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 Few Notes on the SAT and Other Standardized Test Essays...

10/30/2014

0 Comments

 
Essay Questions
SPECIAL NEW CUSTOMER OFFER: Free 30-minute diagnostic session. Limited spots. 415-623-4251.
The main idea of an essay question for the SSAT, ISEE, or even the SAT, is to follow a standard format. You want to “be a sheep.” If sheep stray too far from the flock, wolves pick them off. If you try something too unusual or creative (for example, writing your essay as an epic poem, a series of haikus, or in the shape of the head of Abraham Lincoln, while creative, will make the grader spend more time reading your essay, and thus more likely to find grammar and spelling errors, style problems, or other things that might otherwise go unnoticed).

I suggest what I’ve been told is the Toastmasters formula (I’ve never been to a Toastmasters meeting, so I’ll have to take the guy’s word for it): Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Then tell it to them. Then tell them what you just told them. How do we do that? It’s simple.

In the first paragraph, make your thesis statement: What is your answer to the question in the essay prompt? Yes, no, maybe so? Explain why you agree, disagree, or why you partially agree and partially disagree in one or two sentences. List the two examples you will use to prove your point, using a sentence such as “This is evidenced by [example 1] and [example 2].”

In the second paragraph, explain how your first example supports your thesis. For example, “The Beatles support  my thesis that hard work can overcome any obstacle because they came from working-class backgrounds and learned to play their instruments by ear, but went on to become perhaps the most influential rock band ever. Therefore, a person does not need wealth and formal training in his or her chosen field to succeed if she works hard.”

In the third paragraph, you do the same thing with your second example. For example, “Thomas Edison was mostly home-schooled and also took some classes at the Cooper Union in New York City, but was largely self-taught through reading and tinkering. His family was not wealthy. Yet he invented or improved the light bulb, the phonograph, and countless other things we take for granted in modern times, becoming wealthy and famous. Thus, wealth and formal education are not necessary for success.”

In the fourth (last) paragraph, restate your thesis, examples, and how your examples support your thesis. “An affluent background and an extensive formal education are not necessary for a person to succeed, as illustrated by the examples of the Beatles and Thomas Edison. Both came from humble, cash-poor backgrounds, and both had little formal education, but both were pioneers who revolutionized their chosen fields.”

This brings us to another aspect of “being a sheep.” Don’t distract the graders with anything controversial. Please don’t use this essay as your discussion forum for your opinions on race, religion, sex, politics, etc. If your parents wouldn’t talk about it at Thanksgiving dinner with their parents and your aunts and uncles there, don’t write about it in your essay. Trust me, you’ll be able to write all you want about these things once you’re actually in college.

At this point, you’re probably wondering “So how do I pick examples for my essays?” It’s easy, if you give this issue a little forethought.  Think about your favorite stories from books (either from school or your own reading), movies, and TV. Think about your favorite memories – the stories of your life, your hobbies, your work. What have you learned from being on the basketball team, having a paper route, washing your parents’ car, walking the dog, or German class? Think about your favorite stories others have told you. Why are they your favorite stories? Usually it’s because they taught you something.

Let’s take some details on your favorite things. Fill in the blanks.

Book:

My favorite book is _____________________________, by the author _____________________________________________________. It is

 a (novel, biography, history, ________________) about _________________________________________________.       

I liked it because _________________________. One main idea I got out of it is ____________________________________________________________.  Another main idea is ___________________________________________.

My favorite character is ___________________. That character was important to me because ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. That character faced challenges such as : ____________________________________________________ and _____________________________________________________________________, and ended up ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Movie:

My favorite movie is _____________________________, directed by _____________________, and starring _________________________________. It is a ([type] ________________) about __________________________________. I liked it

because __________________________________. One main idea I got out of it is ___________________.  Another main idea is _____________________________________.My favorite character is ___________________. That character was important to me because ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. That character faced challenges such as : __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ and _____________________________________________________________________, and ended up _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

TV Show:

My favorite TV show is _____________________________. It

is a ([type] ________________) about _____________________________________.           I liked it

because __________________________________. One main idea I got out of it is __________________________. Another main idea is _____________________________________.

My favorite character is ___________________. That character was important to me because ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. That character faced challenges such as : ____________________________________________________ and _____________________________________________________________________, and ended up _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Memory:

My favorite memory is ____________________________, because ________________________________. I learned ___________________________________ from it.

My least favorite memory is ____________________________, because ________________________________. I learned ___________________________________ from it.

Activities:

My favorite activity is ________________________ because _______________________________. I learned __________________________ from doing it.

My least favorite activity is ________________________ because _______________________________. I learned __________________________ from doing it.

Preparing for Essay Prompts:

Essay prompts are usually going to deal with broad, general topics, both to avoid controversy and to allow for many different responses to the prompt. Think of old sayings like “Haste makes waste.” “Slow and steady wins the race.” “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” A good place to look for practice essay prompts is a book such as Bartlett’s Quotations, or the Quotations Page at www.quotationspage.com . Try looking at the quotes arranged by subject. Now pick a quote and try to use examples from your favorite book, movie, TV show, or from your life, in an essay where you agree or disagree with that quote.

For example, you can try “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you really want to test a man’s character, give him power.” – Abraham Lincoln. [This was literally the first quote listed under “Adversity” when I viewed the Quotations Page’s subject index.] Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

A couple of notes on the above: Please do not attempt to write an entire essay in advance, memorize it, then edit it during the test to fit the prompt. It doesn’t work. Your favorite stories should naturally relate to many different prompts. For example, if you read a few biographies of famous people such as Thomas Edison, Thomas Jefferson, or Catherine the Great, you can apply different aspects of their lives to different essay prompts. An essay “written from scratch” will sound better than some rehashed and revised essay from your memory.

Some things should lend themselves naturally to certain prompts: your team sports experience should lend itself to prompts dealing with teamwork, competition, and working to reach a goal. Any work experience might also lend itself to an essay about teamwork and working to reach a goal. A time when a person or a thing surprised you, because he, she, or it was not what it appeared to be, would be a good example in an essay prompted by the saying “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Important Update:

The most recent SAT, as of the date of this writing (October 30, 2014), asked a different question, something to the effect of “Should high school students be required to commit to a year of community service?”  While this sort of “issue” question seems like a curve ball, because it is, it’s no reason to panic (and luckily, my student who took the test didn’t ).

For a question like this, you may be able to find an appropriate reference from history or your reading (e.g. the Bible story of the Good Samaritan).  If you can’t, don’t panic Just remember your own experiences with volunteering (service projects from school, Scouting, or church, nice things you did just because you wanted to do them, things people did for you).  If you can’t think of any appropriate experiences from your life, remember the Einstein quote “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

What I mean is, the questions asking what you think about an issue, so THINK!    Do you think volunteering would ready high school or college students for paid employment, and teach them that doing things for others feels good, while getting important work (for example, care for seniors and children, street cleaning, park, forest, and beach maintenance) done? Or do you think the benefits would be reduced by unmotivated, forced “volunteers” looking to circumvent the requirement by faking logs of hours, goofing off on their volunteer “jobs,” or causing more problems they solve (e.g., leaving more damage to parks than the damage they clean up?)

The best way to prepare for this sort of question is to READ. Read the editorial pages of your local paper, either in print, of on your website. Watch YouTube videos about current events (e.g., from CNN, the Young Turks, and so on). Read the comments to YouTube videos and things about them.  Read websites about politics and pop culture. Do you agree or disagree with the comments you find? Why or why not? Articulate your reasons in your head, or better yet, respond to them (either online, or just in a word processing page or on a piece of paper).  The more practice you have setting forth your thoughts in writing, the easier it will be for you to do it on the SAT, or on college applications, college essays, job applications, and in other circumstances throughout your life.

Hope this helps! You can start practicing by commenting on this blog. :-) 

​
SPECIAL NEW CUSTOMER OFFER: Free 30-minute diagnostic session. Limited spots. 415-623-4251.

0 Comments

Why start now?

10/15/2014

1 Comment

 

You may think “Why should I start preparing for the test now? It’s not for months, or even until next year. I’m sure I’ll do fine if I start to study a month or so before the test, or even just a few days before it.”

1.      Cramming Doesn’t Work.

Not only has your experience shown you that trying to learn at the last minute doesn’t help, but neuroscience has also confirmed this repeatedly. Your brain can produce only so much of the proteins and neurotransmitters necessary for you learn and remember at one time. Rest between learning periods is essential to learn effectively[i].     


2.      Tutor Availabliity: The Early Bird Really Does Get the Worm.

The best tutors are the hardest to get at the last minute. Let’s face it; tutors, like anyone else, can only work a certain number of hours per week.  Tutors with good reputations get hired and booked very quickly in high test-prep season, roughly August through November, when high-school seniors are coming up on application deadlines, and the only slightly less-busy December through June season. 

