Archive for July, 2012

The SAT IQ Test: How Much do You Really Know?

Think you know everything there is to know about the SAT? Prove it! There’s more to this test than you would think.

1. Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?

  1. The SAT is an intelligence test.
  2. You can’t possibly study for the SAT.
  3. The SAT is written by geniuses.

A. I only

B. III only

C. I and II

D. I, II, and III

E. None of the above.

2. Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?

  1. The SAT is predictable.
  2. The SAT is now score choice.
  3. You can make the test’s structure work for you rather than against you.

A. I only

B. I and II

C. I and III

D. I, II and III

E. None of the above

3. Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?

  1. Shortcuts and strategies will help you outsmart the SAT.
  2. You must be good at math and verbal in order to do well on the SAT.
  3. Strong thinking skills will help you ace the SAT.

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and III

D. I, II, and III

E. None of the above

4. Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?

  1. Smart people always do well on the SAT.
  2. Stupid people never do well on the SAT.
  3. The SAT is not a fair examination.

A. I only

B. II only

C. III only

D. I, II, and II

E. None of the above

5. Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?

  1. You should never guess on the SAT.
  2. If you can eliminate just one answer choice on the SAT is pays to guess.
  3. You should leave answer choices blank.

A. I only

B. I and II

C. I and III

D. II and III

E. None of the above

True/False:

6. A student is not permitted to write on the actual test booklet.

7. Learning the setup of the SAT in advance will save you valuable time on test day.

8. If you finish a section early, you may check your work in a different section.

9. It is better to think like a test-taker than a test-maker on the SAT.

10. Confidence is crucial on the SAT and panic can be your worst enemy on this examination.

11. The SAT is purely a test of how much you know.

12. The art of elimination will prove to be a valuable tool on this test.

13. The SAT is now score choice.

Answers:

1. E

2. D

3. C

4. E

5. D

6. False

7. True

8. False

9. False

10. True

11. False

12. True

13. True

Get more great tips when you sign up for WilsonDailyPrep! In just a few months of preparation, you’ll be able to take this test to the cleaners.

Posted in ACT, SAT, WilsonDailyPrep on Wednesday, July 25th, 2012 | 2 Comments »

SAT and ACT Time: Tips for Surviving Junior Year

Tips for Surviving Junior Year

Junior year can seem scary if you don’t know what’s ahead. Use these tips to help navigate (and thrive) through this crucial year of high school!

1. Take practice SATs and ACTs.

The best advice I have for taking the SATs is practice. Becoming familiar with the test is the most important thing you can do to master it. Take practice tests over the summer or on weekends until you are comfortable with the process and timing.

2. Study every day.

I know how hard it is to force yourself to study for the SATs when you already have no free time. However, there are easy and quick ways to study that are not at all time consuming. I tried to force myself to study for at least 15 minutes every day—it isn’t a lot if you are motivated. I put a bowl of vocabulary words on the dinner table and my mom quizzed me 5-6 words while we ate. I also really liked doing WilsonDailyPrep because it didn’t take very long at all. Sometimes I would set a timer for 15 minutes and go through a practice test section. I didn’t worry about timing, even if I only got through three problems (and went over the solutions), it was still good practice.

3. Take advantage of your weekends.

It’s tempting to just veg on weekends, but it’s so important to use that time wisely. I always set aside Sunday as a major work day. I had practice on Saturday mornings and I would be exhausted for hours afterwards. I usually let Saturday be a day of nearly complete rest (sometimes I did something mundane or easy like reading or a worksheet) and then powered through my work on Sunday. Having that one day of relaxation worked for me; I recommend finding a routine that works with your athletic/extracurricular schedule. You don’t want to wear yourself out, but at the same time, you need to take advantage of the time you’re given.

4. Stay on top of your classes/homework.

Don’t let yourself fall behind on any classes—even if they’re supposed to be easy. Keep in touch with your teachers and classmates if you miss class. It sounds obvious, but staying on top of the material is much more important this year, especially if you’re taking APs. Every lesson in an AP class is a potential topic on the AP that you need to be prepared for.

5. Make a plan for standardized test taking.

Look at the test dates for the SAT and the ACT and figure out exactly when you will be taking your tests. Knowing ahead of time what your calendar looks like will help you stay focused. Also, it’s useful to look at the calendar early on in the year because you may have extracurricular activities that conflict with testing dates.

6. Study for APs early and often.

Start studying for APs early. There is no such thing as starting too early. I recommend doing some sort of review of the first semester over winter break, maybe even create a first semester study guide. You will forget topics very quickly and you’ll thank yourself when APs roll around that you already have something to go off of from first semester material. Organization is key; take good notes, make flashcards, and SAVE EVERYTHING. You’ll want those tests later to study off of.

7. Start looking at colleges.

Set some realistic goals. Do a little research and figure out what sorts of colleges you want to look at. You’ve got a lot of time still, so don’t stress out about it, but you want to start forming some ideas.

8. Hydrate!

The number one thing that allowed me to stay up late and keep working was a steady dose of H2O. I swear it works better than coffee. You’ll have more energy and you’ll feel healthier. If you take only one piece of advice from this article take this one. Drink water!

Junior year is only as stressful as you let it be. Take it from someone who took four AP/honors classes (and had more than one 3:00 am panic attack). Stay organized and focused, and you will survive this. Just remember, your senior year is right around the corner.

–Caroline Vexler, rising senior (class of ‘13)

Posted in ACT, SAT, WilsonDailyPrep on Friday, July 20th, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Finished with the SAT? Senior Year Checklist

Senior Year College Checklist

Phew. You survived junior year. The stress, the APs, the SATs, the ACTs, hours on end of studying—you did it all.  So now’s the time to relax, you’re done! High school is basically over, right?

