|
(2) John Linneball's answer to How many act books do you need? - Quora (Click the link to see the original Quora post).
I’d recommend a few - the official ACT guide. You can buy it used; for example, see The Official ACT Prep Guide https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-official-act-prep-guide-book--bonus-online-content_wiley/25819959/item/42012718/ But I’d recommend it new, just so you don’t see other people’s answers written in it. Trust me, even when people SAY a book is in “like new” “never been used,” etc., it it’s been written in. You can probably get this used for free on Craigslist or similar sites, or simply by asking families whose kids are done with their ACT prep. Manhattan Prep’s 5 lb book ACT questions is also very good for practice. https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/5-lb-book-of-act-practice-problems_manhattan-prep/9925779/item/17245202/ You can also use Barron’s ACT books, although their problems are considerably harder than those you’ll find on the real ACT. But it’s great practice to prepare you for the hardest ACT problems. Here’s a link to Barron’s ACT books: barron's act - Search What is the difference between the different editions of Barron's Act? What is the difference between the different editions of Barron's Act? I also recommend Barron’s SAT for ACT prep, since the ACT “English” and the SAT “Writing” sections are identical - they’re formatted identically, and the questions are meant to be answered identically. I like Barron’s SAT’s concise and easy-to-understand review of English grammar, diction, and punctuation better than Barron’s ACT review of the same topics. Other than that, you can find older ACT practice tests here: Mathchops. https://www.mathchops.com/resources/article/official-act-practice-testsYou can find my YouTube channel here, which includes ACT and SAT review videos. John Linneball Tutoring https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIz3PV8u4IkEPgo_r7ygZKwWhy not take a look? Good luck!
John Linneball's answer to What is one common denominator of all college admission essays that go to the bottom of the pile? - Quora
TL;DR answer: A lack of thought, effort, or honesty. These essays usually involve one of the following: poor writing, including errors in grammar, punctuation, diction, and the like; obvious lying or exaggeration; a sense of entitlement; a failure to understand the mission of a particular college; unsubtle and unseemly influence-peddling and name-dropping. Much longer answer: A lack of thought and effort. Some obvious disqualifying factors would be multiple spelling, punctuation, usage, or other proofreading errors. Those errors show that you, the writer, either didn’t know you should have someone proofread your essay before submitting to a college. That’s not “cheating,” by the way - proofreading and editing aren’t the same as someone else’s writing your essay for you (which obviously is plagiarism/cheating). Another showstopper is the obviously insincere application. I recall being at a college information presentation (basically “why you should apply to our colleges, even if you’ve never heard of them”) hearing the story of some applicant submitted an essay about what he wanted in a college education that ended with “But what I want most, is to attend PRINCETON UNIVERSITY!” That was great, but he’d submitted the application to Wesleyan. No, I have no idea if that really happened, but my guess is someone’s actually done that - version control can a problem, especially for someone writing this essay to say, 10 different schools, all of which are his /her “dream school.” This kind of mistake doesn’t happen unless the kid literally wrote this to many different schools. Think of it as the college admissions version of “I’ll bet you tell that to ALL the girls [or boys, or whatever]!” Again, this shows very little thought or effort - the kid couldn’t even be bothered to make sure he/she/nonbinary put the right essay in the right envelope. Statements that aren’t backed up by action will probably count against you. For example, going on about how you’re really committed to studying physics when you haven’t taken any physics in high school won’t help much, either. Similarly, an application essay in which the applicant shows he/she/n.b. doesn’t seem to understand where he/she/etc. applying to school is not going to help the application. An applicant’s description of how fascinated he/she/etc. is by French literature probably won’t help a student apply successfully to M.I.T. I suppose essay that shows an unwarranted sense of entitlement, being frivolous or flippant, etc. would generally not work in your favor. “I should be admitted to this college because I was valedictorian of my high school class” probably won’t get into an elite college/university, since the admissions officers many will think “We get applications from more valedictorians than we can admit - we could literally fill the class with high school valedictorians and have several left over.” The same for “I think the school colors are really nice and I look good in those colors,” “I’ve heard the cafeteria offers soft serve ice cream.” I’ve read (in TIME magazine, I believe) of a writer who requested his admissions essays from Stanford (under federal law, schools have to let you view your records, which