Practice Tests: How Many, How Often, and How to Do Them Right
If I’ve said this once, I’ve said it a thousand times: if you’re not taking tests, you’re not really doing test prep. This is not to say that effective test preparation doesn’t incorporate an extensive array of educational strategies and interventions beyond testing. The best test prep programs don’t ignore individualized instruction, systematic content review, or targeted coaching and feedback; they simply make sure they leverage the power of practice testing to full effect. How exactly can a learner best leverage the full value of practice testing? Start with a perfect representation of an official test, ideally published by the actual test maker. Next, seek out an opportunity to take this test under simulated testing conditions, optimally with a trained proctor. Lastly, take the test as seriously as possible to derive maximum experiential value. Yet, even this simple recipe for success may be improved upon with a few more choice…
Test Ready for Fall 2019
The back-to-school season often feels, at least to adults, like a return to sanity. Everyone falls back into welcome routines and high schoolers aren’t sleeping their days away! But while classes may start slowly, the SAT and ACT are already upon us. Fall prep for juniors and seniors alike starts now. Will you be test ready? Summer may bring a welcome break from school, but local students certainly kept the dreaded brain drain at bay by working diligently towards the August SAT and September ACT. Chariot Learning proctored full-length proctored practice tests across greater Rochester and Syracuse just about every single week. How busy were we since school let out? We proctored 23 different practice SATs and ACTs at 9 different locations. Kudos to our school, library, and professional partners in Brighton, Fairport, Fayetteville, Gates, Penfield, Pittsford, Victor, and Webster for making these tests available to so many teens! How…
Test Ready for Summer 2019
Those of us who endured a long winter and cold spring could scarcely believe that summer would come this year. Now that we’re all sweating through long, sunny days, we can start to plan for fall. The August SAT and September ACT offer rising juniors and seniors alike the opportunity to ace the exams before school really gets rolling. But practice–including practice tests–comes first! Local students certainly made the most of our offered testing opportunities this spring. Chariot Learning proctored full-length proctored practice tests across greater Rochester and Syracuse just about every single week. How busy were we during the spring season? We proctored 16 different practice SATs, PSATs, and ACTs at 9 different locations. Kudos to our school, library, and professional partners in Brighton, Fairport, Fayetteville, Gates, Henrietta, Pittsford, and Victor for making these tests available to so many teens! How many students came to these tests? Would you…
Test Ready for Spring 2019
If you live in New York, you can be forgiven for missing the beginning of spring, which currently feels a lot like winter. But spring has sprung nonetheless, promising a veritable bouquet of high stakes tests, from APS and Finals to the SAT & ACT. Juniors who put the work in now can ace all these exams before summer even starts. Will you be test ready? Local students certainly made the most of Winter 2019 testing opportunities. Chariot Learning proctored full-length proctored practice tests across greater Rochester just about every single week. How busy were we during the coldest months? We proctored 13 different practice SATs, PSATs, and ACTs at 8 different locations. Kudos to our school, library, and professional partners in Brighton, Fairport, Fayetteville, Henrietta, Penfield, Pittsford, and Webster for making these tests available to so many teens! How many students came to these tests? Would you believe 189…
How Many Practice Tests Do You Plan to Take?
We at Chariot Learning administer a lot of practice tests. Make that a LOT of practice tests, most of them free. That only makes sense, as taking official practice SAT & ACT exams under simulated test conditions is a cornerstone of effective test preparation. Committing so many mornings to proctoring feels worth the effort when we see so many motivated students showing up time after time. With a self-selected population of test takers at hand, I can’t help but conduct surveys at different testing sites. During our Winter 2018 season, we asked “What motivates you to do better on the SAT or ACT?” For the rest of 2018, we focused on a different question: “How many practice tests do you plan to take before the official exam?” From March through November at libraries and other testing sites across Rochester and Syracuse, we elicited responses from 303 SAT & ACT test…
Test Ready for Winter 2019
A new calendar year barely takes us to the halfway point of the academic year. Midterms are coming up, but state tests, APS, and even Finals will be here before you know it. Make the most of the winter months by prepping for the next round of SAT and ACT exams. Will you be test ready? Local students certainly made the most of Fall 2018 testing opportunities. Chariot Learning proctored full-length proctored practice tests across greater Rochester just about every single week. How busy were we since school let out? We proctored 26 different practice SATs, PSATs, and ACTs at 12 different locations. Kudos to our school, library, and professional partners in Brighton, Camillus, Fairport, Fayetteville, Gates, Penfield, Pittsford, Skaneateles, Spencerport, and Webster for making these tests available to so many teens! How many students came to these tests? Would you believe 182 different students from 34 different schools, including…