WilsonDailyPrep - Online SAT Prep That's Personal

The problem with the 30 minute ACT persuasive essay question is that students cannot do “research” before writing in order to bring in new, interesting points to prove their thesis. Almost all of the essays develop similar ideas and thus a student’s response does not stand out. If a student does not shine then he/she will receive an average essay score. Since your goal, though, is to shine, be as specific as possible. Do not be afraid to bring yourself into the essay. In other words, use your personal experiences to enhance your essay and pull your reader in. Most essays express generalizations, not specifics, so be specific! See the examples below:

Question: “Should community service be mandatory in high school?”

Weak Answer – Community service helps broaden students’ awareness. It also helps the community. And it teaches kids Blah, Blah,Blah….

Strong Answer – Community service broadens students’ awareness. There is only so much a student can learn in the classroom. By volunteering in the community, students can learn how other people live. For example, I learned a lot about 1950’s photography when I volunteered at a retirement home. The residents would…

So, don’t be afraid to bring in your experiences. This will make your paper specific and DIFFERENT. Specifics create the necessary sparkle!

Recently, Smart Money posted an online story titled 10 Things Test Prep Services Won’t Say – which went on to list ten things that test prep programs fail at stating and/or exaggerate their claims on. I read this, and while I cannot guarantee some of these things are not true for our competitors, I can clarify and challenge some of these allegations against what we provide you with at WilsonDailyPrep.

The test may be over, but we’re sticking around. The author suggests that large test prep services continue to send students emails long after the student’s program has ended with them and that it is very difficult to get off their mailing lists. WDP does send out a weekly newsletter to our current and former parents, but provides an easy opt-out/unsubscribe option that we mindfully manage. We are very respectful of our client’s requests.

Well, we think it works. Smart Money states there is no reliable data that demonstrates test prep services actually work. I believe this is a difficult metric to gage, because much of a student’s success revolves and relies on their motivation, participation and analysis of the program. We have no way of controlling a student’s level of effort. Are they actually completing the program in the manner we intended or are they just “going through the motions?” It makes all the difference.

In my office and with my online program, I find the students who refuse to practice the strategies or study the concepts, typically do not show the improvement they could achieve if they put forth the effort. For example, with WilsonDailyPrep, so few students take advantage of the personal coach provided or the extra assignments given weekly – we beg, plea and call home, but it eventually relates to a student’s motivation. We can only do so much!

You can get our services for free. This is true, and we provide access to free services as well! WilsonDailyPrep is the main sponsor of Graph it Forward (GIFT), a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides FREE online SAT prep to motivated, low-income students. GIFT also provides free test prep books and graphing calculators – enabling many low-income students to have access to test prep services and the important educational tools necessary for success.

Or you can prep yourself. Sure, this is true as well. You can just prep yourself. Some students are very successful with this method, while others thrive in a more structured and motivating environment. As a own advocate, you need to select the method that works best for you and that will get you the highest test score. If you do the program the way we provide it, you will do better!

We aren’t the biggest influence on test scores. According to the article, “High school counselors and test administrators say the biggest influence on a student’s test score is their school course load, not the coaching they receive prior to the test. “ Yes, course load is very important! The motivated students take AP classes, push themselves to learn important content and spend time and effort doing test prep. It’s a collaborative effort to increase your tests scores.

Lastly, This is going to be stressful. The author suggests that trying to cram in test prep on top of all the other responsibilities and commitments in a student’s life can create loads of stress. The beauty of WilsonDailyPrep is that our program does fit into most students’ schedules – requiring only 6-minutes of practice a day! A little bit goes a long way…

In the end, if a student wants to succeed and has the grit and patience to practice and follow our program as intended, they will improve their test score tremendously. But it all boils down to the motivation of that student, not necessarily the test prep program.

Pencils? Check. Erasers? Check. Readiness for the fight? Check. Nothing can stand in your way of a good SAT score. Nothing, that is, except the experimental section – one of the most challenging aspects of this grueling exam. The experimental section of the SAT can often feel like psychological warfare. In the middle of what some say is “the biggest test of your life,” (trust me, it is not!) the experimental section can pop up anywhere (between the second and seventh sections), take any form (reading, math or grammar) and can often break a fighting spirit. Why? Because this section is fake; it does not count!

Consider it forced volunteer work. Your suffering enables the test makers to decide whether the experimental questions will appear on future exams. These questions are often the toughest, most time-consuming part of the exam. The good news is that it does not count towards your score. The bad news is that you will not know which section is experimental. Moreover, this challenging section often shakes a student’s confidence and can weaken a fighting spirit. Not to mention it’s an extra 25 minutes you are forced to spend in the exam room, bringing your total time of duty to a whopping 4 hours that is rough on both your bottom and your brain!

So how do you combat the test takers mental games and win the battle? First, know the structure of the test. For example, if you just completed section 4 and you’ve already completed two grammar sections, than know that you’ve already slogged through the experimental section and every section left still counts. Take heart: that means the questions will be easier! If you’re feeling stressed out about the experimental section, channel your inner Yogi– you can’t do anything about it but take a deep breath, accept the situation, and do the best you can on the whole exam. No matter how sure you are that you are in the thick of the experimental section, don’t use it as naptime – there’s always a chance that you are wrong and you will wind up blowing precious points for nothing. At the same time, do not be disheartened if you battled a particularly tough section – chances are, it was the experimental one. Before you tackle the next section, take a moment to close your eyes, calm yourself and start fresh. Do not think of the past, just focus on the future.

There is no foolproof way to know which section is experimental. However, the more prepared you are for the big SAT battle, the better off you’ll be on the big day. One of the best ways to mentally and physically prepare yourself is to take an SAT in its entirety. Spend the 4 hours with your tush attached to a chair – and I do not mean the comfy one in your family room! Putting in the time now will improve your stamina, resolve, and give you additional control on the big day. Preparation is key to winning the SAT war — the more prepared you are, the better off you will be when battling the experimental section.