Almost. There are a few important things you need to do to ensure that the college application process (and your second semester) are a breeze.

  • Register to take your final SAT, SAT Subject Tests, and ACT. Soon it will be too late!
  • Have your official test scores sent to colleges. This must be done through the College Board; you cannot print them out and mail them yourself.
  • Visit college campuses.  Talk to admissions and Financial Aid representatives.   Make sure you sign in when visiting colleges. You get brownie points!
  • Attend college presentations and fairs. This is a great opportunity to meet admission reps.
  • Research your college choices on the Internet and narrow your college list.
  • Keep a calendar of important deadlines (early decision, early action, financial aid, housing, etc).
  • Request college applications.  Many colleges have their applications available over the summer so get cracking!
  • Send completed college applications BEFORE the deadline.  (Goal: be done by Thanksgiving!)  Get rolling admission applications in EARLY.
  • Request transcripts for colleges you are applying to.
  • Fill out either on-line or by mail the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as soon as possible beginning in January of senior year.
  • Apply for scholarships and evaluate all scholarship opportunities and financial aid awards.
  • Keep copies of ALL the forms you submit.

Your senior year will be over before you know it. By getting a head start on this checklist you will save time, make applying to colleges less stressful, and guarantee that you will still have time for fun.

Posted in ACT, College Essay, SAT on Sunday, July 15th, 2012 | 4 Comments »

The Importance of the College Essay

It happened again. Almost every year I have an amazing student who doesn’t get into any of his top college choices. This is a student who scored a 2300 on his SATs, has close to a 4.0 average, went on community service trips to build homes in Ecuador, volunteered at a children’s center and played a sport. Yet, all the Ivies and top tier schools closed him out. I was shocked; the verdict all around was NO. Surprised and curious about this seemingly impossible situation, I asked to read his college essay. The intelligent boy I knew could not have written this paper, I thought, as the image of a pompous and arrogant student formed in the essay. Now I understood how all these schools could reject such a promising top candidate. The essay was the key.

Don Dunbar, author of What You Don’t Know Can Keep You Out of College, picks apart a sample college essay. Oh, how I wish my student had read this earlier! Here is an adaptation of his advice on tackling the personal statement:
Seven deadly mistakes in the following personal statement:

At my highly regarded private school, I am being prepared to excel at a superior college, which will hopefully bring me success and happiness in the future.

1. DEPENDENCY: This applicant introduces himself in terms of his prestigious school. He sees himself as “Mr. Highly Regarded Private School”. This makes him sound dependent on the school’s reputation for his own self-image. He introduces himself in the passive tense, “I am being prepared to excel which will bring me success.” This student appears to see education as something delivered, like pizza, rather than a goal he will pursue actively and independently.

2. LACK OF LEADERSHIP: He describes education as a passive experience, “will hopefully bring me success.” It’s hard to imagine him contributing much to his classes and college community.

3. EXCLUSIVITY: This statement emphasizes his sense of entitlement to a special place in an elite school, “at MY highly regarded private school.” This impression of elitism gets worse when he talks about going to a “superior college” which suggests that in his mind, schools (and people) are divided into the superior and the inferior.

4. SEEMING LIKE A THREAT: He describes his high school experience this way: “I am being prepared to excel…” Admissions officers are always concerned by students who seem too focused on just excelling or ‘being the best’. If this is the student’s sole motivation, rather than innate learning, they wonder, then how far will that student go to reach his goals?

5. LACK OF INTELLECTUAL PASSION: Describing his goal as excelling at a “superior” school, he suggests that his focus is on his class rank and not on what he learns. There are no particular subjects he wants to study and he lacks the passion to pursue his education.

6. SOCIAL INSENSITIVITY: His description of the life path he expects for himself implies a very limited view of how people live their lives. He goes from a “highly regarded private school” to a “superior college” and then on to “success and happiness” without any regard for what goes on in between. Sounds like a snob to me!

7. SELFISHNESS: His emphasis on his own “success and happiness” seems to say that all he wants out of college is personal gain. The word “success” renders images of selfishness and greed.

Even if you are a brilliant superstar genius, a lackluster essay can be extremely detrimental. Test scores and grades do show potential in a student, but the essay is the real gauge of character. There are so many applicants these days that have perfect grades and SATs; your essay must set you apart from a potentially homogenous group. Falling into the trap of any of these fatal mistakes can negate great scores and GPAs. Colleges want to accept a person—not just a number.

Posted in College Essay on Monday, July 9th, 2012 | 6 Comments »

Make the Most of Your College Visit

College visits can be intimidating and overwhelming. However, if you come prepared, these visits can be a decisive factor in making college decisions. Here are some tips for taking advantage of your trip:

1. Show interest and learn about a school by ASKING QUESTIONS. Find out about internships, research opportunities, and graduate career paths. Prepare these questions ahead of time so that you can cover anything that you consider crucial in a school.

2. Check out the “vibe” of the school by hanging out in the cafeteria or skimming a school paper. Admissions officers typically offer free tickets to the cafeteria so why not take the free meal?

3. Reflect after your visit and make sure to WRITE SOMETHING DOWN. Make a list of what you liked or hated about a school- you’ll thank yourself later when the twelve schools you visited start to blur in your head.

College visits can make or break your opinion of a school, so you want to make sure that you’re finding out what’s important to you. These tips are all great ways of helping you answer the most important question: Is this a place that I could be happy at? In the end, there is no one perfect school for anyone, and the college process is really about finding a collection of schools that are all great fits.

See more tips at: http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/11/college-visit/

Posted in SAT on Monday, July 2nd, 2012 | 5 Comments »


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