New E-Book Fundamentals of Good Test Taking

Testniques.com has just recently finished a short yet to the point E-book, The Fundamentals of Good Test Taking. Primarily written to help prepare for the SAT, many of the tips and hints are valid in High School, College and later on in life. For the next 30 days, anyone can request a copy by writing to me at steve@testniques.com The e-book is in pdf format so Adobe reader is required.

The PSAT Matters

October is PSAT month. Many students go into the PSAT with the following philosophy-- it doesn't count so why should I try? It is foolish not to try on the PSAT for several reasons. First, the PSAT honors those who do well with National Merit Scholarships. Second, colleges give extra money to National Merit Scholars because it increases a schools prestige to have National Merit Scholars in its student body. But with National Merit Scholars we are talking about the top 2% of High School Juniors nationwide. For most others, the PSAT is an opportunity to take a practice test under proper test conditions. Sometime in December, the PSAT results come out with a detailed analysis which is useful for the preparation for the real deal, the SAT. Use this result sheet to locate those areas which need the most improvement. Give this sheet to your tutor and map out a proper study plan designed to turn those weaknesses into strengths.

You Practice the Way You Play

Just got back from watching a new movie, The Express, the tragic life story of Syracuse fullback Ernie Davis --the first African American College Football Heisman Trophy winner. In one scene, Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder is upset with the effort of his team on the practice field. Schwartzwalder yells "if you practice half assed, you will play half assed" Immediately I thought about how true this is with tests like the SAT. TAKING NUMEROUS PRACTICE TESTS UNDER TEST LIKE CONDITIONS (meaning--get up early on a weekend or holiday, eat a good breakfast, start the practice exam at 9 a.m. (same time as the actual test) correctly time each section, take the appropriate breaks, use grid sheets with pencils) IS A PROVEN METHOD TO IMPROVE YOUR SCORE.

Proper preparation is a great habit to get into. Whether its preparing for an exam, a job interview, a game or a presentation. The earlier one masters proper preparation, the better the performance will be when it counts.

5 Tips for Cramming for the SAT

The October and November SAT tests represent the last chance for many high school seniors before applying to college. Here are some things to do in crunch time:

1. During the week make your study sessions count. Set aside an hour with no interruptions. Be focused and organized. Review the types of problems which proved challenging on prior tests;

2. Memorize the instructions for all types of questions;

3. Memorize the given math formulas;

4. Redo all the problems you get wrong;

5. On Saturday and Sunday take a full practice test. Wake up, eat breakfast and be ready to start a practice test at 9 a.m. Use a timer. Take the practice test under actual test conditions. A great rehearsal makes for a great performance.

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.