Are you committed? Are you willing to do what it takes? To become a better reader? To write and speak with a more sophisticated vocabulary?
Are you committed to improve your math problem solving skills? Are you committed to becoming a better essay writer?
Commitment takes time and effort. Commitment requires doing some work while your friends are swimming at the beach. Commitment is making choices– that you will put aside fun this minute for a lifetime of fun as a successful adult.
Believe is the first theme our students will use to write about this summer. What do you believe? Don’t answer right away, think about it.
We will be posting the best essays submitted. More to follow.
Many High School juniors sat for multiple college entrance exams this term. Now that summer is upon us it would be wise to find out which test results are better. Check out this conversion table here If your scores on one of the exams (ACT or SAT) are markedly better, then you should focus only on the test with the better results.
Dedicate your summer months to improve upon the exam which you did the best as a junior. When you get back into the swing of things in September of your senior year, plan to sit for either the September ACT or the October SAT. This should be your final best effort. Then you can focus on your college applications.
High School and Middle School students must read this summer and with a purpose. A purpose to learn new words, to learn about the world and to develop your intellect. There is an excellent article in the NY Times written by a NYC Middle School English Teacher which explains the different kinds of reading and suggests books for different age groups. You can read the entire article by clicking here
What are your summer plans? To work and gain some experience? To volunteer for a good cause? To travel and explore other places and cultures? All of the above? Does college planning and test prep factor into your summer plans? If so, how much time will you allocate each day or week? Please share your thoughts by commenting!
We are re-reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald with an eye towards helping everyone with their upcoming SAT’s. We will be defining as many essential vocabulary words we can find in the book. Additionally, we will be looking for various themes, sub-plots, vignettes, etc. which will help students build up ideas for their SAT essay and perhaps their college essays.
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)
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!
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.
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.
