The subject matter of math, engineering and the sciences tends to be more objective, or black and white, than that of the liberal arts. In a math class, for example, every homework, quiz, test and final exam problem will have a single correct answer. All a student needs to do is calculate and record the correct answer for every problem and he/she will receive full credit. If you are a super math genius, you can earn an A+ in every math class, regardless of whether your teachers like you or recognize your brilliance.

Conversely, the subject matter of the liberal arts tends to be more subjective, or gray. In an English class, for example, the professor’s opinion of your written work and class participation is, ultimately, what determines your final grade. Simply being a literary genius who writes well and participates in class will not guarantee an A+ in every English class. So even if you are a genius who works hard and participates thoughtfully and enthusiastically, during your four years in college you will encounter at least one professor who fails to recognize your talent, does not like you, or both. If that professor decides to give you an A- or an A, rather than an A+, your chances of finishing first in your class decrease dramatically.

You now know why Princeton’s valedictorian is usually a student who majored in math, engineering or the sciences. But how will knowing this help you prepare and do well on the SAT?

First, remember that the math section is objective. Each multiple choice question has exactly one correct answer and exactly four incorrect answers. This means that with proper preparation, you can train yourself to maximize your math score by (a) getting every problem you answer right and (b) leaving the rest blank. In other words, it is possible to know the difference between when you have arrived at the correct answer and when you have failed to truly understand the problem.

Second, remember that both the critical reading section and the writing section are subjective. Some questions will have two plausible answer choices. This means that even with proper preparation, you may, on any given question, find yourself torn between two answer choices that both seem to work. Trust me, regardless of which one you pick, you will be in good company because a bunch of other really smart kids will pick the same one as you. Get used to the idea that within every critical reading section and every writing section, there will be a handful of problems that force you to choose between two that seem to work. Thus, you should not be surprised when it happens. Just follow your gut, answer, and move on to the next question. The good news is that there is what I call wiggle room in both the critical reading section and the writing section. This means that you do not have to get every question right in either section in order to score an 800 in that section.

To summarize: When preparing for the math section of the SAT, train yourself to know the difference between when you truly understand a problem and when you do not. Remember, the math section is very objective. There is one right answer for each problem. Answer every one you truly understand and leave the rest blank.

When preparing for the critical reading section of the SAT, get comfortable with the idea that you will have to make some tough choices. Take comfort, however, in the fact that there is wiggle room because other brilliant minds will be making tough decisions too.

“As it stands, Nicole remains unsure about which college admissions test she will take (perhaps both), how many times she’ll sit for it, whether or not she will submit her scores to colleges, and if she’ll need the results to count at all.”

We had the pleasure of debuting ePrep at the annual NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) conference last week in Baltimore, MD. Some 6,000 high school and guidance counselors attended to discover the latest resources and services for college admissions. ePrep was arguably a stand-out among test prep providers, as many high school counselors are believers in the power of expert video over traditional and outmoded test prep practices. ePrep is thrilled to now work with so many high schools and independent college planners helping students maximize their SAT, ACT and PSAT test scores!

SAT Test Day: The Night Before and Morning Of

You might also consider reviewing these additional ePrep strategy session videos this week as a final preparation going into the test. Summarized below are links to many key video lessons focused on test taking strategies.

Real SAT Stories: Second Guessing on the SAT
SAT Directions: Optimize Your Time on Test Day
When to Guess on the SAT Writing Section
When to Guess on the SAT Critical Reading Section
When to Guess on the SAT Math Section
SAT Sentence Completion Questions: When to Guess?
Don’t Blame the Chicken Pox for SAT Math Mistakes
Approach to SAT Math Problems
Habeus Answer, or Show Yourself the Answer!
Mastering Your SAT Test Weaknesses
SAT Questions…Easiest to Hardest
Autopilot – Don’t Set a Course for a Lower SAT Score
A Lesson from a Course in Wills, Trusts and Estates
Bubbling: Avoid Mistakes in Your Answer Key
Please Put Down Your Pencil!
The Dreaded SAT Experimental Section

Additionally, we’ve included a link to our presentation (in PDF format) on “what to do the night before and the morning of the SAT test” right here: Webinar Presentation – Night Before the SAT

Best of luck on Saturday!

“It turns out that an SAT score is a far better predictor than everyone has said. When properly accounting for the self-selection bias, SAT scores correlate with college GPA around 67%. In the social sciences, that’s considered a great predictor.”

For the full article, which I found very interesting, CLICK HERE.

- Its president, Gaston Caperton, last year earned a whopping $876,666 in total compensation (salary of $707,290; benefits/deferred comp of $41,376; and expense account/other allowances of $125,000)
- Vice President Herbert Elish earned $504,550 in total compensation last year
- Vice President Thomas Higgins earned $455,036 in total compensation last year

For more information, read the article that appeared in the OC Register.

“Kids are wired differently these days,” said Sheryl R. Abshire, chief technology officer for the Calcasieu Parish school system in Lake Charles, La. “They’re digitally nimble. They multitask, transpose and extrapolate. And they think of knowledge as infinite.

“They don’t engage with textbooks that are finite, linear and rote,” Dr. Abshire continued. “Teachers need digital resources to find those documents, those blogs, those wikis that get them beyond the plain vanilla curriculum in the textbooks.”

ePrep has been way ahead of the curve and continues to lead the test prep market online. By bringing the power of a private tutor directly to each student through online video and ePrep’s adaptive analytics, students and parents can receive unprecedented expertise at an affordable cost.

Every kid has nightmares about facing the SAT exams, one of the hurdles to their progress to a good college. Enough cannot be said about the importance of these tests, so it is imperative that preparation is thorough, because only with intensive study and planned strategy can you ace the SATs. Most students find it hard to score high marks on the verbal and writing portions; although mathematics is difficult, it can be aced if you study diligently. With the essay, sentence completion and other parts of the verbal and writing tests, you never know how you’re going to be judged, so the best you can do is prepare as well as you can by:

• Starting young: The SATs may come into your life only when you graduate from high school, but that’s no reason to wait till your senior year to prepare for them. In fact, the groundwork for the SATs has to begin when you’re old enough to understand how important these exams are in your life. If you practice improving your vocabulary and reading as a daily habit right from the time you can read, you’re going to have an edge over the competition when you take the SATs.

• Reading the right kind of books: It’s not enough that you read; what’s more important is that you read the right kind of books. There are some authors who improve your English and vocabulary and entertain as well, so make sure you include their books as part of your education. While your interest may lie with popular best sellers, you must make an effort to get through and enjoy books that are known to have words that are commonly found in SAT vocabulary questions, like Brian Aldiss, Kim Stanley Robinson, Vladimir Nabokov and K.W. Jeter.

• Improving your handwriting: You’re going to have to write the essay using pen and paper, without the help of a word processor. So work on writing a few pages everyday so that your handwriting is neat and presentable even when you’re writing at top speed. You also need to be able to write a complete essay without your fingers cramping or your writing going awry.

• Improving your presentation: You need to work on your presentation skills and learn how to use intelligent quotations in your essay, understand how to split it into paragraphs, and most important of all, know how to organize your thoughts and put them down in a cohesive format, one that flows from beginning to end and makes sense.

Remember, acing the SATs is a task that’s all in the mind. If you train yourself to think positively, you’re definitely going to be able to do well.

By-line:

This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of engineering degree online at her blog The Engineering A Better World Blog. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com.

You might consider reviewing our ePrep strategy session videos this week as a final preparation going into the test. Summarized below are links to many key video lessons focused on test taking strategies.

SAT Test Day: The Night Before and Morning Of
Real SAT Stories: Second Guessing on the SAT
SAT Directions: Optimize Your Time on Test Day
When to Guess on the SAT Writing Section
When to Guess on the SAT Critical Reading Section
When to Guess on the SAT Math Section
SAT Sentence Completion Questions: When to Guess?
Don’t Blame the Chicken Pox for SAT Math Mistakes
Approach to SAT Math Problems
Habeus Answer, or Show Yourself the Answer!
Mastering Your SAT Test Weaknesses
SAT Questions…Easiest to Hardest
Autopilot – Don’t Set a Course for a Lower SAT Score
A Lesson from a Course in Wills, Trusts and Estates
Bubbling: Avoid Mistakes in Your Answer Key
Please Put Down Your Pencil!
The Dreaded SAT Experimental Section

Additionally, we’ve included a link to our presentation (in PDF format) on “what to do the night before and the morning of the SAT test” right here: Webinar Presentation – Night Before the SAT

Best of luck on Saturday!

“Turn off the television, read a book, take an online course or pick out a video lecture from the public library. If your children see you learning a little bit every day they will grow to respect their education. That is SAT preparation.”

I came across this short article by Robert S. Siegel and thought it was worth posting. I hope you enjoy it too.