Test Prep General – Page 3

Knowing How to Do the Problem Isn’t Enough

There’s an awkward situation I see happening with too many students. It goes like this: they 100% know the rules, the formulas, and the concepts behind a question. YET THEY STILL GET THE QUESTION WRONG…and not just once, but over and over again. Is it just me, or does that strike you as absolutely mind-boggling? Why in the world would someone completely understand a question and still get it wrong? That just blows my socks off because it pains me […]

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Why You Need to Learn How to Learn

Test Prep General, Study Hacks

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know I’m all about precision prep and systematized studying. Most people have never learned how to learn. I’d like to say that’s okay, but it’s really not. The thing is, no one really teaches us the proper way to learn. Our teachers can teach us math facts and grammar rules and literary devices for days, but we’re left to fend for ourselves when it comes to actually organizing the barrage of information.

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Collegeboard Epic Fail

Test Prep General

I was with one of my students recently, and she asked me if I had heard. Heard what? I was in the middle of telling her how important it was to pay attention to her timing, especially on the ACT where even a single minute can make a 2-point difference. Timing is absolutely brutal on the ACT, so even mere moments can become make or break. That’s why I get countless students complaining to me how they just would die

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Official New SATs (March 2016) Finally Released

Test Prep General

It’s coming…resistance is futile…the new SAT is inevitable. Luckily for us, Collegeboard has finally released 4 official practice tests in the new SAT format. If you’re dying to see what the new SAT will be like, here is the link for those 4 practice tests: https://www.khanacademy.org/sat Collegeboard was even nice enough to include answer explanations for the questions, and its partnership with Khan Academy has yielded some video answer explanations as well. Unfortunately, both of their explanations are sorely lacking. You’ll

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Good is the Enemy of Great

Test Prep General, Study Hacks

It’s T-10 for the June 6th SAT (and T-17 for the June 13th ACT). Are you ready? Lately, many of you have been bombarded with APs and finals or, I don’t know, watching that tears-inducing The Flash finale (no? just me?) that you’ve relegated your SAT/ACT studies to the backburner. So with little time left, we have to edge out every ounce of productivity and effectiveness. The biggest factor of all is simple: how badly do you want this? No, seriously,

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The First Official New PSAT Released: Post-Mortem Report

Test Prep General

So I must be crazy. Guess how I just spent my first full day off in a very long time? Did someone say taking a practice test? We have a winner! The Collegeboard has finally released its first full-length, official new format PSAT, which will roll out on October 14, 2015 (for most schools, or October 28, 2015 as an additional test date). I sat down and decided to take the blasted thing, timed, for fun, and for your education because

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