College Applications

Summer is almost over, and the question parents always ask is "When should I start working on college applications and essays?" If you find yourself asking that same question, the answer is now! Most students procrastinate until the very last week, and their essays are not refined, and just plain bad. Do not make this mistake! Ask for any application advice in the comments

Applying early to colleges

The top colleges like Harvard, Yale, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Stanford, and Priceton are sending emails and regular mail announcing whether you got in, or got rejected. Another possibility is Deffered. Post in the comments if you got accepted to any colleges for early action or early decision.

Should you rush send your SAT scores

I've recieved many questions about rushing SAT scores to colleges for early decision such as Stanford and the Ivy League colleges. I recommend you do not rush the SAT scores, as it is simply not worth the money.

October SAT results will come out soon!

October SAT I and SAT II results will be available on the college board 19 days after you took the test, which was October 4th. Thus you should be able to see your scores on www.collegeboard.com on Thursday October 23rd. Leave your SAT scores in the comments!

How to get National Merit on the PSAT

Quite a few people have asked me how to get national merit on the PSAT. First off, it is not easy by any means. This opportunity is usually reserved for overachieving 10th and 11th graders. The most common question I hear is what the minimum score you need to qualify for national merit. The answer is "it depends" on the state that you live in. Some states have lower standards for education, and have lower minimum cutoff scores for the PSAT national merit scholarship. Of the more than 1 million applicants (people who take the PSAT each October) only 50,000 qualify, and can become semifinalists, or finalists. More than half of the finalists win scholarship money!

Summer is officially over, so start college essays!

With the end of summer, there isn't much time before you have to start to get cranking on last minute test prep, and the dreaded college essays.  Here are a few tips to help you get started on college essays (which you should asap).

The common application essays are due December 31 for most colleges. You can access the common app at https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx. 

UC applications are due on November 30, which means you will have roughly 2 months from today to finish the applications if you wish to apply to University of California schools such as UCLA and UC Berkeley. Start the application if you wish to apply at http://www.ucop.edu/pathways/

If you don't know what to write about, you should start brainstorming for the college essays. Think about your talents, passions, achievements, etc. 

National 2008 SAT scores remain unchanged from 2007 scores

The collegeboard has released its annual statistics for 2008 SAT scores. The number of SAT test takers increased by about 8% to 1.5 million (1,518,859). This year, more minorities took the test than in the previous year, however SAT scores remained changed. Perhaps this is good, since in the past 10 years SAT scores have been on the decline. Also the number of first generation students increased by 1%. Interestingly, females constituted the largest portion of test takers among all ethnicities.

Where to take a free IQ test

You've seen those IQ advertisements everywhere, but don't trust the IQ scores they give? Now I'll tell you where you can take a few free IQ tests. 

http://www.free-iqtest.net/

http://www.quizrocket.com/free-iq-test

I took a test at each, and got 155 on the first link, and 149 on the quizrocket test. Post your IQ in the comments.

Last minute SAT tips?

The title is a joke, because it's not last minute yet, so don't freak out about the SAT just yet. The next test is in October, so you have about 2 months left to prepare. How do you plan to spend those last two months prepping for the SAT or subject tests?

Possible New SAT and PSAT Scores

Here is a list from low to high of all possible SAT scores. Notice that the scores on the SAT range from 600 to 2400. Also note that the scores must all be multiples of 10. 

600
610
620
630
640
650
660
670
680
690
700
710
720
730
740
750
760
770
780
790
800
810
820
830
840
850
860
870
880
890
900
910
920
930
940
950
960
970
980
990
1000
1010
1020
1030
1040
1050
1060
1070
1080
1090
1100
1110
1120
1130
1140
1150
1160
1170
1180
1190
1200
1210
1220
1230
1240
1250
1260
1270
1280
1290
1300
1310
1320
1330
1340
1350
1360
1370
1380
1390
1400
1410
1420
1430
1440
1450
1460
1470
1480
1490
1500
1510
1520
1530
1540
1550
1560
1570
1580
1590
1600
1610
1620
1630
1640
1650
1660
1670
1680
1690
1700
1710
1720
1730
1740
1750
1760
1770
1780
1790
1800
1810
1820
1830
1840
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
2040
2050
2060
2070
2080
2090
2100
2110
2120
2130
2140
2150
2160
2170
2180
2190
2200
2210
2220
2230
2240
2250
2260
2270
2280
2290
2300
2310
2320
2330
2340
2350
2360
2370
2380
2390
2400

These is just a list of all possible SAT/PSAT scores. In the future we will compile data for a gaussian bell curve of all SAT scores by seniors and juniors.

Summer studying for the new SAT

There is little doubt that the best time to study for the SAT is during the summer. The only problem is people get incredibly lazy during the 3 months of summer, and rarely study for the SAT. This is where you can gain a competitive edge over many people who are lazy! 

