Award-Winning PSAT Tutors serving Vancouver

Reviewed science article that the student had read, reviewing for subject matter and point of view. Quizzed her on new Vocabulary that she learned. Went over an PSAT Reading passage. The student is making very good progress.

We began by learning about the general test format, basic strategies, and why the test is important. Then we started working on the critical reading section, so the student could get a sense for what the different types of questions are like. We worked through these questions very slowly, analyzing the hints in the question and identifying what the test-makers are targeting with each question. Finally we discussed test anxiety and strategies for remaining calm in a testing environment.

The student and I worked solely on PSAT tasks. She said she had taken the test in the past, but was unsure if she had a score report. Her prep course begins later this week, so we started to work through a PSAT book her father had recently ordered. She performed very well in her assessment, in the mathematics section, reading and writing components. She also seems very proficient with algebra operations.

The student has never taken a standardized test before. She just finished her freshman year of high school. She needs more attention to the math section over the verbal. We decided that she should take a full practice test to see where her current score is and then set a goal as to where she would like to be in 3 months.

The student and I went over the vocabulary he had completed, reviewed definitions, and used the words in a sentence. He found the original PSAT he had taken, so we went over that as well, ensuring he was able to complete the sections where he omitted many. He did very well! He didn't miss more than four questions in any one section. For homework, he is to define the next thirty words in the list, and read the first twelve tips, starting on p. 209.

The student and I had another great session. We spent half the session reviewing sentence completion strategies and short and long passages. We spent the latter half of the session going over writing practice. The student is really doing well with writing, especially identifying sentence errors. He struggles a bit more with improving sentences, so I believe this should be our exclusive focus within writing from now on. I've asked the student to create flashcards for the vocabulary he's learned up to this point.