SAT Prep — Top 10 Most Popular Posts of 2008

As we close out the old year and ring in the new, it's time to take a glance back at 2008 and see how The Grammar Guy blog has fared.

I began this site in May, not quite knowing what to expect. I haven't posted as consistently as I had hoped, but I've been quite pleased at the reader response so far. Many people have told me they find this site helpful.

Here are the top ten most popular posts of 2008:

1. Free Essay Critique
2. Identifying Sentence Errors — Questions 1-10
3. Essay — Two Examples or Three?
4. Grammar — Subject-Verb Agreement — Trap #1
5. How to Improve Your Critical Reading Skills
6. SAT Critical Reading: My "Perfect" 800
7. Most Common Traps in Identifying Sentence Errors
8. Grammar — Subject-Verb Agreement in Number
9. Free Essay Critique #1
10. Why Study Grammar?

I expect to be more active on this site in 2009.

In particular, I have a backlog of SAT essays that I have to critique and post. If you've sent me an essay and haven't seen it posted here yet, I apologize and thank you again for your patience. Please check back later.

Happy New Year, everyone!

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary Quiz #9

For each SAT vocabulary word, choose the best definition. (Answers in the comments.)

1. ACRIMONIOUS
a. ancient
b. bitter
c. musical
d. tired

2. LOUGH
a. sick
b. ragged
c. lake
d. near

3. PESTILENCE
a. farming
b. backwards
c. gunfire
d. epidemic

4. WHINE
a. complain
b. turn
c. complex
d. entertain

5. MEMENTO
a. idea
b. crazed
c. intention
d. souvenir

6. PALINODE
a. retraction
b. matrix
c. wordplay
d. whiteness

7. SERVITUDE
a. slavery
b. idiom
c. recollection
d. sportsman

8. TENANT
a. hiker
b. rhapsodic
c. occupant
d. deckhand

9. ANNUAL
a. related
b. severe
c. overdue
d. yearly

10. DISPARITY
a. sadness
b. inequality
c. multiple
d. gruesome

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Practice, Practice, Practice

For most high school students, the SAT will be the longest test they have ever taken. At three hours and forty-five minutes, it is a truly daunting challenge. It's not enough simply to know all the material on the SAT test; you must also improve your focus and stamina.

The best way to train for this academic marathon is to take lots of practice tests. One practice test is the PSAT. This will give you a sense of what topics are covered, what strategies work, and where your weak spots are. Pay close attention to the PSAT Score Report Plus. Use it to inform and guide your SAT prep plan. But, at only two hours and ten minutes, the PSAT does not prepare you for the grueling endurance game of the real SAT.

To really get into shape for the SAT, be sure to take the eight complete practice tests included in The Official SAT Study Guide. It's best to take these test under true test conditions, if at all possible. Take the practice tests the on the same day of the week and at the same hour of the day that the test will be given (for example, Saturday at 8:30am). Find a quiet room at home, or perhaps at a school or library. Give yourself three hours and forty-five minutes to complete the test. If you do this every week for two months, you will walk into the real SAT test more confident and better prepared than everyone else in the room.

Be persistent. Be diligent. Hard work pays off.

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary Quiz #8

For each SAT vocabulary word, choose the best definition. (Answers in the comments.)

1. BUFFOON
a. smooth
b. clown
c. strengthen
d. primate

2. INVETERATE
a. habitual
b. mature
c. angry
d. cook

3. REVERENT
a. famous
b. charming
c. twisted
d. humble

4. PASSIVE
a. speedy
b. open
c. unresponsive
d. tall

5. THEORIZE
a. speculate
b. proselytize
c. ascend
d. integrate

6. VITIATE
a. drink
b. grow
c. contaminate
d. play

7. RELENT
a. charity
b. yield
c. exchange
d. forestall

8. DAUNTLESS
a. fearless
b. submerge
c. incapable
d. wary

9. CANDID
a. sweet
b. straightforward
c. packaged
d. successful

10. CAPRICE
a. whim
b. expensive
c. covered
d. fashionable

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Essay — Is "Alright" All Right?

Question: On the SAT essay, is it acceptable to use the word alright?

Short answer: No. Alright is all wrong. Use the two-word form, all right.

However, this requires a bit of explanation. Alright is now widely used, particularly in informal settings like, say, blogs. Many well-known writers, including James Joyce and Langston Hughes, have used it in literature. It is ubiquitous in written dialog and, sadly, in student papers.

In fact, the single word alright has been in use at least since 1887.

The two-word phrase all right was used more than five hundred years ago, spelled al right by Chaucer around the year 1385. The word later fell out of favor, then returned to common usage after 1822, when Percy Bysshe Shelley employed it in Scenes from Goethe's Faust.

In any case, all right is the much older form. It remains the standard for use in formal writing. Alright should be used, if at all, only in informal writing.

Whenever you write, it is important to keep your audience in mind. When you compose your SAT essay, you are writing for a group of scorers who are, for the most part, English teachers and grammarians. I myself look askance at alright in formal — and even informal — writing. Your SAT scorer is likely to do the same.

Why take chances? Stick to formal writing on the SAT. All right?

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep Comedy Book

Charles Horn, an SAT tutor and jokemeister whose comic stylings have been featured on The Tonight Show, has written an SAT test prep book that combines tutoring with tittering: The Laugh Out Loud Guide: Ace the SAT Exam without Boring Yourself to Sleep!

Sample question:

2. Yo mamma so _______, when you mail her a letter, you need two ZIP Codes. A) diaphanous B) luminous C) ravenous D) grisly E) corpulent

Bad grammar, good vocabulary.

If you're going to buy only one SAT Prep book, get the official guide and take lots of practice tests. But if you're looking for something off the beaten path, why not give this book a try? At least it won't be boring.

Source: LA Times

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary Quiz #7

For each SAT vocabulary word, choose the best definition. (Answers in the comments.)

1. ELUSION
a. reference
b. magic
c. evasion
d. speech

2. COMPETENT
a. qualified
b. adversarial
c. free
d. angry

3. APERTURE
a. height
b. hole
c. reliquary
d. summation

4. GIGANTIC
a. funny
b. erudite
c. paltry
d. tremendous

5. REFEREE
a. inexpensive
b. umpire
c. recommend
d. bovine

6. SUBTERFUGE
a. evasion
b. scientific
c. hull
d. recompense

7. UNAFFECTED
a. sincere
b. angry
c. loathsome
d. wary

8. HESITANT
a. decisive
b. simple
c. vacillating
d. contrapuntal

9. DERISION
a. ridicule
b. calculated
c. openness
d. flighty

10. VIVACITY
a. expense
b. warning
c. alcoholic
d. liveliness

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

New Video Contest for SAT Vocabulary

If you make an SAT vocabulary video and submit it to the BrainyFlix SAT Vocab Contest, you could win $600 — that's $200 for you and $400 to the school class or club of your choice. Plus, submit five videos and get a free iPod download.

The contest begins January 1, 2009. For details, visit BrainyFlix.

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary Quiz #6

For each SAT vocabulary word, choose the best definition. (Answers in the comments.)

1. LATENT
a. absent
b. tardy
c. dormant
d. plastic

2. POISE
a. verse
b. explosive
c. equilibrium
d. controversy

3. ACCEDE
a. rise
b. harvest
c. agree
d. delay

4. REQUISITE
a. necessary
b. gather
c. conquer
d. hush

5. VOLATILE
a. waxy
b. fast
c. feathery
d. changeable

6. TYRANNICAL
a. ancient
b. despotic
c. reptilian
d. rounded

7. OUST
a. eject
b. hurt
c. seek
d. reconcile

8. FERVID
a. intense
b. ill
c. attractive
d. relaxed

9. CONCUR
a. defeat
b. sever
c. wag
d. agree

10. NEGATE
a. deny
b. open
c. enter
d. rise

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

Kaya Massey, 16, Earns Perfect SAT Score

I like reading success stories: the redshirt freshman who scores the winning touchdown; the high school dropout who becomes a multimillionaire; and of course those kids who get a perfect score on the SAT Reasoning Test.

Even if SAT perfection seems unattainable for most of us, it's nonetheless inspiring to read about those who do score that magical 2400.

Sixteen-year-old Kaya Massey of Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi is one of the few who made the grade:

"I was really obnoxious when I found out because I was so excited," she said. "I thought a couple of my friends would be irritated because we're so competitive, but everyone was happy for me."

Source: hattiesburgamerican.com

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary Quiz #5

For each SAT vocabulary word, choose the best definition. (Answers in the comments.)

1. WINSOME
a. blowing
b. attractive
c. overcoming
d. smart

2. TILTH
a. cultivation
b. charity
c. finance
d. waiting

3. SEAR
a. shaman
b. pilot
c. visual
d. burn

4. AUDACIOUS
a. loud
b. fearless
c. slow
d. poetic

5. EFFICACEOUS
a. effective
b. blooming
c. rising
d. untrue

6. ACHROMATIC
a. nonmetallic
b. flexible
c. overbearing
d. colorless

7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
a. recognition
b. cough
c. education
d. intuition

8. PERSIFLAGE
a. banter
b. crowded
c. closed
d. waving

9. SCRIBE
a. circle
b. writer
c. carriage
d. drink

10. PALSY
a. swift
b. white
c. paralysis
d. small

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

Cool Links: Online SAT Prep Resources

I recently came across a great list of online resources for SAT preparation. Check it out SmartTeaching.org's Ultimate Guide to the SAT.

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary Quiz #4

For each SAT vocabulary word, choose the best definition. (Answers in the comments.)

1. STRINGENT
a. long
b. rigid
c. thin
d. circular

2. VERITY
a. truth
b. multiple
c. open
d. requisite

3. JUSTIFICATION
a. vindication
b. honorific
c. requirement
d. storytelling

4. ECCENTRIC
a. rounded
b. passable
c. peculiar
d. magical

5. COUNTERVAIL
a. offset
b. waitress
c. numerous
d. mourn

6. ANGELIC
a. sharp
b. geometric
c. saintly
d. soft

7. WHOLLY
a. itchy
b. festive
c. tattered
d. completely

8. STERLING
a. young
b. hard
c. old
d. genuine

9. OSCULATE
a. kiss
b. see
c. clean
d. abandon

10. INDIGENCE
a. unyielding
b. poverty
c. angry
d. deepness

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Writing — Contrasting Conjunctions

Many students misuse contrasting conjunctions on their SAT essays, but with practice all students can learn to use these grammatical tools correctly.

Contrasting conjunctions emphasize the difference between two things. For example, in the first sentence above I used the conjunction but to show a contrast between two groups of students: those who misuse contrasting conjunctions and those who learn to use them correctly.

In the sentence preceding this one, however, I used the coordinating conjunction and to link the same two groups, because I wanted to emphasize something they had in common: they were both joined by a contrasting conjunction.

Some conjunctions, like but, are both contrasting and coordinating conjunctions.

Here are some non-contrasting conjunctions:

and
since
because
so
thus
therefore

Here are some contrasting conjunctions:

but
though
although
however
while
rather
instead
unless
despite
nevertheless
notwithstanding

A common mistake on SAT essays is to use a contrasting conjunction where none is called for.

Let's look at an example:

Shakespeare lived during the English Renaissance, but he wrote many famous plays.

Do you see the mistake?

The contrasting conjunction but is used to bring together two non-contrasting ideas.

There are two ways of fixing this: either rewrite the sentence using contrasting ideas, or use a non-contrasting conjunction.

Let's first rewrite the sentence using the non-contrasting conjunction and:

Shakespeare lived during the English Renaissance and wrote many famous plays.

Now let's use contrasting ideas and keep the contrasting conjunction:

Shakespeare lived during the English Renaissance, but his plays transcend his time.

When composing your SAT essay, be sure to use the correct conjunctions.

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary Quiz #3

For each SAT vocabulary word, choose the best definition. (Answers in the comments.)

1. INDISTINCT
a. inward
b. vague
c. smelly
d. busy

2. CALUMNY
a. clean
b. arrogant
c. slander
d. petulance

3. RUE
a. color
b. repeat
c. area
d. regret

4. UNGAINLY
a. downward
b. backward
c. opposite
d. clumsy

5. MOCKERY
a. stagecraft
b. ridicule
c. dish
d. birding

6. FORETELL
a. predict
b. handicap
c. outspoken
d. whisper

7. OBESE
a. honorable
b. sincere
c. fat
d. old

8. VINDICTIVE
a. revengeful
b. drunk
c. twisting
d. bruised

9. AFFIX
a. solve
b. emote
c. reorder
d. fasten

10. BRIMSTONE
a. cliff
b. cup
c. sulfur
d. underground

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Writing — The Active Voice

When writing your SAT essay, it is better to use the active voice, rather than allow the passive voice to be used by you.

The difference between the active voice and the passive voice is how the verbs are used. In the active voice, the subject does the action: Man bites dog. In the passive voice, an action is done to the subject: The dog was bitten by the man.

The passive voice uses variations on the verb to be. Clues to the passive voice are words like: is, was, were, and are. Often, you will see these verbs used with the preposition by, as in by the man in the example above.

Let's change some sentences that use the passive voice into sentences that use the active voice:

Passive:

The car was driven by the policeman.

Active:

The policeman drove the car.

Passive:

The freakish weather was caused by a tropical depression.

Active:

A tropical depression caused the freakish weather.

Passive:

Many financial institutions were destroyed by risky bets on mortgage-backed derivatives and decades of deregulation.

Active:

Risky bets on mortgage-backed derivatives and decades of deregulation destroyed many financial institutions.

Bonus question: How would you rewrite the first sentence above?

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

Advice on SAT Prep: Look Online

A reader sent a letter to "Babs" at campuscompare.com, asking about the best way to prepare for the SAT. Babs mentions the value of free online SAT preparation (emphasis mine):

Most SAT prep courses, tutors and books teach you how to take the test, not what's on it. Since points are taken away for incorrect answers, but no points are removed for skipped questions, a large part of the SAT lesson plan involves training yourself to skip stuff you really don't know. This means eliminating wrong answers from the multiple-choice questions, so that you can better guess the right answers. Other tricks involve plugging in answers into formulas, instead of doing the algebra out the long way. All these tips can earn you hundreds of points on your test. And guess what? You just got some SAT prep for free. Browse online for free tips, practice tests and more to help you prepare for the big bad SAT.

Source: Kansas City Star

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary Quiz #2

Here's another chance to test your SAT vocabulary.

For each SAT vocabulary word, choose the best definition. (Answers in the comments.)

1. WITCHCRAFT
a. needlework
b. sorcery
c. ship
d. cookbook

2. OMISSION
a. meditation
b. agreement
c. purpose
d. exclusion

3. FUNGOUS
a. creative
b. afraid
c. spongy
d. enjoyable

4. MEAGER
a. scanty
b. anxious
c. expensive
d. soft

5. EXECRABLE
a. outlying
b. amiable
c. abominable
d. significant

6. ACCESSIBLE
a. curable
b. reliable
c. approachable
d. risible

7. COURAGEOUS
a. brave
b. heartfelt
c. flowering
d. angry

8. IMPERTINENCE
a. undisturbed
b. awkwardness
c. perceptibility
d. rudeness

9. PALATIAL
a. upper
b. soft
c. magnificent
d. calm

10. SUBJUGATE
a. dig
b. conquer
c. cover
d. consume

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary Quiz #1

Test your SAT vocabulary.

Choose the best definition for each SAT vocabulary word.

1. RELIANCE
a. falsehood
b. agreement
c. dependence
d. ability

2. SECLUSION
a. solitude
b. adherence
c. answer
d. meeting

3. PACT
a. dense
b. covenant
c. full
d. obtuse

4. LISTLESS
a. inattentive
b. capable
c. leaning
d. fewer

5. CONFIDENT
a. lying
b. insidious
c. respectful
d. assured

6. TERSE
a. rhyming
b. weak
c. pithy
d. bad

7. ABUNDANT
a. combined
b. plentiful
c. round
d. near

8. JOVIAL
a. open
b. powerful
c. condescending
d. merry

9. RANCOR
a. malice
b. best
c. hungry
d. fast

10. TACIT
a. bitter
b. understood
c. clever
d. resilient

(Answers in the comments.)

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — The Most Important Thing to Memorize

If you are preparing to take the SAT test, you need to memorize a lot of information: vocabulary lists, grammar rules, math formulas, etc.

But what if you could only memorize one thing? What would it be? What would be the single most important thing to memorize on the SAT test?

The directions.

Yes, you read that right: memorize the directions.

Find an official sample test, look at the top of each section, read the directions that tell you how to answer that section, and memorize them. Know what the test section covers. Know how you are supposed to mark your answers. Know how the section will be scored. Know it like you know your name.

Memorize the directions.

This will save you crucial minutes on every section of the test.

The SAT is a timed test. There is never enough time. Most students could significantly improve their score on the test if they only had a little more time, a few more minutes, a chance to rethink their answers, correct their grammar, or double-check their calculations.

In the working world, time is money. But on the SAT test, time is scoring.

So give yourself time to maximize your score.

Memorize the directions.

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary — Merriam-Webster's 2008 Word of the Year

Merriam-Webster selects their annual "Word of the Year" according to the intensity of look-ups on their website. In other words, it's a kind of online popularity contest, or perhaps a curiosity contest. The winner is often a word mentioned in the news which a lot of normal people don't understand but wish they did. This year, true to form, the word of the year was:

bailout (n) - a rescue from financial distress

With news of recession, depression, and government bailouts, it seems natural that the word bailout would rise to the top.

Here is the Merriam-Webster's top ten list:

1. bailout
2. vet
3. socialism
4. maverick
5. bipartisan
6. trepidation
7. precipice
8. rogue
9. misogyny
10. turmoil

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary — ePrep Video 4

Karl Schellscheidt, co-founder of ePrep, offers his personal story of learning English vocabulary in the final installment of this great motivational video series on building your SAT vocabulary:



Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary — ePrep Video 3

Here is Part 3 of ePrep's series on building a strong SAT vocabulary:



Part 1
Part 2
Part 4

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary — ePrep Video 2

Here is Part 2 of ePrep's motivational video series about building a strong SAT vocabulary:



Part 1
Part 3
Part 4

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Vocabulary — ePrep Video 1

Karl Schellscheidt, co-founder of ePrep, has a great motivational four-part video series on building your SAT vocabulary.

Here's Part 1:



Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Writing — The Periodic Sentence

One tool you can use to improve your writing, enhance your essay, and ace the SAT is the periodic sentence.

A periodic sentence is one that grammatically resolves at the end, right before the period.

For example, take a close look at the first sentence above. The subject is tool. The verb is is. The sentence begins: One tool you can use…. The reader anticipates a verb. Without a verb, the sentence is incomplete. Yet the sentence continues for three phrases before the verb appears. This delay causes grammatical tension, which is resolved by: …is the periodic sentence.

This technique should be used sparingly, however, because it adds complexity and reduces clarity.

I could rewrite the opening sentence for greater clarity, but with a loss of style:

One tool you can use is the periodic sentence. You can use it to improve your writing, enhance your essay, and ace the SAT.

The structure of a periodic sentence resembles that of a joke: setup, delay, and punchline (or payoff).

Setup:

One tool you can use…

Delay:

…to improve your writing, enhance your essay, and ace the SAT…

Payoff:

…is the periodic sentence.

The Roman statesman Cicero was famous for his periodic sentences. His use of this rhetorical device was later studied and emulated by writers such as John Milton, Edward Gibbon, and Sir Winston Churchill.

In Memoirs of My Life, Gibbon wrote:

Unprovided with original learning, uninformed in the habits of thinking, unskilled in the arts of composition, I resolved — to write a book.

Here is an example from the King James Bible (1 Corinthians 13):

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Longfellow used this technique in his poem “Snowflakes”:

Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garment shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent and soft, and slow,
Descends the snow.

As Strunk and White observed in The Elements of Style:

The proper place in the sentence for the word or group of words that the writer desires to make most prominent is usually the end.

Thoughts? Questions? Please comment below.

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Learning from the PSAT

This month high school students will receive their PSAT scores, which can help them prepare for the SATs:

First, the three scores, one each in Critical Reading, Math and Writing will help students see strengths and weaknesses. Scores range from 20-80 and students also receive percentile scores in each area. Percentiles tell a student how s/he measures up against other 10th graders in the United States.

These are very useful pieces of information. Your student may be getting decent grades, but wouldn't you like to know how s/he compares to students in Massachusetts, Missouri or California? A percentile rank of 50 means the student is right in the middle of the entire group-better than half of the students and not as good as the other half. Learning where you stand early in your high school career may be the best gift you can receive. What are you going to do to reach for your own personal heights?

If one of the categories in the PSAT gave you more trouble than the others, it may be worth examining how you can pull that score up. The information in the PSAT packet lists the type of questions you seemed to have the most difficulty with, and there are suggestions based on your answer pattern that you can follow to improve. Perhaps you need to improve your vocabulary, or work on your geometry. These are valuable road markers for your path to success and you should not ignore them! This is the point in your high school career to make the effort to improve your weakest areas. When you take the SATs at the end of your junior year you will have the best shot at making your best score.

Read the full article at Village Soup.

Thoughts? Please comment below.

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT "Incredibly Imprecise"

Doubts persist about the value of the SAT for college admissions. Yet 1.5 million students took the SAT test in 2007, driven by the growing population of high school seniors and the intense competition to get into top colleges and universities.

Nicolaus Mills, a professor of American Studies at Sarah Lawrence College, writes:

Behind this crisis over standardized testing is the growing belief, as William R. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions at Harvard, observed, that standardized tests are "incredibly imprecise" at measuring academic ability and predicting how well a student will perform in four years of college. This fall at the annual meeting of the 11,000-member National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the doubts of admissions directors such as Fitzsimmons took center stage. NACAC members were, however, willing to do more than just voice their doubts about the reliability of standardized tests and the special burden they place on students from the socio-economic groups that do poorly on them. NACAC members talked at length about taking steps that in the future would reduce the role that standardized tests play in college admissions.

The question for the NACAC and for students across the country is, What to put in place of the tests? An "A" in a suburban high school or an elite prep school can be very different from an "A" in an inner-city high school, where half the students drop out by their senior year.

At the college in which I teach, the answer we hit upon several years ago was to go cold turkey with regard to standardized test scores. We stopped asked for them, starting with the high school graduating class of 2005, and we have not looked back. We find that we are getting just as good students as we got when we used standardized tests, and we are benefiting from reaching out to students for whom our emphasis on grades, teacher recommendations, and writing samples is especially appealing.

Read the complete article at The Huffington Post.

Thoughts? Please comment below.

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep Video Course Offered

Brightstorm, a new online learning network, announced a video-based SAT prep course called "Countdown to the SATs":

Brightstorm's online learning network offers teens access to short (10 to 20 minute) video lessons personalized to match their digital consumption habits. The courses include interactive quizzes and study guides that deepen learners' understanding of key concepts. On Brightstorm, teens can work at their own pace and have the ability to review and replay entire lessons or specific concepts.

"Brightstorm's mission is to help teens succeed in high school and beyond by providing great learning experiences," said Jeff Marshall, co-founder & CEO, Brightstorm. "When it comes to higher education opportunities, we want to assist teens in reaching their educational goals by helping them master standardized test material. Brightstorm's expert teachers deliver invaluable solutions that enable students to tackle the most important challenges they will face on the SAT."

Visit www.brightstorm.com.

Thoughts? Please comment below.

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

Is the SAT I a Fair Judge of College Applicants?

The debate continues over whether SAT I scores are a useful predictor of college success. Patrick Mattimore offers his opinion, with reference to the recent Seattle meeting of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC):

A problem with the NACAC report is that while it suggests that colleges reevaluate the use of all standardized exams, the authors strongly encouraged colleges to use standardized subject exams to evaluate applicants. Many commentators have used the NACAC report to justify arguments that colleges should abandon the SAT I (Reasoning Test) without explaining that the committee concurrently proposed that colleges should place greater emphasis on SAT IIs (Subject tests) or Advanced Placement exams.

He concludes:

The NACAC committee’s common sense recommendations should cause colleges everywhere to re-examine how they are using the SAT I to evaluate applicants. Hopefully, many of those colleges will drop the SAT I requirement and rely more heavily on subject tests.

Read the entire article at OpEdNews.com.

Thoughts? Please comment below.

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation

SAT Prep — Free Essay Critique #7 (Part Two)

We now continue with our free critique of an SAT essay by "Anonymous."

Essay Rewrite

Here is my revision of SAT essay #7:

Although most people prefer to live an easy life, they do not consider that it is the challenges in life that help shape who they are. Motivation to change cannot be found in an easy life because ease creates complacency. There is simply no reason to modify yourself if everything is easy and insubstantial. In fact, any change may only mean that the once-easy tasks become harder.

Many of the great dystopian novels feature a main character who is first in agreement with his society. After all, why should he oppose something that seems to exist for his own happiness? Guy Montag from Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 lived a relatively easy life until his society inflicted him with adversity. After he realized the corruption his society caused, he vowed to change it. In doing so, he lost his wife and house, but these were small sacrifices. Only through trying to oppose “the system” did he learn the meaning of independence and courage.

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World demonstrates what can happen when a society brainwashes and drugs its members to make them happy. The citizens in that book had an easier life than most of us can hope for, but as a result they lost their identities. These people were so distracted, unquestioning, and shallow that they never knew who they were. Unable to discover themselves in their artificial and homogenized lives, they were perfectly conditioned so that nothing would be hard or unpleasant. However, they ended up as clones of each other because their lives were filled with the simplest of tasks, none of which required any thinking.

Adversity challenges us and sometimes forces us to change and adapt, but it can also lead us to reflect on our lives. People can only discover their hatred of mountain climbing by climbing mountains. Often, adversity is our only motivation to try new things.

A life replete with experience is necessary in order to discover your true identity. Simple curiosity is not enough to galvanize most people to acquire new experiences. A life of ease can free people from their daily drudgery and lead them on the journey of self-discovery. However, ease can also stop people from trying to discover themselves, and instead cause them to laze in luxury. Adversity forces people to seek out new experiences and overcome their misfortunes with newfound knowledge.

Structural Feedback

Let's find the central idea of each paragraph:

1. Life's challenges shape who we are.
2. Challenged by his society, Guy Montag became a better person.
3. Unchallenged, the citizens of Brave New World did not change.
4. Adversity leads us to reflect on our lives.
5. Through new experiences we can discover our true identity.

Structurally, this essay starts out strong, then falls apart. The first paragraph lays out the argument well. The contrasting examples of Fahrenheit 451 and Brave New World are good.

However, the fourth paragraph is undeveloped and weakly argued. The last sentence of the paragraph does not flow logically from the previous one, and it is unsupported by further example.

It seems that you either ran out of ideas, ran out of time, or both. These problems can be alleviated by practicing timed SAT essay writing, and by brainstorming and outlining before you begin writing the essay.

Your Score: 3

The SAT essay is scored from 1-6, based on a rubric provided by The College Board. Here is the category your essay best fits into:

SCORE OF 3

An essay in this category demonstrates developing mastery, and is marked by ONE OR MORE of the following weaknesses:

* develops a point of view on the issue, demonstrating some critical thinking, but may do so inconsistently or use inadequate examples, reasons, or other evidence to support its position
* is limited in its organization or focus, or may demonstrate some lapses in coherence or progression of ideas
* displays developing facility in the use of language, but sometimes uses weak vocabulary or inappropriate word choice
* lacks variety or demonstrates problems in sentence structure
* contains an accumulation of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics

This score is not a prediction of what you'll get on the SAT. It's a snapshot of where I think your writing skills are now, and an indicator of what you need to work on. Practice and improve.

I would like to thank "Anonymous" for submitting this essay.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Please comment below.

How to Succeed with SAT Test Preparation