apparently includes your application materials). The writer shared some of his cringeworthy essay about how he’d be a great party guy who’d “hook up with all the babes,” or something like that. But hey, he did get in, so I guess even a cringeworthy essay isn’t necessarily a showstopper. And I suppose, at least, he was honest. Honest to a fault, some would say. I should go without saying, but I know it needs to be said, that emphasizing you have special connections or influence based on your relatives, friends of your relatives, etc. is a VERY BAD IDEA. Don’t get me wrong- some schools will ask if you have relatives who attended the school. Obviously, you should answer those questions honestly, just as you should answer any questions honestly. But name-dropping, mentioning how you have Hollywood, local and national political, and whatever other connections, and generally going on about who you know, rather than what you know, will not get you far. It helps if you know a lot and you know lot of influential people, especially because you know a lot, and have done lot, etc., but at that point, you’re not just name-dropping, you’re actually describing your achievements. But making look as you expect instant admissions because your dad is literally a rock star, your cousin Ernest is an important politician in the district where the college is located and he happens to be on several education committees that directly affect the college, or your great grandfather paid for the main library at the college, is a very bad look, and can work against you. Going back to insincerity or dishonesty, you’d do well to steer clear of stories you’ve heard from other people, unless you tie them into how those stories influenced you. Obviously, if reading Hamlet greatly influenced you, then go on about it. If you just describe the plot and add “it was an obviously great piece of literature,” that won’t help. If you try to pass off someone else’s story as something that happened to you, you may end having your essay written by someone who remembers that essay from last year or is the person to whom that actually happened. Who knows? He or she might contact you It’s not likely, but I could see someone doing it- “No way, a whale attacked you at an aquarium? I had to talk to you about that- Dude- that happened to ME!” It’s not going to be fun if someone asks you for more details about something you copied from someone or just made up. Cliched essays aren’t as bad as essays with obvious lies or serious proofreading problems, but just like essays with grammatical problems, they’re examples of failure to plan or failure to think very deeply about the essay. Unlike the other essay types I’ve described, many applicants are admitted with essays that are chock full of cliches. Probably most admissions essays were no exception to this rule. Schools ask questions designed to elicit certain kinds of responses, and most people are going to answer these questions in predictable ways. Tales of your “burning desire” to learn and grow, your constant pursuit of excellence, how playing a varsity sport has taught you about teamwork, sacrifice, and discipline, are all great, but they’re not terribly original. Try using some imagery that isn’t based on something catching fire. Come up with examples of how your pursuit of excellence showed itself in ways not involving academics or sports. Show the reader how your excellence in sports helped you in a non-sports-related way (as part of a “team” at your job or a community organization, etc.). Be honest, be careful, and be original. That’s the best college essay advice I can give you. Good luck. #collegeprep #collegeadmissions Here's the link to my latest video: https://youtu.be/GCzD6MzpqJ0
Notes for Breaking Math Part VI : If Math is Your Bag, You’d Better Call Saul! • What We’re Covering Here: Conversion of Units for Currency and Weight Measures. • How Saul Got Caught Holding the Bag. 0:30 • Baggin’ Ain’t Easy. 3:58 • Pennies from Heaven, or Somewhere Else? 10:12 • Did You Find This Video Useful?: 14:42 • Contact Me! Facebook, Instagram, Email, Phone.: 16:29 If you like this video, please don’t forget to give this a “thumbs up,” subscribe to my channel, and click on the little bell in the top right corner for notifications. Who’d Like This: Students taking arithmetic (“pre-algebra”) or studying for the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, GED, CHSPE or similar tests.. Source Material For this Video: • This video is based on my general knowledge of algebra and Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, specifically Season 5, episode 8 of Better Call Saul – “Bagman.” • Any webpages / resources referenced below. Links for References/Links to Relevant Topics: Nothing, really, for this time - I didn't use anything other than Better Call Saul and Bing/Google for basic search engine functions. • While this should help you do well on tests, I can’t be responsible for what your teacher asks you about on tests, in homework, etc. Please read your class text(s) and pay attention to what your teacher says in class. I ’m also now on LBRY- a cool new video archive – at lbry.tv@JohnLinneballTutoring A Few More Notes/Requests: Please "like" this video on, and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you liked it! This is the best way to help me, and it costs you NOTHING. I get ad money if I get 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of watch time in a year. If you found this video helpful, why not consider helping me make more videos (each one of these takes hours to make!) by donating a couple of dollars or more through my PayPal at https://paypal.me/johnlinneball ? I'd appreciate your support. Thanks in advance! Fair Use Notice/Disclaimer: All non-licensed clips used for fair use commentary, criticism, and educational purposes. See Hosseinzadeh v. Klein, 276 F.Supp.3d 34 (S.D.N.Y. 2017); Equals Three, LLC v. Jukin Media, Inc., 139 F. Supp. 3d 1094 (C.D. Cal. 2015). Any use of copyrighted material falls under the “Fair use” exceptions to the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. §107; see also Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music (1994), 510 U.S. 569. SPECIAL NEW CUSTOMER OFFER: Free 30-minute diagnostic session. Limited spots. 415-623-4251. Click for original Quora answer here.
First, I’d ask to be excused to use the restroom, if I had time. If not, I’d run for the restroom or the nearest wastebasket, if I didn’t have time to get to the restroom. Then, I’d explain to the proctors what happened, if I didn’t already do so before handing the emergency. If it were some other emergency, I’d explain the best I could, then do whatever I had to do. If I could continue with the test I would. If they didn’t permit me to continue, I’d ask them to provide me with whatever documentation they could provide, adding my side of the story to whatever report they asked me to provide. If I had a medical problem, I’d make sure I got a doctor’s note and whatever documentation of that medical problem I would. I’d also, as soon as possible, contact the College Board by telephone and/or email (FAX if need be), explain the situation to ask for guidance and provide the medical/other documentation as soon as possible. Here’s a link from the SAT for temporary medical accommodations (e.g., I became violently ill during the first hour of the SAT and could not continue or was asked to leave). Temporary Medical Conditions https://accommodations.collegeboard.org/how-accommodations-work/who-is-eligible/temporary-medical-conditions If you’re acting on good faith (i.e. you’re not pretending to be sick because you realize you didn’t study enough for the SAT or whatever test), the College Board or whatever testing agency will probably help you as much as they can. Note that I added “probably” since these companies aren’t always “nice” about such things. Even if they want to help you, they may not be able to do so. Foe example, you have gotten sick during the last possible test date before your college application deadline, and they’ve already established they don’t let anyone take special re-takes of the test. They may very well refuse let you or anyone else retake it would be unfair. From what I’ve been told be test prep people from BAR/BRI (A huge nationwide bar exam preparation/study company), at least one person has had a heart attack or other medical problem while taking a state’s bar exam. At least according to the story, not only was the person who’d had a heart attack not able to finish (of course not), but another test-taker who literally saved this person’s life by performing CPR wasn’t given any extra time to take the exam. Assuming this actually happened, was that fair? Of course not. But the state bar/whoever runs the bar exam in that state already decided they were going to be fair to everyone by being “unfair” to some people. The idea is efficiency in administering the bar exam (or any other exam that does that) - if no one gets special consideration, then no one can say someone received unfair special consideration Imagine a justice of a state supreme court who has to review complaints to the state attorney licensing authority having to hear “Oh, I get it, this kid get extra time because he was SICK! I’m sure it had NOTHING to do with his family being a really influential financial and political family…” He/she/[nonbinary pronoun] might decide, along with the other justices, “No, we’re not getting into this - This applicant will have to reapply, despite the unfortunate circumstances.” But I digress. It looks like the PSAT or SAT would probably be more (literally) accommodating than most the state bar or state supreme court of whatever state’s bar exam a person might take. Additionally, if you did something like literally save someone’s life, that would be one heck of a story to tell in your college admissions essays. “I took a year off before college, because the exam proctors wouldn’t let me finish the exam after I saved another test-taker’s life, and the test company wouldn’t let me take another test before the deadline.” Sounds like a winner to me (assuming everything else in your application is really good). But none of us can know what will happen in any given case - the SAT. ACT, and most other standardized tests are given by private companies that have a quite a bit of discretion in deciding what they will and will not do to help you in this kind of situation. So be smart. Don’t take the PSAT/SAT for the first time on the the last possible date. Treat it like anything else that matters to you. Plan ahead, and assume anything that can do wrong will go wrong. Good luck! Link to Quora article here.
Some states have special tests specifically for that purpose - for example, in California, it’s the California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE). See, for example: California High School Proficiency Exam - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_High_School_Proficiency_ExamI’ve helped students prepare for this exam, but I don’t know all the details of being able to graduate early. I’m fairly certain that passing the CHSPE gets you a certificate that works the same as a GED - you officially have a high school equivalency degree. However, do not take my word for this, or that of Wikipedia, especially since I have no idea where you attend school currently. Different US states, maybe even different school districts may have different rules. Certainly schools outside the US probably have different rules. The important thing here is to make sure you, your parent(s) or guardian(s), and your school district are all in agreement before you do anything like dropping out of school. If everyone involved, especially the school district, agree you can drop out and just take the GED/CHSPE/whatever to get your degree, great! Do that. But since you’re under 16 right now, the school probably has to do something to make you can legally stop attending school without getting you, and possibly the school, in trouble. I’m fairly certain all US states require everyone between 6 and 16 to get a free appropriate public education. So the school wants to get its state aid for having you as a student, and you want to avoid violating truancy and/or child labor laws (presumably if you’re not school, you’ll need a job). Furthermore, I know of at least one friend in New York State who tried to do what you are discussing. She dropped out of school as soon as she could (16 in NY) with the intention of immediately taking the GED or whatever exam she needed to get her HS equivalency. The problem was, the district’s policy was not to allow that. It was something like students couldn’t take GED classes or the test until they were 18. This was probably a policy intended to get young dropouts to just return to regular high school classes. I’m not sure if she ever get her GED, which is too bad, since she wanted to go to law school, which would’ve been a harder for her, since she’d probably have to go to community college after getting her GED, then transfer to a 4-year college, then be accepted to law school. It would’ve helped if she stayed in high school. So make sure you consult with at least one high school counselor about your career plans, why you want to leave high school early, and that you do want to get a GED or better yet, a real diploma, just early (generally speaking, you CAN work like crazy and graduate at least one year early from many high schools). If your school counselors, principal, etc. aren’t helpful, you may have to go up the ladder to the school board, your state’s department of education, and so on, to get a definitive answer. You might even need the assistance of an attorney, but probably not. In any event, good luck! • Notes for Breaking Math Part V : Shredded and Burned. Click here for the video!
• What We’re Covering Here: Work – Distance * Time, also Solving Cost Problems Using Algebra (Simultaneous Equations/Systems of Equations). Who’d Like This: Students taking algebra or studying for the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, GED, CHSPE or similar tests. • Sharing Shredders: 0:10 • Privacy Sold Here. 9:44 • “Burning” those Cell Phone Minutes! 11:28 • Setting Up the Phone Minutes Problem. 14:41 • Putting Texts in the Mix: 17:10 • Notes on the Real World: 20:25 • Did You Find This Video Useful?: 23:49 • Contact Me! Facebook, Instagram, Email, Phone.: 25:36 If you like this video, please don’t forget to give this a “thumbs up,” subscribe to my channel, and click on the little bell in the top right corner for notifications. It costs you nothing, and helps me. Source Material For this Video: • This video is based on my general knowledge of algebra and Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. • Any webpages / resources referenced below. Links for References/Links to Relevant Topics: You can click on the links, or copy and paste if the links aren’t active. No links for this one, other than possibly a link to this other rate problem video: https://youtu.be/ErggHxeHxSU • While this should help you do well on tests, I can’t be responsible for what your teacher asks you about on tests, in homework, etc. Please read your class text(s) and pay attention to what your teacher says in class. I’m also now on LBRY- a cool new video archive – at lbry.tv@JohnLinneballTutoring A Few More Notes/Requests: Please "like" this video on, and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you liked it! This is the best way to help me, and it costs you NOTHING. I get ad money if I get 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of watch time in a year. If you found this video helpful, why not consider helping me make more videos (each one of these takes hours to make!) by donating a couple of dollars or more through my PayPal at https://paypal.me/johnlinneball ? I'd appreciate your support. Thanks in advance! Fair Use Notice/Disclaimer: All non-licensed clips used for fair use commentary, criticism, and educational purposes. See Hosseinzadeh v. Klein, 276 F.Supp.3d 34 (S.D.N.Y. 2017); Equals Three, LLC v. Jukin Media, Inc., 139 F. Supp. 3d 1094 (C.D. Cal. 2015). Any use of copyrighted material falls under the “Fair use” exceptions to the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. §107; see also Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music (1994), 510 U.S. 569. SPECIAL NEW CUSTOMER OFFER: Free 30-minute diagnostic session. Limited spots. 415-623-4251. Click here to see the original Quora post: Yes, as Newsweek reported in 1996. There was an incident that took advantage of the 3-hour time difference between the East and West Coasts - basically, accomplished SAT takers in NY or wherever back East would take the test, memorize the answer choices and send them in code (the cheating ring used specially inscribed pencils with the choices written on the barrels of the pencils) to students in California, Oregon, Washington, etc. Here’s the link to the article: For $6,000, You Get A Pencil With The Answers Inc https://www.newsweek.com/6000-you-get-pencil-answers-inc-176368 From Quora: "What is the possibility of not getting top 10 in high school if I’ve been suspended?"6/6/2022 Click here for the original Quora post:
It really depends on number of factors:
Click here for the original Quora post.
Yes, if you can spend at least an average of an hour per day on the test. That would be roughly 90 hours of practice. That’s enough to learn what you need to know about the math tested by the SAT. I suggest you obtain a review book such as Barron’s SAT, or similar books by Kaplan, Princeton Review, of Gruber. Books that are a few years old are still fine, as long as they’re not older than 2016 editions (2016 was the debut of the “New SAT.”). Even older editions are still pretty good, but they don’t cover right-angle trigonometry or imaginary and complex numbers. You can often get these from your older classmates who’ve taken the test, public libraries, Amazon, half dot com, Craigslist, Rooster, Nextdoor, etc. Searching online might help. It’s a great idea to use the Khan Academy (it’s good and it’s FREE!) as well as the official practice SAT exams (you can download the math separately from the English). Here’s the link to College Board and Khan Academy and the link to free SATs you can download. Downloadable Full-Length SAT Practice Tests https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/practice-preparation/practice-testsI also recommend the Barron’s SAT book, and Barron’s SAT Math Workbook. They’re not expensive new, and if you may be able to get used ones from older friends, Craigslist, etc. for free, or use copies at public libraries, etc. If you practice basically every day for about an hour per day, you should be fine - the books will teach you the substantive math, as well as the “tricks” can use to solve problems faster and the “tricks” that let you see through “tricks” the SAT uses to fool students into choosing wrong answers. You can also try my free YouTube videos: John Linneball Tutoring http://www.youtube.com/johnlinneballtutoringHope this helps! - John Linneball Click here for the original Quora post.
No. Your SAT score was just about perfect, and most, if not all, colleges accept both SAT and ACT scores interchangeably. Use the time you would have spent studying for the ACT on studying for AP Cal (Calculus?) or Stats, or working on extracurricular activities. Good luck! |
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
June 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed