There are several ways you can improve your SAT or ACT scores.  At Top Test Prep, we have improved SAT and ACT scores by isolating the following common issues: timing and test anxiety.  We’ve found ways to help you prepare for these exams and battle these major issues.

How to Improve your SAT or ACT scores:

(A) Timing: The biggest that most students have for either exams is timing.  Learning how to pace yourself for these exams is crucial.   One recommended strategy to use for the SAT and ACT exams is to take practice tests in real, timed conditions.  Often times students take “practice” SAT/ACT exams in pieces instead of in their whole parts.  First, always take the exams at the same time and day of the actual exam.  If you’re taking these SAT/ACT exams on a Saturday at 10am, I would highly encourage you to do all of your practice exams during the same time period.  In addition, if you’re having trouble keeping pace with the time allotted – usually 20 to 25 minutes for the SAT and 35 to 60 minute section on the ACT – try taking the exam under faster conditions.  Both strategies will give you an advantage over other students.

(B) Exam Anxiety: Taking these exams could be the biggest day of your life.  You are bound to be nervous and anxious to complete the exams so that you can move on to bigger and better things like college.

I would recommend you do the following before exam day to calm your test exam anxiety:  (1) Don’t try to rush your studying to the last minute.  Instead, complete your test prep studying a full day prior to exam day.  This will give you some time to relax and not worry as much.  (2)  Don’t have too much caffeine before the exam.  Drinking too much coffee might off-set your heart rate and could cause you unnecessary anxiety.  (3) On test day, if you can get up early enough, go for a quick jog in the morning.  A short 20 minute jog will get the blood flowing in your body and will allow oxygen to travel with it.  Exercise can help you perform better on the exams, and will keep you happier.

Overall, if you can conquer both SAT/ACT exam timing issues and anxiety, you’re half way through the battle of improving your test scores.  Our SAT tutors and SAT prep program can help you, as well as our ACT tutors and ACT prep programs.

Give us a call at (800) 501-PREP if you have more questions.

Best regards,

Ross Blankenship

President, Top Test Prep

Tags: ACT Prep, ACT exam, SAT Prep, SAT exam // Add Comment »

For the students out there taking the January 23 2010 SAT Exam (and the SAT overall), I would like to give a few key tips to prepare for this SAT exam.  As you probably know, the SAT exam is broken down into three parts: Writing, Math, and Reading.

In preparing for this exam, I’ll suggest one simple thing you can do for each section to get prepared.  Though there are many strategies which we use at Top Test Prep to help students, these will give you some quick tips to share with your friends.

For the SAT Writing sections:  Consider reading through the “sentence error” sections of the SAT writing and looking at the whole sentence instead of the sentence in parts.  Instead of stopping each time you read an “incorrect” error in a passage, read the entire sentence first and then assess the answer choices for the right answer.   Often times students taking the SAT exam fail to consider the sentence on the whole and instead fragment it into parts.  Our natural speech pattern recognizes errors, assuming a basic understanding of the English language.  If you do have a basic understanding on nouns, adjectives, possessives, conjunctions, articles, adverbs, etc, you will be able to read a sentence and hear it for its whole part – hopefully hearing what sounded best between the answer choices.

For the SAT Critical Reading sections: Consider looking for the author’s attitude and tone when analyzing and preparing to answer SAT critical reading questions.  Once you have read a reading passage in the SAT, go back through the passage and circle words that suggest how the author feels about a certain thing or issue.  Often times students read SAT critical reading sections and forget to look for the big picture.  Remember:  the SAT authors aren’t trying to test you on your ability to remember minute details, rather they want to make sure you can read a passage and understand the tone, rhetoric (argument), and outline of the main body.

For the SAT Math sections:  If you only have a couple weeks left to prepare for the SAT, spend time on only two key main subjects within the SAT math section like solid Geometry or coordinate Geometry and any algebra that is required to answer these SAT math/geometry questions.  Or if you have more time to prepare for the SAT, take the all-inclusive SAT math formula box, and try to develop your own questions that are applicable for the SAT math section.  After all, they say the way you know a problem or issue best is if you can explain it to others.   Try these questions which you have developed, on your friends and see if your answers and methodology make sense.

I hope these SAT preparation tips help you in preparing for the SAT Exam.  At Top Test Prep, we pride ourselves in provides excellent SAT tutoring and test prep for students.  Top Test Prep also has an excellent ACT prep program as well if you are taking the ACT exam.

My best wishes for you and get in touch if you need more help improving your test scores.

