Bell Curves Blog

ISEE and SSAT: Parents Just Don’t Understand

Posted on February 02, 2012 by BC Team

Not much has changed since DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince rapped “Parents Just Don’t Understand.” And while we can’t explain what would motivate a teenager to run off with the family car without permission we can answer the most common questions we’ve had about the SSAT and ISEE.  Here are some answers to some of the more common questions about these two tests:

 

My child is a great student and succeeds in all their classes.  Why didn’t they score higher on their SSAT/ISEE?

Often, there is not a direct correlation between a student’s success in school and their score on standardized tests, especially in the younger grades when they are not as accustomed to taking these types of tests.  Tests in school and standardized tests are often very different in format, scope and scoring. Understanding how the SSAT or ISEE works will go a long way in helping them succeed. Before taking any admission tests you should at very least take one full-length timed practice exam.

Why is the same SSAT test given to different grade level children?

There are actually multiple levels within the SSAT; the Upper test is for students in grades 8-11 and the Lower test is for students in grades 5-7.  Now if you think back to what you knew in 11^th Grade versus what you knew in 8^th Grade, you’ll probably realize that you learned quite a bit in those intervening years.  So how can the SSAT reasonably span three to four grades?  The answer is: it’s not all that reasonable, but that’s the way it is.  Similarly, the ISEE test spans multiple grades in three levels, Lower for 4th and 5th graders, Middle for 6th and 7th graders, and Upper for 8th to 11th graders.

If my 8^th grade child is being compared with an 11^th grader, then how will they succeed on the test at all?

There will be material on the test that your child doesn’t know how to approach or has never encountered.  But odds are that the other students in your child’s grade won’t have ever seen it either.  Students’ scores are evaluated in relation to the scores from students in their grade nationally; students are not stacked up against kids older or younger than them.

Okay.  But I still want to give my kid a leg up.  Can it be done?

Of course!  (1) You need to know how the tests work, and (2) you kid needs to be confident in the stuff she does know  For example, the SSAT gives one raw point for a correct answer and deducts a quarter of a point for an incorrect answer (unanswered questions don’t count in either direction).  Students should use this knowledge to their advantage.  If a student rushes through the section to get through every question—even the ones they have no idea how to approach, they will lose tons of raw points due to inaccuracy.  On the other hand, if they spend time correctly answering the questions they know while leaving the others blank, they will be more successful.  Of course there needs to be a balance between accuracy and speed, and that’s where practice and studying come in.  In order to develop pacing skills and feel confident in the test material, students need to study and learn strategies for approaching certain problems.  Although they may know how to get the correct answer for a problem, they may not know the fastest, most effective way.  Studying and test preparation is crucial.

How does the ISEE compare to the SSAT?

While the material of the two tests is very similar, the scoring is very different.  No points are deducted for wrong answers on the ISEE, which means that no question should be left unanswered!  Of course, students shouldn’t rush though the test, but the last minute of each section SHOULD be devoted to bubbling in any empty answers.  With regards to material, the SSAT has analogies while the ISEE has sentence completions.

How can I help?
DON’T: tell your kid to try on every question

DO: work on vocabulary with your kids!  Make it a game and challenge each other. (if the child gets a definition right he gets a dollar and if he gets it wrong he owes a quarter – money motivates!)

DO: review math formulas and rules with your child.  Have her explain it to you!

DO: enroll your child in a test prep program!  Helping kids understand tests and succeed is what we do!

GMAT Strategy: Geometry Hybrids

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Ajani

One way the GMAT ramps up the difficulty of questions is to combine multiple concepts in a single problem. Geometry questions that do this can be challenging, particularly for test-takers who struggle to visualize alternative structures or orientations of a given figure.

Some of the most challenging of all Geometry Hybrids are those that fuse multiple figures into one larger figure and then ask about some facet of it. We call these Mixed Shapes, and categorize them into three groups: Overlapping Figures, Strange Shapes, and Shaded Areas. Let’s take a look at a sample problem to identify strategies to conquer these Geometry Hybrids.

Two identical circles of area 36Ï€ overlap as shown above. If the distance from point A to point B is 6, what is the area of the shaded region?

(A) 6Ï€
(B) 12Ï€
(C) – 6π
(D) 6π –
(E) 12π –

 

Before we get to the strategy, let’s review the three types of Mixed Shapes, and the tools to work them:

• Overlapping Figures – usually combine two common figures that share the same space. To work them, try to find the shared measure.
• Strange Shapes – these usually fuse two or more common shapes into a larger, uncommon or irregular shape. To work them, try to cut the irregular shape into easy-to-manage common shapes.
• Shaded Areas – these usually shade a part of one or more figures. To work them, add or subject the unshaded area of the figure from the total area of the figure.
  

With that out of the way, here’s the strategy for these problems:

1. Identify the basic shapes and properties of the figures involved.

2. Identify which Mixed Shapes concepts are being tested.

3. Apply strategies for each concept to the information given.

4. Solve.

Let’s apply these steps to the problem above.

1. This question involves circles. Important circle information includes Area, Circumference, and Radius. Since the figures given are circles, it is logical to draw radii to the edges of the shaded region.

Drawing these radii reveals that we have a sector of a circle. Since we are given the length of chord AB draw that in and label it. Since the area of the circle is 36Ï€ the radius must be 6 and the triangle created must be equilateral.

2. The two mixed shape concepts involved here are shaded areas and overlapping figures, which means we’re looking to find the unshaded quantities to add or subtract them to find the unknown shaded area. This also means we’ll be looking for a shared measure, which in this case would be the chord that runs down the middle of the shaded area from A to B.

3. Apply the information:

Drawing the two circles separately and labeling all information would look like this:

Now we can see that we have manageable shapes (Triangles and Sectors of a Circle) with which to calculate the shaded areas.

4) Solve.

Area of the equilateral triangle:

Dropping the height reveals a 30 – 60 – 90 triangle (which has sides x, x√3, and 2x respectively).

Since the 2x side must be across from the 90° degree angle, 2x = 6 and x = 3. Therefore the height is 3√3 and the base is 6 (the side of the full triangle). The area is 9√3.

Area of the sector (from the Arc-Sector Formula):

60/360 = x/36Ï€

x = 6Ï€

Thus, the area of the shaded region is the difference between the area of the circle sector and the area of the triangle. The area of the shaded region in one of the circles is 6π– 9√3. The area of the shaded region in both circles would be twice that number, or 12π– 18√3.  Consequently, the answer is (E).

It is important to realize that to solve these kinds of questions, we need to deconstruct them to find their more manageable component parts, then understand the relationship between the different parts, then apply our knowledge, and then solve. Trying to solve without first understanding what you’re working with will make these problems more difficult to solve and more time consuming.

Good luck, and happy Geo-hybriding!

-The Bell Curves Team

On the Record: Q&A with BC Alumnus Rhomaro Powell

Posted on January 09, 2012 by BC Team

Recently, we thought that many people out there battling through the business school application process might benefit from some thoughts and insights from others who went through the experience. To that end, we started On the Record: Q&A with BC Alums. Last time around we spoke with Radina Russell. This time around, we got insights from the funny and talented Rhomaro Powell.

BC Alumnus Rhomaro Powell

Rhomaro graduated from the S.C. Johnson School of Management at Cornell University, and currently works in the financial services sector.

Why did you go to business school?

Business School was the next logical step for my career progression.  My ultimate goal is to operate my own private equity firm; however I felt I was lacking some core skills, i.e. finance and accounting. Additionally, I felt I needed the proper brand and network that would provide me access to enter the private equity universe.  Johnson at Cornell University gave me the brand, network, and knowledge I needed.

How has business school impacted your career?

Business school as accelerated my career tremendously, mainly because it has helped me grow as an individual, expanded my network, and provided opportunities that I would not have had otherwise.  For example, I went into business school with the main goal of improving my technical skills, but learned that the softer skills were at least as important – and perhaps even more important – to my career.  I learned that knowledge only gets you so far, but being able to lead, influence, and build relationships with individuals will get you farther.  In regards to expanding my network and opportunities, I was able to do so through organizations such as Management Leadership for Tomorrow and The Robert Toigo Foundation.  These organizations have expanded my network from outside the business school I attended.  Additionally, I studied in Madrid, Spain for 5 months.  My network now spans all the top business schools and companies around the world.

What do you want business school applicants to know?

Understand Your Passion:

Understanding your passions and what drives you will make the application process easier.  This will help when writing your essays and speaking with admission officers.  Admission officers can tell when someone is not genuine, and they gravitate to passionate individuals.  It will make you memorable.

Due Diligence:

Each business school is different, so it is important to understand the culture and what makes each special. Harvard, Cornell, Stanford, Darden, Wharton, and NYU are not for everyone.  Visit all the schools you are interested in and speak with both current students and alumni. The last thing you want to do is get into a school and find you don’t fit with the people, because this will be your network for the rest of your life  and the two years will seem like an eternity.  Remember, business school is not cheap, so invest your time and money wisely so you can get a great return.

How many schools did you apply to and get accepted to?

I applied to Stanford, Cornell, Michigan, Tuck, and NYU. Cornell and Stanford were my top two choices.  Stanford said no, but Cornell said yes so I was on cloud nine.

