About the author: I’m Karli Ching and I graduated with C.K. McClatchy High School’s Class of 2015. I attend University of California, Davis as a biological sciences major pre-med student. ____________________________________________________ When I was taking the ACT for the second time during my senior year in October, I was taking it to improve my math score…
Tag: Standardized tests
Guest Post: SAT: Stressful Anxiety Time
About the Author: After being accepted to four year college, but choosing to postpone going to college in favor of pursing a career as a cyclist, David in his spare time works at Hubbubbaloo Creative. In the following, he offers insights to the challenges in taking the SAT or ACT. __________________________________________________ It’s a cold Saturday morning. You pull…
The Changes to the SAT
The College Board will give the revised version of the SAT for the first time in March 2016. The revised version of the SAT will still include a Critical Reading, Math and a Writing portion; however, the Writing section will be optional. College admissions offices are slowly addressing the changes in the SAT format, yet…
Stamina, Attitude and Tranquility: Essential SAT & ACT Skills
At approximately 4 hours of testing time, the SAT and ACT measure the endurance of a student, as much as their knowledge and ability to reason. Test taking skills can help students access their knowledge during the long testing period, and pace themselves appropriately. Padma, CMC’s resident 8 year old Renaissance Man, shares the following test…
Got Scantron Nightmares?
Say, “S-A-T” or “A-C-T” to a high school junior, and watch their whole demeanor change. The idea that a test score that will be considered as part of a future college application can provoke a racing pulse and perspiration. A typical conversation with Juniors about the SAT and ACT goes something like this:
Ahead of the Curve: March 18, 2014
From Our Clients: The New SAT: current high school freshman (Class of 2017) will be the first students to take the recently updated SAT. The newest version with an optional essay section, will be given for the first time in Spring 2016. Stay tuned for how the new SAT will or will not affect the college…
Scantron Nightmares
Say, “S-A-T” or “A-C-T” to a high school junior, and watch their whole demeanor change. The idea that a test score that will be considered as part of a future college application can provoke a racing pulse and perspiration. A typical conversation with Juniors about the SAT and ACT goes something like this:
Test Taking Tips
As high school Juniors prepare for the SAT and ACT this spring, some test taking tips from Creative Marbles favorite, eight-year old commentator, who offers his thoughts about getting ready for exam time. As an added bonus, his advice can help with everyday classroom tests as well.
When and How Do I Prepare for the SAT and ACT?
The three hours and forty five minutes of SAT and ACT testing time tests patience, as much as knowledge. However, developing mental stamina to endure the testing experience, as well as learning to perform under timed conditions, can come with effort and a little foresight. First, reviewing previous test-taking experiences can help expose areas of…
Go Slow. You’ll Know.
Knowing is not that difficult, in theory. Inherently, we know. Yet, in reality, acquiring knowledge can take practice to refine. To gain knowledge is a process, repeated over and over. First, calm down. (Not always simple to do, or just a matter of some deep breathing.). Then, listen. (Again, not always easy, especially when feeling…
ACT vs. SAT
Since college admissions officers will consider the highest score on either the SAT or ACT (and in some cases mix and match the highest subsection scores from multiple SAT test dates, aka “Superscoring”), then students often ask me, “Should I take both tests?” Students are usually trying to determine which test will merit them the…
Change Comes, Even for the SAT
The College Board recently announced that the SAT will be considered for revisions, although no time frame for a revised test to be used by students and colleges was stated. Despite speculation about why the SAT is being revised, given the previous changes were made only a decade ago, the reality for prospective college applicants…
Scantron Tests: A Jedi Mind Trick?
Ever marked three of the same letter answers in a row and seriously start questioning the correctness of your thinking on a Scantron answer sheet? Double checking and triple checking your work–as the minutes tick by and you become more frantic to finish the test before the period is up? And, you know in the…
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…