It’s exam time, and you’re feeling the pressure. Your heart is racing, your palms are sweating, and your mind is racing through all the possible outcomes – good and bad. You know you need to calm down, but it feels like everything is working against you.
Don’t worry; everyone has been there. The good news is that there are ways to calm yourself before an exam, so you can go in feeling prepared and confident by destressing.
Continue reading Destressing Before Tests
Do you need money to pay for college? Are you having trouble motivating your student to study and prepare for standardized tests?
What you may not know is that there are GUARANTEED scholarships available for students based on their standardized test scores. And in case you think they are only for perfect scores, think again. Many colleges award automatic scholarships for scores of 1100 for the SAT and 22 for the ACT. Of course, the higher your score, the more scholarship money you receive.
Perhaps one of the best sources of money based solely on a standardized test score, is the PSAT. If your student is a National Merit finalist (based on the scores in your state), they are eligible for scholarships. Apart of earning a $2500 scholarship through the competition itself, students can score some big money from colleges by listing them as their first choice when they take the test.
Your student can get a full ride from any number of colleges, just for being a finalist. For example, you can get a full ride scholarship at the University of Idaho and the University of Oklahoma.
With just a little preparation and study (most students don’t prepare for this test), your student can score well stacked up against other students in the state. It’s completely achievable and pays off in huge scholarship dollars.
To learn more about sponsoring universities, read here.
Colleges offer automatic scholarships based on your student’s test scores. These scholarships don’t require an extra application or information, but there may be a college application deadline. Check with each individual college for deadline information.
These scholarships are usually posted on the college websites. For a short list of some of the colleges and their scholarship opportunities and how to search for any college, hop over to PrepScholar for a detailed explanation of how to search for these scholarships.
Of course, don’t stop here. Encourage your student to apply for the scholarships that fit them well and keep applying all throughout college. Free money means no debt after graduation. Your son or daughter should appreciate the benefit of that.
Getting accommodations on high-stakes standardized tests is no easy task, especially if your child is a high-achiever and has been able to compensate for his or her disabilities until now. Fortunately, during the Obama administration there were some positive legal developments which have made the law both clearer and more favorable to high-achieving applicants. When testing boards deny accommodations to high-achievers, it tends to be for the similar reasons. Here are those reasons and some strategies to combat those denials.
Testing Boards get hundreds of applications for extended time accommodations per each test sitting and they often don’t have time to carefully review each application. Naturally, they tend to skim for what they consider red flags to disqualifying an applicant. One of those red flags is a late diagnosis. Boards derisively term those late diagnosis “eleventh hour” disabilities because they seem to have developed conveniently around college prep time.
But the truth is that some high-achievers have been disabled throughout their educational careers but have been able to coast through because the work was not very challenging for them. And sometimes a legitimate anxiety or emotional disorder will develop in high school.
The best way to combat a denial in this situation is to provide them with documentation (i.e., school records, evaluations, physician letters) proving that your child had symptoms for years, even if they were recently diagnosed. Using bullet points write about what your child has had to do to compensate for his or her disability, such as giving up participating in extracurricular activities so that they have more time to study. If the disability is psychological or emotional and has legitimately developed recently, document that too.
Because there’s no simple test for ADHD and its symptoms can often be confused with other disorders, testing boards often look askance at applicants for accommodations whose only disability is ADHD. Anxiety, depression and certain types of learning disabilities can also be difficulty to document, especially with high-achievers.
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that to be eligible for accommodations a disability must “substantially limit” a major life activity, such as learning, reading or concentrating, as compared with the general population.” Most applicants need a comprehensive psycho-educational evaluation demonstrating the extent to which their disabilities limit them academically. Generally, that means that you need to show with numbers that your child’s disability causes him or her to perform in certain areas at or below the 16th percentile.
Decisions by testing boards are often unpredictable because they review hundreds of applications for accommodations for each test sitting, and don’t have time to carefully review each student’s circumstances. While the most critical aspect of an application is documenting the educational history of the disability and/or it’s symptoms, parents should present the documentation in a clear and concise way in a cover letter. To make the information readily accessible, cover letters should be very well-organized, sectioned with headers and detailed with bullet points under each section. Attach the documents you refer to the letter.
The law governing testing accommodations is fairly complex, and it would benefit you to hire an attorney for a consultation or to write a cover letter so that your child’s unique educational history can be clearly and persuasively presented in a legal context. However, if you’re not able to hire an attorney, it would go a long way to write your own cover letter presenting the important information described above in a clear and concise manner.
For more on the Americans with Disabilities Act, which sets the legal standards for accommodating students applying for accommodations, see this article.
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Today’s guest post is from Allison Hertog, one of only a handful of attorneys in the country who has a Masters degree in Special Education. She has successfully represented students applying for college and graduate school entrance exams nationwide, even if they’ve been denied more than once. Her law firm is Making School Work, P.L. and you can reach her at Allison@MakingSchoolWork.com.
Should your student work with a professional test prep tutor? Bobby Hood, of Noodle Pros, says YES!
Bobby has been tutoring professionally for 7 years. He is a member of the Triple Nine Society, an association of individuals with IQ scores above the 99.9th percentile. After graduating high school as valedictorian with an SAT score of 800 Math and 790 Verbal, he attended Texas Christian University on a full-tuition scholarship.
Before he began tutoring, Bobby had two prior careers as a CPA and attorney respectively. Bobby worked as a CPA for two years before attending The University of Texas School of Law.
After 10 years of practicing law, Bobby returned to his love of teaching and began tutoring students. He tutors the SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT, GRE, GRE, and MCAT CARS.
I spoke with Bobby about why he tutors, how to prep for the SAT or ACT, when to start studying, and the advantages of working with a professional test prep tutor.
1. After 7 years, why do you still do it?
When I worked as a CPA and as an attorney, I never felt like I was actually helping make a positive difference in the world. Now I make a difference in students’ lives every single day. It’s rewarding and affirming, and it never gets boring, because every student is different.
2. A course and/or many tutors would be a lot cheaper, why should students not take a course? Why work with a super-tutor?
Most courses are designed with a “one-size-fits-all” approach; generally, test prep courses are geared toward students who are scoring below or near the median. A student at that level may benefit greatly from starting with a course or other prep material in order to master the underlying content needed to earn a high score on the test. However, in order to move significantly above the median (say, above the 84th percentile or so), a student will need to focus on the patterns of the test in a very individualized way.
Today’s students generally have very busy schedules, and need to balance test preparation with studying for challenging AP courses and participating in extracurricular activities and organizations. Individual attention from a tutor with a great deal of experience in adjusting the preparation to the needs of the student can in most cases result in the highest improvements quite efficiently, allowing the student to focus on all of those other important facets of the high school experience.
3. What are three things that all students can do that will improve their scores?
4. What should people look for in a good tutor?
Good tutors are flexible and will take the time to explain how they will approach the tutoring and how it will apply to your student. If a tutor is not responsive to questions up front, then the tutor is not likely to do a good job of communicating with you or the student as the tutorial progresses.
5. What happens if you are just not a good test taker?
Almost every student describes himself or herself as “not a good test taker”, and this is almost never true. Standardized tests are designed to make students feel like they are not good test takers; the primary goal of my tutoring is to disabuse students of this notion, and help them realize that once they know the patterns of the test, they will gain the confidence that they are just as good at test-taking as they are talented in other endeavors of their life.
6. How many times should you take the ACT/SAT?
As part of your preparation, you should take practice tests until you are consistently earning a score that you would be happy with and that represents your skills and background appropriately. Once you are consistently achieving those scores on practice tests, you should take the actual test and look to achieve a similar (or higher) score. Of course, anyone can have an off day, so you might need to take it multiple times to get the score you’re looking for. That said, once you’ve earned the score you want, there’s no need to continue.
7. How early should you start preparing?
Trigonometry is the highest level of math tested on both the SAT and the ACT. So, you can begin as soon as you have learned Trig (generally, at the end of Algebra II). You can begin earlier if you like, but you won’t be prepared to earn the highest possible score until you have gotten through Trig.
The best way to decide when to start preparing is to work backwards from your goal. Since you would prefer to spend the summer before Senior year visiting colleges and preparing your college application, you should have your scores in hand by the June tests of Junior year at the latest. Therefore, you should start your preparation in the Spring of Junior year at the latest, or earlier if possible. Sophomore year is usually a bit early to begin preparing, but not out of the question if the student is already taking Algebra II.
If there is any chance that the student will be a contender for National Merit Finalist status, then preparation should begin in the summer before Junior year, leading up to the PSAT/NMSQT test in October of Junior year, since that is the test that is used to determine National Merit Finalist awards.
8. What is important about practice tests?
Practice tests are the only way to realistically assess whether you are prepared to take the actual test. It’s important to take practice tests under timed conditions and in surroundings that best approximate the actual test. Many students mistakenly focus only on whether they are capable of answering questions correctly, when the important question is whether they are able to answer questions correctly under the time pressure of the test.
