Track Your Study Progress

Fitness trainers map out the workout routines of their clients by using written progress charts. Writing things down and observing incremental progress is good for the psyche. The same can be said for an SAT study plan. I give my students a 10 week progress chart. Each week they cross off with a big red marker vocabulary words, reading passages, math problems, essay topics and writing multiple choice questions that were assigned to them. At the end of 10 weeks many stare in awe and ask, "Did I really just learn 100 new words, write 10 essays, complete two books of math problems and read fifty essays in Time Magazine? I didn't feel like I did all that!" Yes because it was done in small baby steps. You certainly can accumulate a lot of knowledge working one hour per day. If anyone wants me to send them a sample SAT Progress Report template, please email me at steve@testniques.com

Learn From Your Mistakes

When reviewing practice exams, you will learn more from the questions you get wrong than the ones you answer correctly for several reasons. First, if you answer a question correctly, presumably you already know how to do it, so there is no reason to focus on something you already know. Or worse, if you got the question right because it was a lucky guess you may think you know something you don't. Wrong answers represent with certainty, questions and concepts that must be studied. Ask yourself, "Was this a careless error? Do I understand why it is wrong? Is there a better method to get the correct answer?" For sentence completions, study all the vocabulary word answer choices you don't understand. Re-read a passage and try and find the answer. Learn a new rule of grammar from an incorrect short answer writing question. Look for patterns. Do you find that the same type of questions always give you the most difficulty? For example, a student of mine had trouble answering the critical reading main idea questions. So I directed the student to some study aids and quizzes designed specifically for that type of question. This is what I call efficient study time. Use your time wisely by zeroing in on those questions that pose the most difficulty.

Why Do I Have To Know Geometry?

At my local pool, a teenage girl sat on a lounge chair, highlighter and pencil in her hand along with a bunch of math problems. Eventually, overcome with frustration, she blurted out for all around to hear, "Why Do I Have To Know Geometry?" One adult surmised, "Well if you're not going to be an astronaut, I guess you don't really need to know geometry" Wrong!!!!!!! While the the subject of geometry is not important per se, the problem solving skills used in geometry are life altering. Geometry, crossword puzzles and sudoku all are activities which involve problem solving skills. Many successful people on Wall Street who are the top traders in their field are also champion chess, bridge, backgammon and poker players. Many social scientists use "game theory" to solve complex issues. Just realize that when studying for the SAT you are not wasting your time. Acquiring problem solving skills is a good thing! It will help you in college and aid in your profession and in your ability to make money.

New SAT Reporting Rules.......

Be Careful what you wish for! Starting with the class of 2010, the College board will give students the option of choosing which of their complete SAT scores to share with college admissions offices. This rule is similar to that of the ACT and it favors students who can afford to take the test as many times as possible. This policy will include the SAT and the SAT subject exams known as the SAT II. Please note--this new found freedom to choose can backfire as well. Colleges that consider the best sub scores will not be able to cherry pick the Math score from October and the Reading score from January. You must elect to send in scores from an entire test or exclude an entire test. Some schools which oppose this policy such as U.S.C. may still require full reporting as a condition of admission. For more information on this breaking news please click on this link to the L.A. Times http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sat21-2008jun21,0,1318580.story

A Journey of 3000 Miles............

begins with one step. Ex NY Giant captain George Martin just completed a 3003 mile walk from NYC to San Diego, CA to raise money for 9/11 rescue workers. Martin began his journey on Sept. 16, 2007 and averaged 22 miles per day for approximately 10 months. The lesson here is that remarkable things can be accomplished with baby steps. Students who can devote as little as one half hour per day this summer, will be able to accumulate up to 45 hours of study time before school starts in the fall. Imagine 45 hours of study time for the SAT without impacting your daily routine. It takes 21 days to form a habit. So by July 10th, the half hour study time should be as routine as brushing your teeth. Slow and steady wins the race. Start now, don't wait until the last minute. Be the best prepared of all your classmates for the PSAT in October 2008.

SAT Writing Section

According to a new study by the Collegeboard, performance on the SAT Writing Section is the best indicator of a students performance in his or her freshman year of College. According to the data on 150,000 students, the writing section is a better predictor than the math or critical reading sections. Introduced in 2005, the writing section consists of one 25 minute timed essay, one 25 minute multiple choice section and one ten minute multiple choice section. The complete study is to be released this summer. To read more about this please click on the link to USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-04-24-sat_N.htm

The Math Is Easy...................

Its setting up the question that is the hard task on the Math section of the SAT. Read the question, if you don't understand it, read it again! I cannot tell you how many of my students make silly mistakes on math questions because of poor reading comprehension. Focus only on what is being asked. Focus only on what is being given. Do not invent things that simply are not there. Today's question of the day was a classic--Two sets of two lines were drawn. Only two of those lines labeled (l and m) were specifically given as parallel. The other two lines looked parallel but YOU CANNOT ASSUME THAT THEY ARE PARALLEL! If you assumed they were parallel your answer would be totally different and wrong. Remember there is always a wrong answer waiting for you if you are careless and misread the question.

Tiger Woods and Focus

Tiger Woods hobbling on one leg forced a playoff in todays US Open Golf Championship by sinking a long putt on the 18th hole at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, CA. By just watching Tiger's eyes lining up the putt, I knew that that ball was going in. His uncanny ability to concentrate and block out any distractions makes him the greatest golfer in the world. Why am I writing about this? Because all successful people in life have this type of focus. Imagine how much clearer those boring reading passages would be, how much easier those convoluted math word problems would be if you, the student could focus like Tiger Woods. The ability to concentrate and focus for an extended period of time is a skill that will greatly enhance your performance on the SAT and ACT. Concentration and focus starts with your ability to set aside a quiet place each day and attempt practice questions without any distractions from the outside world. Sure you will be depriving your social life for an hour a day, but think of the places that this new found skill will take you later in life. In the summer time if you get up early and focus, all your friends will be sleeping anyway so you really will not be missing out on anything.

Strive to be the Best!

According to the College board, the average SAT scores for college bound seniors during 2007 were: Critical reading: 502; Mathematics: 515 and Writing: 494 for a combined score of 1511. Why be mediocre? The world is full of average people trapped in the middle. Strive to be the best, separate yourself from the pack. If you think the college process is highly competitive, just wait until you become an adult and then the fun begins! Competition only gets more intense in the job market when you graduate from school. Prepare for the SAT by taking baby steps. Set aside a small amount of time each day (30 minutes) but allow enough time (3 months) to get the job done. Do not miss a day! No excuses! Suddenly the study time becomes a way of life, a habit just like brushing your teeth. A half hour per day for 3 months amounts to 45 hours of studying. Have you ever studied for anything for 45 hours? My guess would be no. Ask yourself, how much better than average would my scores be if I put in 45 hours of study time? 30 minutes per day is a small price to pay for success. I bet everyone reading this post wastes 30 minutes per day text messaging, watching reality TV, sending IM's to your friends, etc. etc.

Flashcards

Flashcards are an old school but very effective way to study for anything academic, including the SAT and ACT. Sure, a student can purchase commercially prepackaged flashcards, but the better way to go would be to create original flashcards from scratch. When you make your own flashcards, the retention rate of the material is better because you are writing down the concepts. I recommend purchasing a minimum of 300 standard size blank flashcards. Pick three different colors. Divide the cards into three sets of 100. For example use yellow for math, blue for critical reading and green for writing. Use the math cards for concepts and formulas citing specific practice test examples to refer to on the flip side of the card. Use the reading cards for vocabulary words. Use the writing cards for the rules of grammar as well as for ideas for essay topics. Imagine creating 300 new concepts on your own! As you go over the flashcards set aside in a separate container those concepts which give you the most difficulty. Focus on the concepts you are weakest with so as to make those concepts your new strengths.

The Odds of A Perfect Score

According to the Collegeboard, 269 of the 1.5 million students who took the SAT in 2007 earned a perfect score of 2400. The odds of perfection are almost 6,000 to 1. When I speak about setting realistic goals, I do not assume your goal is to achieve a perfect score. Proper goal setting is an individual matter. In any given year, the average scores for all sections are around 500, or 1500 total.

Who wants to be average? Nobody! Don't be mediocre, strive for much better than the average score. Answering 70% to 75% of the questions correct as a general rule should bring your scores into the 600's. Put in the time necessary to achieve the desired results. There is no greater satisfaction in life than working hard and enjoying the benefits of that effort.

SAT Question and Answer Service

For $18 a student can order the SAT Question and Answer Service through the Collegeboard. This service gives the student the test questions, a breakdown of his answers along with the correct answers, the question type and the degree of difficulty for each question. In my opinion, this is an invaluable piece of information. Students and their tutors can use the information to try and find a pattern of mistakes. With such data, a student can better prepare to retake the test by focusing on those questions and subjects that prove to be the most challenging. This is money well spent because it will make the preparation for the next SAT much more efficient. To learn more about this service please visit the Collegeboard at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/scores/qas.html

College Information Blog and Discussion Groups

Allen Grove writes a great College Admissions Blog for About.com. Tons of useful information are scattered throughout his page. Top college rankings, test prep, tips on the application process, essay ideas, planning a college campus tour are just some of the many topics discussed. This is a must have reference for the dreaded application season. Please click on the following link: http://collegeapps.about.com/ to subscribe. You will receive weekly email updates, so if a new topic interests you, there is probably a discussion forum which will lead you to in depth resources about a particular issue. I have personally subscribed to this blog and it has helped my children navigate the college application game. In some upcoming posts, I will be discussing many college issues such as How many AP credits do colleges accept?

ACT Test Dates Fall 2008

September 13, 2008 and October 25, 2008 are the last two practical dates for High School Seniors to sit for the ACT exam. There is a December exam on December 13, 2008 but this should be only used as a last resource. Summer is almost upon us. There will be plenty of time to prepare for the September and October exams without the distractions of other schoolwork. Please plan ahead and use your time wisely. The ACT has a wonderful student friendly website http://www.actstudent.org/index.html with lots of good information including free practice tests. I have also reviewed a wonderful DVD package from College Prep Coach. There are three DVD's which include general test taking strategies; Official Study Guides for both the SAT and ACT as well as specific lessons for solving problems on both tests. College Prep Coach sells this terrific study aid for $249, but if you mention Testniques you will only pay $225! For more information please go to http://collegeprepcoach.net/

SAT Fall Test Dates

The College Board www.collegeboard.com has just released the 2008-2009 test dates and registration deadlines. If you will be a high school senior in the fall of 2008 please be aware of these important dates: October 4, 2008; November 1, 2008 and December 6, 2008. Most college applications must be complete by December 31, 2008. Be logical please! Take the October or November tests so there is ample time to forward your results to the appropriate schools. Furthermore, if you need these SAT scores to narrow down your choices of colleges, it is even more essential to take the October or November test so you have enough breathing room to make an informed decision.