Here are some tips on how to study for the SAT during the summer. 

1). Get the right preparation - Either take a class, get a private tutor, or get the right SAT book. 

a). While the first two might be expensive, self studying with an SAT prep book might be the best choice. I recommend the TutorFox SAT guide, Princeton Review, and the blue Collegeboard book to help you prepare for the SAT. 

2). Memorize 5-10 SAT vocab words per day. Many students fail to memorize SAT vocab words, and do poorly on the critical reading section. Even though there are hundreds of words, if you pace yourself, you should have no problem. Summer is especially the best time to learn vocab words, since you aren't plagued by memorizing information for other classes.

3. Take lots of practice tests, the more you take the better prepared you will be for the New SAT.

All you need to know about the ACT

What is the ACT test?
The ACT stands for American College Test.
What is the average ACT score?
The average composite score is 21.1.

What is the highest score you can get on the ACT?

The highest score possible is 36

What is the breakdown of the test?

There are 75 English questions, 60 math questions, 40 reading questions, and 40 science questions.

How much does the ACT cost?

It costs $30 to take the ACT without the writing section, or $44.50 to take the ACT assessment plus writing.

AP scores are out!

In Los Angeles, California, students are recieving their AP scores today - July 9th 2008. If you didn't get your scores today, keep in mind you should get the results in the next few days.

How did you score on the AP, and what methods did you use to study?

2008 AP scores

When will the May 2008 AP scores be released? Very shortly! In fact, you will get your AP scores in the mail by Mid July. This means you should get your AP scores before July 15th.

If you cannot wait that long to see your AP scores, you can give the collegeboard a call at: (888) 308-0013
it costs $8 per call though



You can find more information about receiving AP scores at: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/exgrd_rep.html

TutorFox New SAT Guide

I have received a few questions this week about the New SAT guide by TutorFox, so I'll attempt to clear any doubts. First off, this guide was written by 2 students (1 from Stanford who scored 2400, and another from UCLA who scored 2350). I myself purchased this guide back in 2006 to help me study for the New SAT, so I can attest to how great this book is. First of all, I've tried every single book there was, including those by the Princeton Review, Kaplan, Barrons, Up your score, and McGraw-Hill's SAT guide. None were as direct in the approach or as useful as the TutorFox SAT guide.

If I had to rank the guides I used to prepare for the SAT, here's the ranking from best to worst:
TutorFox > PrincetonReview > Barrons > Kaplan > McGraw Hill > Up your score

If you want to raise your SAT score by a few hundred points, and are willing to work at it, you really can't go wrong with the TutorFox SAT guide.

New Collegeboard SAT policy

Starting with the class of 2010, Collegeboard will allow students to pick and choose which scores they wish to send to colleges. Obviously this is better for students who take the test more than once, since they can make sure only their highest SAT score is seen by colleges.

I was always wondering why it wasn't possible to do this for the SAT and SAT subject tests in the past, but it seems like increased competition from the ACT has forced the collegeboard to adopt this measure.

Lastly, there has been talk that this is disadvantageous to students who are poor, and students who choose not to retake the SAT. This is an obvious consequence, but this new SAT policy will also reward students who study hard, and get higher scores.

June 7th SAT results

The results from the June 7th SAT and SAT subject tests are officially online. Here's how to check your SAT scores:
1. Log onto the collegeboard website at http://www.collegeboard.com
2. Click Check official SAT scores

Also post how you scored on the SAT and subject tests here in the comments, and any study tips you may have.

June SAT results

June SAT and SAT II results will be available starting 19 days after the test date. This means the June 7th SAT score results will be available on June 26th. You can check your scores on the collegeboard website at about 8 AM Eastern Time, or 5 AM Pacific Coast time.

Summer time

So it's officially summer time (for most students anyway)! Many people like to enjoy their summer by relaxing, however the student who wants to get into a good UC or an ivy league college will be working hard in addition to relaxing this summer. In order to raise your SAT scores this summer for the October, November, or December test dates, you should definitely pick up a good SAT guide or a good SAT tutor. The best guides are the TutorFox New SAT Guide, Kaplan's SAT guide, or Princeton Reviews SAT guide. Getting an SAT tutor for a good price will depend on the area where you live. Typical prices for a good SAT tutor range from about $40 to $300 per hour for the most expensive tutors. Keep in mind that the best tutors are not necessarily the most expensive ones.

Colleges and SAT scores vs IQ scores

Many people have asked whether colleges accept IQ scores instead of the customary SAT scores. Unfortunately, there aren't any colleges which do accept IQ scores. Logically though, the IQ test is simply a measure of intelligence, which is essentially the same thing the New SAT tests. The only difference however, is that the SAT is one step above being merely an intelligence test, as it tests high school intelligence moreso than intrinsic or natural intelligence. This is the primary reason why colleges do not accept IQ scores, but do accept SAT scores.