Why Summer is the best time for SAT Prep

For high school students and incoming seniors in particular, now is the time to start preparing for the fall SAT tests, the first of which occurs on October 9th. Successful preparation, whether mastering test taking strategies, enhancing vocabulary, or closing critical skills gaps in reading, writing and math takes time -- cramming for these tests rarely reaps benefits.

Consumers have many options when it comes to SAT Prep.   At the lower end of the spectrum, inexpensive or modestly priced SAT classes can provide basic strategy and skills in a large group environment.   These classes teach to the “lowest common denominator”; if your student needs significant attention or remedial work, this may not be the best fit for you.

On the other end are high-priced private one-on-one tutors that can charge up to $150 per hour!    Before you shell out this kind of money, make sure that the tutor comes highly recommended.

Other companies provide small group instruction.  This allows students to get more personal attention than they would within a large class.

Whether you select the small, medium or large SAT Prep option, here some key points to keep in mind:

• The tutors should be experienced in test prep with a proven track record.

• Any reputable program should use official College Board tests for pre and post-testing.

• Your student must be comfortable with his/her tutor, and ideally they should develop a nice rapport   Quite simply, students will work harder for instructors that they respect and like.

At KnowledgePoints, we offer individualized SAT Prep that targets each student’s strengths and weaknesses.  Offered at a max 2:1 student/teacher ratio and at affordable rates, every SAT prep student receives focused attention that addresses their personal needs and goals.

Fall is just around that corner, and their's no better time to prepare for the SAT Test.  Free from hectic school year schedules, students can devote greater attention and effort to this important test.

SAT vs. ACT - Which is the right test for your child?

College-bound students are increasingly considering the ACT as an alternative or supplement for their college applications.  As recently as 10 years ago, the ACT was required and/or accepted by predominantly mid-west colleges.   Since that time, many east and west coast universities are accepting ACT tests in lieu of the SAT.  Much has been written on the merits of each, but fundamentally, the decision on which test to take is multi-faceted and differs frm student to student.  There are, however, basic differences between these tests.  Source:  www.collegeview.com

1. ACT includes trigonometry (typically 4 questions); SAT does not.

2. ACT has occasional questions on Matrices, Logarithms, Radians, and unreal numbers; SAT does not.

3. ACT includes “science reasoning”, which is logical reasoning based on data and scientific terms, but not based on classroom science.

4. SAT deducts points for wrong answers.  However with coaching, students can actually use this to their ADVANTAGE.

5. SAT Math demands scrutinizing the English aspect of math questions.  ACT is more straightforward, making it a more comfortable test, but not necessarily easier.

6. SAT directly tests high level vocabulary.  This rewards students who are big readers or are good vocabulary absorbers.

7. SAT Critical Reading relies more on inference; ACT Reading asks questions that rely more on retrieving information from the text.

8. The SAT Essay is more likely to ask about abstract topics; the ACT Essay will ask a practical question usually relating to high school life.

9. The ACT is more fast-paced; there are more questions to be done in a shorter amount of time.

10. One difference that could be considered “major” is colleges’ USE of the SAT vs ACT: Almost all competitive colleges “cherry-pick” SAT sub-scores, meaning they consider the best combination of Math, CR and Writing earned on different dates.  Very few colleges do this with the four ACT sub-scores.  Thus for most competitive colleges, a student who does not ping strong scores on all ACT sections on the same day, is being dragged down by one or more weaker sections, whereas the cherry-picking of the SAT scores means one weak section on one day does not hurt.

Reading Improvement for High School Students

We hear from many parents and students who scored relatively low  on the critical reading portion of the SAT.   Not surprisingly, they want to get this fixed...and quickly.  The Think Tutoring SAT Prep program can help, but if time permits, we often recommend that prior to jumping into SAT prep, their child take some initial steps to improve their reading comprehension skills, .   Taking the long view,  we like to remind parents and students about the reality of college; they are going to have larger reading assignments than they've ever experienced,  deadlines will be more aggressive and the materials will be harder.  So while raising SAT scores is definitely important,  improvements in reading comprehension can help students on both the SAT test and the harder work that begins in college.  The KnowledgePoints High School reading program can help.