What specific advice would you give those prepping for the GMAT now?

I took the GMAT 5 times.  YES! 5 times! If you do the math it cost me $1500 (not including what I paid for prep courses and tutors) and over a year of my time. I thought it would have taken me at most two times to get the score I wanted.  I considered the time and money as an investment in myself.  Do not be discouraged if you have to take it more than once.

Preparing for the GMAT is definitely an individual effort, meaning that one strategy does not fit all.  Take time to figure out how you learn best and what your study habits are. For some individuals classes are best, while for others a tutor is perfect.  For me, it was a combination. I took a class to get the overall knowledge and strategy for the test and then hired a tutor to help me with my weak areas (verbal).  I thought English was my first language until I took the GMAT.  Anyway, here are a few tips:

1.       Put in the time.  I would recommend a minimum of 20 hours a week. However, ensure you are studying efficiently or the time will not matter.

2.       Schools look at both the overall score and individual scores for each section. Some schools tend to put more emphasis on the quantitative score, so really focus on doing well on the quant.  Some schools use the score as an indicator on how an individual will perform in the quant-heavy core courses.

3.       Use study materials from different prep courses.  I used materials from Bell Curves (really great instructors and online tools), Manhattan GMAT (really good material), and the Official Guide to the GMAT (really good practice questions).

4.       Studying in a group helps keep the motivation high and can add insight in tackling questions.  You can learn a lot from your peers.

5.       Do not give up.  Many will go through ups and downs. Remember to keep your eyes on the prize and that you are more than just a 3 digit number.  Business schools are looking for well-rounded individuals.  I know individuals that went to top schools that did not break 600. It is not the norm, but it is possible.

The Sound(s) of GMAT: Inspiration

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Ajani

image courtesy of h.koppdelaney @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/h-k-d/

Anyone who has prepped – or is prepping now – for the GMAT knows that every little edge counts. We’d recently been boning up on our Mozart (knowledge, not performance) and came across a little gilt-edged nugget called The Mozart Effect. Popularized in the nineties, the Mozart Effect spoke to the increases in spatial-temporal reasoning ability witnessed in research subjects immediately after listening to a Mozart sonata* (guess which one? answer at bottom). More importantly, the Mozart Effect is the reason so many “sophisticated” and/or New Age parents find themselves playing classical music for children still trapped in the womb and therefore unable to voice their own musical preferences.

Overlooking the fact the 8-9 point increase on the spatial reasoning portion of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale was completely temporary (the boost lasted about 10-15 minutes), and also overlooking the fact that all subsequent attempts at replication of the experiment (except one done by the original researchers) failed to reproduce the reported increases of the original, we thought, “Well, everyone loves music. It’s inspiring, it’s motivational, it’s calming, so let’s publish playlists of GMAT tunes that could help students get excited, get ahead, and get their prep groove on.” Besides, the GMAT does require some spatial-temporal reasoning  beyond simply navigating your way through the pat-down and to your seat.

To get the most of this list, or ones you create for yourself, here are a few tips to use them most effectively:

1) Music is Pre-prep, not Prep-prep — we’re using music to get us in the right state of mind to get things done on the test. Since we can’t listen to music during the test (sorry, that heavy-breather with the deviated septum in the cubbie next to yours doesn’t qualify as music), we shouldn’t listen to music when we prep. It would provide a crutch that may prove harmful when they take it away at test time. Use the music to get you in the mood, then get the job done without it. Speaking of getting in the mood…

2) Get in the Habit — The music, if you use it, should act as a sort of trigger that tells your brain, “okay, it’s time to (insert relevant verb here).” It can’t be a trigger if the association isn’t consistently reenforced until its borderline (obsessive) compulsive. If you use it only occasionally before your prep, or if you use that particular playlist to also get your high-intensity ShakeWeight workout on in your basement, then the association between playlist and GMAT power-prepping is weakened. Don’t do that. No, seriously. Don’t.

3) Have fun with it — You may think the playlist below is terrible (several people in the office told me my original, proposed playlist was). That’s fine. It’s your playlist. The GMAT and GMAT preparation can be tedious enough as is. Don’t let someone talk you into Arcade Fire simply because a bunch of Hipsters swear Arcade Fire is the second coming of God’s Gospel Chorus, Elvis, and whoever those guys are that did the nifty music for the Geico caveman commercials all rolled into one. You’ll hate that person less if you don’t listen to them (oddly enough, same thing goes for that annoying friend who didn’t prep, walked out with a first-time GMAT score of 750, then didn’t apply to business school).

With out further ado, and in no particular order, we present the Sound(s) of GMAT Playlists, Pt I by Bell Curves…

Sounds(s) of GMAT Playlist:  The 2008 Presidential Campaign Barack Obama List

Few orators have engendered more goosebumps or inspired more hope than President Obama during that magical run in 2008. While the President’s ratings have taken nearly as big a hit as the housing market has since then, this list will keep you flying high and feeling invincible as you prepare to do battle with the GMAT.

1. You Get What You Give (New Radicals) – They may have been a one-hit wonder, but who wasn’t listening to this jam during the heady days of ’98? Besides, we can only be so lucky to be one-hit-GMAT-wonders.

2. The World’s Greatest (R. Kelly) – The song? Definitely a great inspiration. The video? No comment. When you’re listening to the playlist, avoid videos. Especially this one. You won’t be able to see your GMAT questions if you do. Instead, you’ll be haunted by visions of R. Kelly (Spoiler Alert) trying to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

3. I’m Like A Bird (Nelly Furtado) – She kind of looks like a bird, right? An admittedly attractive one, but still. And I don’t know where her “soul is,” but I know where ours all needs to be: in lockstep with the GMAT.

4. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye & Tammy Terrell) – No YouTube link needed here. Written by Ashford and Simpson, and inspiring since the day Marvin and Tammy first belted it out, Diana Ross’ C-minor version in 1970 might just be the most inspiring of all.

5. Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac) – Pretty much any song that was on the Forrest Gump soundtrack or in the movie itself can be categorized as ‘inspirational.’ That’s what happens when the ’60s and ’70s are your focal point: pure inspiration…and sex, drugs, and cultural revolution…but mostly inspiration.

6. Sexy Back (Justin Timberlake) – Before you abandon this list because of JT’s presence, let me just share an actual exchange between BC Staffers as we tried to compile this list:

Gentleman Staffer: “Really?”

Lady Staffer: “Really. This is the only song on the list that clearly relates to the GMAT. Students are bringing sexy back to the GMAT.”

7. Ready or Not (The Fugees) – A couple choice quotes from the song (no, not the ones about defecation or smoking “sess”): “Here I come, You can’t hide, Gonna find you, and make you want me.”  Oh GMAT, we coming for you. We coming! “I play my enemies like a game of chess, when I rest, no stress.” You hear us GMAT?

8. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (Michael Jackson) – “The force, it’s got a lot of power.” I didn’t say it. That’s straight from the King of Pop. Use the force.

9. Once In A Lifetime (Talking Heads) – “How Did I Get Here?” So many MBAs ask themselves this very question. One biased answer could be: by beating the GMAT, by beating it very badly. “Same as it ever was…”

10. Wake Up (Arcade Fire) – I know, I know. The hipsters made me do it. I swear. They’ve got a Red Ryder BB Gun pointed at my head right now. They say if I don’t leave this on I’m toast, man. I gotta admit, I’m inspired.

11. Happy Ending (MIKA) – I could contribute more of my tepid commentary here, but let me again rely on the compelling (and, quite frankly, inspirational) contribution of a couple BC staffers:

Gentleman Staffer: “This doesn’t work for the GMAT.”

Lady Staffer: “Yes it does! It’s Happy Ending! You want a happy ending, don’t you?”

12. Now We Are Free (Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard) – Even without Gladiator this track would be a gem. But with Maximus in the picture and this song in your ear, you can’t help but want to slay the GMAT, to free yourself from the shackles of standardized testing and enter the wonderful world of Graduate Business School.

So that’s the list. Feel free to use this one, or make up your own. Do whatever needs to get done to inspire yourself to new heights, and inspire yourself daily on the journey to GMAT success. Now, I’ve just got one question for you, straight (almost) from the mouth of Maximus: “Are You Not Inspired?”

Good luck with your playlisting and your GMAT prepping. Happy Holidays to your and yours from the Bell Curves family, and keep an eye (or ear) out for more playlists in the coming days…

-The BC Team

For more (beyond just playlists) on how Bell Curves could help you further inspire your preparation, visit us at gmat.bellcurves.com. Join us for a Sample Class to see just how inspiring our teachers, materials, and strategies can really be.

*Sonata for 2 Pianos in D Major, K. 448.

Starting Prep Early: SAT Vocabulary Strategies

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Bell Curves SAT Team

Earlier this year we joined SAT aficionados and college counselors on Twitter for the bi-weekly #CampusChat. The topic was SAT vocabulary and it sparked a zany hour of interesting words being used in fun context. By our estimation the prize for most interesting use of SAT vocab was taken by Suzanne Schaeffer (mostly because of her fun digs at Bell Curves founder @akilbello). If you’re interested you can see the full twitter transcript here.