If you come late, not only are you faced with more “cram studying,” you’re stuck with three unattractive choices (also see my “Why Should I Hire an Independent Private Tutor?” post):

(A) Book whatever tutor is available after the ones with the best reputations are booked solid. 

This tutor might be wonderful, in which case you win! Woohoo! But more likely, you’re going to get an inexperienced tutor from a service, a tutor who’s good but overbooked and stressed out, or a tutor who just can’t do the job quite right (some very smart, knowledgeable people are very bad teachers- they know the material inside and out, but can’t explain it to you in a way YOU understand).

(B)   Go with a test prep service like Kaplan or Princeton Review.


Don’t get me wrong; I have a great deal of respect for Kaplan, Princeton Review, and (most) other services. I received much of my SAT tutoring training from Think Tank Learning, an excellent test prep and tutoring service; I was good before working for Think Tank, but I’m even better now.


The problem is, these services give you a good, basic one-size-fits-all course, where you’ll sit in a class and not receive much individual attention.  You may spend too much time focusing on your strengths and not enough time on fixing your weaknesses.
 

Even if a service offers in-home tutoring, you could be the first student of a freshly-trained tutor, which is all right unless you run into an unusual question or problem. A tutor with proven experience is a better bet for your individual test preparation.
 

Finally, some services focus mostly test taking “tricks” instead of focusing on actually teaching the material. While test tricks and tips are essential to getting a high score on the SAT, they are NOT the only things, or even the most important things, to learn. The math, writing, and reading skills tested on the SAT are tested for a reason – you really need to learn them to succeed in college and in life. Being able to guess the correct answer to an algebra problem on the SAT won’t help you when you need to solve the same equation for your college physics class. Why not hire a real tutor and learn the real way to solve a problem as well as the “SAT Trick” way?


 

(C) Study by sitting down with a test prep book – i.e. “Do It Yourself.”

I am a big fan of test preparation books. All I had available to study for the SAT and most standardized tests I’ve taken in my life were test prep books. I highly recommend Barron’s books for most test prep (I generally use Barron’s SAT for SAT prep, and supplement it with other materials as necessary, unless the customer requests that I used other materials). I use them as integral parts of my test preparation program.

The problem with using a test prep book alone is : What if you don’t understand the answer explanations in the books? In the case with the Official SAT Guide published by the College Board, there ARE no answer explanations – just the answer key that doesn’t explain why the right answer is right. [That must make most students think “Great job, College Board – if I didn’t need explanations, I wouldn’t need your review book, since I’d get all the questions right in the first place!” But I digress.]

A test prep book can’t guide you, can’t rephrase explanations and answers until you understand them. Most don’t answer questions like “Will I ever have to know this stuff once I’m done with the test?” “What do I need to do to get into college besides do well on the SAT?” and many other questions that probably wouldn’t even come up while studying by yourself, that do come up when you’re working with a tutor (Really – it happens all the time when I’m tutoring students).


3.      You Can Actually Learn the Material Well Enough to Use it in Real Life, Not Just on the Test.

 

The reason the SAT and other standardized tests ask questions about certain subjects, and that colleges, universities and graduate schools require those standardized tests for admissions, is that these subjects are actually important things to know. For example, algebra and arithmetic are important in any physical or social science (including economics and psychology) and English vocabulary, composition, and grammar are important in practically every aspect of life (at least in an English-speaking country.) Many colleges, such as the one I attended – Williams College, give all incoming first-year students a math test. Those that don’t do well have to take a boring math course covering the parts of high school math that most students, especially those who aren’t math fans, would just as soon never see again. (It was called “Quantitative Studies” at Williams). Many colleges also have a basic English composition course that students who didn’t do well on the SAT I, the English SAT subject test, or the English AP test, have to take. I can’t imagine that’s much fun, either, especially with all the other great courses that could be taken in the same time it takes to take a first-year composition course.

As we all know and science confirms (see above), the best way to learn any subject is to learn a little bit at a time, with breaks between learning sessions. That can’t happen if you start reviewing too close to the test date, and it makes it very unlikely that you’ll remember the material well after the test. That means your first year of college is likely to have “Quantitative Studies” or “English 100” on the schedule.


4.      Junior and Senior Year of High School and College Don’t Leave Much Time for Studying.
 

While you’re preparing for college or grad school, you still have high school or college to finish. That means you can’t study for standardized tests as completely or efficiently as you can during summer break. So starting during or before the summer break preceding the test is a really smart idea. It lets you learn a little at a time, taking breaks and having some fun between lessons. Why wait, stress, and learn less? It won’t help you.

 
So definitely start studying early!  Whether you hire a tutor, go to a prep course, or even just use a test prep book, start early! You’ll thank yourself when you get the “fat envelope” admitting you to the college of your choice.



[i] See, for example: Stix, G. Forget Ritalin and Cramming: Molecular Pathways in the Brain May Reveal the Best Learning Strategies Scientific American. (January 5, 2012), Last retrieved on October 13, 2014 from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/molecular-learning1/ Klemm, W. To Cram or Not to Cram? That is the Question. Psychology Today. (January 14, 2012) Last retrieved on October 13, 2014 from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/memory-medic/201201/cram-or-not-cram-is-the-question Stafford, T. Memory: Why Cramming for Tests Often Fails. (September 18, 2014) British Broadcasting Corp. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140917-the-worst-way-to-learn

  

1 Comment

Why Should I Hire an Independent Tutor Like You, Anyway?

10/15/2014

0 Comments

 
That’s a great question. I’m glad you asked. Perhaps the best way to show why hiring an experienced independent tutor is the best way to prepare for the SAT, or any standardized test, is to detail the problems with your other options. So I’ll do that. Here are the only options I know of.

1.      Go with a test prep service like Kaplan or Princeton                      Review. 

Test prep classes are a wonderful way to get a good solid foundation before taking a standardized test, especially if it’s been a while since you took algebra and geometry, English isn’t your first language, or the schools you attended just didn’t teach those subjects in a way that reached you. They also show you the SAT, ACT, etc.’s approach to the subject matter in a way that will help you get a higher score, even if you already know the subject matter quite well. I really respect Kaplan, Princeton Review, and (most) other services. Kaplan basically invented the test prep industry, in an attempt to make these tests fairer. I received much of my SAT tutoring training from Think Tank Learning, an excellent test prep and tutoring service.

The problem is, just as in your regular school classes, test prep classes aren’t places where you will receive much individual attention.  You can end up spending too much time on classes and exercises covering things you already know well. You may not spend enough time on the topics where you’re behind and need extra help, unless you’re willing to pay more money for individual tutoring.
 
So even test prep course companies know some students need additional, individualized help to do their best on a standardized test. Individualized tutoring makes a great supplement to a prep course, and is also effective by itself. Of course, as with any service, your results will be best if you work with an experienced professional. You probably wouldn’t want to get your hair cut by a first-day barber college student right before the prom; why would you hire an inexperienced tutor before the SAT?

Finally, some services focus mostly test taking “tricks” instead of focusing on actually teaching the material. While test tricks and tips are essential to getting a high score on the SAT, they are NOT the only things, or even the most important things, to learn. The math, writing, and reading skills tested on the SAT are tested for a reason – you really need to learn them to succeed in college and in life. Being able to guess the correct answer to an algebra problem on the SAT won’t help you when you need to solve the same equation for your college physics class. Why not hire a real tutor and learn the real way to solve a problem as well as the “SAT Trick” way? The balance between real academics and “test tricks” is something any good individual tutor will show you.

 

2.      Study by sitting down with a test prep book – 
         i.e. “Do It Yourself.”

I am a big fan of test preparation books. All I had available to study for the SAT and most standardized tests I’ve taken in my life were test prep books. I highly recommend Barron’s books for most test prep (I generally use Barron’s SAT for SAT prep, and supplement it with other materials as necessary, unless the customer requests that I used other materials). While I did well on the SAT, I know, from teaching the SAT for Think Tank, from individual tutoring, and from practicing the methods in test prep books, I would have done even better if I had really learned the test tricks and a few more vocabulary words and math principles that courses and books cover, and I got a perfect score on an SAT I took as part of the application process for an SAT tutoring job. Test prep books are an important part of my services.

However, a test prep book, by itself, can’t keep you on track. As a friend of mine put it “We like to work on things we’re already good at, and shy away from the things we’re bad at.” A tutor can make sure you focus on your weaknesses, and strengthen up for the test. Think of a tutor as a personal trainer for your brain.

A tutor can also answer questions not covered in the book, including questions about college admissions, career paths, and “Just when will I ever use this stuff again, once I take the SAT?” Standardized tests can determine so much about your future; it’s worth a little extra time and effort to hire a tutor.

For all the reasons above, an independent tutor is a smart, cost-effective way to guarantee you’ll do the best you can on the SAT or any standardized test.

 

0 Comments

    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