Ross Blankenship

President

Top Test Prep

(800) 501-PREP

Tags: SAT Prep, SAT exam, Test Prep, private tutoring // Add Comment »

I’m excited to announce the opening of our second tutoring and test prep office in Washington DC, right in the heart of Georgetown.

Top Test Prep Location:

1027 33rd St. NW

Washington DC 20007

As many of our readers know, we have been expanding rapidly.  The parents and students with whom we work have been referring more tutoring and admissions consulting to Top Test Prep.  It is a pleasure to continue working with students as they prepare for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT, MCAT, GRE and many more!

Our private tutoring and test prep continues to be the best, as we only accept private tutors who are in the Top 1% for all exam.  In addition, our private tutors are provided with highly customized exam materials and test prep schedules.  If you need help preparing for your exams, give us a call today at (800) 501-PREP.

Best regards to you and happy holidays!

Ross Blankenship

President and CEO

Top Test Prep

Tags: ACT Prep, Private Tutors, SAT Prep, Test Prep, Tutors, Washington DC Tutors // Add Comment »

1. Spot errors by listening for them.

In the error identification section, your goal is to identify grammatical or structural errors in a given sentence. The upside: you don’t need to know how to correct these errors. All you’re required to do is recognize when an underlined portion is wrong, or when there are no errors. Pronounce the sentence in your head and listen for anything that sounds off. If it sounds off, it probably is.

2. Remember that this is a test of written English.

Though tip #1 generally holds true, there are things we can get away with in spoken English that are not appropriate for written English. Some questions will spell out a common mispronunciation – such as “could of” in place of “could have” – that might sound right, but isn’t correct in writing.

3. Watch out for “I” versus “me.”

People often confuse the two, or assume that using “I” is always correct. Not so. Here’s a tip for figuring out which one to use: take out the other person or people, and see how you’d write the sentence if “you” were the only person. For example, if the sentence is : “My parents lent Sarah and I their station wagon,” take out “Sarah” and see how you’d rewrite the sentence if you were the only borrower of the station wagon. You will realize that “I” sounds wrong – that the correct phrasing should be “Sarah and me.”

4. Check for subject/verb agreement.

Ask yourself whether the subject is singular or plural, and whether the correlating verb is conjugated accordingly.

5. Check for verb tense agreement.

Ask yourself, “When did the event described take place?” in order to check that the verb is in the proper tense. If one event in the past happens before another event in the past, the earlier event will require a past participle such as “had talked” or “had eaten.”

6. Be able to recognize sentences that are too “wordy,” expressing an idea in too many words.

One example of wordiness on the SAT may be an adjective that is unnecessarily modified, such as “completely silent” or “very unique.” The words “completely” and “very” are not needed here: you are either silent or not silent; you are either unique or not unique.

7. Keep in mind that the essay portion of the SAT may be compared to your admissions essay.

Admissions officers may compare the two in order to verify that your style and writing level are similar for both essays. In some cases, a good SAT essay may give your application the edge you need to take you from borderline to admitted.

8. On the essay portion of the SAT, aim for clarity and good organization.

Apply all the rules for essay-writing you’ve learned in school. Organization and paragraph-parsing are key. It doesn’t matter what you know in a certain subject area; it matters how well you are able to express your opinion or to relate an experience relevant to the given prompt.

9. Proofread your SAT essay for grammatical errors.

Be as vigilant about checking your own writing for errors as you are on the error-ID portion of the exam. Small errors can add up, lowering your score.

10. Give your SAT essay a title.

It never hurts to title an essay. A title can intrigue your reader and summarize the main theme, giving your essay a feeling of completeness.

___________

Our SAT tutoring and SAT preparation can help you get into top colleges and improve your scores.

Amary Wiggin is an academic tutor and blogger for Top Test Prep. She graduated from Harvard in 2009.

Tags: SAT Prep, SAT exam, Test Prep // Add Comment »

Whether you’re taking the SAT in December for the first time or the umpteenth, you still have about a month left to prepare. Here are some tips for getting the most out of these remaining few weeks.

1) Go over those vocab flash cards one last time. By now you’ll probably – hopefully – be familiar with them – so familiar, in fact, that it takes you far longer to say the definitions than to remember them. Still, it never hurts to review, review, review, and along the way, to remember all the synonyms surrounding a given word.

2) Go over the toughest practice problems, the ugly ones that really gave you trouble. Get a handle on them. Don’t just understand why you got each one wrong: understand the thought process required for solving it, and seek out other problems like it.

