Outstanding Resources for Test Prep and Admissions
At Chariot Learning, we have all kinds of effective ways to help students earn impressive test scores while learning critical academic and executive skills. With summer coming, you’re probably looking for help with testing as well as the larger higher education admissions process. Following are some of the essential resources we recommend for our prep students and all test takers, but feel free to contact us if you don’t see what you are looking for: GETTING STARTED Whether you are working with Chariot Learning or not, you’ll be able to better understand any and every aspect of test prep and admissions with these trusted sources: Chariot Learning Frequently Asked Questions Tests and the Rest college admissions podcast College Road parent newsletter Upstate College Conversations Facebook group Chariot Learning Motivational Instagram COLLEGE ADMISSIONS AND TESTING FOR THE HS CLASSES OF 2022 AND 2023 Understand the current admissions landscape better with this…
The Value of Test Preparation
Effective test preparation delivers so many benefits beyond the obvious improvement in test scores. This post is authored and published by the National Test Prep Association and shared here with permission.
Who Needs a Coach?
Top athletes and singers have coaches. Should you? That was the subheader of a fascinating 2011 article in the New Yorker penned by an enlightened surgeon. Atul Gawande noticed how his surgical skills had plateaued in a predictable, professionally accepted way. While he was coming to terms with this presumably inevitable fact of life, he also experienced how impactful even a single lesson with a tennis pro was in improving his game. Then he connected the dots: “Not long afterward, I watched Rafael Nadal play a tournament match on the Tennis Channel. The camera flashed to his coach, and the obvious struck me as interesting: even Rafael Nadal has a coach. Nearly every élite tennis player in the world does. Professional athletes use coaches to make sure they are as good as they can be. “But doctors don’t. I’d paid to have a kid just out of college look at…
What Students Should Consider When Taking the ACT and SAT
Whether you’re a high schooler or the parent of one, you probably have hundreds of good questions about the SAT and ACT. Here are some of the most common: What are the benefits of taking the ACT or SAT? Are the ACT and SAT accepted by colleges equally? How can you find out which test you are best suited for? When should you take the ACT or SAT? What are the best ways to practice and prepare for the tests? Are all prep methods equally viable for all students regardless of learning style or motivation? Everything about taking the SAT and ACT has become more complicated and nuanced, from the subject matter to the test format to the when, where, how, and why of getting a great score. That’s why we’ve been publishing articles every week for the last 13 years on the Chariot Learning blog and elsewhere, speaking at…
Podcast: Mathematical Maturity and Test Success
Far too often, we evaluate math ability in high schoolers solely on the basis of grades and level of math learned. A more accurate assessment of a student’s potential on challenging math tasks–including those posed on tests like the SAT and ACT–should consider mathematical maturity. For clarity on the link between mathematical maturity and test success, I turned to author and test prep professional Dr. Steve Warner. Dr. Steve Warner, Ph.D has two decades of experience in general math tutoring and tutoring for standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, and AP Calculus exams. He has tutored students both individually and in group settings. In February 2010, Dr. Warner released his first SAT prep book The 32 Most Effective SAT Math Strategies, and in 2012 founded Get 800 Test Prep. Since then Dr. Warner has written books for the SAT, ACT, SAT Math Subject Tests, AP Calculus exams,…
Why Is Summer The Best Time for Test Prep?
The College Board administers the SAT in August, October, November, December, March, May, and June. ACT, Inc. follows suit by offering the ACT in September, October, December, February, April, June, and July (everywhere but New York). So if students can only take the SAT or ACT during the school year, why should they prep during the 2.5-month summer span when they can’t? The answer is obvious: because there’s no school! Today’s college-bound high school students are busier than ever before. No, that’s not a cliché. As admissions standards spiral ever higher (along with tuition), students strive to differentiate themselves through advanced classes, sports, clubs, jobs, and every other activity they can fit into each overscheduled week. This frenzy of activity reaches its peak in junior year, from the beginning of fall sports until the end of finals. Considering how many important commitments students are asked to juggle, why not try…