, should high school libraries subscribe to popular magazines?
In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position. (The ACT, Preparing for the ACT, 2008/2009)
Practice Tests
The ACT provides a free booklet, Preparing for the ACT. The PDF file can be downloaded for free from the ACT website at: http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/preparing.pdf
The file has a full length practice test and answer explanations.
Additional practice test are available by purchasing, The Official ACT Prep Guide from the Makers of the ACT.
The SAT also provides a free booklet, The SAT Preparation Booklet. The PDF file can be downloaded for free from the CollegeBoard website at: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/sat/sat-preparation-booklet.pdf The Official SAT Study Guide has eight official practice tests with preparation advice and answer explanations.
CollegeBoard offers an SAT Official Online Course with six official practice test, answer explanations and essay scoring.
ONLY TAKE PRACTICE TESTS WRITTEN BY THE ACT AND SAT.
Tests that you find in test preparation books and courses written by test preparation company only approximate the difficulty and nuances of the test questions written by the test publishers.
Watch for a blog entry coming soon on preparing for the SAT and ACT.
Test Description
The ACT and the SAT are timed paper and pencil multiple choice tests with a handwritten essay. The SAT is a critical thinking reasoning test that employs arcane language which makes the SAT difficult for many students. The SAT requires mental quickness and the ability to solve puzzles. The ACT is a straight forward curriculum based test that requires reasoning skills. The SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800 and the ACT on a scale of 1-36. The ACT gives a composite score that doesn't incorporate the score of the optional writing section. The ACT's writing section is optional and the score is not reported as part of the composite score.
Examples of SAT sentence completion questions.
Dangerously high winds _______ attempts to begin the space shuttle mission on schedule, delaying the launch by nearly a week.
(A) thwarted (B) forfeited (C) implemented (D) discharged (E) redoubled
Answer: A
Actors in melodramas often emphasized tense moments by being ______ , for example, raising their voices and pretending to swoon.
(A) imperious (B) inscrutable (C) convivial (D) histrionic (E) solicitous
Answer: D
(The Official Guide to the SAT)
The ACT doesn't have sentence completions questions and instead presents five passages with underlined (bold in this blog) words and phrases. The test presents alternatives to the underlined parts and asks the test taker to pick the best answer.
ACT sample question
For some people, traditional American Indian music is associated and connected with high penetrating vocals accompanied by a steady drumbeat.
A. NO CHANGE
B. connected by some of them
C. linked by association
D. associated
Answer:associated
Preparing for the ACT
Both the SAT and ACT are similar from the perspective that they are designed to test a high school student's academic skills and their knowledge of a standard high school curriculum experienced by college bound juniors. The SAT and ACT both test English language usage, writing, reading, and math. In addition the ACT has a science section which, "measures the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem solving skills required in the natural sciences." Preparing for the ACT
Reporting Scores to Colleges
The SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800 and the ACT on a scale of 1-36. The ACT gives a composite score that doesn't incorporate the score of the optional writing section. The ACT and the now the SAT allows students to pick the test scores by the date of the test that they send to colleges. The student may pick the specific SAT subject tests that they want sent.
Time Allotted
The SAT allots more time per question for fewer questions than the ACT.
The SAT test is a total of 3 hours and 20 minutes, 170 questions plus the essay (25 minutes). The ACT test including the optional essay is 3 hours and 15 minutes and has 215 questions plus the essay (30 minutes). The SAT critical reading section has 67 questions with 70 minutes to complete them (63 sec. each). The ACT English section is 75 questions with 45 minutes (36 sec. each) to complete them and the reading section has 40 questions with 35 minutes to complete them (52.5 sec. each). English and reading sections combined total 115 questions with 80 minutes to complete them (41.7 sec each). The SAT math section has 54 questions with 70 minutes (78 sec. each) to complete them and the ACT has 60 questions with 60 minutes to complete them (60 sec. each).
