Reader! Did you get your December SAT score the other day? Do you know you haven't maxed out yet? You can keep driving that score up! (For free, might I add.) First, budget time. 30 minutes a day is ideal. If that's not an option, how about 15? Anything is better than nothing. Second, learn how to use the College Board's free question bank! This is your new favorite website. Here is a video that will show you how to make the most of this great resource. Third, each day, during your budgeted...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Reader! Want to know the big secret of SAT math? This is a piece of information that the SAT writers do not openly disseminate. Ready for it? Here it comes.... ⬇️ SAT MATH REALLY TESTS READING ! Boom! There you have it. To corroborate my claim, here is the very last question from the hard math module of an official practice test. (The math section claims to go in order from easiest to toughest, so the SAT is acting like this is one of the hardest questions on the test.) Did you set up two...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader SAT vocabulary, for better or for worse, is a slow build. For just about every other part of the SAT, there are certain quick-hitting strategies that can result in rapid score gains. Vocabulary, however, takes a while. My advice? Use these Vocab Vault emails to try out SAT words! Float a word a day at dinner with the family or while riding in the car. Seriously, make an effort to try to actually use these words in conversation. When it comes to a new word, if you try it, you will...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader! Yesterday, I went to the grocery store - it was chaos. The entire world decided to go to that grocery store, at that exact time. You may have been there. If so, and you are now reading this email, congratulations on your survival. You are one of the strong ones. I fought for, and lost, the last package of strawberries to a frantic mother of two recalcitrant toddlers. (They looked slightly overripe anyway - the strawberries, that is, not the toddlers.) As the pre-holiday rush...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Reader! Fact: The SAT writers take simple ideas and make them complicated with weird language and flashy jargon. So, when these same writers call someone else’s work "frustratingly dense prose,” is it not the ultimate SAT irony? I just wanted to point that out. Thanks for listening. Now, no matter what your understanding of irony, here’s a “fun” one for you. (And yes, “fun” is in quotes to signal sarcasm!) Did you notice that “frustratingly dense” is actually the clue here? Here are the...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Reader! So, turns out my emails have been going straight to spam. I finally realized this, so, to celebrate the fixing of this glitch and my eventual triumph over technology, I am reverting to a discussion of old-school cassette tapes. Also, I am throwing one doozy of an SAT vocab question at you! Give it a shot: Exploiting: Taking advantage of something (a situation, resource, or person), often in a selfish or unfair way. The toddler kept exploiting her dad’s soft heart by asking for “just...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Reader! Want to reduce nerves for this Saturday’s upcoming SAT? SIGN UP FOR THE OCTOBER SAT today! Think about walking into the test this Saturday, knowing that you have another opportunity right around the corner. If anything, it will take a little pressure off and keep you loose. After all, why put your eggs in one basket if you don’t have to? Maybe you find that second Reading/Writing module seems tricky. You can tell yourself not to worry because the October one will probably feel easier....
4 months ago • 1 min read
Reader! How well do you know the apostrophe?That tiny notch mark that often wedges itself before or after an ‘s’ can certainly give SAT test takers a lot of trouble. To demonstrate, check out these sentences: On Saturday, I went to my friends’ houses’ pools. On Saturday, I went to my friend’s house’s pool. Sentence one describes a very different day than sentence two! In sentence one, I had a busy day: I went to multiple pools, visited multiple houses, and saw multiple friends. Meanwhile, in...
5 months ago • 1 min read
“Kate, what’s with the PSAT? Should I get my kid to start prepping for this?” These questions came up the other day from a friend who has a son in 10th grade. So what exactly is the PSAT? The PSAT is an SAT that does not count! I repeat: it does not count. It will not be sent to colleges. It will not be factored into admissions decisions. But what is it? And what does the PSAT do? It mimics the SAT. The questions are about the same in difficulty. It is administered in the same “Bluebook”...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Reader! Let’s try an SAT question today, straight from the SAT question bank: How confident are you in your answer? Here is some help with the words. Use these at dinner today! Protracted – lasting for a long time, often longer than expected. The protracted rainstorm kept us indoors for nearly a week. Superseded – replaced by something newer, bigger, or better. The old phones were quickly superseded by smartphones. Curtailed – reduced or cut short. The field trip was curtailed because the bus...
5 months ago • 1 min read