Category Archives: Blog

Make the calendar work for you

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Wouldn’t it be great if you could get all this testing stuff out of the way before things really heat up for the spring of your Jr. year?  May and June are the most popular test dates but  many students would be better off taking their test in the winter. There just aren’t usually as many fun things competing for your attention in the winter. Don’t worry about “what everyone else” is doing. Think about your own schedule. When is your sport active? When do you have recitals? Concerts? Performances? College trips? Then there are big school schedule things like finals, prom and even spring fever to figure in.  Get testing over with during the gloom and doom of winter, if you can.

You want to take a look at the dates and register. The SAT is available Jan. 28 and March 10. The ACT is offered Feb. 11 and April 14.  You want to start planning for your prep ASAP–it’s not an emergency, it’s predictable. Want to study with a friend or even a few? Get your schedules together now and drop me an email.  We’ll get you set up. I will be around over Winter Break–will you? I always admire students who can use vacation times to get test prep done.

Are you unsure which test to take? We can talk about that too. But stop procrastinating. You’re going to go to college, aren’t you?  Then get it on your schedule.

Which Test?

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Is vocabulary your weak link but you’re a strong math and science student? That sounds like a recipe for a date with the ACT, not the SAT. Let’s discuss.

Before I’d advise you, I’d like to see your PSAT results and speak with you about test taking. But it’s important to remember that your choice of which college test you take is just that–your choice. It doesn’t usually matter to the school you’re applying to (you should double check on your favorite school.) In some cases you have fewer testing requirements with an ACT than an SAT. The notion that “all my friends are taking the other test” doesn’t really matter unless you let it make you crazy.

It’s probably true that when you look at the whole body of students who take the two tests the scores come out about the same ACT to SAT. But for any given student, one test is likely to be easier than the other because of how it’s made. So why make this harder than it needs to be.  Discuss it with an expert: portlandtestprep@gmail.com

Process of Elimination

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My Dad used to say that anyone can sculpt an elephant–just take a block of marble and cut away everything that doesn’t look like an elephant.  Multiple choice questions on the SAT/ACT are similar. Just eliminate the wrong possibilities.  Ah…. but how? By getting and practicing what works for you.

When we work together on test prep my student does test sections at home–parents don’t pay me to watch their kids take tests.  We carefully analyze why right answers are right and why wrong answers are wrong. I’m looking for clues about how the student “sees” the question and responds to it. Sometimes there are patterns to the questions a student struggles with, sometimes I recommend a different test, etc. There are so many ways and reasons a student will choose one answer or another.  Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to see and hear a lot of them. Yes, I have some basic techniques I teach students, but I try to make my advice very personal, as well. Those personal elements are based on the clues the student gives me when they talk about how they approached and performed on the test segment.

Why prepare for the SAT or ACT?

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The Reading Comprehension section of the SAT is still vocabulary driven. And scores have been steadily going downward nationawide.   See the article quoted below.  
Q: If I’m an A student in English, why should I prep for the Verbal side of the SAT?
A: If you’re naturally good in this area it will be relatively easy to help you get even more questions right. A point’s a point.
 
Q: I don’t read a lot, vocabulary is hard for me, the passage is slow or boring, the questions seem ambiguous.
 
A: Ok, it wasn’t really a question.  But I hear all those lines a lot.  You can still take charge of your performance on this part of the test and show what you DO know.  It probably won’t be your best subject but there are points to be gotten by learning how this test works with your brain.
 
Q: You mean I’m going to have to do assignments for prep classes?
 
A: You bet. I took the test years ago. If you want the score you have to do the work.
 
The class of 2011 had record low scores on the reading comprehension section. Here’s a quote from an article in last Thursday’s LA Times. “Everyone thinks of 21st century skills as math, science and computers, but we’re finding that being able to communicate with the written word in a variety of formats is going to be one of the most essential tools,” Hull said. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/15/nation/la-na-0914-sat-scores-20110915

Special Fall Offer! Join a class

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Getting it together for the fall tests is always a challenge for families. Putting together a group of students is also a challenge. This fall I’m putting together a group class your student–10th, 11th or 12 grader–can join. I can take up to six students for 4 Monday nights. (Sept 19, 26, Oct 3 and Oct 10 from 6–7:30)  Students will prepare for the PSAT/SAT mutiple choice questions in Reading Comprehension and Writing. Each student pays $285 and will purchase and bring a copy of the book The Official SAT Study Guide, 2d ed. For $25 additional, I will review up to two essays and give specific comments. This is a big discount and a chance to get group pricing without having to organize your own cats.

If this doesn’t suit your schedule or if you’re taking the October ACT let’s talk about what you need.  portlandtestprep@gmail.com

Busy Back to School

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Each year I find the October and November SATs (and PSAT) sneak up on students and their families. (there also an ACT Test date on October 22–registration is still open.) If you’re a senior trying to “up” your test score, make sure you’re ready for the test–email me and corral a few of your friends to study together, if that’s good for you. I still have some availability and I always scramble to try and help all the seniors who want prep. But why panic? Make it easier for yourself. 

Are you thinking you’ll take the PSAT without prep–hey it’s just a practice?  It’s a more valuable experience if you start your prep early and see what you can do with some test-taking skills. It’s a great idea to use your free test-taking opportunities to see what you’ll need. 

 

ACT this year?

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My fall season is heating up and I’m seeing a little more interest in the ACT than usual. A number of school districts in the area offer the ACT in school to Juniors as a matter of course in the spring. I know a lot of students just blow it off.  But this is a great opportunity and the student is already spending his or her valuable time on it. Students should give this test a good shot prep-wise. For some brains this is a better test than the SAT. It’s certainly just as good in terms of what colleges want.  Prep for either test is mostly similar but the strategy is a little different. I can tailor your prep to account for both–why not? You may as well take advantage of the opportunity and make the best use of your time and money.

Hello world!

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The new site is up and running! I’m so glad.  Let me announce that my Summer Special is still in effect. It’s a great way to be ready for those fall tests that sneak up so fast. Take $50 off the Test Package price per student (wow, if you’re a group of 4 save a total of $200–that’s multiplication–y’all got that.)

I know I’m going to be talking about all the different verbal parts of the test, and related subjects like when to take the test, how to prepare, why  prepare, etc.  But please fire off some questions if you have them.  And go “like” Portland Test Prep, if you’re a Facebook-er. www.facebook.com/portlandtestprep

Vocabulary

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Are you building a set of 3 x 5 vocabulary cards? (word on one side, definition on the other.) It’s never too early to start (and you’re never finished.) This makes for a very time-efficient and portable prep option. Just remember, every word is a good word.  When you’re looking up words in the dictionary (remember dictionaries?) peek at all the related words. It’s barely any more work to connect those in with the word you’re learning. If it turns out you already know some of those related words it will make it much easier to remember the new word. More to come. . .