debbiestier

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

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

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

Some may call this procrastination….and maybe this is why...

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:52:28 -0500

Some may call this procrastination….and maybe this is why I didn’t get a perfect score on that SAT…but I don’t know…I like them. In fact, I LOVE them.

And the itsy bitsy little baby moo stickers are the funnest thing I’ve encountered in a very long time. They’re like the thin mint of stickers. I can’t stop myself.

SAT Prep On A Budget

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:12:00 -0500

Are you living on a shoestring? (Me too, by the way.)

Do not fret about this SAT thing — I’ve got you covered.

But…..(big big BUT) — You must follow this plan methodically. Veer at your own risk. I learned my lesson.

Ok, here goes — 10 easy (haha) steps to great SAT prep:

THE Surefire $218 46-Week SAT Test Prep Plan*:

End of 10th grade, start yourself an 18 month calendar (free, from Google). Mark on the calendar every single SAT that takes place over the course of these 18 months — from fall of junior year, through fall of senior year. The official SAT test dates are posted on the College Board’s website. And if they’re not posted yet, use past test dates as place-holders until the official dates are posted. They’ll be roughly the same.
Also, mark down your school vacations, midterms, finals, AP exams, etc. onto this calendar so you can see which SAT dates fit best with your schedule.
Buy The Official SAT Study Guide (aka “The Blue Book”). It’s $13.00 on Amazon, and includes 10 practice SATs. Solutions to the Blue Book can be found on the College Board’s website, and about a million other places on the internet.
Get yourself a Ti-84 Graphing Calculator if you don’t already have one for school. The price is $135 — but, you can find them for much less on discount sites.
Download these three (free) official College Board SATs: January 2006 SAT, October 2005 SAT, and March 2005 SAT. Now you’re up to 13 official tests for study material.
If you can spare another $70, enroll in the College Board Online Course. It’s $10 less if you purchase the Blue Book at the same time from the College Board’s website. The course includes 10 more practice tests. Note: Not all practice material is created equal. It is an essential ingredient in this SAT recipe, that you use “official” College Board material. Read this post (and comments) for more details about this matter.
Block off a 5 hour chunk of time, every other weekend. Put it down on your calendar well in advance. That’s booked solid time for you. You’re not available then … because this is when you will be taking the 23 full, timed, practice SATs I just told you about. Use a timer, take your 5 minute breaks, and make every effort to mimic an authentic SAT experience (e.g. use the bubble sheets, an experimental section, etc.). The SAT is as much about endurance, stamina, focus, and performance — as it is about knowing the core material (cold). Incidentally, I did not follow this full-timed-test advice until the bitter end. Turns out I’m stubborn. What can I say… I thought I was “different.”
Correct your SAT, and spend the next two weeks hunting down the soutions to every-single-question you got wrong. Use the College Board’s Solutions, try the Khan Academy, College Confidential — whatever. Just make sure you know why the right answer is right. In fact, know that “why” so well you can teach it to your teacher.
If you still don’t understand the answer, ask your teachers at school. And if you’re still stuck, put a question in the online hopper of this 2400 scoring tutor, and he’ll get back to you with alacrity, precision, and accessibility — and maybe even a little whiff of humor — if you play your cards right.
Ok, you’re not going to like me for this, but I’m going to say it anyway: Look up every-single-word you don’t know on that SAT — even if you got the question right. (I know I know…my son gives me a very hard time over this one.) Keep a list of these words on Wordnick, make flash cards, test yourself, have others test you — and in short, make abundant use of these words in conversation (expect looks of shock and awe), and weave them into your school papers…often. Fringe benefit: you will get better grades while studying for the SAT.

*This SAT plan is the advice of an extremely smart, well-educated and lovely —not to mention highly exclusive, SAT tutor. It also happens to be the exact same very first piece of advice that I was told by another, very smart and lovely, well-educated, MIT-SAT-score-worthy friend.

Of course, I did not follow his advice. But for those of you out there who would like to do well on a shoestring budget:

Do as I say, not as I did.

Ok, one more point to make:

This plan requires the student to be motivated and methodical, and I do realize that this could be a challenge for some people (e.g. me….surprise). The fact that I was described as “disorganized” and “not methodical” on more than one occasion over the course of this year, kills me. I spend a lot of time and effort organizing myself — not to mention I take great pride in my organizational tools; I consider myself to be aesthetically gifted in the area of methods to madness.

If this feels like it might be “you” — like you and I could be birds of a feather — here’s an alternative to try:

Call the best test prep company in your area and see if they offer scholarship opportunities for motivated and deserving students. For instance, the Advantage Testing Foundation is an offshoot of Advantage Tutoring — and let me just say, speaking from a firsthand (though way too brief) experience — this route can beextremely efficient (not to mention a lot of fun).

All I’m saying is that you never know unless you ask.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

I Believe I Was Stymied Enough For All of Us

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:28:00 -0500

It’s always hard to see your story distilled into a couple of paragraphs — but I’ll tell you this: that one lone little 800 still makes me feel good, all these months later — especially when I see it in print like that.

Trust me when I say, get yourself an 800 — it feels good — and it’s a good that keeps on giving. I need to break that baby out when I’m feeling down. Seeing it in print like that made me realize, I’ve got a little mood alterer here.

Here’s a link to the story below in the February issue of Westchester Magazine.

If I could leave you with one piece of advice, having learned from the error of my ways, here it is:

Be Methodical

Ok, got it?

Don’t worry if not — I’ve got a blog post on the matter that’s marinating.

Avoiding “The Porkchop” — And Other Things You May Not Have Thought Of

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:25:00 -0500

….Tip by Tip….

The Curve: Don’t spend your time worrying about the SAT Curve. For more details, check out this post.

QAS: When you sign up for the SAT, order the Question-and-Answer Service (aka QAS) if you plan on taking the SAT again. It’s an extra $18, but well worth it because you get back the test booklet of the test you took. The QAS comes in the mail (not online with your scores) about 6-8 weeks after you take the SAT. If you miss it during the sign up, you can always order it later. The QAS is only available for the SATs given in the months of January, May, and October.

SAS (not to be confused with the QAS) is the “Student and Answer Service” that’s available for non-QAS months. The cost is $13.50, and you can order it at the time of SAT registration, or after the fact. The SAS is a simple report that shows you which answers you got right and wrong. Helpful, not essential.

When to begin test prep: Allow for 2-3 academic semesters (i.e. approximately one full year…or more) to prepare for the SAT. That will take the pressure off, and allow you to learn the material in a deeper, more gentle manner. I do realize that many people will balk at this time frame — but seriously, if you want to do well, that’s what it takes. Plus, the type of “test prep” I’m referring to is actually learning material that will serve you well in school too (e.g. vocab, grammar, etc.).

Tutoring: The right tutor will help you be more efficient, but, a) make sure you have “the right” tutor (more on that later), and b) hiring a tutor isn’t the only way to do well on the SAT.

Preparing for the SAT on a shoestring budget: Buy a College Board Blue Book ($13.00/includes 10 official SATs), and print out the 3 official tests on the College Board website: January 2006 SAT, October 2005 SAT, and March 2005 SAT. Take a full, timed, SAT one morning each weekend (allow about 4-5 hours, and make the experience as close as possible to the real thing). Then, spend the next week (or two) correcting the test until you have a deep understanding of each and every problem that you got wrong — including all of the vocabulary you didn’t know, even if you got that question right. There are a gillion renditions of Blue Book explanations online — from the Khan Academy to College Confidential. Also, you can use your English and Math teachers as a resource.

Know your test taking rights: Read pages 1-11 of this ETS test day manual before taking the SAT. Here’s my ”broken rule” experience, which, incidentally, was reflected in my score that month.

You are entitled to a quiet room during the SAT, so be prepared to say something if the noise is bothering you. I found hallway noise to be distracting if the doors were open, but it took me until SAT #7 to realize I could let the proctor know before the test that I’d prefer the closed doors; she was extremely mindful of my request.

Sit in the front row if possible, so that you have less visual distractions. I only encountered “assigned seating” once in 7 SATs.

Keep your own time: Don’t count on the proctors (even though they are supposed to keep the time for you). Get an analog watch and set it back to 12:00 before each section so you don’t have to do any more mental calculations than necessary. Read this post for more details

A proper desk is important: Avoid the “deskette” experience (aka “the pork chop”). Having the proper desk space for a test booklet (8 x 11), answer sheet (8 x 11), pencils, and a calculator makes a difference. Ask your friends or call the SAT test coordinator for the test location to inquire. I’d even go so far as to say that I think it’s worth driving a bit further to get yourself to a proper desk. Pork chop desk shuffling adds unnecessary time and discombobulation to an already stressful experience.

Ok, I’m stopping here for the night but his list will continue to grow on the Tips Page of this site (middle, righthand side).

Coming soon(ish)…..

llustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

Slowly But Surely, Filling Up the Site with SAT Tips and Resources

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:01:12 -0500

Someone might as well benefit from all those SATs I took last year.

Resource and Tips pages will continue to be filled up over the next few days (weeks…..months)….Check out the links on the righthand navigation bar for updates.

And the Books page (my personal passion), well, stay tuned. If I learned nothing else last year, I have a visceral understanding now that everything takes more time than I think it will.

Score Decline: College Board Report on SAT Score Decline, 1977. Think: Mad Men meets the SAT. Fun to read…nostalgia.
Fair Test Rules: The SAT Standard Testing Room Manual published by ETS. READ PAGES 1-11 before taking the SAT (CAPs and BOLD on purpose, for emphasis). Know your rights as a test taker. You deserve a fair test experience. Not knowing your rights could be reflected in your score (said from firsthand experience). Read this post for more details.
Looking for your old SAT Scores? Click on this College Board link and follow the directions.
3 FREE Official College Board SATs: January 2006 SAT, October 2005 SAT, and March 2005 SAT.
Best SAT Sites: Credible information without having to wade through the College Board’s site (overwhelming) or College Confidential (the wild west): Erik the Red, PWNtheSAT, Ultimate SAT Verbal.

More more more tk soon…..

llustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

FAQ #3: Obtaining SAT Scores From Way Back When

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:29:00 -0500

FAQ #3:

Q. How can I find out my old SAT scores?

A. Click on this College Board link and follow the directions.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

Lorna Sheridan from Sonoma News included me in her education column: llustrations by Jennifer...

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:24:15 -0500

Lorna Sheridan from Sonoma News included me in her education column:

llustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

I’m still a book nut at heart. Thanks for sharing...

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:40:29 -0500

I’m still a book nut at heart.

Thanks for sharing @augustwren.

The SAT Curve

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:42:00 -0500

At least once a week, someone asks me some variation of: “What’s the best month to take the SAT?” ”Aren’t some tests harder than others?” “Shouldn’t I steer clear of October because that’s when all the smart kids take the SAT?” etc. etc. etc.

Without really knowing why I’m saying this, I always respond, “Don’t worry about it.” (Somehow, this just-above-average-SAT-math-scoring-brain knows, that’s why they call it “a curve.”)

I know, I know…there are some months when the test is easier or harder, and Erik the Red has posted everything there is to know about the history of such months, though I can’t find any pattern….

Personally, I don’t think it’s a good use of one’s most precious SAT resource (i.e. attention).

That said, I did take the time today to plot my SAT scores from 2011 on “the curve,” to see if there was any light to be shed from firsthand experience.

The short answer is, there isn’t (though if you see something relevant that I missed, please let me know).

Red is hard. Yellow is medium. Green is easy.

The little red boxes are my 2011 SAT Scores.

WRITING:

READING:

MATH:

And if you still need more convincing about this curve thing, read PWN the SAT’s post on the matter.

Incidentally, 1982 happens to be the nadir of SAT scores, as well as the year I first took the SAT in high school (twice). Erik the Red suggested that maybe I brought down the curve.

Haha.

Possibly.

But, my first thought was, “I knew it; I was hampered!” (Though hampered by what, I have no idea.)

I’m really looking forward to reading this College Board report about the score decline this evening, to see what they have to say about the matter.

From the top of page 44, (the summary chapter):

“If you turned to this concluding section for a quick and easy understanding of the panel’s views on the decline of test scores, you are indulging in a practice like some of the educational shortcuts that may have contributed to the decline.”

(Might that be a little bit of College Board humor?)

llustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

How To Tackle the Reading Section, and Other FAQs

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:21:00 -0500

One of the many joyful aspects of this project has been the encouraging emails, some of which ask questions that I always attempt to answer promptly, and with gusto.

(I’m not perfect though, so if I didn’t respond to your email with prompt gusto — I am so sorry. Email me again, ok? I have, on rare and desperate occasions, resorted to email bankruptcy.)

Anyhoo, a primary intention behind this project was always to share what I learned along the way, as much as it was about trying to get the perfect SAT score myself. Hopefully I can spare others some of the wheel-spinning I experienced.

Many of questions I receive are similar, so I’m going to attempt to house them on the FAQ tab of this site (righthand side).

The other place to check on the site for useful information (hopefully), is the Solutions tab (also located on the righthand side), where I attempted to share the lessons I learned along the way (for all three sections).

Ok, FAQ #1 (or some variation of), isthe most frequently asked FAQ:

Q. Could you share some tips on how to tackle the reading passages and how to know you’re picking the right answers?

A. Read the passage fast(ish), and the Q & Aslooooowwwwwly. Make sure you have a good, birds eye view, high level idea of what the passage is about.

When you get to the answer choices, you can often knock out 3 of them, just on the basis that they are silly, stupid, or obviously not right, which then gets you down to two answers to choose from.

If you have time to go back to the passage and clarify, do so. The experts say, “the answer is always in the passage” (I’d add to that, think synonym or ”word find”). But, if you’re anything like me, racing the clock is a legit challenge (and I’m an avid reader) — which then lead me to the “educated guesses” department.

If you are taking more than a minute to figure out the answer, skip that question and come back. But, be sure to circle it in your test booklet so you don’t forget to come back. I found that the answer would often clarify itself as I answered the other questions (does that make sense?!).

And, if you get back to that question, and time is running out and you still can’t figure it out, but you’ve got it down to two answers, choose the most innocuous one (i.e. the least restrictive). i.e. Imagine that the test makers don’t want to have any problems with a definitive answer that might not be definitive.

Steer clear of confining words such as “every,” “always,” “must,” etc. — and veer more towards words like “sometimes,” “usually,” and “often.” And, usually passages about artists, educators, minorities are sympathetic/positive in tone — so if they ask a question about tone, consider this SAT propensity.

But, this is a strategy to be used only if you can’t find the answer in the passage, and you are down to the wire on time. It’s not foolproof, and they could do just the opposite on the very next test. But, I’d call this an “educated guess.”

Oh, and here’s one more: When you see one of those “what does this word mean in context” questions in the Critical Reading passages section — replace the word in the passage with the words from the answer choices, one by one.

Just slot them right into the passage and see which one works. I found this made the answer super obvious and only one word seemed to fit each time. This turns this type of question into a 5 second q instead of a 30 second one.

Ok, that’s all for now. More FAQs tk. Hopefully tomorrow — and in the meantime, check out the Solutions page (scroll down) for more Critical Reading advice.

llustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

I love that my mom still sends me clippings. The day I hand in...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:01:38 -0500

I love that my mom still sends me clippings.

The day I hand in my book I’m re-activating my old fashioned subscription to the ny times. Can’t wait to see that yummy blue bag at my door again.

Good Poker Players Make Good SAT-Takers (And Other Quotable Moments)

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:21:00 -0500

I’ve spent the last few weeks gorging on books I’d set aside to read over the course of the past year.

One such book was None of the Above: Behind the Myth of Scholastic Aptitude by David Owen, which was published in 1985 — and while I can’t vouch for it’s accuracy all these years later (the SAT has morphed a few times since the book was published), I can attest to the fact that it has fully retained it’s entertainment value, and, it’s still loaded with valid SAT information.

Before I highlight some of my favorite quotes from the book, I want to qualify:

1) While much of this book falls in line with my personal SAT experience, the author’s indicting tone diverges from my own agenda. Personally, I haven’t taken the time to decide where I stand on the SAT, as it was never my priority to judge the test. My intention was to connect with my son and have a little bit of fun. (Mission accomplished, btw.)

2) My other intention was to share what we learned along the way, and hopefully spare others some test prep wheel-spinning. More to come on that front over the next few weeks.

Ok, here goes, a few of my favorite quotes (many abbreviated, which hopefully didn’t take them out of context):

This first quote is from the Introduction. I’ve said at least a zillion times, to all those who tell me how easy, or unfair the SAT is, ”Come on in! Get your feet wet — then let’s talk!” I’m not at all surprised by how reluctant even the most accomplished adults are, to re-take this test:

“Several years ago, Esquire asked me to call up a few dozen prominent media types and ask them to submit, all in good fun, to a special administration of the SAT. The idea was to find out whether New York’s cultural lions were really everything they were cracked up to be … The project was a spectacular failure. Of all the people I talked to, only one — P.J. O’Rourke, then the editor of the National Lampoon — agreed to take the test. Everyone else was horrified. …David Halberstam…George Plimpton…Frances Fitzgerald…Jules Feiffer … Susan Brownmiller…John Simon…Midge Decter…Wilfred Sheed…Gail Sheehy…Irving Kristol…

It’s quite astonishing, really, this fear and trembling about the SAT. The people I called were scholars and best-selling authors and winners of the Pulitzer Prizes. Their careers had been enviably successful by almost anyone’s definition. And yet, they were afraid to take a short multiple-choice test whose content doesn’t stray far beyond a high-school-level vocabulary and simple arithmetic.”

