SAT Tutors Teach Life Skills

The SAT is much more than a test. The very best tutors provide something much more valuable than preparation for a standardized test. The best tutors instill skills which students use in college and in life. The best tutors teach students how to be critical thinkers. Stanley H. Kaplan summarized his method and the value of tutoring as follows:

"My method, as it evolved, really was quite simple: Teach students to be critical thinkers. My classes were not cram courses. Test-taking tricks and strategies would get students only so far. They had to know the material, analyze the information, and think out the answer. I wasn't preparing them for only a Saturday morning test; I was preparing them for a lifetime of critical thinking. It's like riding a bicycle: once you learn how to ride it, the skill is yours for life. And once you get the knack of taking a test like the SAT, it's also yours for life."

SAT and ACT Statistics

The Collegeboard has just released its annual SAT scoring results for graduating high school seniors in 2008. The average Math score was 515, the average reading score was 502 and the average writing score was 488. Collectively, these scores and the scores from 2007 are the lowest in a decade. The Collegeboard says the low scores are a mixed blessing because they are a result of a record number of low income students taking the exam. Such students tend to score lower on standardized tests. 1.52 million students took the SAT this year. The very first SAT was administered in 1926 to 8040 high school students.

Average ACT scores released this month showed a decrease to 21.1 from 21.2 on a scale of 36. 1.42 million students sat for the ACT in the latest school year.

Are You a Poor Test Taker?

More from Stanley Kaplan regarding poor standardized test takers:

"I could wallpaper the walls of my classrooms with letters from students who thought they were poor test takers. Students were baffled over why they received high grades in school and then bombed on an admissions test. Almost all "terrible test takers" have two common features: a high anxiety level and a lack of knowledge about the subject matter and mechanics of the test........I treated anxiety by instilling confidence, which comes from familiarity with the test. The greatest fears spring from the unknown. If students know what to expect, the tests are no longer growling monsters. No surprises, no anxieties."

Bottom line--do as many practice tests as possible. The more questions you see, the more confident you will be on test day. If you have seen every possible question, then they can't fool you.

Stanley H. Kaplan

I am reading the memoirs of Stanley H. Kaplan, the self proclaimed King of Test Prep. Yes there is an actual Stanley Kaplan and I believe he is still alive and approaching 90 years of age. Kaplan pioneered the industry over 50 years ago. His 2001 book Test Pilot, How I Broke Testing Barriers for Millions of Students and Caused a Sonic Boom in the Business of Education has so many nuggets of great information for both tutors and students that I will be posting many of these wonderful excerpts. The advice is timeless--Kaplan's philosophy is still valid today as it was in 1958.

Kaplan says: "Answering SAT Questions requires focus, reasoning and practice. Acquiring test-taking skills is the same as learning to play the piano or ride a bicycle. It requires practice, practice, practice. Repetition breeds familiarity. Familiarity breeds confidence. Confidence breeds success."

Michael Phelps and the SAT

Michael Phelps' historic run of 8 gold medals is a lesson for all students. First, he did not do it alone. It took a team effort. He had a coach. In his relay events, he had teammates. And he was dedicated and he practiced harder than his competitors. See any parallels here?

New Assessment Exam For 8th Graders

The Collegeboard has announced that it will offer an 8th grade assessment exam starting in 2009. Preliminary reports predict the test will be similar to the PSAT and will test reading, math and writing. The exam was created because middle schools requested a specific exam tailored to 8th graders. So the college preparation process begins earlier and earlier. What ever happened to allowing children to be children? Are we creating a nation of robotic test takers? Is the purpose of school to develop young minds or to teach kids how to ace a standardized test?

Book Review-- Hack the SAT

I am always on the lookout for new and innovative study aids. For the advanced student who is taking the SAT this coming October for the second or third time, I recommend "Hack The SAT" by Eliot Schrefer. An advanced student who has exhausted all the practice tests in the Official SAT Study Guide and who has already read "Up Your Score", "Hack The SAT" will provide additional insight and valuable problem solving lessons. I have read the book and I have written a review of this book. Please click on the Title of this post to read my complete critique.