Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Linda Abraham is the president and founder of Accepted.com, an admissions advising and editing service for MBA applicants. She is also the co-founder and former president of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants as well as the co-author of MBA Admissions for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools. Linda has been featured in many prestigious media outlets such as The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, and more.  VT: How much time should be set aside to adequatel ... Read More About Ask an MBA Admissions Expert: Linda Abraham

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Dr. Fran Walfish is a top leading child and family psychotherapist located in Beverly Hills, California. She was a clinical staff member at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for 15 years and served a 4-year term as Chair of the Board of The Early Childhood Parenting Center founded in Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles. Dr. Walfish runs her own private practice where she counsels and consults young children and their families through many events including private school admissions processes. She has been featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, C ... Read More About Ask a Private School Admissions Expert: Dr. Fran Walfish

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Jared Barlow is currently the Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions and Recruitment at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. He has worked in higher education for several years and has frequently provided one-on-one advising and counseling to students. Jared holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business, Spanish, and Information Systems, as well as a Master’s in Education. VT: How much time should be set aside to adequately prepare for and complete the application for an MBA program? Jared: ... Read More About Ask an MBA Admissions Expert: Jared Barlow

The following piece was written by Paul Bodine. Paul has been featured in our Admissions Expert series and is the author of the best-selling admissions guide, Great Applications for Business School. He currently runs his own firm, Paul Bodine Admissions Consulting. Harvard and Stanford won't releases their essay questions until May, and most other schools won't follow suit until the summer. But that doesn't mean you have to sit on your hands until then. There's plenty you can do now to ensure that the MBA applications you submit this fall are the best they can be. Most obviously, there's the GMAT. If you haven't taken it, plan to d ... Read More About How to Prepare for Your Business School Application Early

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Liza Thompson has advised medical school applicants for the past 20 years. As the former director of the Johns Hopkins University and Goucher College Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Programs, she has managed admissions processes, the premedical curriculum, MCAT prep, and the medical school application process. While at Johns Hopkins, she also served on the Premedical Education Committee. Liza has developed a great deal of expertise in premedical advising and regularly shares it with applicants through her firm, Thompson Advising. VT: How mu ... Read More About Ask a Medical School Admissions Expert: Liza Thompson

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Tony Shan earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and has had a strong passion for MBA admissions ever since. During his time at Kellogg, Tony was given the role of Student Liaison to the Office of Admissions, where he spent a great deal of time managing student involvement in admissions and helping students successfully pursue their MBA’s. He is now an admissions consultant for Admissionado, working with business school applicants all over the world.   VT: How much time should be set aside to adequately prep ... Read More About Ask an MBA Admissions Expert: Tony Shan

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Stephanie Klein Wassink is a graduate of Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. She also holds years of experience on the Kellogg School of Management admissions board and runs her own consulting business, Winning Applications. Stephanie’s expertise lies in many areas of admissions, but shared her insights on the undergraduate application process with us below.  VT: How far ahead of time should a student begin working on his or her college application? Stephanie: Regardless of where I speak ... Read More About Ask an Admissions Expert: Stephanie Klein Wassink

The following piece was written by Wendy Williams. Wendy is the founder of Williams Educational Consultants and is a national expert on the SSAT. If you are looking at placing your student into a private school, then you will need to have your child take The Secondary School Admission Test, or the SSAT. Many private schools require this exam as part of their application process. Although this test is an important ingredient in an applicant’s file, it is not the only thing that the admissions office looks at in evaluating applicants. However, it is important that families understand what the SSAT is testing as well as options on testing ... Read More About How to Prepare for the SSAT

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Prior to founding her own consulting firm, Law School Expert, Ann Levine was the Director of Admissions for both Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and California Western School of Law in San Diego. She is the author of The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert, which is the best-selling law school admissions guide on Amazon, and has helped approximately 2,000 law applicants since the start of her firm back in 2004.  VT: How much time should be set aside to adequately prepare for and complete a Law School application? Ann: Mo ... Read More About Ask a Law School Admissions Expert: Ann Levine

We all know the feeling; sitting there anxiously awaiting the teacher to come by your row of desks and hand that stack of tests to the person in front. You watch that stack get smaller and smaller as it gets closer to you until finally, you have it. Thoughts are racing through your mind about how well you studied that last set of notes or whether you should have looked into that math tutoring. The second you place that exam in front of you and pass the rest of the pile to the student behind you, a deep breath is taken and you are ready to dive in. Nervous or confident, you just want to get started so you can finish quickly and get the hec ... Read More About Test-Taking Tip: How to Review an Exam Before You Take It

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Having founded his admissions consulting firm, The MBA Exchange, in 1996 after serving as an admissions interviewer for his alma mater Harvard Business School, Dan Bauer and his firm have helped over 3,000 individuals gain acceptance from the world’s most selective MBA programs. Read on for the valuable advice he has to offer about the business school admissions process. VT: How much time should be set aside to adequately prepare for and complete the application for an MBA program? Dan: Depending on the candidacy, this can take any ... Read More About Ask an MBA Admissions Expert: Dan Bauer

We’ve talked about the distractions, we’ve talked about randomly helpful items, but now it’s time to talk about how you can put all of those things together and produce a great study environment. No student is in a good position to study if the surrounding atmosphere isn’t conducive to such productivity. Before you gather your books and attempt to cram that information into your brain, you need to make sure you are placed in a good setting, whether it's somewhere for a solo study session or a meeting with your SAT tutor. The number one rule when it comes to creating study environments? Don’t go by what anyone els ... Read More About Study Tip: How to Create a Good Study Environment

Alright, it’s time to sit down and prepare for that test. Situate yourself at a library table or your plushy futon, whichever locale you prefer, and take out all necessary learning materials. But when you open up that notebook of pages you’ve been scribbling on all semester, why isn’t that information resonating with you? Probably because it’s nearly impossible to logically comprehend several random bits of inner-thoughts and copied-down chalkboard bullet points at a first-read. Unless you happen to be an organizational champion and have been keeping those notes neat and sensible as you created them throughout the year, ... Read More About Study Tip: Organize Your Notes

When you take an exam, all that should matter is that piece of paper in front of you. But what do you end up thinking about in addition to those questions you are reading? The other people in the class; how fast they’re writing, the way they’re sitting, the moment each one stands up all finished and ready to turn in their finished product. It’s human nature to be distracted by these things, but the nervous test-taking environment only accentuates it. A major piece of advice that will help you work through your test with minimal stress is that you must learn to block out those fellow students. You have the rest of the day and ... Read More About Test-Taking Tip: Blocking Out Other Test-Takers

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Jens K. holds a graduate degree from the London School of Economics and a J.D. from NYU Law. Since then, he has worked for international law firms in both New York and China and has taught law as an adjunct professor as well. He is the co-founder of Advantas Group, an international team of admissions experts who help students worldwide get into the graduate programs of their choice. VT: How much time should be set aside to adequately prepare for and complete a Law School application? Jens: It depends. An applicant with high grades, a st ... Read More About Ask a Law School Admissions Expert: Jens K.

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. One of the most experienced admissions consultants in the country, Paul Bodine has been helping students with their university applications since 1997. Specifically an expert in the MBA admissions process, Paul has led applicants to many prestigious programs such as the Wharton School, Kellogg School of Management, New York University, and more. He is the author of the best-selling admissions guide, Great Applications for Business School, and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal. VT: How much time should be set aside to adequ ... Read More About Ask an MBA Admissions Expert: Paul Bodine

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Dr. Michelle Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. Upon completing her residency at Harvard, she moved up as a faculty member and eventaully became the Assistant Residency Director for Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency where she interviewed many applicants and reviewed countless applications, personal statements, and resumés. Dr. Finkel is currently a board-certified Emergency Physician and the founder of Insider Medical Admissions. VT: What is the single most important thing applican ... Read More About Ask a Medical School Admissions Expert: Dr. Michelle Finkel

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Cliff Sarkin is a graduate of Harvard Law School and has been an application advisor for hundreds of students. Having been a Summer Associate at two top-tier law firms in Washington D.C. and a frequent participant of many law school admisisons panels and events, Cliff has used his knowledge to help many aspiring law students get into some of the most prestigious law schools in the country. He provides consulting services through his successful firm, Law School Advising. VT: How much time should be set aside to adequately prepare for and c ... Read More About Ask a Law School Admissions Expert: Cliff Sarkin

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. A graduate of The University of Chicago MBA program, David Petersam is well-known for his knowledge of MBA admissions. His expertise is drawn from his experience in The University of Chicago MBA admissions office, where he contributed to numerous admissions committee decisions. David is now the founder and President of AdmissionsConsultants, Inc., a service he started back in 1996 directed toward helping MBA applicants gain acceptance into the world’s top business schools. VT: How much time should be set aside to adequately prepare ... Read More About Ask an MBA Admissions Expert: David Petersam

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Dr. Carleen Eaton is a graduate of the UCLA School of Medicine with nine years of experience in admissions advising. She has helped hundreds of medical school applicants get into their desired programs over the years and has frequently been a guest speaker at various colleges and universities on the subject. Dr. Eaton is the founder of PreHealthAdvising.com, an admissions consulting firm dedicated to assisting students in the medical school application process. She is currently working on her book, Getting into Medical School For Dummies, ... Read More About Ask a Medical School Admissions Expert: Dr. Carleen Eaton

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Jeremy C. Wilson received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management as well as his JD from the Northwestern Law School. He currently runs his own MBA blog which has been noted to be one of the top-ranked blogs in the MBA world. Jeremy recently kicked off a segment on his blog called #AskJeremy, where readers can submit questions on anything related to education/admissions. The insights Jeremy shares are rooted from his experience on the admissions boards for Northwestern University’s JD and MBA programs, where he interviewed nume ... Read More About Ask an MBA Admissions Expert: Jeremy C. Wilson

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. As he pursued his MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Graham Richmond participated as a student admissions officer where he read hundreds of applications. After graduating from the program, Graham returned to the Wharton Admissions Committee and contributed to the redesigning of the school’s admissions process while representing the program at conferences internationally as well. Graham eventually left and co-founded Clear Admit, an MBA Admissions Consulting service, where he has assisted thousands of student ... Read More About Ask an MBA Admissions Expert: Graham Richmond

Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Dr. Mike Frazier is a member of the MedSchoolCoach team and the founder of Medical School Insider, a website he created to help aspiring medical students through the admissions process. He is a former member of the UCLA Medical School Admissions Committee and the author of his own eBooks, such as, Succeeding in Medical School: How I Landed My Top Choice Residency. A graduate of the UCLA medical school as well, Dr. Frazier has a clear and knowledgeable view of how to master the medical school application. VT: How much time should be set as ... Read More About Ask a Medical School Admissions Expert: Dr. Mike Frazier

It can be difficult enough to write an essay, but having to do it within stressful time constraints is another challenge in and of itself. Usually, these time constraints are in reference to due dates that tend to be weeks or months ahead. But when an essay is part of an exam, those weeks and months before your due date become minutes and hours. Facing a timed essay is nevertheless an intimidating situation that requires just the right mindset. There are a few things you should recognize and accept before going into a timed essay. First off, know that you will not have any time to waste – it is as simple as that. The comforting procrast ... Read More About How to Write a Timed Essay

Writing sections of standardized tests are perhaps the most difficult to prepare for, only because you never know exactly what you are going to be asked. Granted, you don’t know specifically what math problems or English questions you’ll have to answer either, but at least you can study the basic concepts. When it comes to writing an essay, you can only prepare so much – but there are ways to prepare, and it all begins with getting an understanding of what type of writing test you are facing. On the GRE, the writing section is formally referred to as the Analytical Writing section. As you could easily assume, this is because ... Read More About How to Study for the Writing Section of the GRE

