The New SAT made its debut in March 2016 and impacts the students in the class of 2017 or younger. In 2005, the SAT changed and a score of 2400 or higher became the magic number to get. Before that the magic number was 1600. This year the SAT test is changing again and the magic number is reverting back to 1600. You may be asking yourself what is the new SAT test and why has it changed? Let’s dig a little deeper and learn more about the history of the SAT. The SAT was founded in 1926 and was an adaptation of the Army Alpha, an IQ test which had been used to check the intelligence of recruits to the US Army. This eventually developed into the SAT as we know it. In 2005, an update was done to the test where analogies was eliminated from the test. It was determined that they did not really reflect today’s high school curriculum. They als0 felt that the analogies encouraged memorization of vocabulary rather than reasoning skills. The math section was expanded to embrace concepts covered by most high school “Algebra II” courses. Again, the change represents an attempt to keep the SAT in step with the modern high school curriculum. They also wanted to emphasize the skills that are most desired by top colleges and universities. The newest changes to the SAT test in 2016 have students pretty excited. Lets look at some of these changes. 1. No Obscure Vocabulary. The new version of the SAT will be easier because there will no longer be obscure vocabulary to trip you up. So you may be more familiar with some of the vocabulary that is tested, but you will need to know multiple definitions of those words. The College Board made the decision to focus on vocabulary words that you will encounter on a regular basis in college and in future jobs. 2. Fewer Answer Choices. The new format will have only 4 choices to each question instead of 5. This will help save you time when taking the test because you will have 1 less answer choice to read through. This will also give you a 25% chance of getting the answer correct instead of only a 20% chance. 3. More Time. One of the biggest complaints that students had with the SAT test is that they didn’t have enough time to take the test. The good news is that there will be more time per section on the new version, and you will even have double the amount of time to write your essay. Another cool thing about it is the new 1600 version of the test will have 16 fewer questions than the old version. 4. No Penalty for Guessing. On the previous version of the SAT, students were penalized for guessing the wrong answer by losing a point on their score. The new system doesn’t penalize you for choosing the wrong answer. 5. Optional Essay. The essay, which the SAT added in 2005, will now be optional. SAT essays have faced criticism over the years from educators who said they focused too much on what test takers wrote, not whether their statements were true, or their arguments reasonable. Essays will be scored separately from the rest of the test, and the prompt will remain basically the same in every test. It will ask you to consider a passage and write an essay that analyzes how the author made an argument, used evidence and styled ideas. The redesigned test will take about three hours, with an additional 50 minutes for the essay, and will be administered by print and computer; the current test is available on paper only. These are so many needed changes to the SAT. The new SAT will have no bearing on students scheduled to graduate in 2016. However, for students planning to graduate in 2017 or any year after, the new SAT exam will be the exam they have to take (assuming they would prefer to take the exam no sooner than spring of 2016).
As you are preparing for college you may ask yourself if you are ready to take your ACTs or when most students take them? There are many things to consider when deciding when to take ACTs. It is not uncommon to see students take their ACT 2 or 3 times to try and improve their test scores or to get their score where they want it to be. Most students take the ACT test in the fall of their Junior year and then again in the spring. Then following up by taking it for the final time in the fall of their senior year. This schedule works for most students but not all. This is seen mostly with student who are preparing independently for the test. The ACT is offered 6 times in a year, in September, October, December, February, April, and again in June. If you chose to take the tests multiple times, you will need a realistic amount of time between tests to study and prepare to actually see improvement in your test score. Do not put if off to the very last date to give yourself a cushion in case you have an off day or get sick and are unable to make it to the test for whatever reason. If you are planning on taking the ACT early, remember to start your test prep early. While the ACT covers more advanced math than the SAT. The test also has a science section, but it does not require knowing information that only upperclassmen know. In fact, you have learned enough for school skills and knowledge as early as your freshman or sophomore year. If you take advanced math courses like precalculus or calculus, you may have to go back and review algebra and geometry because you may be a little rusty. Another benefit of taking your ACT early is that you may have more time for studying for it because you won’t be preoccupied with college applications, AP classes, varsity sports, community service, or any of the other activities in which you get involved. There are reasons that you would not want to take the ACT early and the main one is lack of preparation. It is not a good idea to take the ACT with zero studying. If you take the ACT the first time and use it as just a trial run, you may have issues getting your scores if the committee sees too high of a jump in your score or sense inconsistencies in your test scores. Especially with recent security breaches around the ACT and SAT, these organizations carefully monitor any hint of foul play. I would recommend not taking the test to many times, especially more than 6. Taking it any more than that and you start to send a message to the college that you are not putting in the effort when it comes to preparation or are struggling to achieve the score that you want. Find a good balance between good test prep and leaving yourself with enough test dates to still hit your target scores. Consider taking a good test prep course to help you achieve your results. One way to properly prepare for your college testing is through taking an ACT test prep class. These are wonderful classes that allow you to prepared properly and keep you from taking on multiple times. Test prep classes are offered by Elite Home Tutoring, along with others companies.
A common mistake that many adults make is thinking that only adults suffer from depression. The truth is even children can suffer from depression. As many as 1 in every 33 children may have depression. In teenagers, the number can be as high as 1 in 8. If you are questioning whether your child is showing symptoms, then it is a good time to learn about depression and how to help if your child, or a child you know, seems depressed. There are many different types of depression. Major depression, dysthymia, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, seasonal affective disorder, and bipolar disorder (or manic depression) are the types that affect kids and teenagers the most. Depression isn’t typically caused by only one thing. Most of the time it is caused by many different things put together. Depression can also run in families so if you have a close family member that has it, then your child’s odds of developing depression are slightly higher. It can also be a side effect of some medications. To meet criteria for a diagnosis of depression, five or more of these symptoms must be present for longer than 2 weeks: a feeling of being down in the dumps or really sad for no reason a lack of energy, feeling unable to do the simplest task an inability to enjoy the things that used to bring pleasure a lack of desire to be with friends or family members feelings of irritability (especially common in kids and teens), anger, or anxiety an inability to concentrate a marked weight gain or loss (or failure to gain weight as expected), and too little or too much interest in eating a significant change in sleep habits, such as trouble falling asleep or getting up feelings of guilt or worthlessness aches and pains even though nothing is physically wrong a lack of caring about what happens in the future frequent thoughts about death or suicide If you think that your child has depression, it is important to take action and get them help. Some parents don’t want to admit that their child could be depressed and dismiss signs or think that they will go away. Other time parents don’t get their child help because they feel guilty and think it is their fault. Parents often feel responsible for things going on with their kids, but parents don’t cause depression. However, it is true that parental separation, illness, death, or other separation can cause short-term problems for kids, and sometimes can trigger a problem with longer term depression. It is important to let your child know that you are always there for them and that you are there when they need you. Remember, kids who are depressed may see the world very negatively because their experiences are shaped by their depression. They might act like they don’t want help or might not even know what they are really experiencing. The good news is that depression can be successfully treated in more than 80% of cases. If it goes untreated, it can be deadly. It is important to get your child help and diagnosed as soon as you suspect your child has depression
Exams can be stressful and studying for them can be just as tough. Knowing how to properly prepare for them can be very helpful. Here are the top 5 tips to help you study for any exam. Be sure to understand your study topics in your own words. It does not matter how many times you have been told something from a teacher or textbook. If you can’t explain what it means in your own words, you will not be happy with your grade. You can not just memorize what you are learning and check it off the list. Get in the habit of explaining it in your own words what you are learning so that you will remember it better and are able to understand your study notes. Don’t be afraid to ask study questions.William Arthur Ward, who is one of America’s most quoted writers of inspirational maxims, said “Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.” Don’t be afraid to ask a question that you think is stupid. Embrace your curiosity, after all the only stupid questions are the ones not asked. Depending on what you are studying, it can be difficult to understand what you are trying to learn. Your teacher, lecturer, or other educator is there to help you learn and they are willing to answer your questions. Quiz yourself. After you think you understand a concept, the next step is to quiz yourself on it. Write out an exam and then try to duplicate the conditions. Make sure you turn off your phone, don’t talk, and time yourself. This will help you get more comfortable with the exam process and you can find out how well you really know what you are trying to learn. Flash Cards are handy for trying to quiz yourself. They are also great for boosting your memory and help you recall theory, definitions and key dates. You can also use them as a quick study session right before an exam. Get Creative with online study tools.There are many different ways to study so pick one that works best for you. There are many study tools and techniques available to help you study. Be sure to try many different ones to find the right one for you. Some good examples are online flashcards, mind maps, mnemonics, online study planners, as well as video and audio resources. Also bring study notes with you wherever you go. This way when you have extra time you have a quick study session. Set your study goals and create a flexible study plan. An important part of success is knowing what you want to achieve. Set your goals and make a flexible study plan. If you set your study plan too strict, then you will have problems when things come up. As you get closer to exam time, the more concrete your plan should be. Using these 5 tips will help you achieve success with your exams. Remember the earlier you start preparing for your exams, the more you will remember and understand.
Finding the right tutor for your child can be a frustrating process. You may wonder what to look for in the right tutor or what questions to ask a tutor to find out if they are a good fit. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to tutoring. A lot of it depends on your child’s needs, setting, convenience and cost. You can choose a private tutor, tutoring center, or an online service. You will have to determine what is the best fit for your child. It’s often a good idea to look for a tutor that has a college degree and has completed a tutoring program. Make sure that the tutor that you choose has experience in the subject that your child is having issues with. This will ensure that the tutor has been trained in different approaches to help your child with the way that they learn. Find out if the tutor has helped children that are around the same age and has the same learning style that your child has. Also look at what kind of attitude and personality the tutor has. Are they patient, upbeat, and encouraging? How do they interact with children? Make sure you ask for references and check those references. Ask the parents questions and see how the tutor helped their children. Did the kid’s grades improve and were they able to do their homework better? Make sure you meet with multiple tutors and compare the pros and cons of each tutor. Make goals with the teacher, tutor, child, and you. Parents and tutors are aware of what the goals should be, but you know your child better than anyone. Make sure that your tutor is willing to work with your child’s teacher. This will be beneficial in the long run because your tutor can give your teacher updates and your child’s teacher can update the tutor on how your child is doing in the classroom and what your child is needing help with. Make sure that the tutor gives progress reports and find out how often they give them. Ask for a sample of the progress report and see if it gives the kind of info that you would like to see on your reports. What kind of policies does the tutor have? Will you get charged for a session if your child is sick and you did not give them a 24 hour notice that the session will be canceled? Also it will be a good idea to find out their policies on make up sessions and substitute tutors if your child’s tutor can’t make it. Will you have any say in who is teaching your child if there is a replacement? Be involved in the process. At the end of each session, find out what your child is supposed to do before the next meeting. Remember that you play an important part in your child’s education. There is a lot involved in finding the right tutor for your child. Just remember that it will be worth it in the end.