This chat got the juices flowing over in BC central and sparked us to ask our teachers for recommendations for short-term (less than 6 months) and longer term vocab acquisition tools and tricks. In this blog we’ll address some of the long term vocabulary strategies that parents can use to help their children develop college-ready vocabularies.

Encourage Reading

Although it sounds cliche, the best way to acquire new words is to encounter them. Students who begin reading early and often acquire more words more rapidly than those who avoid reading or start later. Parents should help children develop an early fondness for books. One of our teachers -who also has a full-time job as a parent- claimed that she duped her child into loving reading by simply letting him see her reading every day. A math teacher and vocal denouncer of all things verbal, she plans to help her child develop the skills she lacks by modeling good behavior. Children often lose interest in reading- perhaps because so many adults (as well as two passages featured on the SAT) mistakenly imply that only academic or scholarly reading will develop vocabulary. Bell Curves co-owners Akil Bello and Clayton Harding are avid comic book readers who keep the office well-stocked with tales of superheroism. Often overlooked, these comics are simply chock full of names and words which borrow liberally from the always-SAT-popular Latin roots. Set children on their literary path by helping them find genres and authors they like, and they’ll branch out on their own from there.

Use adult words

There’s no need to eschew advanced vocabulary in everyday speech with children; when a child is first acquiring words, it makes little difference to them if they learn the word ‘cool’ or ‘imperturbable.’ Young children are at their peak in acquiring language, so start early. Furthermore, research indicates that it take over a dozen exposures to a word to truly be comfortable with its definition. So, to create erudite scholars, make sure you loquaciously employ your multifarious lexicon early and often.

Play word games

Games like Scrabble and Boggle offer great opportunities to create interest in words and their uses. Furthermore, our teachers suggested playing “Word detective” and challenging young linguistic Holmes’ to find vocabulary words used in everyday life, such as in product names (Crest, Zenith, and Accord), in movie or song titles (Insidious, Despicable Me, and Inception). Check out our Facebook page where were keep an album of words we’ve found in the wild.

Hope that helps!

——————–

Bell Curves hires some of the brightest minds anywhere to teach our SAT and ACT prep classes. We extensively train that talent in our teaching methodology and then work together to continually refine our courses and tutoring offerings.

Q&A: How Many GMAT Tests are Too Many?

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Ajani

We’re back to share some GMAT-related questions we’ve received (as well as our answers) in hopes that the information may be of benefit to others. Today’s question deals with how multiple GMAT scores may be interpreted by admissions officers.

Q: Does taking the GMAT multiple times look bad when applying to B-schools?

This answer was provided by Claudia Sampson, who has helped hundreds of clients access the business schools of their dreams. Claudia is an admissions coach and the founder of LEEDS Coaching, one of Bell Curves’ admissions consulting partner organizations.

How multiple GMAT test scores will be viewed by schools depends on a host of factors. All schools treat your GMAT as part of your entire package. Therefore, your goal is to present a strong case for being admitted no matter the challenge. Therefore, you should focus on getting the best score possible to offset either a weak GPA or a undergraduate major that may be viewed as less rigorous compared to others like Economics, Accounting, Computer Science, Engineering or Math. The mistake most people make is taking the test multiple times in succession without showing any significant increase. Admissions Committees will take into consideration the effort made to get a more competitive score particularly if you’re within striking distance of their published median score. But, there’s always the risk you run of taking the test too many times and getting a less competitive score which only weakens your chances of getting a favorable decision. But remember, your GMAT score alone will not get you into the school of your choice. You have to demonstrate leadership, collaboration, passion and a clear career vision or at least some idea as to why you really want to get an MBA. Finally, if you’re challenged by taking standardized tests and can’t provide medical proof to attest to this fact, don’t dwell on this in your essays or conversations with Admissions folks.  Trust me: we’ve heard and seen it all when it comes  to the GMAT and its many challenges. Just do as many practice tests  as you can until you’re truly ready for the real deal.

The Internets: Where Erroneous Lives

Posted on November 09, 2011 by BC Team

The internet is filled with interesting, informative, and helpful information. Lots of the time, that information is also factually accurate. Lots of times, it’s not. What makes the internet so fantastic a tool — its freedom of access and populist design — is also the thing that can often leave it riddled with factual potholes. The test preparation industry, like any other, struggles with this problem. Given all the companies, tutors, teachers, and individuals sharing information, anyone seeking info on the web should double check what they find.

Recently we came across this particular “article” published online by the Chicago Tribune. It a great example of how even with legitimate sources, whatever you find should be taken with a grain of salt and vigorously double-checked. What we found, in general, was that the article could cause unnecessary anxiety and worry for potential test-takers looking for information because it exaggerates changes to the tests and makes them sound more intimidating then they are. However, putting the info and article in context, which you should always do when researching, could reduce some of that potential worry. Let’s take a look at some excerpts to see how and where this could be done.

