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.

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!

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?

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.

ACT is this Saturday, SAT is 3 Weeks Away, PSAT is 5 weeks away.

High School Juniors and Seniors, it’s a new school year and a whole new Standardized Test schedule.  Its time to focus.  The summer is over and as sad as this news may make you feel, I guarantee you that you will feel a lot worse if you don’t start to refocus on killing these tests!

Just to motivate you I have found an interesting article called The Top 5 Reasons To Take The SAT Just click on the link and read it.

Preparing for this test is not a waste of time!  Diligent preparation will leave you with lifelong skills and habits.

Eliminate Before You Calculate!

In this fast paced, video game, text messaged world, the desire for instant
gratification has never been greater. I have witnessed many students fall into
this speed trap, especially when it comes to answering the Math SAT questions.
The need for speed often leads to misread questions, sloppy set ups and silly
mistakes.

Important Tip:

Before coming up with the answer, read the question as many times as necessary, until it is
fully understood. Next, eliminate the obvious incorrect answers. For example–if the
answer calls for a positive slope, eliminate the answers with negative slopes;
if the answer must be less than 90 degrees, get rid of all those answers greater
than 90 degrees. This method allows you to enjoy more accurate calculations
while avoiding the “sucker answers” which are designed to catch the careless
speed demons

The Voice and Tone of A Reading Passage

Voice and Tone are two similar but subtly different concepts in critical reading. Learning to “feel” the writer through his or her voice is an important SAT Critical Reading skill. Many times a student will answer questions about a passage incorrectly because he or she will incorporate his or her world view into the passage. Hint–Your opinion does not count! The questions will start off with language such as “According to the author……” Not “According to Jim Smith…..

Once again Grammar Girl has an excellent discussion of voice and tone, please read or listen to the audio version by clicking here.

Crunch Time H.S. Seniors!

Its two months and counting for the October SAT. For most H.S. seniors who are college bound, its time to start your SAT Test Prep.  Summer is a lazy time and its easy to let your mind turn to mush. Don’t let this happen to you!  Pick up a test prep book and start allocating some time to the exam. Before you realize it, school will start and you will be inundated with classes, college application essays and after school activities.

During the summer, there is no such pressure.  So start now! Get into the habit!  After a few weeks this new habit will be as common as brushing your teeth.

How Do I Solve an SAT Math Problem?

Many times there will be multiple methods for solving a given SAT Math problem. Which way is best?  The fastest way.

The SAT is a multiple choice test (for the most part). There is no partial credit for the math problems. You either know the answer or not. The math sections are also time sensitive. In a typical math section you will only have 25 minutes to answer 24 questions. There is no time to ponder, there is only time to act.

How does a student confidently deal with this pressure? By tackling every possible question type from any practice test he or she has. After all, if you have seen every type of math question, they can’t fool you!