Working Faster on the SAT and ACT
The SAT and ACT, as if testing a ton of math, grammar, and reading comprehension wasn’t tough enough, also challenge a test taker’s time management skills. Basically, many students fail to finish specific sections, which is by design. The highest scores go to those who earn the most points, which usually requires seeing ALL of the questions. So what do you do when you tend to run out of time on a section? 1. Focus first on accuracy instead of speed. Getting to more questions means nothing if you get those questions wrong. Your best score begins with answering as many of the questions you see correctly. Sometimes that means learning the math or grammar content that is tested, while other times, learning the right way to read will be the key to greater accuracy. 2. Learn the right strategies. A perfect note on a flute doesn’t come naturally; neither…
Play To The Final Whistle
A restless urge to compete impels all great success in a way that less ambitious emotions cannot. Often, we are competing with others for some coveted prize or championship. Other times, we compete with ourselves, to beat our best time or turn out our most perfect effort. Even when we strive against the seemingly unyielding barriers of space and time, we are competing; those who break speed records or delve impossible depths compete against reality itself, and sometimes even win. The highest test scores often go to the fiercest competitors. Make no mistake: greatness will not simply fall into your lap. Championships, awards, and glory go to those who fight relentlessly for them. On the day of your official ACT or SAT, your competition is far greater and more vast than you can probably imagine. If you want to earn a 99th percentile score, you’ll have to best more than…
Don’t Let Spring Fever Spin You Off Course!
Spring has finally arrived, and while the allure of warmer weather and summer fun is right around the corner, the most important hurdles of the school year seem higher than ever. Prepping for final exams, AP exams, and standardized tests is enough to make you pull your hair out quicker than the flowers have time to blossom. Spring fever symptoms include a decreased interest in academics, shorter attention span, and rushing through assignments and projects. Instead of succumbing to this well known academic ailment, try these strategies to make sure the school year is going to end on a very good note: 1. Create a Countdown Map out class requirements and create a timeline to study for culminating exams like finals, Regents, or APs. Be realistic, and be sure to modify your countdown each day to accommodate for what was or was not completed. 2. Make Deals Do the least…
Overscheduling: How Dreams Turn into Nightmares
The Wonder Woman and Superman complex is as old as the American dream. The individualistic nature of our culture values the drive to be the best and do it all. While these are commendable traits that allow many people to achieve their dreams, there is also a shadow side to this drive that can result in stress-induced nightmares. We’ve all seen it before: the go-getter rises to the top only to fall over from exhaustion. Priorities become misplaced and moods turn sour. Before you know it, the go-getter has lost sight of his original dream and is drowning in a sea of strained relationships and expectations. In 2007, researchers at Walden University found that adolescents who are overscheduled report higher rates on anxiety. The negative effects of anxiety on adolescents are numerous and potentially devastating: delinquency, burnout, depression, violence, and substance abuse. Recognizing the signs of overscheduling can create space…
12 Days of Time Management: Work to the End
Lao Tzu commented that time is a created thing. “To say ‘I don’t have time’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.’” How you spend your time signals your values and priorities. Show the world what matters to you while using our 12 Days of Time Management for Teens: Ever notice how a runner will race a marathon differently than she will a sprint? The main distinction lies not in the nature of running itself but rather in where the finish line is placed. The endpoint defines the race. Your academic career and the bright professional one that is sure to follow look very much alike: lots of projects, some of them sprints and some marathons. But every opportunity you’ll have to display your mastery shares one important trait. Every one has an endpoint. The end of a task may lie when the work must be submitted. At other…
12 Days of Time Management: Just One Thing
Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present. Please accept, as our present to you, another tip in our 12 Days of Time Management for Teens: Just One Thing In a rich and productive life, every day feels like a new adventure. Sometimes, though, even the road to adventure becomes a slog, where too much mundane work separates exciting times. When your to-do list becomes so long that it threatens to entangle you in inaction, cut through that constricted feeling by focusing on your MIT: your Most Important Task. No matter how much you have to do in a day, you should be able to sort through your demands and pull out the most important ones. Better yet, determine each day’s Most Important Tasks in advance. Start with just one small, necessary task that, when accomplished, will relieve some of…