When you’re deciding on a college, it’s a good idea to start researching them early in the game. We’ve seen many of our students change their minds late in the process, after they’ve gotten to know a little more about the schools they’re looking at, or have narrowed down the subjects that are of most interest to [...]
Is it necessary for juniors to take the PSAT? Well no, not necessary. But it’s a good idea for several reasons. First, colleges are willing to look at PSAT scores and give them weight when they’re beginning to sort out admissions. So not only is it worth taking the PSAT for this reason, [...]
When you think about getting ready for your test, think of it like learning an instrument, learning how to cook a new dish, or learning your lines in a play. Or you can think of it like a marathon. Runners who start well before the date of a marathon don’t start by running 26 miles. [...]
When I played the saxophone, I had fun. But I didn't love it so much that I wanted to practice 8 hours a day. And I was OK with that. I liked goofing around and being able to play what I wanted to. But no one was offering me a spot in their band, and [...]
If you want to see what these tests look like to your kids, the Youtube video linked below will give you a fairly good idea. In it, three college grads – one from Yale, one from Stanford, and one from UC Berkeley – try out a couple of questions from standardized test given in South [...]
Whether you understand the meaning of a test question or not may depend on whether you’re the one who wrote the test, or are the one who’s taking it. As experienced teachers, we've seen this first hand. We would write questions for tests that seemed perfectly fair. The material had been covered in class, [...]
When it’s time for the writing section on the test, you will very likely do just fine using the writing methods you’ve been taught in class. So while you don’t want to try to learn any new style, since this is a timed writing sample, there are a few strategies to know before you sharpen [...]
It’s not easy to put together a good writing sample on the test if you don’t know what your schools will think is good. Do they want formal writing? Should there be astounding thoughts that unlock the secrets of the universe? Should it be in iambic pentameter? Don’t worry. None of those things [...]
One of the great myths out there is that students who know the material taught in class will be prepared for standardized tests. But the reality is that except for a few naturally great test takers, knowing only the academic material is going in half-prepared. One concept we try to instill in our students is that [...]
The best test prep is stress free prep. When I played the saxophone, I had fun. But I didn't love it so much that I wanted to practice 8 hours a day. And I was OK with that. I liked goofing around and being able to play what I wanted to. But no one [...]