The Verbal section of the GRE is actually quite simple in terms of what to expect. When you first take a look at a set of practice questions, you’ll most likely be reminded of elementary school English tests because of the high volume of fill-in-the-blanks. Yes, a big part of the section is choosing which words will fill in the blanks of sentences most logically. Sounds easy, but it actually requires more preparation than you’d think. The reason for this is that the options of words given to you are not going to be every-day vocabulary. Most of them won’t even be close to every-day vocabulary. This section is going to throw ... Read More About How to Study for the Verbal Reasoning Section of the GRE

One of the many pressures of attempting to get into grad school is scoring well on the GRE.  A very quirky test, it can be quite intimidating when you first start reading up on it, but the structure is actually quite simple.  There are six sections total, but only three broad skill areas that will be covered – analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning.  Now, it should not be underestimated how broad these areas really are.  In studying for this exam, you will need to go back and re-learn a ton of information you may or may not have looked at since high school.  But what makes the structure ... Read More About How to Prepare for the GRE

AIMS, or the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards is a state-required exam for elementary, middle, and high school students. The assessment is given to insure that Arizona classrooms are fulfilling the Arizona academic standards. Public school students in grades 3-8 and 10-12 are tested in reading, writing, science, and math.  Test content depends on the grade, and corresponds to what students have learned in the classroom. All grades are tested on reading and math, while grades 5, 6, 7, and 10 must complete an additional writing portion. Only grades 4, 8, and 10 are tested on their science savvy.  The AIMS assessment is designe ... Read More About What You Need To Know About The AIMS Test

The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) is a series of standardized exams used by Texas public schools students to assess students’ academic abilities.  The STAAR test is based on state standards which provide a framework for the material students should be learning in the classroom each year.  The exam measures the academic achievement and learning – in other words, to evaluate how well students are meeting Texas’ grade-level expectations.  Public school students are not the only ones required to take the STAAR assessment.  Any charter school, private school, or homeschooling that co ... Read More About Essentials Of The New STAAR Tests

ACT English: 75 questions in 45 minutes First off: don’t panic.  You don’t have to memorize every last bit of English grammar in the world.  That would take far too long and be confusing in the long run.  Rather, break down your knowledge in several sections and strategies that will help you score the best you can.  Punctuation  -        Semi-colons: Used like periods in that they separate two complete sentences.  The only catch is that these sentences should be related to each other.  The most important part here is that there must be a complete sentence on e ... Read More About How To Prep For The ACT English Section

ACT MATH: 60 questions in 60 minutes The best approach to the math section of the ACT is to break down the various questions into categories.  That way the page doesn’t look like a mish-mash of numbers but rather: two geometry problems, an algebra problem, and a graphing problem.  You need to know several main categories and memorizing a couple of formulas will help down the home stretch. Basics: Know how to determine the average of something and how to find percentages.  Know how to add and multiply fractions and how to work exponents. Algebra: This covers questions with “x” and “y” in it.  ... Read More About How To Prep For The ACT Math Section

ACT Science: 40 questions, 35 minutesA lot of students worry about the science section of the test because they don’t feel very comfortable with science classes.  Good news!  You do not have to memorize any formulas from biology, chemistry, physics, or any other science class.  Almost every last piece of information you need to know for this section can be found in the graphs and charts provided for each passage.  There are three types of passages in the science section:  Charts and Graphs  These passages will have very little writing and feature large or multiple charts and/or graphs.  For these se ... Read More About How To Prep For The ACT Science Section

ACT Reading section: 40 questions, 35 minutesFor most students, reading less is better.  This might seem counterintuitive, but most people take too much time reading the passage and then remember too little of it.  The better option is to attack the passage strategically so that you don’t have to read the entire thing, or if you do, read it in small chunks. Look at the questions and see if there are any key words.  These include proper nouns, dates or other numbers, or definition or category words.  Try to find that key word in the passage and then read the couple sentences around it.  Keep in mind that any word ... Read More About How To Prep For the ACT Reading Section

The High School Placement Test (HSPT) is a standardized admissions exam used by many Catholic high schools across the United States.  Eighth graders take the comprehensive entrance test for placement in the ninth grade.  Even if students have received their elementary and middle school education at a Catholic institution, they are still required to take the exam if they wish to continue their learning at a Catholic high school.  The Scholastic Testing Service, a company that provides assessment materials, designs and administers the annual exam.    Because courses, teaching methods and styles, and evaluation stan ... Read More About How To Succeed On The HSPT

The PSAT (Preliminary SAT) is a test designed to prepare high school students for the SAT. It is also used as the initial screening process for the National Merit Scholarship, which provides students with funds that can be put towards college.  The PSAT is given only once a year in October.  In 2012, the test will be administered on October 17th or October 20th, depending on your school. Both high school sophomores and juniors can take it, though only juniors will be eligible to qualify for National Merit Scholarships.  The test is modeled after the SAT and mirrors its structure in many ways. There are three sections of the te ... Read More About What To Know About The PSAT

The SAT writing section is unique in that it is the only part of the test that is graded subjectively. It is a 25 minute section where you are presented with a prompt (could be a quote by someone famous) and an assignment (a question about the prompt or a guideline to follow for the essay). The instructions are simple – write an essay. There is no preferred format or technical direction to follow which gives the test taker flexibility in their writing. The important instructions are outlined at the beginning of the section: Develop a point of view on an issue presented in the excerpt Support your point of view using reasoning and ex ... Read More About How To Succeed On The Essay Portion Of The SAT

The Reading section of the SAT consists of 67 questions that test your vocabulary, critical thinking skills, and focus. It is made up of two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. Like all sections of the SAT, it is graded on a 200-800 point scale which goes into your total score. Questions on the Reading section fall into two categories: Passage-Based Reading and Sentence Completions. On every test, there will be 48 Passage-Based questions and 19 Sentence Completions. When you are working on a section of Sentence Completions, the questions will be listed in order of difficulty (with the simplest one first), while the Passage-Based que ... Read More About What You Need To Know About The Reading Section Of The SAT

The math sections of the SAT breakdown in the following ways:• One 25-minute section with 20 multiple choice questions• One 25-minute section with 8 multiple choice, and 10 grid-in questions• One 20-minute section with 16 multiple choice questionsHere are 3 rules to follow to set yourself up before you do any actual studying.Rule 1: Time Management:The SAT math sections are structured with the test-taker in mind. They start off with easy problems that get progressively more difficult from question to question. You should not spend too much time on the early questions as you will want the extra minutes for the harder problems at ... Read More About Key Facts About The SAT Math Section

The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized exam that is used for college admissions. While some two-year programs do not require it, all four-year colleges and universities require that applicants take either the SAT or the ACT.  The SAT has three sections: Math, Verbal, and Writing, which was added in 2005. Each section is scored on a 200-800 point scale, and the total of these sections makes up the complete score (600-2400). The test is broken up into seven 25-minute sections, two 20-minute sections, and one 10-minute section with three 5-minute breaks, meaning that the full test clocks in at three hours and forty-five minutes.  Th ... Read More About What You Should Know About The SAT

The SSAT (Secondary School Admissions Test) is one of two admissions tests for private / independent schools. The other is the ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam), but they are not exactly interchangeable. Some private schools favor the SSAT, while others favor the ISEE. All schools will publish their preference online. The SSAT is the first major test your child will be taking. There can be pressure; there can be stress and even anxiety. First, you need to know what you and your child are up against. And Varsity Tutors is here to help. See more from us on how to improve your SSAT score and comparing the ISEE and the SSAT. Or see our enti ... Read More About What To Know About The Updated SSAT

The ACT Plus Writing includes an optional supplement to the standard exam. The half-hour test assesses your writing skills – especially those writing skills emphasized in your high school English courses and in entry-level college composition classes. We’ll go over if you should register to take the additional Writing Test, what the prompt looks like, how to optimize your exam grade, and exactly what the ACT scorers are looking for when they read your essay.  What does the Writing Test look like? The writing portion of the ACT gives a single prompt that describes an issue and the opposing points of view on the subject. You wil ... Read More About What To Know About The Writing Section Of The ACT

The ACT Mathematics section is designed to assess the mathematical proficiency students have typically acquired in courses taken by the end of the 11th grade.  Students receive an hour to finish the 60-question math section – which boils down to roughly a minute per question.  The multiple-choice problems cover content areas such as pre-algebra, elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, coordinate geometry, plane geometry, and trigonometry.  Students must be comfortable using computational skills and basic formulas, but a knowledge of complex formulas or the ability to perform extensive computation ... Read More About What To Know About The Math Section Of The ACT

The science portion of the ACT is known to be one of the trickier sections, for good reason. It is tricky.  Content ranges from physics, chemistry, and biology to the Earth and space sciences (such as meteorology, astronomy, and geology).  Detailed knowledge of these areas is not necessary, for the the exam emphasizes scientific reasoning skills rather than recall of scientific facts, reading comprehension, or mathematical ability.  In other words, the key is not memorizing chemistry formulas or physics equations, but being able to understand exactly what a question is asking, and knowing how to figure out the answer.  &nb ... Read More About What To Know About The Science Section Of The ACT

The English portion of the ACT consists of 75 questions that measure written English and rhetorical skills.  Students receive 45 minutes in which to complete this section, which consists of five prose passages with corresponding multiple-choice questions.  The types of passages vary; one may be a personal narrative, and the next may be a textbook excerpt.    Questions will often refer to underlined portions of the passages, and offer several alternatives as possible answers.  Students will be asked to select the example that is the most appropriate in terms of the context.  Besides asking about sp ... Read More About What To Know About The English Section On The ACT

The ACT, (originally an acronym for American College Testing) is a standardized exam that measures what you have learned in your high school courses, and serves as an alternative to the SAT examination for college admissions.  All four-year colleges and universities accept ACT results.   The ACT covers four subject areas; English, Mathematics,Reading, and Science, along with an optional Writing section.  The ACT is not an IQ or aptitude exam; rather, the material directly relates to what you have learned in your high school courses.  In other words, the more you challenge yourself in the classroom, the more prepared y ... Read More About What To Know About The ACT

The PSAT, or the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a standardized exam that provides students with a practice version of the SAT.   Most students take the test in their junior year of high school.  Exam results are used to determine qualification and eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSC). So exactly why is the PSAT so important?  Besides giving students firsthand exposure to a college entry exam, the PSAT determines entry to the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSC), an academic competition for college scholarships and recognition.   Each year, of the 1.5 m ... Read More About What To Know About The PSAT

At first glance, the SSAT Math Section (also known as the quantitative section) may seem like a bunch of simple computations, but it’s much more difficult than that. The clock is constantly, constantly ticking and the questions are written to confuse you. But, if you have the right SSAT prep strategy and the right SSAT tutor to guide you through the test, you’ll improve your SSAT Math Scores dramatically. SSAT Math Practice tests/SSAT Tutor: Taking practice tests and reviewing them with your SSAT tutor is best way to improve your score. Practice tests alone can only help you so much, as they just show you where you struggle and g ... Read More About How To Improve Your SSAT Math Score

The SSAT along with the ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam) are used for admissions into private/independent schools. Some schools favor the ISEE, others favor the SSAT and some will look at whichever you scored best on. See more from Varsity Tutors on how to improve ISEE scores. Don’t add pressure: The tests can cause tons of pressure and anxiety for younger students, especially when parents pile it on. That’s why having the right mindset is just as important as the best SSAT prep. Avoid telling your child “you need to do well,” “you must do well,” or “if you don’t do well…” ... Read More About How To Improve SSAT Scores

Which is better: the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) or the Secondary School Aptitude Test (SSAT)? Well, both are used for entrance into private/independent schools, but they’re not exactly interchangeable. Some independent schools will accept only the ISEE, others only the SSAT, and some will consider whichever test you scored higher on. But, before you spend tons of hours prepping for one test, make sure the school(s) you’re interested in accept it. Test levels: First of all, the ISEE has three levels: lower for students currently in grades 4-5, middle for grades 6-7 and upper for grades 8-11. The SSAT only has two leve ... Read More About Comparing The ISEE And The SSAT

Over the next two weeks, close to 2 million students will be taking the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) exams.  Covering subjects ranging from Art History to Macroeconomics to Statistics, AP exams (and their corresponding AP classes) give high school students opportunities to take rigorous classes while earning college credit by successfully passing the exams. Here are some pointers to help you get through the next two weeks of grueling exams: 1.  Read over the official Course Description booklets The College Board has course booklets for each of its AP exams.  Browsing over the course booklet is a great way to ensu ... Read More About How To Prep For AP Exams

By now, you’ve probably heard your older brothers’ or sisters’ tales of it – and your teachers talk all about how important or difficult it can be. But, the fact that you’re reading this post and considering working with an ACT tutor already puts you a step above the rest. And guess what, we’re going to give you even more help with the following ACT prep tips. Background: Some colleges prefer the ACT over the SAT and vice versa. But, most will consider whichever you score higher on. Unlike the SAT, you can’t combine sections from previous tests to create an aggregate score. The ACT has five sections: ... Read More About How To Improve Your ACT Score

The ISEE essay is not scored. But, you can request for your essay to be photocopied and sent to certain schools – or you can leave it off your ISEE report entirely. But, why wouldn’t you send your ISEE essay to every school? If you don’t send it, private schools are just going to think you’re hiding something from them. Not sending an essay tells schools you didn’t care enough to prepare for it. At which point, they’ll draw their own conclusions. Is this student lazy? Do they have poor grammar skills? Do they have zero confidence in their writing? Those are the impressions you’ll leave, and elite sch ... Read More About How To Improve Your ISEE Essay

Managing time is just as important as knowing the equations on this section because you have a little less than one minute for each question. That’s why you need to use arithmetic shortcuts to solve questions quickly and correctly. Here’s a sampling of what you’ll need to know for the ISEE quantitative reasoning section. But, if you really want to ace this section, it will be best to work with a private tutor. Your tutor will walk you through practice questions and help you find the best ways to solve them – a rare advantage most students won’t get. Practice without a calculator: Because you won’t be given ... Read More About How To Increase Your ISEE Quantitative Score

The Verbal Reasoning section kicks off the ISEE (for every level), and it mostly tests your vocab skills. You’ll see two types of questions: synonym recognition and sentence completion. See more from Varsity Tutors on general ISEE tips and ISEE information: how to improve your ISEE score. Synonym recognition: Here, you are given a word and you have to choose the synonym (or the word closest in meaning) out of the four answer choices given. Think of the definition of word: And try to use it in a sentence before you start reading the answer choices because they are written to confuse you. Break words down: Consider the following exampl ... Read More About How To Increase ISEE Verbal Scores

The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) is the first of many huge, high-pressure tests your child will take, and giving him/her the right mindset is just as important as ISEE prep. Sure, knowing the ISEE problems and patterns can dramatically improve your score. But, how you motivate your child can make the biggest difference. Don’t pressure your child: There is a lot riding on this test. It can determine your child’s education all the way through high school and possibly even college. If you bring this up, your child’s head is going to start spinning. Don’t tell them that they “need” to perform well o ... Read More About How To Improve ISEE Scores

Whether you're in the middle of spring break or will start vacation soon, keep in mind some tips to stay connected with your academic school work and not find yourself "behind" after the holidays. Mix in relaxation with light studying.  Studying during spring break when you're not stressed out because it's the night before a test may allow you to process information in a different light.  Instead of trying to cram 100 biology textbook pages in two hours, you have the leisure of getting to understand concepts at a comfortable pace.  For studying, also check out our previous blog post on the best study habits. Take the time to l ... Read More About Best Study Tips For Spring Break