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Spotlight on the SAT and the ACT

The ACT is on the rise. Attending the National Association for College Admission Counseling annual meeting in Maryland, I could clearly see that the SAT is continuing to lose ground to its longstanding rival. During a well attended session, SAT Test Prep: Sharing What Works, as soon as one college counselor mentioned the success his students were having prepping for the ACT, heads began nodding in agreement throughout the auditorium. More and more schools, college counselors, educational consultants and tutors are shifting their energies toward this alternative to the SAT.

People love to attack the SAT, which has become a magnet for controversy. Over the years, the SAT has been blamed for many of the ills, shortcomings and inequities of the US educational system. In my research I have found dozens of critiques and analyses of the SAT, exploring its biases, lack of predictive strength and various other failings, whereas critiques of the ACT are conspicuously rare. Most educational researchers have chosen to overlook the ACT, which in turn has benefitted from the relative lack of public scrutiny.  The few researchers who have examined the ACT in the same light as the SAT have discovered that the ACT is not a corrective for the SAT; the ACT shares many of its flaws, privileging the same groups and creating the same social, racial and economic divisions as the SAT.

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Appelrouth Tutoring Services is the proud parent of a brand new bundle of joy! No, no one had a baby. But after years of meticulous analysis and hard work, The Fabulous Guide to the SAT is now complete. Consider this Extreme Makeover: SAT Edition. While this new study guide is based on the same foundation of proven strategies that have helped hundreds of our students get their dream scores, it has seriously bulked up on practice problems and content.

The Fabulous Guide to the SAT is filled with humor, creativity, illustrations and diagrams designed for visual learners. Included in the book are sample study schedules for students to follow whether they have 1 day or 3 months to prepare and a 7-week, 600-word vocabulary plan to increase students’ scores. It teaches students a revolutionary way to think about Critical Reading and instructs them in all the key Math and Writing concepts. Learn how to rock the essay, guess strategically, manage time effectively, spot wrong answers, and conquer test anxiety.
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Outside of a  session at the National Association for College Admission Counseling annual meeting in Maryland, I spent a good deal of time talking with other tutoring operators at the conference. Numerous operators are pushing prep at a very early age and encouraging students to make enormous investments of time and energy towards their score goals. One company in Pennsylvania, catering primarily to Asian-American students, is pushing parents to begin SAT prep in the 7th grade and continue through senior year. Another company advocated 2-hour prep sessions, twice a week, throughout the entirety of junior year, in addition to bi-monthly mock tests: an investment of over 200+ hours. Another operator encouraged his students to cancel the score of their first actual SAT or ACT, simply to give them a feel for the testing process. These recommendations troubled me. I believe in economy of prep and finding the minimum amount of tutoring needed to gain the maximum result. Preparing for the SAT or ACT should not be a full-time job for students, nor should it span 5 years! Students have enough on their plates as it is, and we need to get the SAT or ACT over and done with as efficiently as possible to allow students to return to their busy lives.

What? SAT Prep cool?! What is Demetri Martin thinking? If you need a quick pick-me-up to help you escape the SAT doldrums before Saturday’s test, watch the short video below. And then go look up the word alacrity.

There is no better way to determine if a college is right for you than to stroll the hallowed halls yourself, asking questions, sitting in on classes, eating the food. However, busy schedules and a dream-college list 20 schools long don’t always mix. What to do if you can’t fit in the time to visit everyone of your favored schools in person? Go Internet, young men! (and women; a Horace Greeley allusion for those U.S. History buffs.)

Below are a handful of websites who offer virtual tours of hundreds of American colleges and universities. Did I mention they are free? Well, they are. But, most require that you register with them in order to view more than one or two colleges. You might get useful information from them; you might not. I suggest you set up a filter on your email account and shovel  all their mail to one particular folder to look at at your leisure.

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The Chinese are Coming! This emphatic title lured me and dozens of fellow NACAC (National Association of College Admissions Counselors) conference attendees into a session exploring the expanding impact of Chinese nationals on college admissions in America. It turns out this title was only a setup for a punch line: The Chinese are Coming? The Chinese are here. And this is not news. The presence of China is now firmly established on the world stage. Anyone who happened to watch the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics, anyone who has stepped foot into a Walmart in the last decade, anyone who has taken a peek at the US trade balance or our list of national creditors knows unequivocally that the Chinese are here.

And it’s no surprise that Chinese nationals are entering our universities in record numbers. Our institutions of higher learning have always been the crown jewels of the US educational system. For decades highly talented and ambitious Chinese nationals have made their way to our shores to attend our graduate schools, and now they are coming with increasing numbers to our undergraduate schools.

Perhaps we should be flattered that our institutions of higher learning are so esteemed. Perhaps we should be a bit nervous, as the title of this session insinuated. Perhaps we simply need to adapt to the new reality. Other sessions at NACAC advocated this course of action, boasting titles such as: How to Recruit Chinese Nationals.

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Starting January 2010, we will be offering our Signature SAT Small Groups in an online format. You will get the same great tutors, 20 hours of group tutoring, 4 hours of private mock test review and flash cards. In addition, you will be connected to your tutor and classmates using the latest online collaboration technology from Cisco™ Webex. With the included headset, webcam and digital writing tablet, students will get the group experience from the comfort of their own homes. Our online small groups come with the same Score Increase Guarantee that our in-person groups have.

For a limited time, all online small groups in January will have a special price of $695 (plus enrollment). Future groups will be priced at $795.

Check out our web site for more information about online tutoring and upcoming Signature SAT Small Group dates. We will be adding more dates for January and February in the next few days.

The most important thing to remember is that your junior-year grades are the most important grades on your transcript. The classes you will take in your junior year are the most similar to those you will see in college—assuming there are APs in the mix, and the schools you apply to will want to see academic strength at this level. Ideally, you’d like to show some sort of upward trend in your grades from previous years if your grades were not all A’s.

