Clarification Transitions
Some of the words that matter most are the basic ones we use every day, which is to say that understanding text depends on more than comprehension of the big words, meaning the subject matter, evidence, or details. The little words–the transitional words and phrases that signal author intent–bring order, logic, and clarity to a text, facilitating meaning and understanding. To become an amazing reader, then, learn to use transitions to better comprehend how key facts and ideas connect to each other to signal the main idea. The SAT and ACT both test transitions as explicit content on the Writing and English sections. However, transitions are as or maybe even more important on when tackling test Reading passages and questions. For that reason, we’ve long taught transitions as the first step in learning to comprehend complex passages. With familiarity over time comes new insights, one of which is a greater…
Annotation Strategies for SAT Reading & Writing
Bluebook offers some robust annotation tools on the SAT RW section, which students should definitely avail themselves of. Start by learning your way around the capabilities: HIGHLIGHTING AND UNDERLINING Test takers have access to the three primary color options plus three secondary combinations as well as various line styles for underlining. NOTES These text snippets must be associated with highlighted or underlined text. No matter how great a tool is, you need a plan to learn to use it to its fullest potential. What are best practices for Bluebook RW annotation tools? Annotations remain even if you move on to a different question, so don’t hesitate to leave your markups behind: you can return and build on them later. Build a habit of highlighting the question associated with SAT Reading & Writing items. In RW claim questions, use a different color to emphasize whether you need to strengthen or weaken…
Improve Your Vocabulary in Three Easy Steps
Living in a tech-enabled, AI-powered, video-on-demand society has many people convinced that knowing a wide range of words just isn’t important anymore. After all, we can just look up unfamiliar words on our ever-present devices, right? Don’t give up on language just yet; vocabulary still matters. If anything, certain types of words matter more than ever. No matter how the exams change, the SAT and ACT both continue to challenge vocabulary comprehension in a variety of ways, both embedded in passage text and through discrete usage and context questions. What should change is how learners develop the kind of rich, practical vocabulary that promotes success on tests, in school, and in life. Those canned lists of 5000 SAT words won’t cut it anymore, if they ever did. Yes, memorizing certain tightly-focused lists can deliver crucial points on test day. Even better, learning the Latin and Greek roots of words promotes…
Highlighting Strategies for SAT Reading and Writing
The digital transition of the SAT Reading and Writing sections from long passages with multiple items per passage to shorter passages with individual questions represented more than just a shift in educational expectations. On a device that can sometimes be as small as an iPad, test takers should not be expected to scroll back and forth between passages and questions. Another aspect of the digital format that differs substantially from paper tests is the availability of annotation tools. Older versions of the test didn’t have any, unless you count your #2 pencil. The digital SAT offers a ton of useful tools that make sense on the Reading and Writing section: Highlights & Notes: highlight text from a question (multiple color options) or leave yourself a note Mark for Review: flag any question you want to come back to–always reference the Question Menu to see which questions you skipped or marked for…
How to Prep Before You Really Prep
Timing is everything, which means there is a right time to sit for the SAT & ACT (usually as early in 11th grade as makes sense) and a right time to prep–usually 2-4 months in advance of your target test date. That doesn’t mean the years and months before you officially commit to prep don’t matter. On the contrary, college entrance exams evaluate critical reading, writing, and math skills developed through elementary and secondary schooling. The core skills that drive academic excellence also provide the foundation for superior test scores. So what should students be doing before they really commit to test prep? 1. READ REGULARLY Reading, as many of us heard relentlessly while growing up, is fundamental. The ability to understand what you read quickly and efficiently, regardless of topic or style, may be one of the most important success skills in any field. Yet, many teens put off…
Meet The Digital SAT: READING AND WRITING
While the digital deployment and multistage adaptive aspects of the new SAT and PSAT certainly draw attention as the biggest changes to these tests, one other revision deserves just as much attention. The SAT has always tested reading, and the digital SAT continues to refine just what aspects of reading matter most in the current educational environment. As usual, this portion of the test looks very different from its most immediate predecessor. Gone is the emphasis on long reading passages, linked evidence questions, and the dreaded historical documents. To be fair, most test takers won’t be sorry to see those elements go. What does the digital SAT offer instead? Expect questions evaluating many of the same fundamental reading skills in some new ways: Questions focusing on the enduring themes of thesis, structure, and both close and inferential reading will be attached to reading passages of roughly 100 words each. Each…