debbiestier

Somehow, someway….this one seems like he’s baked...

Sat, 26 May 2012 08:45:10 -0400

Somehow, someway….this one seems like he’s baked just right….

I think it must be the school...or maybe he’s got my dad’s good genes. All I know is that he’s like the the north star when the going gets tough.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands during challenge and controversy.”

— Martin Luther King

I won’t lie, junior year has been grueling chez nous, but...

Sun, 20 May 2012 15:51:57 -0400

I won’t lie, junior year has been grueling chez nous, but with some serious high points too. Still savoring the flavor of those college tours. Can’t wait to do more….

Everything I Learned About the SAT...in One Little Interview

Sun, 20 May 2012 07:34:14 -0400

Everything I Learned About the SAT...in One Little Interview

If you’re taking the SAT this Saturday….a few things...

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:15:41 -0400

If you’re taking the SAT this Saturday….a few things to consider.

7 SATs + 10 months = my 2011. Check out the SAT Resources, Tips, and FAQ pages for frequent updates about what I learned.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

I

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 21:38:00 -0400

Renee & Jeremy ALWAYS make me smile.

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:13:17 -0400

Renee & Jeremy ALWAYS make me smile.

Half the time I’m completely winging this motherhood business.”...

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:11:00 -0500

Half the time I’m completely winging this motherhood business.” – Anne Lamott

I haven’t taken the time to fully explain what this Perfect Score Project is, and what it is not. But I plan to. In fact, I’m writing a book that explains the whole kit and caboodle.

I can tell you that it isn’t what the New York Post wrote (see annotations in link), and that the Huffington Post got it RIGHT (thanks to a super smart mom, who’s been there).

I will say this, for now, and then I have to get back to work:

When I started this project, back in early 2011, I thought, as long as I have to look into this test prep thing for my own kids, and, given that I seem to be the only oneleft on the planet who finds the joy of the SAT, I might as well share what I learn along the way, right? Maybe spare others some wheel-spinning, money-wasting, anxiety-producing overwhelming high-stakes investigation energy?

I had noble intentions, I assure you.

Unless you’ve lived through this magilla of a process as a parent, in recent times I might add, no judging!

Here’s a video that explains a little more (I hope) of what I was thinking, and how it went.

My Next Math Tutor: Governor Paterson

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:32:27 -0500

Was interviewed by former Governor David Paterson yesterday on WOR 710.

About halfway through the interview, he does a fun little party trick with my birthday date. I don’t know about you, but I’m impressed.

Governor Paterson, when can we start?

7 SATs + 10 months = my 2011. Check out the SAT Resources, Tips, and FAQ pages for frequent updates about what I learned.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

For The Record…..

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:37:38 -0500

I love 2012 for a whole lotta of reasons, one of which is that I can post someone else’s media story with my own personal corrections. (How great is that, right?)

Believe me, I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth, and I know very well how this all works (i.e. like that game of “telephone”), and Tara, the writer, was wonderful and smart….

….but, since this is 2012, and I can write my own corrections to her story, I’m going to take this opportunity to make just a few little changes here, in my own edition, where I’m the narrator… (Have we discussed the Rachomon Effect?):

And….a few clarifying links to fill in the color:

SAT Prep on a Budget (which is what I’m on….and when I got back, this is how I’m going to do it).
Re-centered SAT Scores.
Getting an 80 0 felt Amazing. I WANT ANOTHER ONE!!!!
A few posts about the rule breaking proctor, which prompted that “intimidated” comment.

7 SATs + 10 months = my 2011. Check out the SAT Resources, Tips, and FAQ pages for frequent updates about what I learned.

Little baby moo stickers: They’re like chicken pox. Or...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:11:22 -0500

Little baby moo stickers: They’re like chicken pox. Or thin mints. I can’t stop once i start….so cute. So addictive.

Round Numbers and SAT Scores

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:16:20 -0500

Researchers Uri Simonsohn and Devin Pope conducted an experiment to find out whether round numbers act as performance goals for test takers.

“We found that high school juniors were at least 10 to 20 percentage points more likely to retake the SAT if their total score ended in 90 (e.g., 1190) than if it ended in the most proximate 00 (e.g., 1200).”

Turns out that round number scores influence retaking decisions because of their effect on motivation. In other words, a student will try harder the second time if the first score is 580 rather than 610.

It’s like pricing something at $9.99 rather than $10.00 – you’re more likely to purchase at $9.99.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

I feel so old all of the sudden (circa Risky Business)

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:57:47 -0500

I feel so old all of the sudden
(circa Risky Business)

Wait…Score Choice and Superscoring…Can You Do Both?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:22:00 -0500

FAQ #4

Q. What’s the deal with Score Choice and Superscoring?

A. Thank heavens for reliable sources.* I can never remember the answer to this question.

Here’s hoping it sticks this time…..

1)Score Choice:

This means that *you* can pick which scores to send. Most schools will let you do this, but a handful (GW, Georgetown, Stanford, and Yale come to mind offhand) will not.

Say you take the SAT three times. Score choice means that you can choose to send one, two, or three of those scores. Say you blew the first test completely, did best on Math on test #2, and did best on CR and W on test #3. You would ignore #1 and send two and three because of……

2) Superscoring:

This is what *colleges* do to position themselves best in the rankings. So if you submit scores from tests #2 and #3, they’ll take the highest M, CR, and W from those two tests and look only at those. They’ll see the other scores you got on those tests, but they won’t count them. And yes, they really do ignore the other scores, unless there’s clearly something very weird going on. It’s majorly in their interest to do so.

*Thank you Erica!

And two cents more from another reliable source, Philip Keller, whose talk about prepping for the SAT is worth every minute of your time to watch:

Super Scoring is the practice of claiming credit for a combined score that is based on components scores taken on different days. You can do it on the part of your application where YOU enter your scores, and colleges will confirm your claim by looking at your official score reports, seeing all of them but looking at your best numbers. Still, a real clunker can’t be a good thing. So you wouldn’t go in and intentionally let one area bomb, counting on Superscoring to bail you out.

And notice that it’s hard to make use of score choice AND super scoring unless you happen to have all your best scores clustered in one or two sittings.

7 SATs + 10 months = my 2011. Check out the SAT Resources, Tips, andFAQ pages for frequent updates about what I learned.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

The Xiggi Method

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:39:00 -0500

The legendary (and yet strangely elusive) “Xiggi Method,” is solid SAT advice from a regular College Confidential contributor. There are nearly 1000 comments about “the method” — to give you some idea of the level of status this advice has achieved.

Personally, I don’t agree with everything Xiggi advises (e.g. I’m not sure you have to buy tons of SAT books. I did that; it didn’t work.) But, I’d say that I agree with about 90% of the “Xiggi Method.”

The method also includes a few interesting and unique pieces of advice, such as taking a few practice tests with the answers in front of you so you can study the correct choices. Hummmm…..interesting; I wish I’d tried that.

Bottom Line: I think the 15 page “Xiggi Method“ is well worth taking the time to read.

Doing my best to share everything I learned about the SAT last year (7 SATs in 10 months). Check back for frequent updates to the SAT Resources and SAT Tips pages.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

The fruits of procrastination. Next stop, Etsy.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:28:14 -0500

The fruits of procrastination.

Next stop, Etsy.

Tip #17 (she says with confidence)

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:05:00 -0500

Tip #17

Sentence Completion (aka the Vocab Questions):

On this one you really should take my advice, because I only got one wrong out of 7 SATs last year (yes, I’m bragging, but my Math score entitles me to brag about my Reading and Writing scores.)

Ok, here’s “The Method”: Any time you don’t know a word, look it up. Period. End of story.** Even if you got the question right. Then, use these words often, even at the risk of using them incorrectly (see The Essential Mistake). I’m a big fan of Wordnick (puts them in context); I’m also a believer in homemade flashcards. When you’re taking the SAT, read the sentence, then jot down the first words that come to mind (even if they’re not “the big fancy vocab words”). Pick the word you feel most strongly about (if there are two blanks), and see which one (or two) works in the answer choices.

CROSS OUT WRONG ANSWERS — as in, put a line through them and get them out of your line of vision. You’ll most likely be down to two answers by this point. Then, look at the second word you jotted down and see which of the two answers left works. This is as much about the process of elimination as is about knowing the definitions of the words.

Oh, and one more thing: Beware of the backwards words (i.e. those words that make the answer the opposite of what you’re thinking — words such as “however” or “but,” etc.).

**Okay, I know you’re not going to really do this (I have two teenagers, don’t forget). But, even if you do this 75% of the time — ok, even 60% of the time…..you will do significantly better.

Doing my best share everything I learned about the SAT last year (7 SATs over the course of 10 months). Check on the SAT Resources and SAT Tips pages for frequent updates.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

7 SATs Later, Sharing What I Learned

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:49:00 -0500

Updating the Resource Page daily. Attempting to share everything I learned, post-7 SATs. (I feel like I need a tag line: “I made mistakes so you don’t have to,”….or “Do as I say, not as I did,”…or something like that.)

