Humans are programmed to make logical connections, which is never more evident than in our classification of words. We group words by topic and meaning from an early age. For example, consider your early associations with the word dog. It is likely that as a small child just learning to talk, you learned other words […]
ACT English and SAT Writing Tips: Ambiguous Pronouns
I must apologize for my absence: Hurricane Matthew chased me from home for over a week and then kept me busy for another week when I came back. I am happy to settle back into a routine today, so let’s get right to it: Ambiguous pronouns. Ambiguous means unclear or open to more than one […]
SAT Essay Tips: Pre-Planned Ammunition
Soldiers do not go into battle without ammunition, and you should not go into the SAT without essay ammunition. The College Board uses essay questions that tend to have consistent themes, such as success, adversity, happiness, ethics, and technology. Because these themes appear so frequently, it is useful to have a few pre-planned examples that […]
How to Improve your SAT Vocabulary—for Free!
While the College Board claims the SAT is not a vocabulary test, there is no denying that a broad vocabulary is required for a high Critical Reading score. But there is no reason to invest in expensive vocabulary books, flash cards, or computer programs. The internet has everything you need to improve your vocabulary, and […]
SAT Reading Tips: Decode Vocabulary Words with a Foreign Language
Are you currently taking language classes for Spanish, French, or Italian? If so, you may have an edge on the SAT. Since these languages have many words with Greek and Latin roots, you can often apply translations to English word counterparts.
SAT Writing: The Top 3 Grammatical Errors
The multiple choice portion of the Writing section contains three types of questions that test about two dozen types of common grammatical errors, such as pronoun reference, conjunction choice, and verb tense. But which errors are tested the most often? In the ten tests of The Official SAT Study Guide, there are a total of […]
Don’t be a Thesaurus Theodore in Your College Application Essays!
Writing the college application essay can be a pretty intimidating experience. The topics given are often broad (and sometimes not very interesting) and, if they don’t give you a topic, then it can be downright terrifying to write. You want to sound smart, and you also want to sound academically appealing. The problem with all […]
Your Summer SAT and ACT Reading List
Students with excellent reading and comprehension skills find the verbal sections of the SAT and the reading test on the ACT much easier to attack. Classic literature offers you a chance to practice reading typical SAT and ACT passages and to expand your vocabulary.
Top Free Vocabulary Resources
While the College Board claims the SAT is not a vocabulary test, there is no denying that a broad vocabulary is required for a high Critical Reading score on the current test. But there is no reason to invest in expensive vocabulary books, flash cards, or computer programs. The internet has everything you need to […]
Do Colleges Use the Optional ACT Writing Test Score?
When it comes to the ACT, colleges come in two varieties: those that require or recommend that you take the optional ACT Writing Test, and those that say that the test is not needed. How is it used, and how will it affect how your ACT score is viewed?