“As a junior in high school I can tell you about stress. Sure, it’s not heart surgery or rocket science, but with a combination of school work, extra-curriculars and sports, life can make even the calmest student tense up. The SAT’s and ACT’s were the largest source of tension for me, I worried almost constantly about how I was going to do and how that would effect my life. I finally asked my mother if we could look into tutoring, to help me achieve my best on the SAT’s and ACT’s and remove some of the stress. She found Prepped and Polished in a matter of days, and after my first tutoring session, I knew it was the right choice. My tutor was extremely kind and supportive of my endeavors, he never made me feel guilty about a rough grade or a less than stellar piece of homework. He helped to build my confidence about taking the test and school in general, which in turn boosted my grades in school. I saw a great improvement in my test scores and felt, for the first time ever, really knowledgeable at the end of the SAT and ACT. I cannot thank Prepped and Polished enough for aiding me in my quest for better scores and also improving upon my attitude. I have already started recommending the business to friends and relatives, and only wish the best to the people of Prepped and Polished in the future.”

Regular Registration Deadline April 5th, Late Registration Deadline April 19th

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By Grace T., LSAT Test Preparation Instructor, Prepped & Polished, LLC

The LSAT requires not only mastery of the exam’s content, but also the ability to anticipate and address those little details that can make or break your test day experience. Here are tips that will prepare you for both!

Top 5 Substantive LSAT Tips

1. Mark an answer for every question! Unlike the SAT, the LSAT has no guessing penalty.

2. Do not be afraid to postpone your test until you are completely ready. While every test taker is different, most people do not feel adequately prepared with fewer than 2.5 to 3 months of preparation.

3. Know your weaknesses and skip questions strategically. Do not let the test dictate the order in which you answer questions. Be aware of which types of logic games and reading comprehension passages you are most comfortable, and quickly scan through all four in each of those sections before simply starting with that which is given first. As for logical reasoning, keep in mind that the questions generally progress from easiest to most difficult, but also be mindful of your personal strong suits. Don’t just complete a parallel flaw question if it is at the beginning of a section, but is something that you know you routinely struggle with – you will save yourself time and stress by taking control of the test.

4. Spend time making deductions after making logic game sketches. While you may feel pressed for time and that you are better off diving into the questions, in the long run you will save a lot of time by gaining an understanding the system on which the puzzle is based. You may even find that a question or two are freebees for having made such deductions.

5. Do not fear logic games! If you have taken a diagnostic test and had no intuitive idea of how to approach them, you are not doomed! Most students find this section to be the most challenging at first, but also the easiest to improve upon, largely because it has the fewest question types. Once you gain familiarity with logic games, you will see that the same kinds of puzzles repeat themselves, just cloaked in different language.

And 5 Quick Tips

1. Choose your test site carefully! There are resources online that detail factors such as desk space, noise level, competency of proctors, lighting, etc.

2. Buy and practice with a watch with a rotating bezel! Since you are not allowed to bring digital watches to the test, this is your best bet for easily keeping track of how much time has elapsed during each section.

3. Do not drink too much coffee before the test starts. There is no break for over two hours after you enter the testing room, and they are strict about not letting you leave once you have entered the room but prior to the commencement of testing.

4. Don’t get thrown by test takers around you sketching out logic games while you’re in the midst of reading comprehension or logical reasoning; different tests intentionally order their sections differently.

5. Do not markedly alter your appearance (at least from the shoulders up) between when the passport-style picture that you must affix to your LSAT admission ticket is taken and test day! This is actually one of many LSAC’s official policies. No altering your facial hair, no new facial tattoos, no dying your hair…you get the idea.

Grace graduated from Dartmouth College and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude. She is an expert in the areas of LSAT (scored in 97th percentile) and SAT prep, and is eager to pass along her test prep tips gleaned from many years of standardized testing!

Have you taken or are you getting ready for the LSAT? Which tip is your favorite?

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Registration Deadline March 8th, Late Registration Deadline March 9th-22nd

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By Alexa M., SAT Math Tutoring Instructor, Prepped & Polished, LLC

This question comes up regularly, and the short answer is: it doesn’t matter. Take whichever test you feel you can do well on. Really. Even MIT does not require that you take the Math 2, though they do insist you take one of the two math tests. Unless you claim on your application that you intend to be a math, physics, or other math-intensive major, your choice of test is unlikely to make a significant difference to your application.

The College Board’s official statement on the matter is: “If you have taken trigonometry or elementary functions (precalculus) or both, received grades of B or better in these courses, and are comfortable knowing when and how to use a scientific or graphing calculator, you should select the Level 2 test. If you are sufficiently prepared to take Level 2, but elect to take Level 1 in hopes of receiving a higher score, you may not do as well as you expect. You may want to consider taking the test that covers the topics you learned most recently, since the material will be fresh in your mind.”

It is useful to be aware of the fact that scores on the two tests are not comparable. Because the Math 2 is taken primarily by those who would describe themselves as “math people”, the overall scores tend to be higher. A 700 on the Math 2 will put you at around the 50th percentile. Fortunately, colleges know this, but it can be a bit of a shock when you receive your scores (especially if you are a self-described “math person”)!

What are the differences between the two tests?

• The Math 1 directly covers plane geometry, which the Math 2 doesn’t cover at all.
• The Math 2 emphasizes a number of major topics that aren’t covered on the Math 1:
o Series
o Vectors
o Properties of complex numbers, not just their arithmetic
o Logarithms
o Parametric equations
o Polar Coordinates
o Coordinate geometry in three dimensions
o A great deal more trigonometry (graphs of trigonometric functions, radians, Laws of Sines and Cosines, trigonometric equations)
o Standard deviation

If you’ve covered the topics on the Math 2, you may want to sign up for the more advanced test. You can change your mind (and your tutoring!) up to two weeks before the test, so there is no harm in starting to prepare for the Math 2 and then deciding you are not ready for it.

Below is a more detailed chart of the differences between the two tests:

Alexa graduated from Reed College and earned a Master’s degree in math from the University of Pennsylvania. She has tutored students at every age and level from 10 to adult and from basic math through AP calculus, multivariate calculus and beyond.

Are you gearing up for the Math Level 1 or Level 2 Test?

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“I just wanted to let you know I got a 2120 on my S.A.T.’s with a 700 in math and 700 in writing and 720 in reading! That’s a 340 point increase from my PSAT score. Thank you for everything!”

“We highly recommend Prepped & Polished. My daughter Emily was having a difficult time with the math portion of her SATs having spent months with a different tutoring service. She spent about six weeks with an incredible tutor at Prepped & Polished and learned some incredibly useful techniques, strategies and study habits. She was very well prepared for the January SAT and went in with a lot of confidence. She got the results back and raised her math score by 130 points!! Prepped & Polished was very flexible in offering tutor times and gave her an appropriate amount of prep work for each session. She never felt overwhelmed. With her new test results Emily can now pursue several of the colleges she originally thought were out of reach. Thanks so much to Alexis and everyone at Prepped!”

“Our son was accepted into Belmont Hill and St. Sebastian’s. We are thrilled with our choices!! Thanks so much for your help!!”

Regular registration deadline February 8th, Late Registration Deadline February 22nd.

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