1) “Special Advertising Section”

This isn’t really a quote from the article itself, but rather the source of the article. Most people that read it could be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that the primary message is “take a prep course.” This, in and of itself is sound advice, it just seems like only one test prep company is being recommended. I almost wanted to sign up for a Kaplan course myself until I took a closer look.

The “article”, it should be noted, was part of a “special advertising section.” Check out the picture below to see if you spot those important words amidst all the clutter and other advertisements and giant “Education Today” headline.

The message? Pay close attention to the source and intent of what you’re reading to put it in context.

2) “Greatest changes in its 40-year history”

So, uh, what’s on the new GRE? You’d be hard pressed from the article advertisement to figure that out. The only information given is that it’s “gotten longer” and “question types and even the scoring scales are different.” While the changes to the test are superficially significant, meaning that some of the formats are pretty new, including questions that require multiple answers, the test itself is pretty much testing the same stuff it always has (math concepts, vocabulary, and reading comprehension). In fact, the biggest change to the test was probably removing the stupid analogy questions (which I personally liked but found a ridiculous way to test people for graduate school). Big changes? Maybe, but not really.

3) “Getting into graduate school just got harder.”

Really? How so? Because the test is a little longer and has changed a bit? While the test is a little bit different, what schools are using to evaluate candidates has not really changed. You still have to submit scores, show your GPA, get recommendations, and write essays. In fact here’s what ETS says about why the test was changed:

“ETS has revised the test to better reflect the kind of thinking you’ll do in graduate or business school and improve your test-taking experience. New types of questions now more closely align with the skills you need to succeed in today’s demanding graduate and business school programs.”

Maybe the test is harder, maybe it’s not. For some it will be harder, for others it will be easier. Saying that getting into school just got harder because the test changed is at best unprovable. At worst, its yellow journalism and fear-mongering that you have to wonder whether the root of which was plain cluelessness or some ulterior motive.

4) “Other things that have changed on the GRE are the questions. One of the two essays has been removed and the remaining one must be written in 30 minutes, not 45.” We weren’t sure if this was a typo or basic ignorance or confusion over all the recent/upcoming changes to the major tests (GRE & GMAT), but the bottom line is it’s false. Here’s the real scoop on the test structure:

The Real Deal

Still two essays, 30 minutes each. I’m not sure if there is still a research budget at the Trib, but before you trust a newspaper for your test prep info make sure you back it up from other sources.

5) “How do you prepare for something like this? Take full-length practice tests.” That’s the advice given for preparing for the GRE, along with several references to Kaplan Test Prep courses. Problematic advice without context. Far too many people are falsely advised that the best (or only) strategy for preparing for the GRE or the GMAT is to take a bunch of practice tests. For a select few who already have all the knowledge they need for the test, this may be  a good strategy. For everyone else? Probably not going to help you improve your score much. The GMAT and GRE test specific knowledge and reasoning ability. You need to have this knowledge and hone your reasoning abilities, not just take timed, full-length practice tests.

6) “The scoring has changed, too. The new GRE is an adaptive test.”

This one is true, kind of. The old GRE was also an adaptive test, and in many ways a more rigorous one. The new GRE is section-adaptive (adapting from one section to the next) while the old GRE was question-adaptive (adapting from one question to the next within a section). The implication that the new test is harder because it is all of a sudden adaptive again reeks of fear-mongering. Speaking of which…

7) “There will likely be fear and loathing”

This was a quote attributed to a test preparation professional speaking on the possible reception of the impending changes to the GMAT in June 2012. There are a few problems with this statement: 1) practical implications of the changes to the GMAT will be negligible for a while until graduate school officials, most notably admissions officers, decide how they’re going to interpret the scores; 2) the practical changes to the test itself are negligible (one essay is being removed while the integrated reasoning is being added; nothing else is changing); and 3) we should all ask ourselves what may be spurring this feeling of ‘fear and loathing’? Could it perhaps be the fear-mongering in articles such as this one, which is particularly troubling given that later in the advertisement it is pointed out that a survey indicates “83 percent of schools say they’ll weigh applicants who have taken the current test and the new test equally”?

“Kaplan recommends two to three months’ preparation for the GMAT.” & “Kaplan recommends three months preparation for the GRE.”

Hmm, let’s forget for a moment that industry consensus indicates most people view the GMAT as the harder of the two tests. Let’s forget questions about how Kaplan came up with these numbers. Let’s instead focus on the simple fact that every test-taker is different. Some people need 2 weeks. Others need 2 months. Some people need 6 months. Recommending a specific time frame for preparation, rather than recommending to prep until your practice tests indicate you’re ready for the real deal, instills false expectations and can undermine effective planning.

9) ” ‘The difference in total practice hours between a 600 and 700 score (out of 800) is about 100 hours’ “

This is another quote attributed to a test prep professional referencing the correlation between prep time and GMAT scores. I don’t know where they got these numbers, but I wonder what GMAC (the people who put out the GMAT) would have to say given this data it released:

10) “That number will go up when the new section is added. So there is an advantage to preparing now.”

Another quote speaking to the relationship between prep time and scores. If that last one was questionable, this one is too. I’m not sure how they would know this.

As we can see, even information from well-respected outlets needs to be viewed critically. This particular article seems like its pushing people to take a prep course (which we generally advocate as well), and preferably take one with Kaplan (which, obviously, we aren’t on board with). The single source of information, loose writing, and location of the article, made us wonder if someone or some company paid the Tribune to put this in as a marketing/advertising piece. If you overlooked that the piece was in an advertising section, and even if you didn’t, you might have assumed it was unbiased and objective. The bottom line: if something seems off, double-check it. If you’re serious about your prep, consult more than one source. Beware of slick marketing designed to do little more than get you anxious and get you to spend money. As always, be wary.

If you’ve found something tesp preparation related that you think is sketchy, false, disingenous, duplicitous, or out and out wrong, let us know. We’d love to take a look.

Happy interneting!

Who Are You, Again? Oh Right, GRE Scores

Posted on November 05, 2011 by Ajani

Paging John Nash, paging John Nash...

This past week ETS finally got around to releasing the scores from the first three months of testing for the Revised GRE. For those of you who may remember, or may not, ETS released its new and improved version of the GRE on August 1st, 2011. A couple of us here at Bell Curves went in to take it to see just how “revised” the test was (naturally, we blogged about it, which you can read here and here). The objective was to find out anything about the test we could that was not in the press releases. We played with the algorithm in a few ways to give us better insight into the test scoring and other features. After a long grueling wait we finally got our scores back. Now we just have to figure out what they mean. As does just about everyone else…

So without further ado, here is what ETS is starting to send to all test takers:

Note: I was never going to be an Aerospace Engineer

Quantitative: 165  Percentile: 93

Verbal: 164 Percentile: 94

Analytical Writing: 3.5 Percentile: 29 (Hahahahaha apparently they like my humor less than GMAC does!)

By most accounts these scores are clearly pretty “good”. I got most of the available points and was pretty close to the top possible score of 170. But what gets a bit more confusing is trying to put these scores in contexts that we already know. Let’s take a closer look:

1) 130-170 - This is the new scoring range, with 1-point increments. I know, I know. The GRE has been 200-800 since forever. Everyone loved (or hated, but at least knew) 200-800. Why’d they change? Your guess is as good as mine. Speaking of increments…

2) 41 or 61  - The old GRE scoring scale had 61 increments from 200 to 800. The new scale has 41 increments from 130 to 170. The last time I took the regular GRE I got a Q760 and V690. So on the old test I was 4 increments and 11 increments away from perfect scores, respectively. With the new one I’m 5 increments and 6 increments away, respectively. I’m pretty sure I’m no smarter or stupider than the last time I took it, but I wouldn’t have any way to know even if I wanted to. I tried figuring out the correlations between the number of increments for old and revised and it gave me a headache. Let’s just say you can forget about trying to compare your new scores to the old scores. And speaking of comparing…

3) Old Score Scale for the Revised Test - When I took my Revised GRE they didn’t have the new score scales yet, so they gave estimates based on the old GRE scale. On the old GRE scale the ranges I was given were Q750-800 and V670-770. That’s right, 50 and 100 points, respectively. You may also notice that the scores I got the last time I took the GRE were at the lower end of the ranges they gave me for the Revised GRE. What does this mean? I don’t know (sense a trend?). At least on official score reports they are providing an actual comparative score from the old scale (see below).

So what’s the point of all this? No, it’s not to confuse you. I’m already confused enough for everyone. The point here is to illustrate that we don’t have much context in which to frame our scores. As if to highlight just how little context there is, take a look at some of the tools ETS has provided to help you contextualize:

• The Bulletin – when you check your scores online, ETS recommends this page for you if you need “information to help you interpret your GRE scores.” This link brings you to a long list of their student publications, headed by the 40-page Revised GRE Bulletin. Uh, thanks for the help guys.
• Comparisons – On official score reports ETS will be providing your scores according to both the new and old formats. Click here to see a sample.
• Oh yeah, The GMAT – GRE also provides a concordance chart between the new scores and the GMAT, which is, of course, scaled 200-800.

The beguiling question here is if we don’t know what the scores mean, how are admissions officers supposed to treat them? Maybe we should just use the percentiles. The percentiles are the only value that seems consistent across the board on just about all tests. Makes you wonder why the GRE doesn’t just do away with numbers altogether and just go with percentiles.

I suppose the bottom line is this: it’ll be a while before anyone really knows what these scores mean. Unfortunately, if you’re looking to go to grad school, you’re stuck with this. Our recommendation: pay attention to the percentiles until it’s clear what the scores mean and how they’re interpreted.

Last Words…

• The Analytical Writing – Clearly the computer (or more likely a human reader) didn’t find my particular brand of rant illuminating and decided to give me a 3.5 thank-you-very-much. For more on those essays and others, see these previous posts (Exhibit A, Exhibit B). Thankfully, no one really pays all that much attention to the essays anyway.
• Want $25? – If you’ve taken both the GMAT and Revised GRE, ETS wants to give you $25 for your scores for research they’re doing on concordance between the two tests. Context anyone…? To sign up, click here.
• Want an Official GRE Score Report? – good luck. Those aren’t available just yet. You might want to check the “special score reporting schedule” to see when your scores can actually be sent to schools.

Good luck and good studying! If you need any help with your GRE prep, let us know and we’ll be glad to help!

Test Prep Tip: Loving the Wrong Answer

Posted on November 04, 2011 by Bell Curves SAT Team

No matter what test you take (SSAT, ISEE, SHSAT, PSAT, PLAN, SAT, ACT, etc) when you are preparing, your best friend is the wrong answer, if you use it as an opportunity to learn. This is the first in a series of tips on using fallacious answers to help you in your studies and on test day.

To properly take advantage of the wrong answers, you have to first understand that there are different types of wrong answers. The Loving the Wrong Answer series will discuss the major types of wrong answers, and how to use them to help you become a better test-taker.

The Most Common Wrong Answers are

1. The Flip-Flop
2. Glass Half Full
3. What Mom Would Say
4. Bad, Bad Math
5. Karma Hates You

So let’s tackle the first with a sample Reading Comprehension question (with a truncated passage):

Not too long ago at yet another fancy coffee shop, I was forced into conversation with a hypersatisfied young lady who spent the entire conversation trying regale me with the impressiveness of her one month relief mission to Haiti. In one windy burst, she leapt from the beauty of donated dolls to kindness of used boots. “Philanthropy is the key for those in need,” she said. “It is the spirit of giving as much as the actual thing given that helps those in need recover most quickly from disaster.” When I suggested providing manpower to rebuild homes and industry, she stared at me, speechless.

The author’s attitude toward the “young lady” (line 2) is best characterized as

(A) supercilious

(B) irate

(C) incredulous

(D) critical

(E) apprehensive

Now let’s say a certain student (not you of course, your friend) picks answer C. While incorrect, he arrived at this choice by a series of logical steps, that if not understood, analyzed, and corrected will likely reoccur the next time your friend is in this position.

To really learn to love the wrong answer and to let the wrong answer love you, you have to make sure you understand what enticed you to pick the answer you did. 

The first step in understanding and loving a wrong answering is figuring out why it is wrong but attractive enough to pick. A reread of the passage should show you that there are two parties involved in this section, which immediately should indicate to you that this is a prime candidate for The Flip-Flop!

The Flip-Flop is the answer choice that is the exact opposite of what the question asks for. It is put among the choices because test-makers know that in the heat of battle many people will recall the issue at hand but forget which side of the issue they were required to answer about.

In this case the Flip-Flop is between the author and the young lady. The young lady is incredulous (she was speechless) and even supercilious (she tried to regale him with the impressiveness of her mission) as well as a host of other things, the author is critical of her and her approach to philanthropy.

By identifying this mistake, you will be able to arm yourself with a mantra that will stop you from doing it again! Consider creating a log book that contains only strategic reminders like:

Whenever there are 2 people, opinions, or points of view — watch out for the Flip-Flop!

Good luck and good studying!

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To learn more about how Bell Curves innovative strategies, content-focused materials, and amazing instructors can help you maximize your score join us at a free sample class or call our office at 877 223-3828.

October 2011 SAT: You Be the (Essay) Judge

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Akil Bello

If you thought grading SAT essays was easy, in part 3 of our report on the October 1, 2011 SAT, (part 1 is here and part 2 here) we’re asking you to grade an actual essay submitted on the October 1, 2011 SAT. This essay was written by me and was mostly done to test a theory.

I wrote this essay to test what happens if you got a few facts wrong during the essay.  So in case you were wondering I’ll post the score the essay actually got after we get some votes in!  So leave a comment below!

Here is the essay scoring guide followed by the essay itself, click on any image to enlarge it: