Solving SAT & ACT Organization Questions
The multiple-choice grammar and writing questions on the SAT Writing and Language and ACT English sections present a wide range of mechanical and rhetorical challenges. Test takers have to be as comfortable connecting subjects with predicates and pronouns with antecedents as they do connecting independent and dependent clauses. Even students who master mechanics still need facility with advanced writing concerns like, among other things, organization, unity, and cohesion. Both the SAT Expression of Ideas subscore and ACT Production of Writing Reporting Category establish organization as an imperative aspect of effective written English. Consequently, Organization questions on these tests require students to be able to place any piece of text where it belongs: — a word or phrase in a sentence — a sentence in a paragraph — a paragraph in a passage Most test takers find Organization questions both difficult and time-consuming. While the latter challenge can be overcome with…
What You Plan Gets Done
One important habit school teaches us–or is supposed to teach–is write down assignments and test dates. Your school may have even provided planners to foster this habit. Some of us revel in creating color-coded plans; others, well, not so much. Simple or artful, we learn to track our responsibilities and manage our time. When life becomes more complex with AP workloads, leadership roles, and after-school practices, a student should use a planner to make it all work. And once the “getting into college” tasks of test prep, college search, and essay drafts kicks in, the whole process can become overwhelming. At times like these, consider the old adage, “If you plan it, it gets done.” What should planning look like for busy high school and college students? Look critically at your current commitments and prioritize them. Define clear goals for your top priorities. Research shows that people who write down…
The Hidden Value of a Tutor
We live in a golden age of self-directed education. Where motivated students once had to entomb themselves in libraries to drink from the font of knowledge, now those thirsty for learning merely need to plug into the web to uncover the secrets of the universe in text, audio, and video formats. Whether you want to know how to change a light switch, fold a cloth napkin into a swan, or solve systems of equations, you’ll have no problem finding free tutorials on that exact topic. Why, then, do we still have schools? While we all tend to get excited about unfettered access to free learning resources, we all still prize–and patronize–teachers, tutors, and coaches. Why pay premiums to attend superior high schools or colleges and dole out additional sums to educational, athletic, and artistic coaches when brand name schools offer free courses online? Obviously, we continue to prioritize live education…