June SAT Essay Topics

The Collegeboard has released the four different essay prompts for its most recent June, 2009 exam. For those who will retake this test in the Fall of 2009, it makes good sense to examine these assignments and even use them to write practice essays under timed test conditions.

To access these essays please click on this link: http://tr.im/pR7f

ACT Scores vs. SAT Scores

A Student who takes both tests must choose which scores to submit with his or her college application. Knowing which scores are better is a little tricky. Here is a link to an article about this issue. There is also a conversion table which will help in making the correct choice:
http://collegeapps.about.com/od/standardizedtests/a/convertSAT2ACT.htm?nl=1

2009/2010 SAT Test Dates

From the College Boards Website:


2009-10Test Dates


October 10, 2009 SAT & Subject Tests Register by: September 9, 2009
November 7, 2009 SAT & Subject Tests Register by: October 1, 2009
December 5, 2009 SAT & Subject Tests Register by: October 30, 2009

January 23, 2010 SAT & Subject Tests Register by: December 15, 2009
March 13, 2010 SAT Only Register by: February 4, 2010
May 1, 2010 SAT & Subject Tests Register by: March 25, 2010
June 5, 2010 SAT & Subject Tests Register by: April 29, 2010

Who Are The Best Students?

Someone asked me, "Who are the Best Students that you come across to tutor?" This was such an interesting question, I thought about the answer for several minutes before answering. The best students to tutor are not the super geniuses with the 99 averages. The best students to tutor are not the low achievers who barely pass their High School courses. The mediocre 75 to 85 average students are not the best either. Girls are not the best students to tutor and neither are boys. So who then?

The motivated student is the best student to tutor. The motivated student listens and puts in the time necessary to master the subject matter. The motivated student asks pertinent questions so that he or she better understands each lesson. The motivated student is focused and organized. The motivated student sets individual goals and does whatever it takes to achieve those goals.

I am the same tutor regardless of the student who hires me. Its the student that is the variable. I have witnessed motivated students with low High School G.P.A. overachieve on the SAT. I have also witnessed lazy "geniuses" underachieve on the SAT. Unfortunately, a poor score is often a wake up call, and the poor score is the motivating factor that lights the fire in that student. It should not have to be this way, but this is a fact of life.

They Laughed But Now They Are Crying

Every class I teach has some class clowns. Put 20 or more teenagers in a class room together after regular school hours and there will be some who want to fool around rather than learn. Its okay to have fun but not at the expense of others who really want to listen and learn. Each class I teach comes with a 10 minute break specifically to allow students to "blow off steam".

Now that the May SAT results are out, it is no surprise that many of the comedians are not satisfied with their scores. The comedians are not laughing anymore. The comedians are scrambling to take the June SAT this Saturday hoping to improve their scores. For many, this summer was supposed to be a stress free period of relaxation. A time to visit some campuses. A time to work on an application essay and a time to enjoy the sun.

The good news is that those who wanted to learn were for the most part satisfied with their scores. You get out of life whatever you put into it. The SAT is no exception. For some unfortunately it was Garbage In, Garbage Out.

New SAT Study Guide

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Collegeboard will revise its Official SAT Study Guide this summer. The Official SAT Study Guide has remained virtually unchanged since its original publication in 2004 to reflect the new SAT format which began testing in March 2005. The Official SAT Study Guide currently includes 8 simulated SAT tests. The new and revised guide will feature 3 actual SAT tests along with 7 simulated tests for a total of 10 practice tests.

How To Become A Better SAT Reader

Many of the major magazines have an essay in each issue. Time, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times Magazine, etc. These essays are approximately the same length as the SAT's long reading passages. Take out a pen and mark up these essays. Underline any key phrases or quotations. Circle any vocabulary words you may not know and look up those words. Ask yourself the following questions: What is the authors point? Why did the author use this example? Does the article read as sad, funny, serious, sarcastic, tragic, or hopeful?

From these questions start to anticipate what questions the test makers would ask if given the passage in front of you, ie. figure out the main idea, vocabulary in context questions, inference questions, function questions, etc. When you put yourself in the shoes of the test makers, you become a better test taker.