About.com Test Prep

LSAT Focus

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:00:31 +0000

The LSAT is coming up on December 5, and with that high-stakes test approaching, LSAT tutors are in a frenzy, trying to help their pupils prep for the task.

Steve Schwartz, an LSAT tutor in New York, is gearing up for the big day, too.� He recently asked me a few questions about LSAT anxiety and procrastination for his blog, and I was happy to provide him some answers.

I'm happy to give them to you, too, if you're asking yourself some of these same questions Steve asked me:

What are some ways that test-takers can force themselves to sit down and look at their LSAT books?
Given that the LSAT is such a high-stakes exam, what are some ways to make the stress manageable?
What are some ways test-takers can cope if they freeze up on Test Day?
How can test-takers make the 3-week-wait for their test scores more bearable?

If you'd like to see my answers, check out the interview here!

LSAT Focus originally appeared on About.com Test Prep on Monday, November 30th, 2009 at 07:00:31.

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Thanks for the Little Things

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:00:51 +0000

What are you thankful for this holiday season? In my forum, we're discussing the little stuff we're thankful for. We all know we're thankful for the biggies - family, friends, health, jobs, houses, cars - but sometimes, we forget to be thankful for that little stuff. The stuff that keeps us going day in and day out.

So here's some of the things people have been thankful for in my forum:

Stickers (to help potty train toddlers)
PUR water filter
The ability to conceive (that's a biggie, but goodie, so we'll keep it)
Hand sanitizer
P-touch label machine
The morning light
Disposable diapers
Diaper Genie
Laptops
Coffee

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What about you? Show some holiday spirit and add your "little thing to be thankful for" to the list. I'll be thankful you did!

Photo � Flickr user Road Fun

Thanks for the Little Things originally appeared on About.com Test Prep on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 07:00:51.

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Monday Math Question

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:00:40 +0000

This comes from The Princeton Review's Cracking the SAT 2009 Edition:

In the xy-plane, which of the following is a point of intersection between the graphs of y = x + 2 and y = x² + x - 2?

(A) (0,-2)

(B) (0, 2)

(D) (2, 4)

(E) (3, 5)

************************************

Post your answer here in my forum!

Monday Math Question originally appeared on About.com Test Prep on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 07:00:40.

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Create Critical Thinkers and Successful Readers

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:53:01 +0000

For many people, reading is a barely managed chore.

It ranks right up there with cleaning a toilet, picking up after your dog, and listening to a server explain the specials of the day in a long, boring monologue despite the fact that you've told her repeatedly you aren't interested in the specials.

Things that make you want to stick a fork in your eye.

For some, reading has the same effect. It's mundane. A chore. Long passages of text are confusing, irritating, and filled with incomprehensible words. A person can certainly practice to become a skilled reader as an adolescent or adult, but the best way to help a person become an effective reader is to start young when he or she is a listener.

With children, you have to teach them to think critically about what they're hearing. When you're reading to them, coach them, too: Is this something they've heard before? What does this mean? Can they predict the ending? Can they use this information in a new way?

Many people do this naturally, because children are naturally curious. Kids ask� questions and comment about what they're hearing or seeing. "What's this, Mommy?" "That doggy says 'woof, woof'!" "Where did she go?" "That bear is blue like my bear!"

Struggling adult readers often fail to do the same thing with their own reading, They don't question, comment, or relate it to their own lives. They fail to truly think about what's in front of their eyes, and that's when reading becomes difficult.

In order to be a good reader, you have to be able to think critically about what you're reading. And with that, practice makes perfect.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Give some reading comprehension questions a shot. Practice your own critical thinking!

Photo � flickr user Pratham books

Create Critical Thinkers and Successful Readers originally appeared on About.com Test Prep on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 14:53:01.

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MCAT Review = Big Changes?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:32:51 +0000

Hold on to your drafty hospital gowns! The AAMC has just begun a review of the MCAT, one of only five that has been completed since the MCAT was first administered in 1928. Typically, big changes follow these kinds of reviews.

What is this 22-member committee looking for on the current MCAT? They are evaluating the content and "recommending changes that keep pace with advances in medical education and practice."

In other words, an overhaul is in store for the MCAT test as we currently know it.

So what does this mean for current pre-med students studying their stethoscopes off for this bad boy? Not a whole lot right now. As all committees have their fair share of time-commitment problems, this MCAT review committee is no different; it has no idea how long the review will take.� The members do promise, however, that a new test would be introduced no earlier than 2014.

So if you're a pre-med student trying to CYA for the MCAT coming up in January, then have no fear. You've got some time before you have to learn a completely new set of skills to pass this standardized test. For right now, your MCAT will remain the same as it's been for years and years:

Extremely, excessively difficult.

MCAT Review = Big Changes? originally appeared on About.com Test Prep on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 14:32:51.

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Boost your College Admission Chances

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:00:34 +0000

Okay, let's say for a moment that you were an average college-bound student in early high school - A's, B's and the occasional C. Sure, you studied, but you weren't breaking your neck going for the 4.0 (or 4.4 as the case may be).

And now, as a senior,� your mom is suddenly interested in getting you into the University of Michigan. Or UPenn. Or Dartmouth. What now? Your GPA is certainly not good enough to get you in, right? You're already into your senior year, so your college admissions chances are pretty set in stone, right?

Not necessarily.

A recent study commissioned by the National Association of College Admission Counseling, found that 20 to 40 percent of colleges agreed that "a 20-point math increase or a 10-point reading increase [on the SAT] would significantly improve a student's chance of admission."

The SAT is still one of the only ways you have to boost your chances of getting into that top-ranked school once you're a junior or senior in high school. You can't change your transcripts (legally). You can't go back and change the number of sports you played, extra-curriculars you participated in, or volunteer hours you clocked. That stuff is set in stone.

What you can change is your SAT score. Even boosting your score by ten or twenty points can be advantageous because most schools have a minimum requirement for scholarships, and some even have a minimum for acceptance. At the very least, counselors have an average SAT score you should be targeting, and if you're way off, then your chances of getting in are slim.

So, even though you can't change your GPA, you can boost your chances of getting into that school of your dreams with a little SAT prep work.

Get started here!

Photo copyright Flickr user Bdway Diva1

Boost your College Admission Chances originally appeared on About.com Test Prep on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 07:00:34.

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Saturday SAT Question

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:00:35 +0000

Here it is from the SAT Math Section:

If f(3) = 6 and f(4) = 13, then which of the following could be f(x)?

A. x + 3

B. 2x

C. 3x + 1

D. X²- 2

E. X²- 3

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Post your answer here in my forum!

Saturday SAT Question originally appeared on About.com Test Prep on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 07:00:35.

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Important November Dates

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:38:18 +0000

Ahhhhh.....the crunch of leaves underfoot....the chill in the air... the abundance of leftover Halloween candy. It must be November! It is indeed, and some important testing dates are coming up, so listen and learn, kids:

SAT

November 7: Take the SAT

November 12: Late registration closes for the Dec. 5 SAT

LSAT

November 13: Late registration closes for the Dec. 5 LSAT

ACT

November 6: Regular registration closes for the Dec. 12 ACT

November 20: Late registration closes for the Dec. 12 ACT

*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*

Looking for registration info for a different test? Look no further.

Important November Dates originally appeared on About.com Test Prep on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 16:38:18.

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Math Question Monday

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:00:42 +0000

From the SAT Math Section:

Jessica subscribed to four magazines that cost $15.00, $18.00, $13.50 and $20.95 per year, respectively. If she made an initial payment of one-half of the total yearly subscription cost, and paid the rest in four equal monthly payments, how much was each of the four monthly payments?

A. $8.43

B. $9.20

C. $9.45

D. $16.86

E. $33.73

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Post your answer here, in my test prep forum!

Math Question Monday originally appeared on About.com Test Prep on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 07:00:42.

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SAT Math Practice for Dummies

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:09:40 +0000

Look, I'm not a math genius - not by any stretch.

And really, there are few people out there who are.

Regardless, you still have to take the stupid math section on the SAT. Can you do it? Have you prepared? The next SAT test is coming up on November 7, so I sincerely hope you've done something to get yourself ready besides count all the facebook� comments you had after posting that nasty message about your ex boyfriend.

In case you're a slacker (and, no, Iwould never assume you were), but just in case you've put off studying for the math portion of the SAT until this very moment, then relax.

Go to your favorite quiet nook...pick a serene moment to begin...maybe sip on some tea or burn some incense or something...

and cram some fractions like a math tutor� is chasing you with a giant calculator.

Here's a free SAT Math practice test to get you going.

After that, you're on your own. You're the one who waited until this very moment to begin.

Slacker.

SAT Math Practice for Dummies originally appeared on About.com Test Prep on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 21:09:40.

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