Tutoring by John - Serving Berkeley, San Francisco, Alameda & San Jose.
Tutoring by John - Serving Berkeley, San Francisco, Alameda & San Jose.
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog - Answers to Frequently Asked Questions and More!
  • Testimonials
  • Pricing
  • John's YouTube Tutoring
  • Need a Resume, CV, and/or Cover Letter?
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog - Answers to Frequently Asked Questions and More!
  • Testimonials
  • Pricing
  • John's YouTube Tutoring
  • Need a Resume, CV, and/or Cover Letter?

Tutoring blog! :-D

A Little Advice on Advice.

11/2/2014

0 Comments

 
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.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author: John Linneball Who did you think? ;-) 

    I'm the proprietor and only tutor for this business; that's why I named it after me.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly