A Little Advice on Advice.

I'm doing the best I can to give you the best advice.  However, I am by no means the final authority on test taking, studying, or school admissions.  Please check with the college, grad school, high school to which you are applying for information on deadlines, what tests to take, what courses to take, etc. The same goes for the SAT, ACT, LSAT advice. While I’m happy to give you advice about answering questions, you should check with the test makers and administrators their sites for fees, application deadlines, test dates, etc. I can’t be responsible for your missing a deadline, taking the wrong test, etc.

To put it another way, did you ever have a brother or sister tell you “Mom said you have to do the dishes?” If you were smart, you went and asked your mom. If you weren’t so smart, you ended up doing a chore your brother or sister was supposed to do. I received similar bad advice from my high school guidance counselor, who, when I asked him about applying for Achievement Tests (what they called SAT Subject Tests back then), replied “You take those only for placement once you’re already accepted into college, when you are at the peak [emphasis his] of your knowledge.”  Fortunately, I’d read the applications to the colleges I wanted to attend, and thought “But that’s past the peak of the application deadline, and they’re required.”  So I just got my own application and followed the instructions.

The lesson here is, if you read anything here that contradicts what a school or test maker says about deadlines, test dates, or application fees, don’t take MY advice; listen to what the school says!  It’s really easy to find out the information directly from the source, whether it’s a test date, if your calculator can be used on the SAT, whether you’re allowed to bring/will be provided scrap paper, or what you need to do if you need a reasonable accommodation for a disability – just go to their website, and email or call if you can’t get an answer from the site.

For example, here’s a great site for information regarding the questions I just listed, and more, at least regarding the SAT: http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-test-day-tips

However, if the advice about test-taking techniques, study habits, etc., you can take much of what the test makers say “with a grain of salt.”  Test makers don’t want to give away their secrets, and often are rather defensive about valid criticisms of their tests’ methods, validity, usefulness as a predictor of college success, and the like.  It’s a great idea to use Google to look at what major test prep companies (e.g., Kaplan, The Princeton Review, Varsity Tutors), solid local ones (Think Tank Learning, Elite Educational Institute), or independent college admissions counselors have to say about the tests, in addition to reading my opinions on this blog or contacting me with your questions.