QUESTIONS ON THE SAT? ACT? ISEE? GRE or GMAT? COLLEGE ADMISSIONS? PRIVATE SCHOOLS?

WHEN REGISTERING FOR THE ACT OR SAT I, SHOULD I SEND MY SCORES TO MY HIGH SCHOOL?

2012-01-31T10:08:00.002-06:00

QUESTION:

WHEN REGISTERING FOR THE ACT OR SAT I, SHOULD I SEND MY SCORES TO MY HIGH SCHOOL?

THIS QUESTION HAS COME UP QUITE RECENTLY. IF YOU PUT DOWN YOUR HIGH SCHOOL CODE ON THE ACT OR SAT I REGISTRATION FORM, YOUR SCORES WILL BE SENT TO YOUR HIGH SCHOOL. YOUR HIGH SCHOOL WILL THEN USUALLY POST YOUR SCORES ON YOUR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT WHICH ALL THE COLLEGES YOU APPLY TO WILL RECEIVE. YOUR HIGH SCHOOL MAY USE YOUR SCORES FOR INTERNAL REASONS, I.E. SUCH AS COMPUTING THE HIGH SCHOOL'S AVERAGE SAT I MATH SCORE, ETC.

NOW, MOST HIGH SCHOOLS LIKE YOU TO SEND THE SCORES TO THEM. HOWEVER, EVEN IF YOU SEND YOUR SCORES TO YOUR HIGH SCHOOL AND THEY POST THEM ON YOUR TRANSCRIPT THAT IS NOT CONSIDERED AN OFFICIAL SCORE BY ANY COLLEGE WHATSOEVER! SO IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT I AM SAYING IS THAT THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN GET INTO TROUBLE BY SENDING YOUR SCORES TO YOUR HIGH SCHOOL!

COLLEGES WILL ONLY ACCEPT OFFICIAL SCORES FROM THE ACTUAL ACT OR SAT I. PERIOD! SO ANY SCORES FROM ANY OTHER SOURCES ARE NOT CONSIDERED CORRECT. THEY WON'T EVEN LOOK AT THEM. IF YOU WANT TO SEND ANY SCORES TO ANY SPECIFIC COLLEGES FROM THE ACT OR SAT I YOU CAN CONTACT THEM AND HAVE THEM DO THAT FOR YOU. I HAVE POSTED THE WEB ADDRESSES FOR BOTH BELOW. YOU CAN EITHER TELEPHONE THEM, EMAIL THEM, OR LOG INTO YOUR ACCOUNT AND REQUEST SCORES TO BE SENT THAT WAY.

FOR THE ACT:

WWW.ACT.ORG/CONTACTS

FOR THE SAT I:

WWW.COLLEGEBOARD.COM/CONTACT-US

COULD YOU POST SOME BASIC REASONS WHY THE ACT OR SAT I MIGHT BE BETTER AS A CHOICE FOR A STUDENT?

2012-01-31T09:52:00.001-06:00

QUESTION: COULD YOU POST SOME BASIC REASONS WHY THE ACT OR SAT I MIGHT BE BETTER AS A CHOICE FOR A STUDENT?

THE ABOVE QUESTION JUST CAME IN TODAY (JANUARY 31, 2012) AS AN EMAIL QUESTION FROM SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. YES I CAN ADDRESS THIS.

HERE ARE SOME VERY BASIC SUGGESTIONS AS TO WHY THE ACT OR SAT I MIGHT BE A BETTER CHOICE FOR A FIRST TEST FOR A STUDENT. KEEP IN MIND THAT IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE COLLEGE YOU WILL DEFINITELY WANT TO TAKE BOTH THE ACT AND THE SAT I (AND ALSO THE SAT II SUBJECT TESTS).

SOMEONE WHO MIGHT LIKE THE ACT IF:

1) IF YOU CAN TAKE TESTS FAIRLY QUICKLY AND USUALLY NEVER RUN OUT OF TIME ON TESTS AT YOUR SCHOOL; THE ACT GIVES LESS TIME PER QUESTION THAN THE SAT I. SO IF YOU ARE A SLOW TEST TAKER THE ACT MIGHT NOT BE BEST FOR YOU.

2) IF YOU ABSOLUTELY DON'T LIKE READING COMPREHENSION! THE ACT HAS FAR LESS READING ON IT THAN DOES THE SAT I! I MEAN FAR LESS! THE ACT ONLY HAS 4 READING PASSAGES OF 10 QUESTIONS - THAT IS IT.

3) THE ACT HAS NO GUESSING PENALTY LIKE THE SAT I DOES! THAT MEANS THAT BASICALLY THE ACT HAS A BUILT IN 20-25% CURVE DEPENDING UPON WHAT SECTION YOU ARE IN.

4) THE ACT IS SOMEWHAT SHORTER ON TEST DAY THAN IS THE SAT I. SO IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE PAYING ATTENTION FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME YOU MIGHT LIKE THE ACT BETTER.

5) THE ACT HAS FAR LESS TRICKERY ON IT THAN DOES THE SAT I. ACT IS MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD, JUST LIKE A TEST YOU WOULD SEE IN SCHOOL. IF YOU DON'T LIKE PUZZLES OR LOGIC TYPE QUESTIONS, THERE ARE ALMOST NONE ON THE ACT. COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONSIDER THE ACT TO BE BETTER AT TESTING WHAT ONE LEARNED IN HIGH SCHOOL VS. THE SAT I.

6) IF YOU LIKE SCIENCE, THE ACT HAS A SCIENCE SECTION. IT IS BASICALLY JUST A DATA SUFFICIENCY TEST THAT COVERS SCIENCE QUESTIONS SO YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE TO KNOW MUCH SCIENCE.

7) IF YOU ARE NOT GOOD AT VOCABULARY THE ACT HAS VERY LITTLE (ALMOST NONE) VOCABULARY ON IT!

8) THE ACT BY FAR HAS A BETTER GRADING SYSTEM. ALL 4 PASSAGES: ENGLISH, MATH, READING, AND SCIENCE, ARE GIVEN AN INDIVIDUAL SCORE THEN THESE SCORES ARE AVERAGED TO MAKE ONE OVERALL SCORE. COLLEGES ONLY LOOK AT THIS ONE SCORE FOR THE MOST PART. SO IF YOU ARE NOT TOO GOOD AT ONE OF THE 4 SECTIONS MENTIONED ABOVE, YOU COULD EASILY HIDE THAT BY DOING WELL ON THE OTHER THREE. THE SAT I REPORTS ALL THREE SECTION SCORES (READING, MATH, WRITING) SO COLLEGES CAN EASILY SEE IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM IN ONE OF THOSE AREAS.

9) IF YOU HAVE ANY LEARNING DIFFERENCES I MUST SAY THAT USUALLY THE ACT IS THE BETTER TEST TO TAKE FOR THAT! THE ACT HAS MUCH LESS "TRICKERY" ON IT THAN DOES THE SAT I, AND THE ACT IS JUST MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD THAN THE SAT I. ALSO, IF YOU HAVE ANY ACCOMODATIONS FOR YOUR LEARNING DIFFERENCES SUCH AS EXTENDED TIME THEN DEFINITELY THE ACT IS BETTER BECAUSE WITH EXTENDED TIME THE SAT I BECOMES INSANELY LONG! WITH EVEN 50% EXTENDED TIME, THE SAT I BECOMES ALMOST 6 HOURS OR MORE OF TESTING! I HAVE HAD INCREDIBLE COMPLAINTS REGARDING TAKING THE SAT I WITH EXTENDED TIME. SOME LEARNING DIFFERENCE STUDENTS DO TAKE THE SAT I, BUT BY FAR MORE TAKE AND DO BETTER ON THE ACT (AT LEAST AT MY OFFICE).

SOMEONE MIGHT LIKE THE SAT I IF:

1) IF YOU ARE GOOD AT READING COMPREHENSION AND WRITING THE SAT I HAS A LOT OF READING COMPREHENSION ON IT!

2) IF YOU KNOW A LOT OF VOCABULARY WORDS THE SAT I HAS VOCABULARY ON IT.

3) IF YOU DON'T LIKE SCIENCE THE SAT I HAS ABSOLUTELY NO SCIENCE ON IT.

4) IF YOU ARE A SLOWER TEST TAKER (MEANING THAT AT SCHOOL SOMETIMES YOU DON'T FINISH YOUR TESTS AND OR QUIZZES IN THE GIVEN TIME) YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE THE SAT I BECAUSE IT GIVES MORE TIME PER QUESTION THAN DOES THE ACT.

5) THE SAT I MATH COVERS LESS AMOUNT OF MATH TOPICS THAN DOES THE ACT. HOWEVER, THE SAT I MATH HAS A LOT OF "TRICKERY" AND LOGIC TYPE QUESTIONS ON IT (PUZZLE TYPE QUESTIONS). IF YOU LIKE THOSE THEN THE SAT I WORKS.

6) IF YOU ARE A GOOD ESSAY WRITER, THE ESSAY ON THE SAT I INTEGRATES INTO YOUR WRITING SCORE AND IT CAN EASILY BRING UP OR DOWN YOUR WRITING SCORE. SO IF YOU ARE A GOOD ESSAY WRITER, WRITING A GOOD ESSAY ON THE SAT I CAN SERIOUSLY BRING UP YOUR SAT I WRITING SCORE.

REMEMBER, THE ABSOLUTE BEST WAY TO SEE WHICH ONE YOU ARE BETTER AT OR LIKE MORE IS TO TAKE A REAL WORLD TEST! JUST DON'T SEND ANY SCORES TO COLLEGES.

HAS THE ACT BEEN GETTING MORE DIFFICULT LATELY?

2012-01-31T07:21:00.001-06:00

HAS THE ACT BEEN GETTING MORE DIFFICULT LATELY?

I HAVE BEEN ASKED THIS SEVERAL TIMES RECENTLY. MY ANSWER WOULD BE, "NO". I HAVE BEEN TUTORING AND TAKING ACT's MYSELF FOR OVER 3 DECADES, AND I AM INTIMATELY INVOLVED WITH THE MATERIAL ON THE ACT. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE RECENTLY IS THAT I WOULD SAY THAT THE SCIENCE SECTION OF THE ACT HAS POSSIBLY BECOME SOMEWHAT MORE COMPLEX OF LATE BECAUSE THEY ARE USING NEWER SCIENCE TOPICS SUCH AS GENETICS, BIOLOGY, ELECTRICITY, ETC. THAT MAY APPEAR MORE COMPLEX TO STUDENTS. HOWEVER, THE OVERALL ACT SCIENCE SECTION HAS NOT REALLY CHANGE MUCH IN THE PAST 3+ DECADES. SOME STUDENTS MIGHT THINK THE SCIENCE IS HARD BECAUSE IT IS THE LAST TEST ON THE ACTUAL ACT, AND IT IS HIGHLY DETAILED. IT TAKES A LOT OF MENTAL ENERGY TO LOCATE THE ANSWERS. THEY ALSO DON'T GIVE YOU REALLY ENOUGH TIME TO DO A THOROUGH JOB. NOW, SINCE THE ACT IS GIVEN 7 TIMES A YEAR, SOME TEST DATES ARE CERTAINLY "HARDER" THAN OTHERS. YOU JUST HAVE TO TAKE IT ENOUGH TIMES TO HIT A TEST THAT YOU LIKE AND YOU CAN DO WELL ON. THE ACTUAL MATERIAL ON THE ACT HAS NOT CHANGED MUCH IN DECADES.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MATH ON THE ACT VS. MATH ON THE SAT I?

2012-01-30T09:34:00.003-06:00

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MATH ON THE ACT VS. MATH ON THE SAT I?

VERY GOOD QUESTION. AS FAR AS THE ACTUAL MATERIAL THEY COVER, BOTH TESTS COVER MAINLY ALGEBRA I (FIRST YEAR ALGEBRA), ALGEBRA II (SECOND YEAR ALGEBRA), AND GEOMETRY. NOW THE ACT GOES A LITTLE MORE IN DEPTH INTO ALGEBRA II SO THE ACT MATH HAS A LOT MORE TRIGONOMETRY AND ADVANCED ALGEBRA TOPICS ON IT THAN DOES THE SAT I.

THE MAIN DIFFERENCE IS IN HOW THE MATERIAL IS PRESENTED. THE ACT MATH IS MUCH MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD JUST LIKE ONE WOULD ACTUALLY SEE ON A TEST IN SCHOOL IN YOUR MATH CLASS. ACT MATH IS 100% MULTIPLE CHOICE. THERE IS VERY LITTLE LOGIC OR "TRICKERY" ON THE ACT MATH. YOU DO HAVE TO KNOW MORE MATH FORMULAS, AND THE ACT MATH DOES NOT GIVE YOU USEFUL FORMULAS LIKE THE SAT I MATH DOES.

THE SAT I MATH IS VERY MUCH MORE PUZZLE OR LOGIC BASED (STUDENTS REFER TO THIS AS "TRICKERY" WHICH I DO AGREE). THE SAT I MATH DOES GIVE YOU SOME VERY USEFUL FORMULAS ON THE ACTUAL TEST ITSELF. I HAVE PUBLISHED FOR MY ACTUAL TUTORING STUDENTS SOME EXCELLENT MATH "TRICKS" OR STRATEGIES THAT I HAVE INVENTED OR BORROWED THAT CAN RAISE YOUR SAT I MATH SCORE BY OVER 150 POINTS ALONE.

I HAVE PUBLISHED FOR ALL MY TUTORING STUDENTS THAT COME TO SEE ME AN LIST OF THE ACTUAL MATH FORMULAS ON THE ACT AND SAT I THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR. IT TOOK ME QUITE SOME TIME TO ASSEMBLE THIS LIST OF MATH FORMULAS AS I HAD TO GO BACK OVER SEVERAL DECADES WORTH OF ACT AND SAT I TESTING TO DESIGN SUCH A LIST! MY STUDENTS LOVE IT THOUGH BECAUSE THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KNOWING ON THESE TESTS MATHEMATICALLY (I HAVE DONE THE SAME THING FOR ENGLISH GRAMMAR RULES, VOCABULARY WORDS, ETC.).

THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW WHICH MATH IS BETTER FOR YOU IS TO TAKE SOME OF THE MATH FROM THE ACT OR SAT I FOR PRACTICE AND SEE WHICH YOU DO BETTER ON AND OR LIKE BETTER. I WOULD MAKE SURE TO CHOOSE THE MATH THAT IS EASIEST ON YOU OR EASIER FOR YOU TO LEARN. COLLEGES TAKE YOUR MATH SCORES VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY.

BOTH THE ACT AND SAT I WEBSITES HAVE EXAMPLE TEST PROBLEMS:

EXAMPLE TEST PROBLEMS FROM THE ACT CAN BE FOUND HERE:

http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/preparing.pdf

(please note this is an actual full, past, real ACT test)

EXAMPLE TEST PROBLEMS FROM THE SAT I CAN BE FOUND HERE:

http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice

(please note you can find SAT I practice questions here or a full SAT I practice test - both are free!)

WHAT COLLEGES EXACTLY DO USE THE SAT I WRITING SECTION FOR ADMISSIONS?

2011-09-20T17:16:00.000-05:00

WHAT COLLEGES EXACTLY DO USE THE SAT I WRITING SECTION FOR ADMISSIONS?

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION. I WOULD SAY MOST HIGHLY COMPETITIVE COLLEGES DO USE THE SAT I WRITING SCORE FOR ADMISSIONS PURPOSES. THAT IS ONLY A HANDFUL OF COLLEGES THOUGH - A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE. I DO KNOW THAT VANDERBILT AS OF 2011 SEPTEMBER DOES NOT USE THE SAT I WRITING SECTION FOR ADMISSIONS PURPOSES. AGAIN THE BEST THING THAT YOU CAN DO IS CHECK WITH THE COLLEGES YOU ARE INTERESTED IN. THE BEST WAY IS TO EMAIL YOUR PARTICULAR COLLEGE'S ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT OR CALL THE ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT. YOU CAN GET THESE NUMBERS AND EMAIL ADDRESSES FROM THE COLLEGE'S WEBSITE.

EVEN IF A COLLEGE DOES NOT USE THE SAT I WRITING SECTION FOR ADMISSIONS, I KNOW THEY STILL SEE THAT SCORE. SO IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO DO THE BEST YOU CAN ON THAT PARTICULAR SECTION.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BETTER WEBSITES FOR COLLEGE INFORMATION?

2011-09-20T13:45:00.003-05:00

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BETTER WEBSITES FOR COLLEGE INFORMATION?

THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD WEBSITES OUT THERE FOR COLLEGE INFORMATION. ONE OF MY FAVORITES IS CALLED WWW.COLLEGEPROWLER.COM. IT HAS SO MUCH INFORMATION ON ALMOST EVERY SINGLE COLLEGE IN THE U.S. THAT YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE IT. MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT LISTS FINANCIAL INFORMATION SUCH AS COSTS FOR ENTRANCE ETC., AND IT LISTS SAT AND ACT SCORES NEEDED TO GAIN ENTRANCE. CHECK IT OUT. YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED.

ANOTHER EXCELLENT COLLEGE INFORMATION WEBSITE IS CALLED http://www.studentreview.com/ AND IT HAS LITERALLY EVERYTHING YOU WOULD WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ANY COLLEGE, AND IT HAS A LOT OF STUDENT REVIEWS OF THOSE COLLEGES. I CONSIDER STUDENT REVIEWS TO BE A VERY GOOD SOURCE OF INFORMATION.

ALSO PLEASE CHECK MY COLLEGE ADMISSIONS BUTTON ON THIS BLOG UNDERNEATH THE PICTURE OF SMU. I HAVE A LOT OF GOOD WEBSITES LISTED THERE ALSO.

WHAT IF MY CHILD GETS DENIED EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT OR SAT?

2011-09-06T16:04:00.003-05:00

WHAT IF MY CHILD GETS DENIED EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT OR SAT?

OK THIS CAN GET EXTREMELY COMPLICATED. HOWEVER, HERE ARE MY BASIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS:

1) IF YOUR CHILD GETS DENIED EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT I WOULD READ CAREFULLY THE LETTER THEY SENT YOU IN WHICH THEY SOMEWHAT EXPLAIN WHY THEY DENIED YOU EXTRA TIME. THE ABSOLUTE BEST THING TO DO IS CALL THE ACT AT 1-319-337-1270 AND GET A HOLD OF THE ACTUAL PERSON IN CHARGE OF YOUR FILE. THE PERSON WHO WROTE THE DENIAL. THIS MIGHT BE DIFFICULT, BUT PLEASE PURSUE. ONCE YOU GET A HOLD OF THAT PERSON, FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT MEASURES NEED TO BE TAKEN TO OBTAIN EXTENDED TIME. THEN FOLLOW WHAT IS SAID. THE ACT IS NOTORIOUS FOR BEING DIFFICULT ABOUT GRANTING EXTENDED TIME. YOU CAN GET YOUR DENIAL REVOKED, BUT IT WILL TAKE SOME EFFORT FROM THE PARENTS. I HAVE ACTUALLY HAD A CLIENT WHO GOT DENIED 5 TIMES THEN ON THE SIXTH TRY THEY GOT THE EXTENDED TIME. THE AFOREMENTIONED IS EXTREMELY RARE, USUALLY IT TAKES 2 OR EVEN 3 ATTEMPTS. IT IS WELL WORTH THE EXTRA TIME IT TAKES! YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED THAT EXTRA TIME ON THE ACT IF YOU HAVE LEARNING DIFFERENCES.

2) BASICALLY THE SAME THING GOES FOR THE SAT. HOWEVER, THE SAT IS MUCH MORE EASY TO GET EXTENDED TIME FROM THAN IS THE ACT. YOU CAN CONTACT THE SAT AT 866-756-7346.

HOW DO I GET EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT OR SAT?

2011-09-06T16:03:00.001-05:00

HOW DO I GET EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT OR SAT?

OK, THIS CAN BE COMPLICATED. THE SAT IS MUCH EASIER TO GET EXTENDED TIME ON VS. THE ACT. YOU MUST HAVE A RECENT, VALID DIAGNOSTIC TEST WHICH CLEARLY DEMONSTRATES A LEARNING DIFFERENCE AND THE TEST MUST BE UPDATED WITHIN THE PAST 2 YEARS (CHECK ON THIS BECAUSE THIS COULD HAVE CHANGED). YOU CAN GO BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL TESTER TO GET AN UPDATE FOR A FEE.

YOU ALSO SHOULD BE USING EXTENDED TIME AT YOUR SCHOOL AS MUCH AS YOU CAN! YOU CAN BE DENIED FOR EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT (MAYBE SAT) IF YOU ARE NOT USING EXTRA TIME AT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL.

YOU MUST APPLY FOR EXTENDED TIME OR OTHER ACCOMODATIONS (SUCH AS A READER, ETC. - THERE ARE MANY THINGS AVAILABLE - YOU CAN EVEN TAKE THE TEST OVER SEVERAL DAYS) THROUGH YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR. YOU MUST DO THAT. YOU MUST USE YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR TO APPLY FOR EXTENDED TIME ON THE ACT OR SAT.

EVEN IF YOU GET DENIED EXTENDED TIME THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO. SEE THE NEXT POST.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET MY CHILD TESTED FOR LEARNING DIFFERENCES?

2011-09-06T15:33:00.000-05:00

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET MY CHILD TESTED FOR LEARNING DIFFERENCES?

IF YOU HAVE THE FINANCIAL MEANS TO GET YOUR CHILD TEST TESTED FOR LEARNING DIFFERENCES THAT IS GREAT. YOU DO NEED TO KNOW THAT IT CAN BE EXPENSIVE. I HAVE SEEN PRICES ANYWHERE FROM $1000 TO $5000 US DOLLARS FOR THE INITIAL TESTING. PRETTY MUCH IT JUST DEPENDS UPON THE PERSON DOING THE TESTING. CHECK WITH YOUR SCHOOL REGARDING REFERRALS FOR TESTERS.

WHY WOULD I NEED TO GET MY CHILD TESTED FOR LEARNING DIFFERENCES?

2011-09-06T15:29:00.001-05:00

WHY WOULD I NEED TO GET MY CHILD TESTED FOR LEARNING DIFFERENCES?

THE REASON YOU WOULD WANT TO GET YOUR CHILD TESTED IS BECAUSE IF YOUR CHILD HAS LEARNING DIFFERENCES ACCORDING TO THE TESTER, THEN YOU CAN GET SOME SERIOUS BENEFITS IN SCHOOL AND ON THE SAT OR ACT TESTS. THE MAIN BENEFIT WOULD BE EXTRA TIME ON THE ACT OR SAT AND IN SCHOOL ON TESTS AND QUIZZES.

IF YOUR CHILD HAS TROUBLE COMPLETING TESTS, QUIZZES, AND FINAL EXAMS ON TIME THAT MIGHT BE A VERY GOOD REASON TO GET THEM TESTED, OR IF YOUR CHILD DOES NOT PERFORM AS WELL AS YOU THINK THEY COULD BE PERFORMING WERE THEY TO HAVE MORE TIME TO FINISH TESTS AND QUIZZES. GETTING MORE TIME ON TESTS AND QUIZZES CAN CERTAINLY HELP ANY STUDENT!

WHAT EXACTLY IS A LEARNING DIFFERENCE?

2011-09-06T15:22:00.001-05:00

WHAT EXACTLY IS A LEARNING DIFFERENCE?

I GET ASKED THIS QUESTION VERY OFTEN. SIMPLY PUT, I WOULD SAY THAT A LEARNING DIFFERENCE CAN BEST BE DEFINED AS THE FOLLOWING:

A LEARNING DIFFERENCE IS WHEN A STUDENT CANNOT PERFORM TO THE SAME LEVEL AS THEIR PIERS WITHIN THE SAME TIME FRAME.

THESE LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED BY VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS AND PSYCHOLOGISTS ALL ACROSS THE NATION. HAVING A LEARNING DIFFERENCE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF. IF YOU SUSPECT THAT YOUR CHILD HAS A LEARNING DIFFERENCE YOU SHOULD GET THEM TESTED BY A REPUTABLE DIAGNOSTICIAN OR PSYCHOLOGIST. YOUR SCHOOL SHOULD HAVE SOME NAMES ON FILE FOR YOU TO REFER TO.

SOME STUDENTS JUST FLATLY LEARN DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHER STUDENTS DO. HAVING SOMEONE TESTED CAN HELP YOU GAIN VERY VALUABLE INSIGHT INTO HOW THE STUDENT OPERATES ACADEMICALLY, AND IT CAN HELP YOU GET THE STUDENT THE APPROPRIATE HELP THEY NEED IN ORDER TO DO BETTER.

HOW ON EARTH CAN I FIND OUT IF MY TEST SCORES ON THE ACT OR SAT ARE GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE COLLEGES I WANT TO ATTEND?

2011-07-13T18:08:00.002-05:00

HOW ON EARTH CAN I FIND OUT IF MY TEST SCORES ON THE ACT OR SAT ARE GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE COLLEGES I WANT TO ATTEND?

THIS IS THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION ISN'T IT! OK. I KNOW ONE GOOD WAY. IF YOU LOOK UP YOUR PARTICULAR COLLEGE YOU WANT TO GO TO ALMOST ALL COLLEGES WILL LIST WHAT IS CALLED THEIR MID 50TH PERCENTILE SCORING RANGE. WHAT THAT DIDDLY MEANS IS BASICALLY THE RANGE YOU WANT TO HIT IF YOU HAVE DECENT GRADES AND EXTRACURRICULARS. BY DECENT GRADES I MEAN A'S AND B'S. EXTRACURRICULARS I MEAN YOU SHOULD HAVE MAYBE ONE SPORT OR MORE, SOME ACADEMIC CLUBS, SOME VOLUNTEERING, ETC. ON YOUR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT. THERE IS ALSO AN EXCELLENT BOOK THAT LISTS EVERY SINGLE COLLEGE IN THE USA THAT HAS THIS TYPE OF INFORMATION. IT IS CALLED THE "2011 COLLEGE HANDBOOK" PUBLISHED BY THE COLLEGE BOARD. I WILL BE ADDING THAT TO MY BOOKS PAGE.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE COLLEGE LISTS AND ACT SCORE OF 24 TO 28 FOR THEIR MID 50TH PERCENTILE SCORE WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT A 24 IS THE 25TH PERCENTILE AND THE 28 IS THE 75TH PERCENTILE OF WHO GOT IN WITH THOSE SAME SCORES LAST YEAR (LAST YEAR'S FRESHMAN CLASS). SO, IF YOUR ACT SCORE IS ANYWHERE FROM A 24 TO 28 YOU ARE PROBABLY IN GOOD SHAPE TO GET INTO THAT PARTICULAR COLLEGE (OR 24 ON THE ACT AND HIGHER) AS LONG AS YOU HAVE DECENT GRADES, DECENT TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS, DECENT EXTRACURRICULARS, ETC.

YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT THE SCHOOL YOU ARE INTERESTED IN AND TALK WITH A REAL LIVE PERSON IN THE ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT AND JUST POINT BLANK TELL THEM ABOUT YOURSELF AND ASK THEM IF YOU HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING IN TO THAT PARTICULAR SCHOOL! NOTHING WRONG WITH ASKING!

SO IN SUMMARY, TO FIND OUT THE ACT OR SAT SCORES YOU NEED TO GET INTO YOUR PARTICULAR COLLEGE THERE ARE TWO GOOD WAYS:

1) CALL AND ASK AN ADMISSIONS EMPLOYEE AT THE PARTICULAR COLLEGE YOU ARE INTERESTED

2) LOOK UP THE PARTICULAR COLLEGES MID 50TH PERCENTILE SCORE OR SCORING RANGE. SOME COLLEGES JUST GIVE AVERAGES AND OR GIVE MEDIAN SCORES. ALL ARE SIMILAR. IF THEY JUST LIST ONE SCORE FOR THEIR MID 50TH PERCENTILE SCORE THEN IF YOU ARE IN SAY PLUS OR MINUS 10-15% OF THAT SCORE I WOULD SAY YOU ARE OK AS LONG AS YOU HAVE DECENT GRADES IN HIGH SCHOOL (A'S AND B'S ON YOUR FINAL TRANSCRIPT), DECENT EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES (MAYBE ONE SPORT, SOME ACADEMIC CLUBS, SOME VOLUNTEER WORK, A JOB, ETC.), DECENT TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS, ETC. YOU MUST GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL OF COURSE!

DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE BOTH THE GRE AND GMAT FOR ENTRANCE TO GRADUATE SCHOOL IN THE US?

2011-06-22T10:50:00.000-05:00

DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE BOTH THE GRE AND GMAT FOR ENTRANCE TO GRADUATE SCHOOL IN THE US?

NO. USUALLY EACH INDIVIDUAL GRADUATE SCHOOL PREFERS ONE TEST OVER THE OTHER AND THIS USUALLY DEPENDS UPON WHAT TYPE OF GRADUATE DEGREE YOU WANT TO PURSUE. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU WANT TO GET A MASTERS DEGREE IN BUSINESS THEN YOU WOULD PROBABLY ONLY HAVE TO TAKE THE GMAT. IF YOU WANT A GRADUATE DEGREE IN ENGINEERING, YOU WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO TAKE THE GRE. JUST CHECK WITH YOUR PARTICULAR GRADUATE SCHOOLS. THERE IS NOT MUCH OF A BENEFIT TO TAKING BOTH THE GRE AND GMAT. AS ALWAYS, CHECK WITH THE SCHOOLS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GOING TO. REMEMBER, THESE TYPE OF THINGS CHANGE ALL THE TIME AND YOUR SAFEST BET IS TO CHECK WITH THE PARTICULAR SCHOOL OF INTEREST'S ADMISSION DEPARTMENT.

HOW DO I DETERMINE WHETHER THE ACT OR SAT IS THE BETTER TEST FOR MY CHILD?

2011-06-22T10:15:00.001-05:00

HOW DO I DETERMINE WHETHER THE ACT OR SAT IS THE BETTER TEST FOR MY CHILD?
THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION THAT I GET ASKED OFTEN. HERE IS A LIST OF MY SUGGESTIONS:

1) IF YOUR CHILD HAS TAKEN THE PSAT (PRE SAT) OR PLAN (PRE ACT) THEN YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH SEE FROM THESE SCORES WHICH TEST YOUR CHILD IS BETTER AT. KEEP IN MIND THOUGH, THAT EVEN IF YOUR CHILD DOES WELL ON THE PSAT OR PLAN THEY STILL MAY NEED SOME TUTORING OR HELP TO DO AS WELL ON THE REAL TEST.

2) AS A GENERAL RULE OF THUMB, ON THE PSAT A SCORE OF 160 OR BETTER JUNIOR YEAR PROBABLY MEANS YOU COULD PROCEED WITH TAKING THE SAT, BUT YOU MIGHT NEED SOME OUTSIDE HELP. ON THE PLAN, IF YOU SCORE 22 OR ABOVE THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE OK TO PROCEED WITH THE ACT, BUT AGAIN YOU MIGHT NEED SOME HELP.

3) ALSO, IF YOUR CHILD IS NOT GOOD AT READING THE SAT IS A BAD IDEA. IT HAS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF READING ON IT. ALSO, IF YOUR CHILD IS AN EXTREMELY SLOW TEST TAKER THE ACT MIGHT CAUSE THEM SOME PROBLEMS ALSO.

4) OVERALL, I WOULD SAY RIGHT NOW THAT OF THE TWO TESTS, THE ACT IS THE "EASIEST" ONE. IT IS MUCH SHORTER THAN THE SAT AND IS CERTAINLY FAR LESS MENTALLY TAXING THAN THE SAT.

5) TRULY THE BEST THING TO DO IS HAVE YOUR CHILD TAKE SOME PRACTICE TESTS FOR THE ACT AND SAT AND SEE HOW THEY DO. I WOULD EVEN GO SO FAR AS TO SUGGEST HAVING YOUR CHILD TAKE A REAL ACT OR SAT AT MID PART OF JUNIOR YEAR AND WHICHEVER ONE THEY DO BETTER ON PURSUE THAT TEST. IF THEY DO WELL ON BOTH TESTS BY ALL MEANS PURSUE BOTH.

6) IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE COLLEGE, YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST TAKE BOTH THE ACT AND SAT AND ALSO THE SAT II SUBJECT TESTS (USUALLY 2 OR 3 SUBJECT TESTS). IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS, YOU WILL PUT YOURSELF AT A SERIOUS DISADVANTAGE. ALSO TAKING ALL THESE THREE TESTS COULD OPEN UP SEVERAL ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.

WHERE CAN WE REGISTER FOR THE SSAT ADMISSIONS TEST?

2011-04-27T14:34:00.004-05:00

THE SSAT ADMISSIONS TEST IS ANOTHER VERY POPULAR TEST THAT PRIVATE SCHOOLS USE FOR ADMISSIONS PURPOSES. IT IS VERY SIMILIAR IN CONTENT TO THE ISEE EXAM AFOREMENTIONED.

THE SSAT CAN BE REACHED AT:

WWW.SSAT.ORG

HOW CAN I REGISTER TO TAKE THE ISEE EXAM?

2011-04-27T14:29:00.004-05:00

YOU CAN REGISTER BY MAIL FOR THE ISEE OR YOU CAN REGISTER ONLINE. OF COURSE THE FASTEST WAY IS TO DO IT ONLINE.

FOR THE ISEE:

http://erblearn.org/parents/admission/isee

THE ABOVE WEBSITE HAS ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW INCLUDING DATES, LOCATIONS, FEES, ETC. FOR THE ISEE.

WHAT IF I NEED TO CONTACT THE ACT OR SAT AND TALK TO A REAL PERSON?

2011-04-27T14:27:00.004-05:00

GOOD QUESTION. IF YOU NEED TO CONTACT THE ACT OR SAT AND TALK TO A REAL PERSON HERE ARE THE TELEPHONE NUMBERS THAT YOU HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF REACHING A REAL LIVE HUMAN BEING!

FOR THE ACT:

1-319-337-1270

FOR THE SAT:

1-866-756-7346

REMEMBER IF YOU ARE DIALING FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES YOU WILL HAVE TO USE THE APPROPRIATE COUNTRY CODE AND APPROPRIATE INTERNATIONAL DIALING SEQUENCE FROM YOUR COUNTRY.

HOW FAST CAN YOU GET YOUR ACT OR SAT SCORES?

2011-04-27T14:25:00.003-05:00

THE ABSOLUTE BEST WAY AND FASTEST WAY TO GET YOUR SCORES IS TO CHECK THEM ONLINE. USUALLY SCORES (EXCLUDING THE ESSAYS) ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE APPROXIMATELY 2.5 WEEKS OR MORE AFTER YOU TOOK THE TEST. THE ESSAY SCORES COME ABOUT 2 WEEKS AFTER THE ORIGINAL SCORES.

AGAIN, THE WEBSITES ARE:

ACT:

WWW.ACT.ORG

SAT:

WWW.COLLEGEBOARD.COM

CAN YOU REGISTER FOR THE ACT, SAT I, AND SAT II'S ONLINE?

2011-04-27T14:23:00.003-05:00

YOU BET YOU CAN! YOU CAN DO ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING ONLINE FOR THE SAT AND THE ACT BY GOING TO THEIR WEBSITES:

FOR THE ACT:

WWW.ACT.ORG

FOR THE SAT I AND SAT II:

WWW.COLLEGEBOARD.COM

HOW MANY TIMES EACH YEAR IS THE SAT I AND SAT II OFFERED?

2011-04-27T14:15:00.003-05:00

THERE ARE 7 DATES FOR YOU TO TAKE THE SAT I PER YEAR. THERE ARE 6 DATES THAT YOU CAN TAKE THE SAT II. YOU CANNOT TAKE THE SAT I AND THE SAT II'S ON THE SAME DATE.

PLEASE SEE THIS LINK BELOW FOR ALL DATES, PRICES, DEADLINES, ETC.

http://sat.collegeboard.com/register/sat-dates

HOW MANY TIMES EACH YEAR IS THE ACT OFFERED?

2011-04-27T14:08:00.006-05:00

THE ACT IS OFFERED EACH YEAR APPROXIMATELY SIX TIMES. HERE ARE THE CURRENT LISTINGS AS OF 2011:

SEPTEMBER 11, 2010
OCTOBER 23, 2010
DECEMBER 11, 2010
FEBRUARY 12, 2011
APRIL 9, 2011
JUNE 11, 2011

IF YOU NEED TO CHECK THE REGISTRATION DEADLINES, LATE REGISTRATION DEADLINES, PRICE FOR THE TESTS, ETC. PLEASE GOTO: WWW.ACTSTUDENT.ORG/REGIST/DATES.HTML

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO TAKE THE SAT II SUBJECT TESTS?

2011-03-30T15:27:00.006-05:00

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO TAKE THE SAT II SUBJECT TESTS?

I HEAR THIS OFTEN. THERE ARE TWO MAIN POINTS REGARDING THIS TOPIC:

1) IT IS BETTER TO GET MOST OF YOUR ACT AND SAT I TESTING DONE BEFORE DEVOTING MAJOR TIME TO THESE. REMEMBER, ACT AND SAT I SCORES ARE MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO GETTING INTO COLLEGE THAN SUBJECT TESTS.

2) HOWEVER, IF YOU ARE TAKING A COURSE THAT ENDS NEAR AN SAT II SUBJECT TEST DATE THEN IT WOULD BE BEST TO TAKE THE SUBJECT TEST ON THAT TOPIC AS CLOSE TO THE FINAL EXAM OR AFTER THE FINAL EXAM FOR THAT COURSE. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU ARE TAKING US WORLD HISTORY YOUR JUNIOR YEAR AND YOU ARE TAKING YOUR FINAL EXAM OR AP EXAM IN MAY OF YOUR JUNIOR YEAR FOR THIS COURSE THEN IT WOULD BE A SUPERB IDEA TO TAKE THE MAY OR JUNE SAT II SUBJECT TEST IN THIS TOPIC.

3) YOU CAN TAKE UP TO THREE (3) SUBJECT TESTS IN ONE SITTING. YOU CANNOT TAKE THE SAT I AND THEN TAKE SAT II SUBJECT TESTS AT THE SAME SITTING. IDEALLY, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU ONLY TAKE TWO SUBJECT TESTS ON A DATE RATHER THAN 3. 3 SUBJECT TESTS IS VERY DEMANDING FOR THE SAME DAY.

ALL SUBJECT TESTS ARE ONE HOUR LONG AND THEY ARE GRADED OUT OF 800 POINTS JUST LIKE THE SAT I. THEY ARE GRADED ON A MUCH MORE LIBERAL SCALE THAN THE SAT I (IN OTHER WORDS, YOU CAN MISS A LOT MORE QUESTIONS AND STILL GET A GOOD SCORE). A VERY GOOD SCORE WOULD BE CONSIDERED AROUND 600. IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE COLLEGE YOU WOULD NEED A SCORE AROUND 700. MANY COLLEGES JUST "REQUIRE" THE SAT II SUBJECT TESTS AND SUPPOSEDLY DON'T USE THEM FOR ADMISSIONS PURPOSES. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT - ESPECIALLY FOR MORE COMPETITIVE COLLEGES. MOREOVER, IF A COLLEGE REQUIRES OR RECOMMENDS OR SUGGESTS YOU TAKE THE SAT II SUBJECT TESTS YOU SHOULD TAKE THEM!!

DO ALL COLLEGES TAKE THE ACT?

2011-03-01T13:03:00.004-06:00

GOSH YES! ALMOST EVERY SINGLE COLLEGE IN THE USA TAKES BOTH THE ACT AND THE SAT. YOU MIGHT FIND AN EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE, BUT I HAVE YET IN 30 YEARS TO FIND ANY COLLEGE THAT DOES NOT TAKE THE ACT. IT IS A TOTAL FALSEHOOD THAT COLLEGES WON'T TAKE THE ACT. THEY RESPECT BOTH TESTS EQUALLY, AND IN FACT MANY ADMISSIONS PERSONS THAT I HAVE PERSONALLY SPOKEN WITH OFF THE RECORD TELL ME THAT THEY PREFER THE ACT BECAUSE IT REFLECTS MORE ACCURATELY WHAT THE STUDENT HAS LEARNED IN HIGH SCHOOL!! THEY VERY WELL KNOW THAT THE SAT I HAS ALL SORTS OF TRICKERY ON IT AND IS TOO LONG.

WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE SAYING THAT THE ACT IS EASIER THAN THE SAT?

2011-03-01T12:57:00.005-06:00

GOSH I HEAR THAT ALMOST EVERY DAY IN MY TUTORING BUSINESS FROM STUDENTS AND PARENTS. THEY ARE SAYING THAT BECAUSE IT IS QUITE FRANKLY TRUE RIGHT NOW AS OF JANUARY 2011. IT HAS BEEN TRUE SINCE MARCH 2005 THAT THE ACT IS "EASIER" THAN THE SAT.

THE ACT IS A MUCH SHORTER TEST THAN THE SAT AND HAS MUCH LESS TRICKERY ON IT. IT ALSO HAS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS READING ON IT THAN THE SAT. IT IS EASIER FOR ME TO GET A STUDENT A GREAT GRADE ON THE ACT IN LESS TIME THAN IT TAKES FOR THE SAT. THE ACT ALSO HAS NO GUESSING PENALTY ON IT LIKE THE SAT. HAVING NO GUESSING PENALTY AUTOMATICALLY GIVES YOU A 20-25% CHANCE OF GUESSING A QUESTION CORRECTLY! SO YOU HAVE A BUILT IN CURVE OF 20-25% ON THE ACT. THE ACT ALSO AVERAGES ALL 4 SECTIONS OF THE TEST FOR ONE FINAL SCORE WHEREAS THE SAT SHOWS THREE SEPERATE SCORES (SO ON THE ACT LET'S SAY IF YOU ARE POOR IN READING IT IS MUCH EASIER TO HIDE THAT FACT VS THE SAT).

DO COLLEGES READ THE ESSAYS ON THE ACT AND SAT?

2011-03-01T12:53:00.004-06:00

YES! COLLEGES DO RECEIVE YOUR ACT AND OR SAT ESSAYS AND THEY ABSOLUTELY DO READ THEM. THEY CONSIDER THE ESSAYS ON THE ACT AND OR SAT TO BE "UNPOLLUTED", THAT MEANS THAT NO ONE CAN COACH YOU ON THOSE ESSAYS SINCE YOU ARE DOING THEM DURING THE ACT OR SAT; THE ESSAYS ARE PURELY FROM YOU. SO IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO TAKE THESE ESSAYS SERIOUSLY AS COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PERSONNEL DO READ THEM. ALSO, ON THE SAT I THE ESSAY CAN HAVE A DRAMATIC EFFECT ON YOUR OVERALL WRITING SCORE. SO YOU REALLY NEED TO DO YOUR BEST ON THE ESSAY ON THE SAT AND ACT. THE ESSAY ON THE ACT IS HANDLED A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY GRADING WISE; THEY REPORT THE ESSAY SCORE AND THEN A COMBINED ENGLISH/ESSAY SCORE. COLLEGES DO SEE ALL OF THE SCORES FOR THE ESSAYS.