3) Get a good night’s sleep … for the two weeks leading up to the test. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation, even for a single night, can affect your performance on tests for over a week afterward, even if you got enough sleep during the nights in between.

4) On test day, wake up early enough to eat a healthy breakfast. Eat whatever works best for you: something filling and nutritious that sits well and will last you through the test. Eating a special meal can help set the day apart, putting you in the zone and revving you up for the day’s challenges.

5) It’s not too late for private SAT tutoring. You still have a whole month to sit down with an SAT tutor and address your weaknesses. An SAT tutor can help motivate you to study and provide you with tips and assignments that will build your mental endurance and efficiency. You can study alone, or you can study with the guidance of an SAT success story … your choice!

Amary Wiggin is an academic tutor and blogger for Top Test Prep. She graduated from Harvard in 2009.

Tags: Private Tutors, SAT Prep, SAT exam, Test Prep, Tutors, private tutoring // Add Comment »

1) Use a dictionary.

No matter what you’re reading, take the time to look up words you don’t know. Not only will this improve your vocabulary (it’s the best way to do so), but it will improve your reading experience. You’ll understand the text better without relying purely on context (or skipping over the phrase with the unfamiliar word).

2) Use a thesaurus.

How many ways can you say “aggressive”? “Belligerent,” “pugnacious,” “combative,” “bellicose” … you get the idea. Memorizing synonyms as a group will help you remember what each word means. For every standard vocabulary word, there are several synonyms that stand a chance of showing up on the test.

3) Read something challenging on a regular basis.

Consider getting a subscription to a respected magazine, something that will catch your interest and stimulate your vocabulary at the same time.

4) Buy SAT flash cards.

Standardized tests tend to recycle vocabulary. Having mastered 100 or more of the most common words on the exam will give you confidence when one or two of those words shows up on your test.

5) Complete practice exams under timed conditions.

Get accustomed to the amount of time you’ll have to complete the test. You’ll get faster, which will give you more time to focus on the tough questions. Study all the words you missed on the practice exams (see number four).

Get aggressive about studying! (But not too pugnacious.)

Amary Wiggin is an academic tutor and blogger for Top Test Prep. She graduated from Harvard in 2009.

Tags: SAT Prep, SAT exam, Test Prep // Add Comment »

Top Test Prep has PSAT, SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT, MCAT and GRE programs to help students improve their scores.

We have several private SAT prep and ACT tutors for schools like Walt Whitman, Wootton, Walter Johnson, Winston Churchill, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase, and many more in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia.

call (800) 501-PREP to find out more information, or locally (301) 654-2141.

Top Test Prep’s private tutoring headquarters is in Bethesda, MD.

Tags: SAT Prep, SAT exam // Add Comment »

I’d like to share with our readers tips to use for test prep, whether you’re taking the SAT exam, ACT exam or other standardized tests like the LSAT, GMAT, GRE or MCAT.  Preparing for exams can be tedious, but with the right plan you can succeed.

Ten Test Prep Tips to Help Improve Your Test Scores:

(1)   Practice sections: Always take practice sections and exams under “testing conditions.”  Testing conditions refers to taking an exam during the same time and general day you are scheduled for the actual exam (e.g. Saturdays at 9am)

(2)   The back of the book: Do not simply look to the back of the book for answers.  This causes you to rely on the book and others’ knowledge more than your own.  Always try the problems first and then rely on the back of the book to “check” your answer.

(3)   Manage your time wisely.   One of the most important things to do before you begin studying for tests is to set out a proper study schedule.  At a minimum, you should devote between 2 to 3 hours per day in preparing for exams.  Make it your part-time job.  Choose only one or two test prep books and go to work.

(4)  Get help when necessary. In most cases, students only get once chance to take a major test like the PSAT, SAT, ACT or other grad level exams like the GRE and LSAT.  So why not consider a private tutor?  At the very least look into it.  Beyond providing you direction, a private tutor may go a long way in helping you prepare for these exams.   For example, Top Test Prep’s tutors all have scored in the top 99th percentile and are double-screened to ensure they are able to successfully tutor students.

(5)   Speed exam taking: If the student has difficulties with time or time pressures, have the student take the sections under faster time settings.  For example, have the student take what would normally be a 30 minute section, in 15 minutes instead.  Like running with weights attached to your ankles, this will make the tests and each sections faster for the student.

(6)   Math Problems: The method is more important than the result. If a student cannot explain how he or she got to the correct answer, they won’t be able to do it correctly on their own exam.  Like any mathematical proof, you want to make sure you have every step down perfectly.  Every student must be able to explain their methods.

(7)   Verbal Problems: One method that has worked for Top Test Prep is to have every student read the verbal passages out loud before answering the questions.  Most test prep companies recommend reading the questions first, and then skimming the content.  During your tutoring sessions, we want the students to hear what the author is writing and then to explain the passage’s main point to the tutor.  If a student can explain what an author intended to write, he or she will know the answers before they get to the questions.  If a student can come up with his or her own title to the passage, they become more involved and will understand the questions better.  Essentially, make the student the author of the passage.

(8)   On test day: The Five P’s of Test Prep are simple:  Proper preparation prevents poor performance.  Make sure every student has everything they need on test day:  All #2 pencils, calculators, and their admissions ticket.  Being prepared will prevent nervousness and overall anxiety.  Students are encouraged to have some caffeine, but not too much – however much they are comfortable with drinking.

(9) Expect the Unexpected. When test day arrives, you must expect that you will see questions with which you are unfamiliar.  In the event you don’t know the answer, make sure to eliminate as many problems that are not logical or those which have no basis for even being an answer choice.  This takes practice.  However, it’s important not to just guess if you have a chance of losing points.

(10) Don’t Panic. No matter what your score is, keep in mind that you can take an exam again.   You can take many exams again without being penalized – several admissions offices will look to your highest score regardless of any previous exam results.

This article was written by Ross Blankenship, an admissions consultant and President of TopTestPrep.com, which provides private tutoring and admissions consulting to students around the world.  Call (800) 501-PREP to get help with private tutoring and admissions consulting.

Tags: ACT Prep, Private Tutors, SAT Prep, Test Prep, admissions consultants // Add Comment »

Top Test Prep has announced a FREE 1-hour SAT Prep review course, starting Saturday, August 15th.

The 60 minute review will include:
SAT Math Review
SAT Verbal
SAT Writing Practice

And instruction by the leader in test prep, Ross Blankenship.

Ross Blankenship is the founder and President of TopTestPrep.com

Who? Top Test Prep
What? SAT Prep and SAT Exam Review
Where? 4915 St. Elmo Ave, Suite 206, Bethesda, MD 20814
When? Saturday, August 15th, at 4:00pm.
Why? Because you deserve the best SAT prep.

Students and Parents are welcome!

4915 St. Elmo Ave, Suite 206
Bethesda, MD 20814

Call to reserve your space: (800) 501-PREP
or email “info@toptestprep.com”

This SAT prep course is open to all students in the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia Regions.

You must RSVP for this event, space is limited.

http://www.meetup.com/AdmissionsExperts/calendar/11024055/

Tags: SAT Prep, Test Prep, Washington DC Tutors // Add Comment »

As many students are heading back to school during August, we highly recommend signing up for your private tutoring and test prep now in time for the SAT Test on October 10, 2009, as well as the ACT exam on September 12, 2009 and October 24, 2009.

Our SAT private tutors will provide custom schedule, test prep materials, and private (one-on-one) tutoring for the upcoming SAT exam.

Our ACT private tutors are also ready to help you with custom materials and a game plan for the ACT Exam.

You can also call us directly at (800) 501-PREP to get more information on either the SAT or ACT private tutoring.

Tags: ACT Prep, One on One Tutoring, SAT Prep // Add Comment »

Part 2 of our series continues with answers about college admissions, private tutoring and test prep.

How can my kid get into an Ivy League School?

The formula for getting into the Ivy League is a  mixture of exceptional high school grades, high test scores and a background that says you’re interesting and will contribute to that Ivy League School.  Because so many college admissions decisions are subjective, meaning that the admissions offices wants some unique students and not just test scores, you have to make a college application theme that is different from the rest.

What happens if our college counselor is not very helpful?

At Top Test Prep, we see this situation all the time:  a parent calls in needing help – a student has tried to get in touch with his college counselor for days at his or her private or public school – and still no answer or response.   Their high school is either too big or too impersonal to give them the opportunity to have a college counselor review admissions applications, so they need Top Test Prep to help them with their college applications.  We’ll be happy to help.  Get in touch with us today (800) 501-PREP.   Our admissions consulting is geared for each student and personalized to make sure you have all the information you need to get into top schools.

How many college admissions essays are required?

This all depends on the number of colleges you’re applying to, and whether you’re using the Common Application to apply to these schools.  On average you’ll have to write around 3 to 4 admissions essays when you apply to any given college.   The more the merrier, we think, so let us know if you need help with your admissions essays, personal statements or resumes.

Tags: Admissions Advice, College Counseling, SAT Prep // Add Comment »