OFFICIAL College Board Solutions to the Blue Book. Incidentally, I didn’t always find these to be the most helpful.
Additional Blue Book Solutions: The Khan Academy, PWNtheSAT Blue Book Solutions, The Blue Book Blog.
Have an SAT Question? Thorough, FREE, and prompt responses from a 2400 scoring tutor.
Think your SAT was scored incorrectly? Here are instructions for Score Verification.
There are mistakes in the 2nd edition of the College Board Blue Book. Here is the Errata Sheet with correct answers.
Blue Book Database by Question Type (all 3 sections): PowerScore SAT Prep has a ton of great resources on their website….for free, including this database of all 3 sections of the Blue Book, categorized by question type.
Prepping on a Budget: Here is a surefire SAT Prep plan for under $250. You must be methodical with this recipe. Veer at your own risk.
Calculator Advice: I spent a month trying to learn the Ti-89 (it does algebra, if you can figure it out, which I couldn’t). Ultimately, I used the Ti-84 and became very comfortable with all the buttons I needed (e.g. Graphing, Math/Frac, etc.). That said, an expensive calculator is not necessary and the SAT is “calculator optional.” Read this blog post from Bell Curves that says everything you need to know about calculators and the SAT.

If you found these SAT resources helpful, check back in on the Resource Page every once in a while. I’m attempting to update it daily as I go through my SAT notes over the course of last year.

Also, Two Highly Recommended, FREE SAT Test Prep Opportunities:

1) SAT Info Video Chat:

Philip Keller, veteran SAT tutor, and author of The New Math SAT Game Plan, will be discussing “Going it Alone: Math SAT Prep Without a Tutor or Course” on February 9, 2012 at 3 pm via video chat.

I discovered Keller from “the smart people” (on such matters as math and education). Added bonus: by registering, you become eligible for $1000 scholarship.

2) Awesome SAT Math Book:

To win a free copy of the PWN the SAT Math Guide, follow this link for details.

Incidentally, this book is very highly regarded by 16 year old son, who fortunately, is MUCH better at SAT Math than his mother turned out to be. One of my favorite aspects of this project was having my son explain the math to me.

Attempting to share everything I learned about the SAT last year (7 SATs in 10 months). Check out the SAT Resources and SAT Tips pages for frequent updates.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

PWN the SAT Q&A: Want a free copy of the PWN the SAT Math Guide?

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:37:11 -0500

PWN the SAT Q&A: Want a free copy of the PWN the SAT Math Guide?:

pwnthesat:

The whole reason I started PWN the SAT is that I think good, solid test prep advice should be available to everyone, not just people who have access to top-notch tutors or prep courses. That’s why the content on my sites will always be free, and although I am selling a book now (I need…

Filling Up that Page, Tip by SAT Tip

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:23:29 -0500

Medium Questions have Medium Answers: If you’re working too hard on an easy question (i.e. the beginning of a section), you’re probably doing something wrong. Similarly, if you come to an answer too easily at the end of a section (especially Math, though maybe that’s just me) — you’ve probably done something wrong too. This does not apply to the Critical Reading passages which are not in order of difficulty. (Special delivery from Stacey Howe-Lott.)
Calculators: The Ti-89 does algebra for you — if you can figure it out (I couldn’t). Ultimately, I used the Ti-84 which has a lot of useful buttons (Math/Frac, Graphing, etc.) — but it’s expensive ($135 new, though offered for much less on discount sites), and it’s not really necessary. Read this Bell Curves blog post to find out everything you need to know on the matter of the SAT and calculators.
Writing Section: Read every single word and complete all exercises in Erica Meltzer’s The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar. Just do it; don’t even think about it. I couldn’t have told you the first thing about dangling modifiers or gerunds or subjunctives, until I read that book — 45 years old at the time, mind you. And, I scored an 800 on the Writing Section after that book, ok? I’m saying run, don’t walk, to get yourself a copy.
The Essay: Practice writing one per day (or at least a few per week), timed with College Board essay prompts, for the few months leading up to the SAT. Try to get a few people who know about “standardized writing” to score the essays for you. Note: “standardized writing” is not necessarily the same thing as plain old “good writing.” Read these few posts for more on that topic.

If you want to see more tips like these, click on the Tips Page of this site. I’m doing my best to fill up those pages/boxes on the righthand side of this site with all the info I learned over the course of last year.

Or maybe I’m just procrastinating from what I should be doing right now (i.e. writing a book about this SAT experience) because someone told me my site looked like it needed freshening up.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

I Love A Great Quote

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:20:38 -0500

If you’re taking the SAT tomorrow, don’t forget these wise words:

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

— Winston Churchill

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis