Archive for October, 2011

Solve the Mystery

Yesterday at my local drugstore I found a book of young adult mysteries. Seeing that the type was big and the mysteries were short, I picked up the book. I am always trying to find new ways to get my middle school-age children (two boys) to read. I have tried everything, even offering money if they will just sit for a half hour and read! Doesn’t work! These mysteries are only 2-3 pages long and kids have to solve the mystery. This book looked promising!

Last night when I read a few of the stories I realized how terrific an exercise these mysteries are for my “big” kids – my SAT and ACT students. Reading success on the SAT/ACT requires inferential reasoning. These stories might be for 5th- 7th graders, but they make you think about and look closely at the text. In order to solve the mystery you have to look at every word and search for meaning behind the words. I guess I am not a very good detective because I spent quite awhile trying to figure out some of the mysteries within the book. And, I had to utilize every reading strategy I teach. Definitely not easy!

When I teach a class on how to address the reading passages on the SAT, I always wear a detective hat and carry a magnifying glass. We all need to be detectives when we read! What I love about these mysteries is that they are the length of an SAT passage (slightly longer) and they are fun! Students (and my children) don’t realize that they are gaining strong reading skills; all they want to do is figure out why Peter the plumber is guilty.

I can’t say that these short mysteries will turn my children into readers, but they are enjoying solving the mystery and I am enjoying watching them go back and back again to the story in order to fit all the clues together. I recommend sitting down at the kitchen table and reading the stories as a family. Make it into a game – the first person who solves the mystery gets a cookie!

Books: Five- Minute Mini-Mysteries – Stan Smith

Kids’ Whodunits: Catch the Clues! Hy Conrad

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Posted in ACT, SAT on Wednesday, October 26th, 2011 | No Comments »

Make a Plan for Scheduling and Mastering your ACT and/or SAT Test/s!

STUDY YOUR PLAYBOOK

I am sitting in the kitchen trying to tune out the Bears vs. Lions game going on in the other room. (My husband is from Chicago and is a huge Bears fan.) Last week I wrote about football and how having a gameplan is key to testing success. Well, this week I am giving you your playbook. What play you choose is up to you, but the one play that THIS SAT/ACT COACH RECOMMENDS is planning on taking a test at least twice!

Game plans: Pick ONE and stick to the plan!

Plan #1:
You want to start studying now or have been studying since September, and you are thinking about taking both the SAT and ACT.

• October PSAT
• December ACT

Evaluate scores from both tests during holiday break and pick one test to pursue intensely in the winter/spring. (If this is your plan you must sign up for the December ACT by November 4th.) Sign up for the WilsonDailyPrep (www.wilsondailyprep.com) for a month to become familiar with the ACT. Or, participate in a FREE Graph It Forward Today ACT Study-a-thon. Go to www.graphitforwardtoday.org for details.

Plan #2:
Begin studying for the SAT now. Take the SAT twice and then think about taking the ACT in April and June if not happy with your SAT scores.

• October PSAT
• January SAT
• March SAT
• April ACT
• June ACT

Plan #3:
Begin studying now for the ACT. Take this test twice and then begin studying for the SAT in early March if not happy with your ACT scores.

• December ACT
• February ACT
• May SAT
• June SAT

Plan #4:
Begin studying in the new year (January 1st) after PSAT scores are released. Follow Plan #2 or #3 but move the dates to late spring/ early fall of senior year.

• February ACT
• April ACT
• June SAT
• October SAT

Or…

• March SAT
• May SAT
• June ACT
• September or October ACT

Plan #5:
The Ping Pong approach – I DO NOT RECOMMEND!

• December ACT
• January SAT
• February ACT
• March SAT
• April ACT
• May SAT
• June ACT

If taking SAT II’s please keep these subject tests in mind when creating a game plan. You can take up to two SAT II Subject Tests in one day, but you CAN NOT take a Subject Test the same day as the SAT I. Many students take SAT Subject Tests in either May or June (correspond with studying for AP exams).

Remember, the key to winning a game is to have a plan, show up for practice, and go in ready to dominate!

Weekly Word

Impasse (noun): A situation in which no progress is possible, esp. because of disagreement.

Foreman Irwin reported that the jury had reached an impasse and could deliberate no further.

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Posted in SAT on Monday, October 17th, 2011 | No Comments »

How to Prepare for the PSAT — Create a Game Plan!

The PSAT is just around the corner. However, students should NOT be stressed about this exam, as it is basically a PRACTICE exam! (For more about the PSAT and its purpose, check out my most recent blog: http://wilsondailyprep.com/blog/ ) Students should use this test as a learning tool to better prepare for the SAT/ACT. Students should be focusing on their game plan, not on acing the PSAT.

Football players have a set season: a set training schedule, a set of scheduled games, and a set of strategic game plans. A good coach motivates players to stick with the schedule and be ready for game day. Training is involved. Practice. Confidence. Test takers, too, should have game-days planned in advance. It is crucial that students have a pre-determined plan for tackling standardized tests in order to be in control, perform at their absolute best, and succeed on test day.

  1. Take a PSAT and an ACT as soon as possible. (The October PSAT scores do not come out until December, so students should take a practice exam on their own to get an immediate score. Go to your high school guidance office to obtain these exams.)
  2. Compare the PSAT score to the ACT score. Go to http://wilsondailyprep.com/files/article/SAT_and_ACT_Score_Co31CA9D.pdf for the comparison chart.
  3. Think about taking both exams if the scores are the same. (In this case I recommend starting with SAT preparation since SAT skill building increases ACT scores but not the other way around.)
  4. Plan on taking and studying for only one of the exams if the scores are significantly higher on one test.
  5. Go to http://wilsondailyprep.com/resources/ to see when the tests are offered and create a timeline.
  6. Create a study plan based on this timeline.

Once a game plan is set, stick to it! This will ensure that goals are set, worked towards, and reached. Also, the testing schedule is very tight, and changing things around only prolongs the process. The test schedule also depends on the student’s areas of expertise, personal schedule and college choices. Remember that final exams, AP exams, SAT II’s, concerts, games, etc. also need to be fit in. High school students tend to be extremely overloaded!

All students are different! Some may hit a home-run their first try. Others may need to take the test three times before hitting their marks (which is not uncommon). Therefore, plan on taking the tests multiple times.

Are you now thoroughly confused? More stressed than before? Relax! Next week we will give you some sample game plans.

Weekly Word

Paradox (noun): An opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted opinion.

Paul voiced his paradoxical belief often. He continually shouted, “The world is flat.”

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Posted in SAT on Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 | No Comments »

What is the purpose of the PSAT?

This week many students are moaning about the upcoming PSAT’s. For those confused about what this test is, the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) is a test designed to help students practice for the SAT. It is also used to determine eligibility for scholarships awarded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Please check out my October 4th 2009 blog post The Predictive Value of the PSAT to learn more about this exam. But to recap, the test is:

  • 2 hours long
  • Contains 3 sections – critical reading, math, grammar (called writing on the test, but the section just focuses on grammar)
  • Scores not reported to colleges
  • Used to award National Merit Scholarships – but only 3% of all students taking are eligible because one must score approximately a 2100 or higher!
  • Registration is usually through the schools
  • Thought to be a predictive indicator of future SAT scores (see my former blog post about this)

So if the scores are not sent to colleges and you are not one of the 3% eligible for a scholarship, then why take the PSAT? What is the purpose of this exam?  Well, there are a five main reasons:

1. It’s good to sit through a standardized test and experience what many students consider torture.   Think of it as building up your tolerance!

2. Use the test to recognize if you need to bring more water or candy, if you need to sleep more the night before, and if you need to take Tylenol to get through the test!

3. Assess whether you have a timing issue, meaning you can’t finish each section in the allotted time.

4. See if you need to engage in a future test prep course.

5. Evaluate whether the SAT is even for you!   If you HATE the PSAT then think about the alternative exam – the ACT.

Many schools now offer this test to sophomores as well as to juniors.  Personally, I think 10th grade is too soon to begin torturing students.  Students in sophomore year should still have an idyllic view of the world!  What many students consider torture (testing and test prep) should not begin until junior year!  Many sophomore students burn out if they begin prepping too early.  (Yes, beginning vocabulary study is never too early, but other than this – wait!)

So… begin sharpening those pencils and packing your goody bag.  Yet, please remember that the PSAT does NOT count for 97% percent of you and therefore you should not lose sleep over this exam.

Posted in SAT on Thursday, October 6th, 2011 | No Comments »

When it’s okay to skip that SAT/ACT question!

SKIP, SKIP, SKIP TO MY LOU

A key to scoring to your potential is to know when to move on! If an answer doesn’t jump out at you and you begin to hear the imaginary “tick/tock” then you should do one of the following:

  1. Pick an answer and put a note on your test booklet so that you remember to return to the question after you have answered all the other questions. You do this when you have invested time in the question. Meaning, you have spent 30 seconds (or more) analyzing the question. Narrow down the choices to three (usually two out of the five answer choices are ridiculous and can be eliminated immediately) and then make an educated guess. You do not want to completely skip the question because you have already invested time and brain cells!
  2. Completely skip the question and come back to it later (once again putting a note on the test booklet to remind you). Skip when you see that the question is so difficult that you will not be able to make an educated guess without spending an enormous amount of time on the question. For example, if you glance at the last question on the sentence completion page and see that you do not know any of the vocabulary then don’t invest time – just skip!

Not investing time and simply skipping is a great strategy for the reading passages. Often, the answer to a skipped question will become clear as you answer other questions. Go back and answer skipped questions after you have finished the other questions in the passage or you have finished the section. For example, reading questions that require you to look at line passages for every answer choice given should be skipped and answered at the end of the reading. Same goes for “All of the following… EXCEPT” questions. These are time intensive questions that will take less time if all other questions are answered first.

Frustration and anxiety arise when you come to a tough question you cannot answer. And, frustration and anxiety can destroy any test-taker. Therefore be SMART – make an educated guess or simply SKIP the question – and move on. As you take the test the brain develops a natural rhythm and what seemed impossible a few minutes ago might not be so impossible now. Nobody is watching you take the test- answer the questions in the order you want to answer them! Don’t get caught up on a single question. Come back to it!

Did you know that the Skip to My Lou song is really a dance? That is the goal for taking this test; dance your way through the test with confidence and a sure foot . So, skip to my Lou, my darling!

Weekly Word

Trite (adj): Cliché; lacking originality or freshness.

Trite Terry never had an original thought or idea. He always just repeated whatever cliché fit into the situation.

Posted in SAT on Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 | No Comments »


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