SAT

Root & Synonym Clusters 3: “To Make Better” Synonyms

 tagged SAT / strategies / test prep / vocab by

The first two posts in our new Word Clusters series focus on recognizing roots of words to enable you to kill many vocab birds with a single stone. Another highly effective memorization strategy is to group words by synonym rather than alphabetically (as many books unfortunately do). You know how your brain works: sometimes you remember exactly where on the page you read something (e.g., the lower left-hand side) or which words are above and below the word you’re trying to remember. Say you’re working with a list of words organized alphabetically or perhaps randomly, and say you remember the […]

Root & Synonym Clusters 2: “not” + root + (adj.) suffix

 tagged SAT / strategies / test prep / vocab by

Lots of fancy SAT words are constructed with the basic formula, “not” + root + (adj.) suffix. Train yourself to look for 1) prefixes meaning “not” (like, “un,” “im,” “in,” “a,” and “ir”), 2) roots that you can identify or that look like other words you know, and 3) word endings that make for adjectives (like “ous,” “ate,” “ed,” and “al”).  Take, for example, “immutable.” The prefix “im” means “not” and the suffix “able” means “able to be.” The root “mut” is the same as that found in “mutation,” which means change (as in, change in the gene pool). So, […]

Root & Synonym Clusters, “loc” and “loq”

 tagged SAT / strategies / test prep / vocab by

One great way to learn lots of vocab quickly is to associate GROUPS of words together. Rather than simply memorizing long vocab lists organized alphabetically, or other ways that have little or nothing to do with the meanings of individual words, if you learn words in clusters, then knowing ANY of the words in the cluster can help you remember any pf the other words in the cluster–or at least get you in the ballpark. One of my favorite vocab books that capitalizes on this concept is Barron’s 601 Words You Need to Know to Pass Your Exam (Barron’s 601 […]

PSAT Image

The PSATs Are OVER!…Now What?!

 tagged ACT / PSAT / SAT / standardized tests by

So you took the PSATs this past week. For many of you, sophomores and juniors alike, that began your foray into the wonderful world of high-stakes (college entrance exam) testing. That’s the bad news. The good news is that sophomores have a really long break before the next one (PLAN and/or Subject Tests next spring) and juniors get a little break in the otherwise nonstop bombardment that is the junior year in American high school. As far as standardized testing goes, the vast majority of juniors don’t sit for another exam until January (SATs) or February (ACTs). Some may choose to […]

Mindfulness-Based Reading Comprehension

 tagged ACT / mindfulness / PSAT / reading / SAT / test prep by

Ever start a reading comprehension passage on a standardized test and recognize halfway through the first column that you have absolutely no idea what the passage is about? Ever sit down to read a book or magazine and suddenly realize that while your eyes are running down the tracks of words and lines, your mind is on a completely different train? Yeah, um, you’re not alone.

Using Mindfulness Techniques to Enhance Learning and Raise Test Scores

 tagged ACT / mindfulness / SAT / test anxiety by

“The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character, and will… An education which should improve this faculty would be the education par excellence.” – William James, 1890 Reducing stress and anxiety surrounding the entire college admissions process is so important at CollegePrepExpress that it’s part of our mission statement. A highly effective and increasingly popular set of techniques to reduce tension, heighten awareness and concentration, and instill a deep sense of well-being is MINDFULNESS.  Mindfulness techniques are now widely and successfully used in business, sports, health, and, slowly […]

ACTs vs. SATs Revisited: A Closer Look at the ACT

 tagged ACT / SAT / standardized tests by

In one of my first blog posts back in June, I discussed a growing trend among college-bound students—taking both major college admissions exams as a no-lose way to gain an edge in the most competitive era in admissions history. Based on the number of parents and students I’ve talked to since then, the key reasons bear repeating: “There are several compelling reasons why student SHOULD TAKE BOTH tests. First, the tests are different enough such that most students will do better on one of them, but there’s no way of knowing which one if they don’t take both. Second, it’s a no lose […]

Preparation for Standardized Test Game Day

 tagged ACT / junior year / PSAT / SAT / senior year / sleep / stress management / test anxiety / test prep by

October marks the first big month of standardized testing for college bound juniors and seniors.  SATs, SAT Subject Tests, PSATs, and ACTs are all given this month.  Hopefully, you have been taking practice tests, going over every item you got wrong or left blank, and studying the material you need to learn.  If you haven’t been, stop what you’re doing and callCollegePrepExpress at 413-329-7540: do not pass go, do not collect $200, do not even finish this blog. No seriously, as your game day approaches, here are some valuable tips for squeezing out your maximum score on whatever exam you’re taking: […]

Standardized Test Planning, Grades 9-12

 tagged ACT / freshmen / junior year / PSAT / SAT / senior year / sophomores by

Don’t let the title of this week’s blog fool you: the most significant thing you can do in any grade for college admissions is to take the most rigorous classes available to you and earn the best grades you can in them.  Period. So as this year begins, keep your eye on the prize: A’s in school! Having said that, another important component in the college admissions game is, for better or worse, standardized test scores.  Consequently, it’s never too early to start to plan which ones you’re going to take, and when you’re going to take them.  Forewarned is forearmed, […]

In-Coming Senior To-Do’s

 tagged ACT / applications / college interviews / college visits / CommonApp / SAT / standardized tests by

You’ve waited your whole academic career to be a senior, and now you’re finally here.  One way or another, it’s likely to your most memorable year yet, and if you’re wise and pro-active, you can make the memories predominately positive.  There are four general areas about which you can be pro-active in the waning weeks of your final high school summer: 1)   Application To-Do’s 2)   Standardized Test Plans 3)   College Fairs, Visits, and Interviews 4)   Mental Preparation for Academics and Extracurriculars 1) Application To-Do’s: By now you should have a list of colleges from your guidance counselor. a) Spend some time […]

Learning Vocab Long-Term

 tagged SAT / vocabulary by

If you’re like most students, you probably have little trouble memorizing vocab words for quizzes and tests.  The night before the quiz—be honest, sometimes the period before— you cram the words into your brain and you do just fine.  But three days later, they’ve somehow vanished from your memory, leaving you with that uncomfortable feeling the next time you encounter one of them (say, on the SATs) that you should know the word but it’s gone.  D’oh! So the question is, how do you learn words and NOT forget them?  Fortunately, there are several good tricks to this trade. First, while […]

Painless Ways to Get Ahead this Summer

 tagged ACT / reading / SAT / vacation studying / writing by

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how most students lose academic ground during the summer and, consequently, why summertime presents a great opportunity for ambitious students to get ahead.  But short of signing up for summer school classes, what specifically can you do to improve your grades and better position yourself for college admissions? One easy thing to do, whether you’re an incoming freshman or senior, is to read a few good books.  Dickens, Hawthorne, Salinger, Dotoyevsky, Steinbeck, Hesse.  Classic books that you know you won’t regret having read.  The trick is not just to read them, but […]

SATs or ACTs?

 tagged ACT / admissions process / SAT / scores by

SATs or ACTs, that is the question?  No brainer: BOTH! In the most competitive era of college admissions ever, high school juniors and seniors are looking for any competitive edge they can get.  Historically, students from the northeast and the west coast primarily took the SAT as the standard college admissions test, while students from the mid-west and south took the ACT.  In the past several years, however, perhaps as a response to the increasing competitiveness of college admissions, more and more students are taking BOTH, but then only releasing one or the other to colleges. There are several compelling reasons […]