NYC SHSAT Preparation Starts This Summer

The Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) is administered every fall by the NYC Board of Education. Students who score high enough on this test will have the opportunity for admission to some of the elite NYC Public High Schools. The odds of acceptance to these schools are 5 to 1. With only a 20% chance of getting in, why should a 7th or 8th grade student even bother preparing for this exam? There are several reasons:

• Standardized tests are a fact of life for most students. The experience of preparing for and sitting through a standardized test is an essential “dress rehearsal” for the college admissions process. Once in High School, students are subjected to the PSAT, SAT and ACT along with various Regents and AP Exams. The process of preparing for a big test gives students an invaluable sense of accomplishment. Also, big test experience will help temper the anxiety most students experience before important exams.
• The subject matter which must be learned in order to master the SHSAT is challenging but important. Difficult math, reading and reasoning problems appear on this test. However, learning hard concepts is a necessary evil. Students will be exposed to math, reading and logic problems they have never seen before. These lessons will give students a leg up on their classmates when these subjects are finally introduced in school.
• Given the age of the students taking it and how the exam is administered, the SHSAT is arguably more difficult than the SAT. No calculators are allowed for the math section. The reasoning and logic problems rival those found in a college freshmen philosophy course. Learning how to answer difficult multiple choice questions will make the SAT exam that much easier three years later.
• The prize if accepted is admission to a high school that is highly regarded nationwide. The Wall Street Journal and U.S. News and World Report have recently ranked Stuyvesant and Bronx H.S. of Science among the top 100 U.S. Pubic High Schools. These schools have unparalleled reputations in the eyes of college admissions committees.

Important Test Dates For 2012-2013

September 8, 2012 (ACT)
October 6, 2012 (SAT)
October 27, 2012 (ACT)
November 3, 2012 (SAT)
December 1, 2012 (SAT)
December 8, 2012 (ACT)
January 26, 2013 (SAT)
March 9, 2013 (SAT)
April 13, 2013 (ACT)
May 4, 2013 (SAT)
June 1, 2013 (SAT)
June 8, 2013 (ACT)

Exciting News

We are planning a bi-weekly newsletter on test prep and college planning. Also we will be publishing some articles regarding a summer study plan for both high school bound and college bound students. We provide prep for the ACT, the SAT, the SHSAT, and the TACHS exams.

If you would like to be added to our email list, please send us a brief note to Steve@Testniques.com. The first 100 new contacts will receive a copy of our mini E-book titled Steve’s SAT Summer Study Guide absolutely free!

Why We Love the Official Question of the Day App

We have to admit, we are not at the cutting edge of technology. It was not until yesterday that we purchased our first I-Phone. One of the first things we did was upload the Official Question of the Day app from the I-tunes store. The app is free and is excellent for several reasons:

1. It is very easy to navigate.

2. Students love their phones but rarely look at their computers or emails, so they are much more likely to actually use this feature on a regular basis.

3. Students can access the last 7 questions so the recalcitrant (SAT word,look it up) student can make up for lost time

4. The screen is set up so that the question appears without the answers. This is perhaps the most important feature of all because we teach that the question is much more important than the answers! Students can focus exclusively on analyzing and understanding the question before requesting the answers (which appear on a separate page).  Once the student totally understands the question, the answer usually pops of the page in a matter of seconds.

You can access the app from your I-Phone by searching Official Question of the day from Apple’s App Store or by clicking on the Icon on the Question of the Day page from the Collegeboard.

Did You Take the March SAT? Comments Welcome!

If you sat for the March SAT please comment on the experience.  Was this your first SAT?  What parts of the exam did you find challenging?  Did you write a good essay?  Were there any oddball math questions?  Did you adequately prepare?  Will you be taking another SAT?

Misery loves company!  Please share your thoughts.

Focus and Attention to Detail

Focus and attention to detail are important skills necessary to excel in the SAT and in life.   The SAT requires focus and attention to detail.  Many questions are missed because students misread or misinterpret the questions and come up with an answer based upon not what is on the paper but what they “think” is being asked.

In life focus and attention to detail are also important.  Would you want your pilot to stray 2% off course?  Or would you want your accounts payable department to add some extra zeros to a vendor and overpay them?  Or how would you like it if your administrative assistant booked your hotel and flight to San Antonio for an upcoming conference on March 21st but inverted the numbers and made the arrangements for March 12th?

Important SAT Test Dates for 2012

H.S. Juniors have 3 chances to sit for the SAT during the second semester:

March 10, 2012

May 5, 2012

June 2, 2012

Clearly the time to start planning is now!  It’s too late to register for the March 10th test.  So the practical choices now are either May or June. Most schools are off this week for the President’s mid-winter recess.  Use this time wisely to register, to buy some test prep materials and to research some test prep companies and/or private tutoring services.

Thoughts on the SAT Cheating Scandal

Don’t do it!  Don’t even think about it!  Don’t ruin your life before its starts.

Paying people for things you can do yourself is lazy, immoral and illegal.  If you start paying people to take an SAT in High School where will it end?  Will you start paying people to take your college and graduate school tests?  Will you pay people to write your papers and to “stand in” for you at final exams?

Then, later in adulthood will you pay people for “inside information” and trade on that information?  Will you start paying bribes to politicians for favorable deals and contracts?

If you start down this slippery slope two things will inevitably happen– the money will run out, leaving you with no skills or sense of self-worth; or you will wind up in jail with plenty of time to think about how your life went so terribly off course.

Timetable for High School Juniors

Mid October 2011 Take the PSAT

While awaiting the results in December take 10 minutes per day to attempt the Official SAT Question of the Day from www.collegeboard.com as well as learn a new word via the Word of the Day from www.dictionary.com

December 2011Obtain PSAT  Results and review your score report.  Determine which SAT or ACT test you will be taking.  Figure out what type of test prep is right for you.  Learn about all the options available including large classes, private tutoring or self-study.  January SAT Test takers should begin their test prep

January 2012 March test takers should begin their test prep as soon as the first week of the new year.  10-12 weeks of intense study before a test date is a good rule of thumb.

“When the Student Is Ready, The Teacher Will Appear”

The title of this post is from an ancient Buddhist proverb.  I thought about it today as I was helping a student prepare for next Saturday’s SAT exam at her local public library.  As she  focused on a 25 minute math section, my eyes glanced around the book stacks and I zeroed in on the test preparation books in the reference section. I was awestruck by the sheer volume of competent information available. It was then that I realized that all the SAT prep knowledge is readily available for students.  Across the room, another tutor was teaching a woman how to read.

Books, tutors, audio tape, videos, power point presentations, online courses, flash cards, smartphones,etc.  The technology is there. The material is there.  The flow of information is the constant. It’s the student that is the variable.  He or she must have the work ethic, the desire to improve, the energy to improve his or her lot in life, the motivation to succeed.  The student is the variable.  When the student opens his or her mind to learn, the teachers are already there.