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
Does your student want to avoid taking a standardized test? Do they bomb them every time they take them? Are you hesitant to pay for a test prep tutor? Good news. There are hundreds of schools, large and small, who will use the SAT or ACT for placement only or other minimal requirements.
Due to the 2020 pandemic, most colleges became test-optional because students were unable to take standardized tests. Rumors abound that this will have a future impact on the value colleges place on standardized tests or eliminating the test requirement altogether.
Continue reading Test Optional–What You Need to Know
Hiring a test prep tutor might just be the best investment you can make toward a college education. It may seem like a large investment, but the return you receive on the investment can be astronomical.
Consider this:
Ah yes, the dreaded SAT – one of the most popular standardized tests out there. As a test taker, there are several things you can do in advance to increase your chances of scoring higher on test day. In addition to these 3 must know tips for the SAT, here are a few more things to keep in mind:
Not all tests are created equal, and not all tests are scored the same way. Luckily for us, the current version of the SAT has a great scoring policy – your raw score is simply the number of questions answered correctly. That’s it! There are no deductions or penalties for incorrect answers. If you answer 40 questions correctly and 4 questions incorrectly, you’ll get the same raw score as if you answer 40 questions correctly and just leave 4 blank.
This means that you should answer every question (even if you are guessing) because an incorrect answer will not count against you, but guessing will at least give you a chance of getting the answer right. But wait…there’s more!
The SAT’s multiple choice questions have 4 answer choices (A, B, C, and D). Since each answer choice has an equal probability of being correct (1/4 or 25%), you can maximize your chances of being correct by guessing the same letter every time (unless, of course, you know it’s wrong). However, if you guess randomly, you’re just chasing a moving target. So, just pick a letter (A – D), and if you have no idea what the answer is, just bubble in that same letter every time.
Standardized tests, like the SAT, tend to be pretty tricky. The word problems are intentionally confusing and can throw off even the most experienced test takers. For this reason, it’s very important to see as many different types of questions as possible, so that you can be exposed to the variety of ways a question can be asked.
The best way to get used to SAT questions is by studying official SAT material published by the CollegeBoard and concentrating on test prep. The more practice problems you will see, the more familiar you will become with the way they are structured, worded, and presented. So when it comes to taking the real SAT, you’ll be in a much better place to say “I’ve seen this type of question of before, and I know what they are looking for!”
There is a ton of third party material out there, but it may not look like the real thing. So it’s best to practice with official material right on the CollegeBoard website!
The beauty of a standardized test where showing your work doesn’t count is….it doesn’t matter how you get to the correct answer! The only thing that matters is that you get the question right. This affords test takers the ability to solve problems in any way they choose!
The math section is a great place to take advantage of this luxury! Instead of solving the problem using the “high school Algebra II way,” is there a simpler way to get to the correct answer?
As you work through practice tests and sample problems, see if you can find faster ways of solving the problem. In a timed test, a few seconds here or there can really add up, so knowing shortcuts can help you out big time!
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Today’s guest post is from Leo Rusinov, the founder of TutoringBoston, an education company specializing in K-12 Academic and SAT tutoring in Newton, MA. TutoringBoston is focused on providing both content and strategy instruction, and is committed to helping students achieve their academic goals through customized lesson plans, tailored instruction, and content differentiation. Tutoring Boston serves students in the Greater Boston area, as well as all over the country through online lessons.
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.
As a parent, and a parent college coach, any program that offers affordable test prep for students deserves a “look see”. When I was approached by UWorld to help get the word out about their free 30-day SAT prep program I was definitely interested; and when I heard about the cost of the program after the 30-day trial, they had me at “affordable”.
UWorld is a leading provider of question bank materials for professional licensing exams. They have now expanded into SAT prep and are hoping for the same success in this area that they have had in all their other ventures. The new SAT site includes over 1400 questions. They have experienced educators on staff who provide them with questions similar to what students will find on the real SAT.
It’s easy to get started with the FREE trial—all you do is provide your email address and a login password. Once that’s done, you are taken directly to the registration page that asks for simple information such as name and address. No credit card information is required to start with the full program. Once the 30 days are up, your student can decide whether or not to continue with the tutoring, which can be purchased for 90 days, 180 days, or 360 days—all at affordable prices for budget conscious families.
There are several features of this tutoring program that appeals to me as a parent and a college coach:
Once the test is completed and scored, you can:
The tutoring feature is impressive. It clearly explains each choice from the multiple choices, why the correct answer is correct, and gives tips on how to choose the correct answer next time. Not only do you have a chance to practice the test with these sample questions, you are able to improve your test-taking strategies with the explanations and the tips given in the tutoring function.
Since this is an online test prep program, students can access it by using their computers at home, their laptops, their tablets and even their smartphones using an app. This essentially puts test prep in your student’s hands to use at any time during the day when they have a few extra minutes of free time. Additionally, once the difficult questions are flagged, your student can use these as a study guide before the test.
For most middle-class parents, it’s inconceivable to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars for SAT prep, college consulting and essay prep. When I find a program that offers an affordable option for parents I’m always excited to promote it. And when the program is such high quality as UWorld, it’s a win-win!
Can you imagine a young James Harden, dreaming of a future NBA career, saying “I’m just going to wait until I get to college to start playing basketball”? What about a 16-year-old Tom Brady saying “Coach, these drills aren’t important. Besides, throwing passes in practice is boring. I’ll throw touchdown passes when I need to in the championship game”? It’s crazy to think that anyone becomes skilled without putting in the practice.
Yet, that’s exactly what happens every year as students start applying to colleges and taking the SAT. They figure they will wait until the “big game” to put their skills to use, arguing that practicing those skills is boring and unnecessary. Unfortunately, a lot of students end up on the bench as a result.
One of the most important skills that students need is critical reading. Nearly all courses in most college majors require hours of reading each week, meaning that becoming a capable reader has the greatest impact on college and career success. But the U.S. Department of Education reports that, in 2015, only 37% of the nation’s high school seniors were proficient in this skill. Similarly, many students report difficulty answering critical reading questions on the SAT, a test used by colleges for admissions and scholarship consideration. Clearly, the time to get in the game is before it starts.
In 2015, only 37% of the nation’s high school seniors were proficient in critical reading.
Becoming an MVP takes practice and time. Becoming a skilled reader requires the same. There are several things your student can do to improve:
Sometimes, the most obvious advice is the best. Students get better not only at understanding what they read, but also at maintaining their focus for longer periods of time, which is a common problem.
Unless a player’s little brother is Michael Jordan, he won’t become a better basketball player by always going against him on the court. Players progress by pitting themselves against worthy opponents. The same is true about becoming a better reader. Help your student choose material that challenges her, whether it’s Charles Dickens or The New York Times. She’ll begin to have a larger vocabulary and increased reading speed.
Most of the reading done in English classrooms is literature. Although each SAT has one passage that comes from a novel, the majority of readings are nonfiction. Your student should read interesting articles on websites such as Scientific American and NPR to broaden his knowledge. He’ll feel more confident about the reading selections he encounters on the test.
Putting in the practice now has the potential to pay off with more college options and financial aid. Plan like the pros and your student can become his or her own most valuable player.Playing in as many games as they can also increases players’ chances of scoring big. It’s expensive to take multiple SAT tests, but your student can simulate test day as many times as he likes by using UWorld’s test-preparation materials. The online program provides practice answering questions over the kinds of reading passages found on the test. It also lets students time their responses to determine how fast or slow to take each set of questions.
This post is sponsored by UWorld and written by Suzanne Dilday. Suzanne is a college prep content specialist with UWorld. She was a high school English instructor for 27 years with a BA in English from Baylor University.
Last year, nearly 1.7 million students took the SAT. A jump from 2015’s 1.6 million! While statistics for this year’s SAT haven’t been released yet, one can only assume that this number has increased. For the majority of juniors, and seniors, in high school, scoring well on the SAT is a ticket into the college of their choice. But the only way to do so is by being prepared. Because, as with many things in life, preparation is key!
Are your kids feeling overwhelmed, and unsure on where to start? Here are a few SAT study tips to help you do well on your test.
No Cramming!
Last minute studying is simply inefficient. Attempting to absorb, or process a large volume of information in a short period of time (usually the night before a test) will do more harm, than good. Tell your kids to not overload their brains with information, because they’ll need it refreshed by morning, before their test.
The 12-24 hours before test day should be spent calming nerves, organizing test supplies, packTing a snack/lunch, and getting much needed rest. So when their alarms go off, they’re not panicking, or rushing to get their things – let alone their thoughts – together.
Practice As If It’s Test Day!
There are plenty of websites that offer SAT practice tests that your kids can either take online, or print out, and fill in. When taking these tests, have them practice under “test-day conditions.” Time them, as well. The new SAT is 3 hours and 50 minutes long, meaning you should allot the same amount of time to them as they practice.
Additionally, you should also restrict them from any mobile phone use, music, socializing, and any other distractions. The same way athletes practice as if it’s game day, they should have this mentality as well.
When one prepares themselves under test-day conditions, they won’t feel so overwhelmed on the big day.
Work On Vocabulary
While memorizing definitions isn’t as exciting, as it is beneficial, it’ll certainly help when tackling the passage-based reading questions in the test. It’s also important to note that there’s more to boosting one’s vocabulary skills than just memorizing the definitions. Make sure your kids understand the definition as well. Especially within the context of a sentence or paragraph.
Granted that you’ve decided to help them study weeks in advance, start posting a “SAT word of the day” post-it on the fridge, or bathroom mirror to make it more fun for them. Then encourage them to try and use the word in conversations throughout the day.
Clearly, these are just a few helpful tips to consider. There are companies, such as TestPrepPlace, who provide more information about the test, and study tips, to make your future college student’s experience, and the process, a little less intimidating.
As the school year is over and the final examination grades are being compiled across the nation. Many students and parents are brainstorming different ways of squeezing in some test prep time over the summer. If that’s not you yet, don’t worry! Here are 7 actionable tips you can use to help your child on their way to SAT success!
It’s best to start test prep during the summer and make it a habit for when it’s really needed. During this time of the year, students are more relaxed, and are less consumed by class schedules, social protocol, and extra curricular activities.
Parents of students who are set to attend college and are serious about scholarships should take advantage of this time to prepare adequately for SAT examinations. Test preparation is best started early to give students the best shot at a good SAT score and a place at their first choice college. Starting now builds up the habit in time for the start of a new school year.
Ultimately, it’s never too early for students to start preparing for the SAT. Having more time will mean that your child is less stressed and more familiar with the SAT come test time. Cramming at the last minute rarely sees positive results. Summer SAT prep doesn’t have to be all consuming, any amount of regular study, however small can prove beneficial.
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Today’s guest post is from James Maroney, the founder of First Choice College Placement, a test preparation center based in Milford, CT. Since 1999 James has traveled the country helping students to prepare for the SAT and ACT tests and gain a place at their first choice college.
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.