Pacing
The SAT organizes its questions by level of difficulty except in the critical reading section. About 87-88% 0f the critical reading and math questions are categorized by the CollegeBoard as easy and medium difficulty. If the test taker answers all of the easy and medium questions correctly and leaves all of the hard questions blank they will score between 660-740 on critical reading and between 660-720 on math. This means that the test taker who is shooting for a score that is in the above ranges could allocate all of their time to the easy and medium questions giving them about 12% more time to work those problems. The ACT does not arrange their questions in order of difficulty making pacing on the ACT more of a challenge.
Guessing
The ACT does not penalize for random guessing where the SAT deducts 1/4 point for every wrong answer in the multiple choice sections. The SAT typically gives five answer choices and the ACT four choices, making random guessing on the ACT more advantageous than on the SAT.
Essay
The SAT writing prompt is less straight forward and the questions are more esoteric than the ACT prompt. The test taker is given 25 minutes by the SAT and 30 minutes by the ACT to write their essay.
The following is the essay prompt from the first practice test in The Official SAT Study Guide
To change is to risk something, making us feel insecure. Not to change is a bigger risk, through we seldom feel that way. There is no choice but to change. People, however, cannot be motivated to change from the outside. All of our motivation comes from within.
Adapted from Ward Sybouts, Planning in School Administration: A Handbook
Assignment: What motivates people to change? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations. (The Official SAT Study Guide)
ACT Assessment Writing Test Prompt
Many high school libraries use some of their limited funding to subscribe to popular magazines with articles that are interesting to students. Despite limited funding, some educators support this practice because they think having these magazines available encourages student to read. Other educators think school libraries should not use limited funds to subscribe to these magazines because they may not be related to academic subjects. In your opinion, should high school libraries subscribe to popular magazines?
In your essay, take a position on this question. You may write about either one of the two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position. (The ACT, Preparing for the ACT, 2008/2009)
Practice Tests
The ACT provides a free booklet, Preparing for the ACT. The PDF file can be downloaded for free from the ACT website at: http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/preparing.pdf
The file has a full length practice test and answer explanations.
Additional practice test are available by purchasing, The Official ACT Prep Guide from the Makers of the ACT.
The SAT also provides a free booklet, The SAT Preparation Booklet. The PDF file can be downloaded for free from the CollegeBoard website at: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/sat/sat-preparation-booklet.pdf The Official SAT Study Guide has eight official practice tests with preparation advice and answer explanations.
CollegeBoard offers an SAT Official Online Course with six official practice test, answer explanations and essay scoring.
ONLY TAKE PRACTICE TESTS WRITTEN BY THE ACT AND SAT.
Tests that you find in test preparation books and courses written by test preparation company only approximate the difficulty and nuances of the test questions written by the test publishers.
Watch for a blog entry coming soon on preparing for the SAT and ACT.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
SAT SUBJECT TESTS
June 6th is the best time for class of 2010 students to take the SAT Subject Tests. Check the admissions requirements on the websites of the colleges and universities that you are thinking about applying to and find out if SAT Subject Tests are required or recommended. A small group of highly selective colleges and universities require these tests. You are a candidate for these schools if you are highly motivated academically, your GPA is in the top 10% or so or you have an exceptional skill(s) to bring to the school (sports, math, music, theater...), you have taken more honors and AP courses than college prep.
The SAT Subject Tests are one hour long for each subject. You cannot take the Reasoning Test and Subject Tests at the same sitting. If you are planning on taking the Reasoning Test next fall and/or winter you must take the Subject Tests on another date. Plan ahead! The Subject Tests are "content based" tests, meaning that the Collegeboard (the test writer) is testing you on the material that they think that you should have learned in class. The test is scored on the same 200-800 scale as the SAT Reasoning Test.
Take the SAT Subject tests when the material is fresh in your mind. Don't wait until the fall to take a test on a course that you will finish this year. I advise against giving yourself the opportunity to forget material over the summer that you learned this year. There is also something to be said for being in the test taking mode/groove. Having just completed the SAT Reasoning Test (May 2), with final exams on the horizon and the ACT June 13th you will be in the test taking mode/groove.
Take the tests in the subjects where you excel. If you are strong in chemistry and just finished AP Chemistry you should give the chemistry test a shot. If you are planning on applying to a highly selective math, engineering or science program take the Math II test. You want to demonstrate how you perform when you are up against the best math students. Go to your school's Guidance Office and find the pamphlet titled, "Taking the SAT Subject Test" and check out the question difficulty. If the questions are unfamiliar to you than the test is not for you; but if you think the questions are doable then take the test. Find a copy of , "The Official Study Guide for all SAT Subject Test" and learn more about the tests. Post on Facebook or send a Tweet that you are looking for a copy of the book and some senior may offer their book to you.
Take practice tests to familiarize yourself with the types of questions on the test. You want to be able to recognize the question and say to yourself, "I know how to solve this problem or answer this question."
A college counselor that I know recommends to students that are planning to apply to schools that don't require the Subject Test to take the tests to get a leg up on the competition by submitting strong Subject Test scores along with your SAT Reasoning Test scores. Strong scores will improve your chances of admissions and give you a better shot at merit scholarships.
Good luck! Let me know if you have further questions. I can be reached at bcerf@clubztutoring.com.
The SAT Subject Tests are one hour long for each subject. You cannot take the Reasoning Test and Subject Tests at the same sitting. If you are planning on taking the Reasoning Test next fall and/or winter you must take the Subject Tests on another date. Plan ahead! The Subject Tests are "content based" tests, meaning that the Collegeboard (the test writer) is testing you on the material that they think that you should have learned in class. The test is scored on the same 200-800 scale as the SAT Reasoning Test.
Take the SAT Subject tests when the material is fresh in your mind. Don't wait until the fall to take a test on a course that you will finish this year. I advise against giving yourself the opportunity to forget material over the summer that you learned this year. There is also something to be said for being in the test taking mode/groove. Having just completed the SAT Reasoning Test (May 2), with final exams on the horizon and the ACT June 13th you will be in the test taking mode/groove.
Take the tests in the subjects where you excel. If you are strong in chemistry and just finished AP Chemistry you should give the chemistry test a shot. If you are planning on applying to a highly selective math, engineering or science program take the Math II test. You want to demonstrate how you perform when you are up against the best math students. Go to your school's Guidance Office and find the pamphlet titled, "Taking the SAT Subject Test" and check out the question difficulty. If the questions are unfamiliar to you than the test is not for you; but if you think the questions are doable then take the test. Find a copy of , "The Official Study Guide for all SAT Subject Test" and learn more about the tests. Post on Facebook or send a Tweet that you are looking for a copy of the book and some senior may offer their book to you.
Take practice tests to familiarize yourself with the types of questions on the test. You want to be able to recognize the question and say to yourself, "I know how to solve this problem or answer this question."
A college counselor that I know recommends to students that are planning to apply to schools that don't require the Subject Test to take the tests to get a leg up on the competition by submitting strong Subject Test scores along with your SAT Reasoning Test scores. Strong scores will improve your chances of admissions and give you a better shot at merit scholarships.
Good luck! Let me know if you have further questions. I can be reached at bcerf@clubztutoring.com.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Stop the Summer Learning Backslide
Now that spring vacation is over and our kids are back in school it is a great time to think about how to preserve the investment that you and your child made in learning this school year and how to continue learning over the summer.
There is a large body of research evidence that shows that students lose considerable ground academically over the summer break if they don't engage in on going academic activities during that period. Fall achievement test scores are lower than the test scores from the previous spring.(White 1906; Entwistle & Alexander, 1992; Cooper et al., 2004) The typical child loses more than one month of skill or knowledge in math, reading and language arts combined. The biggest losses are in math, 2.6 months and spelling. (Cooper, Chap. 1, Cooper, Nye, Charlton, Lindsay and Greathouse, 1996) Skills and knowledge that are learned through repetition such as math, spelling, and foreign languages are at the greatest risk to be lost over periods of inactivity. If an athlete or a musician did not practice their sport or music for prolonged periods they would lose their sharpness. Our children experience the same loss of sharpness over the summer. Teachers spend four to six weeks in the fall bringing students back to the level that they were at when they left for summer vacation.
Students who are engaged in summer programs that focus on academic remediation, acceleration and enrichment showed positive results compared to those who were not engaged in these types of programs. Students in remedial programs that divide students into small groups and give individualized attention had larger positive effects than traditional class sized groups of 20-30 students. Students of all ages who were in math and reading programs experienced positive results. The greatest benefits were experienced by students in the early and secondary grades. (Summer Learning Loss: The Problem and Some Solutions, Eric Digest, www.eric.gov.)
There is a large body of research evidence that shows that students lose considerable ground academically over the summer break if they don't engage in on going academic activities during that period. Fall achievement test scores are lower than the test scores from the previous spring.(White 1906; Entwistle & Alexander, 1992; Cooper et al., 2004) The typical child loses more than one month of skill or knowledge in math, reading and language arts combined. The biggest losses are in math, 2.6 months and spelling. (Cooper, Chap. 1, Cooper, Nye, Charlton, Lindsay and Greathouse, 1996) Skills and knowledge that are learned through repetition such as math, spelling, and foreign languages are at the greatest risk to be lost over periods of inactivity. If an athlete or a musician did not practice their sport or music for prolonged periods they would lose their sharpness. Our children experience the same loss of sharpness over the summer. Teachers spend four to six weeks in the fall bringing students back to the level that they were at when they left for summer vacation.
Students who are engaged in summer programs that focus on academic remediation, acceleration and enrichment showed positive results compared to those who were not engaged in these types of programs. Students in remedial programs that divide students into small groups and give individualized attention had larger positive effects than traditional class sized groups of 20-30 students. Students of all ages who were in math and reading programs experienced positive results. The greatest benefits were experienced by students in the early and secondary grades. (Summer Learning Loss: The Problem and Some Solutions, Eric Digest, www.eric.gov.)
What You Can Do to Raise Your SAT Score the Last Week Before the Test
With less than one week to go until the SAT there are still things that you can do to increase your score on test day.
If you do nothing else, learn the directions cold. Study the directions for each section of the SAT and be certain that you fully understand them and will not need to waste valuable time on test day referring back to them.
Mentally prepare for the test.
Your performance is affected by your mental state and attitude. Believe in the knowledge and skills that you have spent your whole live acquiring and sharpening. Feel confident in the 12 years of training you've received in school; countless hours of in class learning, the accumulation of huge amounts of knowledge, innumerable "practice" tests. YOU ARE PREPARED. The SAT is your opportunity to show colleges your ability to use your critical thinking and analytical skills.
Harness your energy for test day.
Test day is like a big game, concert or play. Embrace your energy and channel it, don't let it freak you out. Nervousness and anxiety produce adrenaline which is like supercharging your nervous system. Keep a positive attitude and channel your energy to answer the one question in front of you and then move on to the next one. Visualize yourself doing well.
Keep the test in perspective.
The SAT is only one part of the college admissions decision. Your grades, essays and teacher recommendations are more important. You have many chances to take the test again if you choose and most schools are only interested in your best scores.
The Night Before
The night before the test relax, watch a movie, play a game, hang out with friends, chill out. You want to be alert on test day. Get to bed early so you are well rested when the alarm goes off at 6:00 am Saturday morning. Pull together everything that you need for test day the night before and print out directions to the test center.
Test Day
On test day wake up early, eat a good breakfast, give yourself extra time to get to the test site early so you don't feel rushed. Take your admissions ticket, photo ID, multiple soft lead pencils and soft erasers, two approved calculators in case one stops working, a watch (there may not be a clock in the room), snacks, directions to the test center.
When you are waiting for the test to begin remember to breath, remain calm, think positive thoughts, focus on the task at hand.
Keep track of time during the test by writing down the start and stop times.
Pace yourself; know when you have used 1/4, 1/2 of the time and when you have five minutes to go in the section. Don't spend much more than one minute on any one question.Don't rush. Easy questions come first in all sections except the reading passages. Don't rush through the easy questions, they are worth as much as the hard questions.
Keep track of where you are on your answer sheet by checking the number of the question and the number of the answer every few questions.
Look beyond answer A. Don't be lazy, review all the possible answers before selecting one.Eliminate wrong answers by drawing a line through them.
Skip over difficult questions and mark them with a ? so that you can easily return to them.
Circle the answers in your test booklet and then fill in the corresponding bubble.
Use your test booklet as scratch paper to work out problems. Draw pictures to help figure out math problems. Circle and underline key phrases in the reading passages.
Play to your strength by working on the types of questions in a section that you are most comfortable with first.
Answer every question on the test.Try to eliminate at least one wrong answer before you guess randomly. If you guess randomly statistically you will not be hurt.
Stay focused on your test; if you start to day dream check yourself back into the test immediately. Don't worry where other people are on the test, it will only throw you off of your pace.
Congratulations, You did it. Next stop, the college of your choice.
If you do nothing else, learn the directions cold. Study the directions for each section of the SAT and be certain that you fully understand them and will not need to waste valuable time on test day referring back to them.
Mentally prepare for the test.
Your performance is affected by your mental state and attitude. Believe in the knowledge and skills that you have spent your whole live acquiring and sharpening. Feel confident in the 12 years of training you've received in school; countless hours of in class learning, the accumulation of huge amounts of knowledge, innumerable "practice" tests. YOU ARE PREPARED. The SAT is your opportunity to show colleges your ability to use your critical thinking and analytical skills.
Harness your energy for test day.
Test day is like a big game, concert or play. Embrace your energy and channel it, don't let it freak you out. Nervousness and anxiety produce adrenaline which is like supercharging your nervous system. Keep a positive attitude and channel your energy to answer the one question in front of you and then move on to the next one. Visualize yourself doing well.
Keep the test in perspective.
The SAT is only one part of the college admissions decision. Your grades, essays and teacher recommendations are more important. You have many chances to take the test again if you choose and most schools are only interested in your best scores.
The Night Before
The night before the test relax, watch a movie, play a game, hang out with friends, chill out. You want to be alert on test day. Get to bed early so you are well rested when the alarm goes off at 6:00 am Saturday morning. Pull together everything that you need for test day the night before and print out directions to the test center.
Test Day
On test day wake up early, eat a good breakfast, give yourself extra time to get to the test site early so you don't feel rushed. Take your admissions ticket, photo ID, multiple soft lead pencils and soft erasers, two approved calculators in case one stops working, a watch (there may not be a clock in the room), snacks, directions to the test center.
When you are waiting for the test to begin remember to breath, remain calm, think positive thoughts, focus on the task at hand.
Keep track of time during the test by writing down the start and stop times.
Pace yourself; know when you have used 1/4, 1/2 of the time and when you have five minutes to go in the section. Don't spend much more than one minute on any one question.Don't rush. Easy questions come first in all sections except the reading passages. Don't rush through the easy questions, they are worth as much as the hard questions.
Keep track of where you are on your answer sheet by checking the number of the question and the number of the answer every few questions.
Look beyond answer A. Don't be lazy, review all the possible answers before selecting one.Eliminate wrong answers by drawing a line through them.
Skip over difficult questions and mark them with a ? so that you can easily return to them.
Circle the answers in your test booklet and then fill in the corresponding bubble.
Use your test booklet as scratch paper to work out problems. Draw pictures to help figure out math problems. Circle and underline key phrases in the reading passages.
Play to your strength by working on the types of questions in a section that you are most comfortable with first.
Answer every question on the test.Try to eliminate at least one wrong answer before you guess randomly. If you guess randomly statistically you will not be hurt.
Stay focused on your test; if you start to day dream check yourself back into the test immediately. Don't worry where other people are on the test, it will only throw you off of your pace.
Congratulations, You did it. Next stop, the college of your choice.
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