9. When should students stop worrying about their score?
You should never begin worrying about your score. Think about it this way: there are questions on the test that, based on your past educational background, you are “supposed to get right.” There are also questions on the test that you are not supposed to get right. Your goal is to use strategies to make sure that you approach the test in the right way and get right all of those questions that you’re supposed to get right, instead of rushing through the test and making errors on lots of questions.
If you do that, then you should be proud of your score, because it properly represents you and your educational experience. Now, if the strategies also help you get some of those questions that you WEREN’T supposed to get right, well… that’s a nice bonus.
10. Many students say they insist on in-person tutoring versus online tutoring, what do you say to that?
In my experience, online tutoring is substantially more effective than in-person tutoring. It sounds counter-intuitive, since effective online tutoring has only been possible for a few years now. However, it fits with the way today’s students tend to learn. I began to notice in recent years that students in a classroom will often take a photo of problems worked on the board in a classroom, and then refer back to that photo later when studying. In online tutoring, everything we do – every strategy I teach – is written on the whiteboard and you save it at the end as a PDF file.
When tutoring is face-to-face, you have to divide your attention between listening to what I’m saying, looking at what I’m writing down, and taking notes for future reference. This slows things down and leads to less comprehension. In online tutoring, we discuss and work through problems together, and everything goes onto the whiteboard for your own future reference. You really have to try it to see how amazing it is. Many students have mentioned to me after their first sessions that they were not expecting it to be so effective, and generally they leave the sessions enthusiastic to continue the tutoring.
11. Are you just teaching test strategy tricks or are you really teaching a student how to read or do math?
I’m definitely not teaching you to read or to do math. However, I’m definitely teaching you how to read well and how to do math well. In other words, tutoring is all about learning how to think critically: to note the way questions and answers are worded, and what that tells you about how to approach the problem, and what answers to eliminate before you fall into a trap. These critical thinking skills don’t just improve your scores on the test; they will make every test you ever take easier, and probably make you much better at reading college textbooks for your courses in a more engaged and efficient manner.
12. What are some good resources that are available to all students?
A student who is at or below the median test score probably needs to do work to get the basic content down. Khan Academy is an excellent free source that can help students learn and practice basic content. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that Khan Academy teaches test strategy. Khan Academy is the free starting point for mastering content areas that you are weak in; after that, move on to actual test strategies.
For test strategies, the books Cracking the ACT and Cracking the SAT by The Princeton Review are excellent resources to start with. Learn the strategies, and then practice applying them on actual ACT and SAT tests. For the ACT, the Real ACT Prep Guide is the only approved source of actual ACT tests. For the SAT, use the actual SAT practice tests on the College Board and Khan Academy sites – but focus on tests 5, 6, 7, and 8, which are actual real SATs that were released as practice tests after being administered.
13. Is there a moment or a story you can think of that has had a large impact on your career as a tutor?
One of my former ACT students returned four years later to prepare for the MCAT. He told me that the critical thinking skills he had learned while tutoring with me had helped him study in college efficiently and do very well on the demanding pre-med curriculum. At that point it hit home to me that tutoring isn’t just about taking one test, but instead is about a mindful approach to learning that applies throughout your lifetime. It’s really helped me to appreciate how important attitude and critical thinking are not just for standardized tests, but for approaching life in general.
14. If you knew then what you know now, what would you do differently on the ACT or SAT?
Haha well… I used Cracking the SAT and Cracking the ACT to prepare, even way back then, and I only missed the perfect score on each test by one question. So I wouldn’t do anything differently on the tests themselves, but perhaps I would rather have realized much earlier that my passion in life is teaching and tutoring.
This is a sponsored post and I have received compensation for this interview.
These days, a lot of kids feel pressured to perform academically. Getting into a good college generally requires superior high school grades, and that means passing tests. Even junior high schoolers and kids in lower grades can feel stressed about school, especially right before an important test. In the interest of calming pre-test jitters for all, we offer the following quick tips that offer fast relief.
If your child excels at studying and note-taking, they may fare better as test time approaches. Students who brainstorm together in small groups may improve their study skills and boost confidence in their test-taking abilities, so say education experts at Cengage magazine.
There are a number of proven relaxation techniques that can go a long way toward relieving pre-test anxiety. Among them are listening to classical or ambient music, taking a walk to refresh the brain and playing with puppies, according to GoConqr. And never, ever underestimate the importance -and stress relief- of a great night’s sleep. Hours spent asleep help the human brain to store new knowledge into the memory center of the brain where it can be recalled on test day. If you’ve ever tried to concentrate after a missed night’s sleep, you know that this is true.
Snack on chocolate, but make sure it’s the dark kind. Comprising around 70 percent pure cocoa, dark chocolate helps to counteract a stress hormone called cortisol. As an extra added bonus, deeply dark chocolate is known to cause the brain to release the happiness chemicals called endorphins. Sounds like a win-win proposition, right? It is.
Students intent on passing a crucial exam do themselve an enormous favor when they turn off their phones. Checking messages, scrolling a Facebook news feed and messing around on Twitter are fun, but they’re also amazing time-wasters. Students who waste time online may not have enough time to be fully prepared for a test, and that can be a huge stressor.
Teens who meditate tend to be far less stressed than teens who don’t. The ancient art of meditation is a brilliant way to take a relaxing break from study and ‘reset’ the mind. Meditation may also help nervous students to maintain their sense of focus while boosting mental health. Mandalas are a nice part of some student’s meditations. An Adroid app such as mandala coloring book app offers calming geometric patterns and a rainbow of colors that give students a stress-relief break any time they need it. Mandalas aren’t the only things you can illustrate with this free Android app from Google Play. Animal pics, flowers and other entertaining coloring projects come with Coloring Book For Me & Mandala from Apalon.
Puppies, hamsters and fish tanks can be good stress relievers, too. Playing with pets, petting cats and popping bubble wrap are relaxing forms of play that can do much to calm those pre-exam jitters.
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Today’s guest post is from Leo Wright, a Dad who works part time as an assistant at his son’s school. He writes about educating your kids at home, as well as supporting their schoolwork.
Wouldn’t it be great to have all the test dates AND registration deadlines in one place, along with tips on how to support your high school student during testing season? Magoosh thought so too! They created the Parents Guide to SAT and ACT Testing.
Below is an infographic with “everything you need to know about standardized tests but were afraid to ask”. Also, check out their High School SAT & ACT blog: https://magoosh.com/hs/ with resources there for both parents and students to help them learn more about the SAT and ACT, how to prepare, and what to expect on test day.
For students who are juniors or seniors in high school, it’s time to start thinking about ACT scores and possible scholarships.
While getting a top score on the ACT isn’t easy, it is simple. Or at least, the process for taking the ACT is simple compared to the process of hunting for scholarships.
Finding the right scholarship is complicated because scholarship money comes from so many sources. And of course, every scholarship foundation has different application requirements. When it comes to finding the right scholarships and figuring out how to apply for them, it’s hard to know where to start.
Fortunately, there are a lot of resources to help you on your scholarship hunt. For one thing, many scholarships are specific to one university. Every university you apply to has a scholarship page on its website. This page will include a full list of scholarships just for students at that school, complete with eligibility requirements and application instructions.
There are actually a lot fewer state and national college scholarships, compared to the number of single-school scholarships. Still, larger-scale scholarships can be a significant source of college funding too. One of the best tools for finding larger scale scholarships actually comes from the “other” university entrance exam provider. That’s right, I’m talking about the college Board, the maker of the SAT. If you look at the College Board’s Scholarship Search website, you can find all sorts of state and national scholarships. The site’s custom search tools help students find scholarships that match their personal eligibility. This search portal can be used to look up both SAT and ACT score requirements for specific scholarships.
And while we’re talking about other college-related tests, be sure to look into National Merit Scholarship options. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that national Merit Scholarships are only connected to PSAT scores. This scholarship network also gives out extra awards to students who have top scores on both the PSAT and the ACT. (Top SAT scores are useful too!) For more information, check out the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website.
Now that’s the big question, isn’t it? There’s really no one answer to that question. If an ACT score is good enough to get someone into a university somewhere, it’s good enough to get them some kind of scholarship.
Still, for the biggest, best selection of scholarships, you’ll want to aim for an ACT score of at least 30. And the higher above 30, the better. The most competitive scholarships tend to require an ACT score of 33+.
To get that top score and get access to as many scholarships as possible, you’ll want to study, study, study. Preparation is everything when it comes to ACT success and scholarship readiness. That’s where a site like Magoosh ACT can really help you. Go to Magoosh to read up on important ACT Math topics, tips for ACT English, ACT Reading, and ACT Science, and advice about the ACT Essay.
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Today’s guest post is provided by David Recine of Magoosh. Magoosh is an online test prep company that offers affordable study programs and apps for the standardized tests.
Colleges use these standardized tests to predict a student’s ability to perform well academically in college. But are the tests are flawed?
Test prep tutors across the board are recommending students avoid the new SAT test. Their reasons: the test is untested and its impossible to predict a student’s success. One test prep tutor, Lauren Gaggioli of Higher Scores Test Prep, is steering all her students toward the ACT:
This new test is a bad bet for this year’s juniors. Frankly, our students shouldn’t be guinea pigs and there is a very easy solution to the problem – take the ACT. Might sound too good to be true, but the solution really is that simple.
In a recent podcast, Lauren gives four reasons why students should avoid the SAT and focus on the ACT.
But wait…
Now the ACT is having its own issues. The essay scores are inexplicably low causing concern for students and test prep tutors. The Washington Post interviewed students and ACT officials:
Controversy erupted soon after the ACT introduced a revised essay-writing task in September that is being graded for the first time on the same 36-point scale as the rest of the test. Counselors across the country are complaining that many of their top students, who routinely earn marks higher than 30 on other parts of the ACT, are getting writing scores in the low-to-mid 20s.
One tutor I spoke with said after looking at her student’s essays from the test, it was impossible to see why they were scored low and difficult to understand the reasoning behind the scoring.
Now what?
ACT assures students that once they become more familiar with the writing prompts their scores will improve. But what about those students who have already taken the test? You can pay $50 to have the essay re-graded (hand scored). In most instances the score will improve. One student went from a 19 to a 31 after regrading.
Here’s the question: will colleges put less weight on both the SAT and the ACT knowing the new tests are controversial? Will students begin viewing “test optional” schools as a viable alternative to avoid these flawed standardized tests? Only time will tell.
Need help understanding the ACT essay problem? This is a great article that explains what happened and how to take action if you feel your score is wrong:
We’re going to close out Test Prep Week with some test prep tips. I’m certainly not a test prep expert, but I do know where to find the best test prep tips. The key to any standardized test is preparation. Add to that knowledge of how the test works and the formulas you should know, your student should be prepared to take the test with confidence when the time comes.
Here are some excellent tips that should help your student prepare for standardized tests, both SAT and ACT.
Samantha Lindsay of SAT Strategies provides a comprehensive, step-by-step list of tips broken down by section. From basic rules, to math tips, to reading tips, to writing tips, she gives students a game plan to follow during the test. This is the ultimate test prep.
In Higher Scores Test Prep podcast episode, you will learn five test strategy tips for the SAT.
In Higher Scores Test Prep podcast episode, you will learn five test strategy tips for the ACT.
These six tips will help your student understand the inner workings of the ACT. The article breaks down each section, giving tips on how to better prepare and tackle each one.
Alexis Avila of Prepped and Polished gives his best tips for SAT test takers. These tips will not only help you prepare for the test by giving tips on its content, but help you prepare for test-taking day.
As with any test, preparation is key. You can’t expect to do well if you don’t prepare. Encourage your student to create a study plan and stick to it. Going into a test prepared will make a huge difference on the test results.
For more test prep tips read:
Should you hire a test prep tutor?
Where do I find free test prep?
In February and March, your college bound teen could be taking the ACT or the SAT. This week, I’m going to discuss test prep. First on the list–should you hire a test prep tutor? Is it worth the investment? Will it improve your student’s score? Is a tutor really necessary with all the free help you can find online?
Here are five reasons you might
want to hire a tutor:
For any student to do well on the test, they need motivation. A tutor could help your student find that motivation.
If your student isn’t accountable for their study and progress, it’s easier to slack off and not keep to the plan. A tutor will keep them accountable.
Part of the study process is recognizing mistakes and coming up with a plan to improve. Tutors can help with formulas, test tips, and recognizing the cause of the errors.
With standardized tests, “if you don’t have a plan, you plan to fail”. A tutor can provide a regimented study plan to help your student stay on track.
A tutor will have a view of the “bigger picture” and help your student measure progress. Progress spurs motivation and improves accountability.
Spending hundreds of dollars on an effective, well-chosen tutor will certainly improve your student’s standardized test scores. Improved scores will not only improve your student’s chances of acceptance, but it will also improve your student’s chances of becoming a National Merit finalist and/or merit scholarship awards from the colleges offering admission.
Before you hire a tutor, evaluate the benefits and the expected outcome. A small investment could reap huge financial rewards.
Need help finding a tutor, click here for my list of recommended test prep tutors.
For a list of upcoming standardized test prep registration and testings date, click here.