You should have taken the PSAT in October. You should take your first SAT any time from November to March. If your PSAT scores are not as high as you would like them to be, you should consider starting your SAT prep sooner rather than later. Take a little time to research the middle 50% of the incoming freshmen classes’ SAT scores (collegeboard.com) at colleges that interest you. If you start in January, you have about a year to achieve the scores you need. To estimate an SAT score from your PSAT score, use the table below:

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A new year means new opportunities here at Appelrouth Tutoring in Atlanta! We have always prided ourselves in providing our students with exceptional tutors and the best curriculum and materials. 2010 will be no different! Our current tutors are the most experienced and highest performing tutors we have ever had. January will see the introduction of our newest version of the Fabulous Guide to the SAT, a brand new set of Writing Flash Cards and an online practice problem bank. To help retain our amazing staff, attract the most talented new tutors and continue to develop cutting-edge materials, new Atlanta clients will see a price increase of only $5/hr for all our private test prep tutoring beginning January 1, 2010. This does not affect currently enrolled clients or prospective clients that lock in their rate by paying your enrollment fee by January 1. Contact us for more information.

Notes from NACAC

During the 3-day national conference of the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC), I had the opportunity to meet with college admission counselors, high school counselors and educational researchers from across the country. More than 5,000 individuals attended the conference to gain insight into the many changes underway in the world of college admissions: changes in admission criteria, technological developments, new financial realities and the increasing internationalization of American education. Naturally, I gravitated towards all break-out sessions involving the collegiate assessments and their role in the admissions process. Over the course of several short installments, I will impart to you the main lessons I took away from the conference.

Part 1: Technology on the rise in the admissions process

I will never forget the painstaking process of typing up my official application to Penn in the fall of 1993; that was the last time I used a typewriter. A year later I was learning how to navigate the Mosaic browser, surf the web, and send an e-mail. A short year after that, I was logging in to virtual classrooms to chat with my teachers and classmates.

The technologies that were in their infancy when I applied to college have matured to the point of now transforming the face of college admissions. Paper applications are historical artifacts; communications are now taking place by e-mail, Skype and YouTube; colleges are promoting themselves via student blogs, virtual college fairs and podcasts. Vast social networks have transformed the manner in which people learn about schools and communicate with one another.

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Only one thing stands in the way of your well-deserved Winter Break. The dreaded “f-word”: FINALS. Since you are a smart student, you have been studying all along, especially if your teachers are preparing cumulative exams. However, everyone can use a little help. Below are a few tried and true tips for getting the most out of your study time.
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A New Moon is rising. At the end of the week the second installment of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga will be in theaters. Now that you’ve read all the books and will have seen both movies, what will you do to entertain yourself during your long winter break? To avoid a winter of discontent, check out our book list below. Find books you’ll enjoy based on your favorite pop culture pleasures.

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The Duke TIP program may be for your student.

What is the Duke TIP?

Duke TIP stands for the Duke University Talent Identification Program.  It is a non-profit educational organization that focuses on identifying academically talented students and providing them with programs to help encourage their development.
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Do NOT bring a mechanical pencil to the SAT or the ACT. They are PROHIBITED. You are only allowed to take the exams with standard, No. 2 pencils. You have been warned.

When taking the SAT or ACT, it is crucial that you not bring a cell phone or any other device that is capable of vibrating, beeping, or making any noise whatsoever.  Every month, hundreds of students nationwide are dismissed from their exam because their cell phones go off.  Your scores are canceled, and you must wait until the next test date to re-test. Besides just being a larger-than-life hassle, having to take the test again can have serious consequences:
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Appelrouth Tutoring Service is holding a mock PSAT on October 3rd for students who believe they are close to the cut-off for National Merit Commendation. Our data indicate that most students will get a “bump” on the 2nd and 3rd iterations of taking the PSAT. Generally, the most significant increase will occur on the 2nd test followed by an additional “bump” on the 3rd test. There is clearly a “testing” effect, in which familiarity and increased comfort with the test lead to enhanced performance.

Your child is cordially invited to take a FREE practice exam at our site, conveniently located in Toco Hills at the corner of Briarcliff and Lavista, on October 3rd at 9:15 AM.

Seating is limited to the first 50 students.

What is the PSAT?

The PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It is offered during the student’s junior year in either October or November, depending on the particular high school. It is a standardized test that is approximately two hours and twenty minutes long, with two 25-minute critical reading sections, two 25-minute math sections, and one 30-minute writing skills section. The test consists of 48 critical reading questions, 38 math questions, and 39 writing skills question. The PSAT/NMSQT does not require students to recall specific information from classes.

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Join Jed Appelrouth for his Everything College Admissions Seminar and learn all the ins and outs of the college admissions process:

• Wednesday, September 16 in Atlanta, GA (with Lida Griest & Wendy Williams)
• Thursday, September 17 in Washington, DC
• Wednesday, September 23 in Alpharetta, GA

Don’t miss this FREE opportunity to help your child get ahead.

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As a college-bound high school student you probably took the PSAT in the fall of your sophomore year. Whether you did well, or not so well, those scores are not used for consideration in the program. About a year later, as a junior, you will take the PSAT again – this one counts. Sometime during the spring of your junior year, the NMSC (National Merit Scholarship Committee) determines a qualifying score for “Commended” recognition—this usually goes to the top 50,000 scores (generally around the 96th percentile).

What happens if you made it past the “Commended” cut?

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Online education and online tutoring are not all about students sitting in a dark room by themselves, plowing through problem after problem. With today’s advancements in social networking technology and communication over the internet, learning online has become as personal as being in the classroom.

And it might even be more effective…

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