The concern behind the questions in the title is “what do I have to do in order to get a score that will get me into college?” Both parents and students share these concerns. However, the answers to their concerns are varied–not standard–which can both alleviate and increase concerns.
Tag: ACT/SAT
Only 4% the Class of 2012 SAT Takers Scored 2100+
Ok. Ok. Mention the SAT to any senior and their parents, then take a step back. The anxiety of a 3 hour and 45 minute test, on top of the concerns about being accepted to a college or not, with the effort of 16-17 years worth of homework and driving all over the state for…
ACT & SAT Test Prep is Not Like Studying for a Regular Test
Preparing for the ACT or SAT is two fold: content review and building test taking skills. The ACT and SAT are unlike other tests students regularly take for high school classes. For example, rarely does a math or science teacher give a multiple choice exam, so students need to be familiar with solving math problems…
SAT & ACT Preparation: A Lesson With “Should” and “Don’t Want to…”
The existence of SAT & ACT prep courses, books, tutors, online questions, etc. shows that with practice a student has the possibility of increasing her/his scores. Yet, when it comes to practicing, who wants to sit down with a 600+ pages thick, 8.5″ x 11″, doorstop looking, test prep book by oneself or in a…
Reading Does Not Make You a Nerd
It’s summer. Hot (read: reason to stay inside). No school (read: students have LOTS of free time, for which their parents’ intentions and their own intentions may differ). So, its the season for numerous media articles lamenting “summer slide” or students “forgetting” the academic information from the previous school year to features of popular…
Standardized Testing: The Good, The Bad and A Hmmmm…Moment
Bob Schaeffer of FairTest, an organization committed to a fair use of standardized testing in K-12 schools and college admissions, recently spoke with Creative Marbles about assessments. Our conversation reminded me of questions I’ve been asking since I was a beginning teacher, “How do we know (i.e. grasp clearly in the mind) what another has…
Low SAT Score = Total Failure? NOT
“If I don’t get a high score on the SAT (or ACT), I’m never getting into college, then I’ll be a total failure, all these AP classes will have been for nothing and I’ll be homeless!” Many of the juniors and seniors (and their parents) we advise sense some variation of this stress–which is a…
3 hours and 45 minutes…Preparing for the SAT or ACT
The ACT with Writing and the SAT are 3 hours and 45 minutes of testing time alone; not to mention–given on a Saturday morning, requiring teenagers to arrive at the testing center by 7:45 am, and can be a 5 hour endeavor with the standard breaks and registration checks. Plus, these can seem like “the…
What’s Test Optional Admissions?
While many colleges require students to take the SAT or ACT (with or with the Writing exam) as part of admissions, a number of colleges don’t require students to take the tests or report scores as part of an application process. Test optional admissions policies sometimes ask students to send additional letters of recommendation or…
ACT & SAT Scores Can Affect Financial Aid, Too
Many families ask Creative Marbles about preparing for the ACT and/or SAT, as a way to boost a students’ competitiveness for admissions. There’s another reason to prepare. Merit aid scholarships can be awarded on a sliding scale, based on ACT & SAT scores and GPA–as scores and GPA increases, the amount of merit aid increases.…