One of the best ways to remember vocabulary words is to apply them to situations that are meaningful to you. Given the near-hysteria surrounding The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, it’s certain that you could benefit from putting popular SAT vocabulary words into the context of Katniss, Gale, and Peeta, three teens on a quest for survival […]
The SAT Hunger Games
The Reaping It was inevitable. You knew that your name would be called on Reaping Day, given all of the tessera you had taken to raise your grades and improve your transcript, but you are surprised at how nervous you feel on your way to the Training Center. The fact that you are about to […]
The Don’ts of SAT and ACT Prep (Part 2)
Last week I covered some important tips for the months and days leading up to the SAT or ACT. Today let’s tackle the Don’ts of test day.
SAT Reading Tips and Tricks: Opposite Answers
The makers of the SAT are constantly testing your confidence. They like to take advantage of your uncertainty on all of the areas of the SAT, but in the Reading section, this is never more apparent than in their most common trap, the Opposite Answer. This evil strategy occurs in all question types, but is […]
5 Steps You Need to Take Before Senior Year Starts
That last summer before senior year is a great one–full of excitement, expectation, and possibility. It’s the summer before your last year of high school, and your last “real” summer before college. Even though it’s a magical time, though, you still need to be planning ahead, particularly if applying to college is on the horizon. […]
The Don’ts of SAT and ACT Prep (Part 1)
Don’t take the SAT or ACT cold Yesterday I had a phone call from the mom of a rising-junior. “I just want him to take the SAT this fall to see how he does. Then we’ll decide how much study he needs.” Hey, while you’re at it, why don’t you have him submit a rough […]
Paying for College 101: The CSS Curve Ball
If you have been keeping up with our prior posts, you now understand the importance of properly positioning your assets when you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You should now understand how the student and parent’s income(s) and assets affect the FAFSA calculation and how these calculations dictate the Estimated Family […]
Which is More Important? The GPA or the SAT Score?
College Application Heavyweights: The GPA vs the SAT Score In the battle between SAT scores and GPA, many students wonder which heavyweight matters most to your college application. Though many college admissions departments say your GPA delivers the biggest punch, these same admissions officers are secretly showing scorecards that declare the SAT the winner of […]
Paying for College 101: When Your Hard Work Works Against You
The point of working hard and saving for college shouldn’t be having your efforts work against you, yet that is exactly what can happen when you diligently work and save without understanding how the FAFSA works. In a previous post, I described how the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) is impacted by your income and where […]
Using SAT Books for PSAT Prep
I had a call from a parent of a sophomore last week who was worried about the lack of PSAT materials available at his local book store. “Why are there so many SAT books and so few PSAT books?” he asked. As far as I’m concerned, there shouldn’t be any PSAT manuals on the book […]