One of the many amusing snippets in the book is about ETS headquarters (which incidentally, is a stone’s throw from where I grew up):

“The not-for-profit are different from you and me. Tennis courts, a simming pool, a baseball diamond, a croquet lawn, a private hotel, 400 acres of woods and rolling hills, cavorting deer, a resident flock of Canada geese — I’m loving every minute here at the Educational Testing Service, the great untaxed, unregulated, unblinking eye of the American meritocracy.”

ETS sells the SAT scores (said boldly, on purpose). I feel like that point bears repeating, loudly, as most parents I know don’t realize that SAT scores can result in $$$ opportunities. Fine if you want to blow it off because you don’t believe in “standardized testing” (trust me, I’ve had my own come to jesus moments about what it means to be good — or not — at this test) — but just be aware that you’re potentially leaving money on the table by not buying in. I don’t know about you, but I’m not in any position to be thumbing my nose at opportunities to help pay for college, so if that means I’ve got to buy into this SAT thing, so be it. I’m in.

I’ve seen school administrators (including those in my own town) publicly condemn the SAT without mentioning to families that rejecting the test means forfeiting financial opportunities. Just so you know…..

“ETS collects information about participants in it’s Admissions Testing Program and sells it to colleges, foundations, military recruiters, and other ‘institutions, consortia, and scholarship agencies.”

The week before my final SAT, I had this epiphany that I was going about the Critical Reading section all wrong. I was focused on the author of the passages, while I should have been focusing on the author of the questions and answers. It seems so obvious now.

“In contrast to messy essay tests, ETS would have you believe, it’s multiple-choice questions and answers are scientifically designed and entirely above suspicion. But the truth is that these tests are written by ordinary people who quite possibly didn’t do as well on their SATs as you did on yours.”….

….”ETS uses numbers to build its tests, but it needs people to write the items. Understanding how these people think is one of the keys to both doing well on their tests and to penetrating the mystique in which they cloak their work. Despite ETS’s claims of “science” and “objectivity,” the company’s tests are written by subjective human beings who tend to think in certain predictable ways.”

I wrote a few blog posts about feeling purposely messed with by the SAT test writers, and people came down hard on me for saying that. But, I maintain my position (and this book concurs): Watch out! They are messing with you.

“Another way to make students miss questions whose subject matter they understand is to write misleading questions. Test-makers don’t always do this intentionally, but they always do it, in part because it’s very hard not to.”

I won’t lie, these quotes did make me feel better:

“Bright students sometimes have trouble on ETS tests, because they tend to see possibilities that the question writers missed.”…

…”Advanced students often have trouble on the SAT because they aren’t adept at recognizing the tricks ETS uses to make familiar problems look unfamiliar…. The only aptitude they need to increase in order to score higher is their aptitude for detecting the ETS mentality.”

Someone told me at the very end of my project that if you’re down to two answers in the Critical Reading section, and don’t have time to find the answer in the passage (often the case with me), pick the most innocuous choice. This quote from the book clarifies the reasoning:

“In ETS test reviews, the emphasis is not always on whether keyed answers are good or absolutely correct but on whether they can be defended in the event that someone later complains.”

To this line, I’d say, yup. Probably. Sounds right to me:

“Good poker players make good SAT-takers; they know how to figure out the odds and take calculated risks.”

The book contains a chapter about bad test prep that was so in line with my experience, I could have written it myself. I call them, ”The Impostors.”

“Ineffective coaching courses tend to be so not because they are too short but because their curricula are cluttered up with “educational” materials that have little or nothing to do with the “abilities” measured by ETS.”

“Most commercial coaching materials have very little to do with either education or the SAT. Many are written by people who clearly know very little about the tests they purport to explain. Some probably even lower the scores of the students who use them.”

I’d highly recommend this book for all would-be test takers, parents, and tutors. It’s an enlightening, informative, and a lot of fun to read.

llustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis