Posts Tagged ‘SSAT’
With entrance exams fast approaching, many parents are wondering if their students can really benefit from a math tutor in the crunch. Even with as little as a week’s worth of tutoring, a significant change can be made. A tutor can try following these five steps to improving your student’s score on the test and improving math grades in the future.
Step #1: Assessment
The first step for a private tutor to take is always an effective assessment. Thankfully, most prep test review books include multiple practice tests to help a tutor get a clear picture of where the student will need help. The assessment does not need to be timed, though some teachers will recommend this. Most tutors find an un-timed assessment gives as clear a picture of strengths and weaknesses as a timed assessment.
Step #2: Arithmetic Review
Many students have the knowledge to do well in math but lack the skills. They have learned them in school, but they have forgotten them as new concepts are taught. Tutors can overcome this with a basic arithmetic review. The most common areas to forget are:
- Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of fractions
- Multiplication and division of decimals
- Percentages, parts and statistics
Once a student has even a cursory review of these topics, the student will be able to approach the problems confidently.
Step #3: Geometry Review
Most standardized tests do not require a student to know complicated geometry. They may require a basic understanding of some geometric principles. Those principles include:
- Properties of triangles and angles
- Finding area, perimeter, surface area and volume of common shapes
A student will need to review these principles first by remembering them and second by applying them. The geometric principles are often tested most in the reasoning section of any standardized test, meaning the question may not be asked out right.
Step #4: Algebra Review
Students tend to remember basic algebraic principles, but they may miss some of the information required to build concepts in quantitative reasoning questions. Students may forget the principles of parallel lines, perpendicular lines or even absolute value. Reviewing graphs, number lines and principles of slope is key in building understanding of the algebra required on the ISEE, ACT, SAT, SSAT and even Catholic High School Entrance Exam.
Step #5: Reasoning Practice
Most students lack enough practice in quantitative reasoning to excel in this portion of the exam. Because they lack practice, they lack confidence, and this is an easy problem to remedy. Introducing students to as many reasoning problems as possible is key. They will begin to learn how questions may be asked on the test. Thankfully, again, the help of a good test prep book will take students through the required concepts for reasoning sections. Then, a tutor can simply watch the student go through the problems to gain an idea of when and how the student gets stuck. Most students will have the biggest challenge when they need to combine geometry and algebra to solve a problem.
Tags: act testing, entrance exam, ISEE, SAT tutor, SSAT
Posted in: ACT, SAT, Standardized tests | No Comments »
Most standardized test boards permit for at least two testing opportunities. This is not just true of the SAT, even in the future LSAT and MCAT tests permit retakes. Depending on the given procedure of the testing board, scores are averaged, combined or the highest score can be taken. While it is not the best idea to continually retake tests and place extra pressure on the test-taker, there are some scenarios when a retake should be used to your advantage.
You scored lower than on the practice exams
If you consistently received a higher score on practice exams than on the actual test, one of a few scenarios likely occurred. First, each of these tests is a little different, and some may play to your favor more than others. It is likely you simply got a test form that was poorly matched to your skill set. Second, it is possible your nerves got the best of you on test day. This is the more common scenario. In both of these cases, you will likely improve your score by a retest.
You failed to achieve the score required by your school of choice
If you know your college, high school or graduate school requires a minimum test score, you will want to retake a test to see if you can achieve that score. Going into the test, you should have a comfortable assumption of the score you can attain based on your practice test scores. If your practice tests are below the minimum required by the school of your choice, you may need to work on the other areas of your application in order to have a better shot at acceptance. While test scores are typically among the top three items considered, good grades and a good application can assist you in overcoming a lower score to gain acceptance. Nonetheless, it will not hurt you to try again in most cases if you are shooting for a score slightly over those you achieved on practice tests.
You were sick or distracted
You don’t usually have the luxury of changing your test date last minute if you become sick or suffer another distraction, such as a death in the family. As such, you may be forced to take the test when you are not in the best mindset. If your score comes back much lower than you’d hoped in this scenario, do not be afraid to simply take the test again. Every testing board, from the ISEE to the LSAT, knows people have off days. This is the main reason they offer the chance to retake the test.
When not to retake the test
- If you have taken the test twice and your score has not improved, you will save yourself a lot of stress and hassle by refusing a third attempt.
- If you are being pressured through an outside source, such as a school counselor, but do not want to retake the test, the choice is yours to say no.
- If your score qualifies you for the vast majority of schools you are applying to, and you are satisfied, then call it a day and take the score you have achieved!
Tags: act retake, ISEE, sat retake, SSAT, standardized testing, taking the act, taking the sat
Posted in: ACT, SAT, Standardized tests | No Comments »
Its that time of year, college and high school entrance tests are coming up, and students across the country are starting to wonder how they will focus for a full 3 hours. They are dreading the rules demanding their silence, and they are wondering how much this REALLY matters to their future. Unfortunately, as we all know, these little scores matter A LOT.
Importance of Test Scores
Whether your student is taking an ERB, ISEE, SSAT, PSAT, SAT or ACT, the fact of the matter is a test score is permanent. In fact, some future jobs, such as teaching jobs, will request test scores from exams taken ten years in the past. And the scoring doesn’t stop. Even after college, a person may be subject to GMAT, GRE, LSAT and MCAT tests. Gaining the edge early is the key to setting a good pace for the rest of a student’s academic career. A promising early test score builds confidence.
Setting Score Goals
Most experts agree score goals are important. Just like in any sport, setting a goal gives a student something to strive for. Holding a student accountable to this goal is also important; it gives the student an incentive to study and a feeling that the effort is important. Unfortunately, since most of these tests are “aptitude” tests, setting the goal can be very difficult for many people. What is an appropriate goal?
- Check with the schools you will be applying to. They should provide you with a minimum as well as an average. Of course, you should aim for at least the minimum. If you have very good grades, then the minimum should be sufficient. Students with some slip ups on their academic record should aim for test scores closer to the high end.
- Complete practice tests! The first test you take should be done cold: without much information on how the test is administered or scored. This will give you an idea of how you would perform without any guidance or studying whatsoever. Then, periodically, take practice tests to track your progress. Your score goal should be set at a reasonable percentage, such as 10%, over your initial score.
- Use your grades as a guide. If you traditionally score very high on math and science tests and lower on verbal examinations, then you will know your strengths lie in the hard sciences. Of course, this does not give you an excuse to fail the other portions of the test. However, you may aim to get a much higher score in one portion of the exam. Since your aptitude is in this area, you will likely be applying to programs with a focus here in the future. It is okay to let the other area lag behind a touch if it is not your primary focus.
- Aim to get the questions you should know correct. Every aptitude test has easy questions and hard questions. Students who get all of the easy questions right end up with high scores even if they miss a portion of the hard questions.
Tags: act score, ISEE, SAT score, SSAT, standardized test improvement, studying for a standardized test
Posted in: ACT, SAT, Standardized tests | No Comments »
When students started coming to us in seventh & eighth grade asking about SAT’s, we truly understood how much secondary school education has changed in the past 10 years. The rise of private and charter schools, particularly in our home state of California, has forced the importance of early school performance into a dramatic upward spiral. Students are competing at a younger age, and the first “SAT” is often given in eighth grade. While the SSAT, which shards for Secondary School Admission Test, is different from the “Scholastic Aptitude Test” used for college admission, the two share many similarities. The other popular entrance exam, the Independent School Entrance Exam, is often given in conjunction with the SSAT.
Secondary School Admission Test
This is a multiple choice test given as early as 5th grade and as late as 11th. The test is made up of three sections: verbal, march and reading comprehension. The verbal question, similar to its SAT cousin, tests vocabulary, logic and reasoning. The quantitative portion is a test of mathematical concepts learned throughout elementary education including arithmetic, pre-algebra and geometry. Like the new SAT, the SSAT has a writing portion which requires a response to a prompt. The scores from this test can be sent to secondary schools in two different levels: lower for grades five through seven, upper for grades eight to eleven. The SSAT has been around since the 1950s, but the test has only recently grown in popularity. Written by a group of high school and college teachers, the SSAT is developed by the Secondary School Admission Test Board. The SSATB attempts to eliminate and screen questions which may present a gender or ethnic bias through a thorough review of the questions. Like the SAT, the SSAT is meant to be an aptitude test rather than an achievement test. Students should not be able to “study” for the exam, as the questions test ability rather than learned knowledge. However, there are many ways to improve a score through private tutoring.
Independent School Entrance Exam
The ISEE is similar to the SSAT in many ways. It is given to students in grades five through twelve, and it focuses on the main areas of quantitative and verbal analysis. Also similar to the SSAT, the ISEE has different levels for different age groups. The three levels are: lower level for fourth and fifth graders, middle level for sixth and seventh graders and an upper level for eighth to eleventh graders. Because the two tests are so similar, most schools with accept both or either for secondary school admission. It is also common to use one study program for both tests if you intend on taking both of them. Similar to the debate of SAT versus ACT, the debate over which is the better test to take relies wholly on the student. Some students will tend to perform better on one or the other simply due to the way the questions are written. Both tests are designed to be impartial analyses of aptitude rather than knowledge.
Tags: ISEE, SAT content, SSAT, test preparation, Test scores
Posted in: Standardized tests | No Comments »
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