Chariot Learning
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Our Curriculum
    • Areas Chariot Learning Serves
  • Services
    • SAT & ACT Prep
    • SAT/ACT TestFlip
    • Academic Coaching
    • Subject Tutoring
    • Strategic Reading Club
    • Proctored Practice Tests
    • GRE Prep
    • College Essay Coaching
    • Roots2Words
  • Calendar
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
September 16, 2015 by Mike Bergin

Mental Models for the SAT and ACT

Education, or at least learning, must be more than the memorization of facts and routines. Learning is a process of developing ways of looking at the world, frameworks of reasoning, representation, and calculation that we can apply to different situations. Basically, learning is about developing mental models.
 
A mental model describes a way to think about something. As a result, we should never try to apply a single model to every situation. Why do we need more than one? The investor Charlie Munger, who has mastered many complex systems to massive profit in his day, has said much about mental models:

“… the first rule is that you can’t really know anything if you just remember isolated facts and try and bang ‘em back. If the facts don’t hang together on a latticework of theory, you don’t have them in a usable form.

“You’ve got to have models in your head. And you’ve got to array your experience both vicarious and direct on this latticework of models. You may have noticed students who just try to remember and pound back what is remembered. Well, they fail in school and in life. You’ve got to hang experience on a latticework of models in your head.

“What are the models? Well, the first rule is that you’ve got to have multiple models because if you just have one or two that you’re using, the nature of human psychology is such that you’ll torture reality so that it fits your models, or at least you’ll think it does…

“And the models have to come from multiple disciplines because all the wisdom of the world is not to be found in one little academic department. That’s why poetry professors, by and large, are so unwise in a worldly sense. They don’t have enough models in their heads. So you’ve got to have models across a fair array of disciplines.”

mentalmodel

From a test prep perspective, the number of mental models we need to develop can be counted on the fingers of two hands:
 
READING

  • Non-fiction and fiction reading (thesis, story, structure)
  • English vocabulary

MATH

  • Conceptual understanding (arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry)
  • Problem solving
  • Calculation (and calculator use)

ENGLISH

  • Written English (grammar, punctuation, usage, rhetorical skills)
  • Persuasive writing (arguments and counterarguments)

PERFORMANCE

  • Test-specific knowledge (SAT, ACT)
  • Stress management
  • Resource management (time, energy, focus)

The good news is that students have already spent years developing mental models in most of these domains, Even better, the majority of these models will pay off time and time again in college and professional life. So don’t settle for preparation that proposes to teach tips and tricks; look for educators that can teach you how to really think. The SAT and ACT are exams that rewards students with strong mental models.

intelligence learning mental models test prep

Previous articleMaking Mental ModelsNext article Class of 2017: Why Should You Take the New SAT?
Mike Bergin
Tens of thousands of students a year prep for the SAT & ACT through programs Mike Bergin created or organized. After more than 25 years of intensive experience in the education industry, he's done it all as a teacher, tutor, director, curriculum developer, blogger, podcaster, and best-selling author. Mike founded Chariot Learning in 2009 to deliver on the promise of what truly transformative individualized education can and should be.

Helping high schoolers with tests, school, and life is what Chariot Learning is all about. Let us know how we can help you!

Latest Posts

  • Can You Accept Criticism?
  • Happy Pi Day!
  • College Admissions Testing for the HS Classes of 2024 and 2025
  • A Scholarship for Word Nerds
  • Foundational Math on the SAT & ACT

What is TestFlip?

Learn about the ultimate in self-directed supplemental SAT/ACT prep, powered by Chariot Learning:

Subscribe to Mike’s Podcast

Subscribe to Tests and the Rest

PARENT GROUP AND NEWSLETTER

Are you an Upstate New York parent with questions about college admissions, testing, and scholarships? The Upstate NY College Conversations Facebook group is for you. Join today!

And also sign up for College Road, our free email newsletter delivering expert educational advice, test news, admissions action steps, special offers, and more.

Testimonials

We honestly can’t say enough about how great a tutor Mike Bergin is... He had a great rapport with our son, taught him so much, and kept things upbeat and positive. The outcome was that our son got an ACT score of 34 on his first try!

Lisa & Joel, Hastings-on-Hudson parents

Read more testimonials...

PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is the ultimate college admissions industry podcast. Join Mike Bergin and Amy Seeley every Tuesday and Friday as they discuss the latest issues in testing, admissions, learning, and education with leading experts.
© 2023 Chariot Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.