Daily Archives: June 8, 2010

Preparing for SAT Subject Tests

by

Like I Need to Take Another Test? Why is taking SAT Subject Tests a good idea? Because they CAN help your admissions prospects, but they CANNOT hurt them. With the CollegeBoard’s Score Choice policy, you need release to colleges only those scores with which you’re happy. That’s true even if you take three tests on the same day and choose to release none, one, two, or all three.  It’s a bit different for the big SAT exam, but that’s the topic of a different blog (see SAT & ACT Score Reporting: Facts and Fiction). So if you’re on the fence about one or two […]

ACT Math and SAT Subject Test Math 1

by

You don’t often see the words “good news” and “standardized tests” in the same sentence. But for those of you taking the June 5 SAT Subject Test in Math 1 and/or the June 12 ACT, and for those of you on the fence about one or the other, here’s something to consider: The Math Test material on the ACT is virtually identical to that of the Level 1 Subject Test. That means, by studying for one test, you are simultaneously studying for the other. You would think the CollegeBoard’s Math 1 Subject Test would more closely resemble its own college […]

The Secret to High Scores on the SAT & ACT Revisited

by

This time last year I posted a blog revealing The Secret Magic Formula for Cramming for SATs & ACTs. The normal prescription for standardized test prep for students at CollegePrepExpress involves 20-30 minutes per night, alternating practice tests and review. To cram in the week or month before a given exam, simply double up on the formula, as suggested in the heart  of last year’s blog: The secret magic formula for standardized test cramming is simply this: Spend 30 minutes a day MEMORIZING material that’s covered on the exam and spend 20-30 minutes a day taking one practice section per […]

Quizlet.com: Fun, Free, and Effective

by

I’m a self-proclaimed and sometimes evangelical technophile, but I’m willing to admit that twenty-first century educators can be guilty of using technology simply for the sake of using technology. Just because you can use computers to accomplish certain academic tasks doesn’t necessarily mean you should.  In some cases, old-fashioned technologies like paper and pen or—gasp!—paper and pencil are superior learning tools to laptops and the internet.  I discovered during my graduate studies that electronic devices are BEST used not when they simply replace old-fashioned technologies, but when they empower educators and students to teach and learn in ways that simply are not possible […]