Improving Study Skills

Today's students usually walk out of their classrooms with a backpack full of study guides, notebooks, binders, folders, chapters to read, etc. However, they don’t know how to put that information into a bin or storage system, for a week from now, a month from now, or even three months from now. The assignments students receive are both short-term and long-term. So, how do students know what to focus on and when? How do they store this information until they need it? How should they study? Take a look at the following tips.  

• Have the Student Teach - Students retain far more information when they draw up an assignment or breakdown a problem for others. Part of the reason this works is because the student is reviewing and teaching the parent or their peers at the same time. You can use note cards, but have the student hold them, read the words, and define the solution or answer.

• Push the Learning Button to On - Students believe that if they read a chapter, they’ve studied and they'll be prepared. When in fact, studying should be full, in-depth, and involved. In order to study well, students shouldn't sit on the bench, but become an active participant or an active learner. Students will retain more when they highlight the concepts, ideas, facts,  write down notes in the margins, develop their own study guides, and test themselves. Student need to do more than just reading. 

• Study Comfortably - Find a good place in the home or away from the home. Make sure this place is quiet, away from gaming/app electronics, and anxiety free. Set goals for breaks and use of electronics. For example, "After 30 minutes of studying, I'm allowed to take a 5 minute Facebook break." If studying with a group, utilize a place where distractions will be minimized. If possible, try to leave your cell phones at home, so that progress won't be hindered.    

• Come up with Catchy Acronyms - Using acronyms can be highly beneficial. Here is an example: The 5 current largest cities in New Jersey in terms of population - J E E P' N. The word Jeep is associated with a passenger vehicle. Jeep'n makes it sound like driving around to the 5 current largest cities in NJ: Jersey, Elizabeth, Edison, Paterson, and Newark. This technique is flexible; it can be used with almost any type of memorization. Once students are shown how to use this technique, they will come up with all kinds of catchy acronyms to make retention easier. These also can be fun and entertaining to come up with! 

• Participate in Class - Class participation can help boost study skills. The student is more engaged in class which will transfer to homework and studying. They will know more about the subject and be more familiar with what it encompasses. Asking questions to your teacher and creating classroom discussions can increase focus, interest, and motivation. The desire to get better, increase grades, and perform well takes over. 

• Space Out Studying - This will help reduce anxiety over assignments. Spacing out study time over a few days is far better and less stressful than studying the day or night before. When your child has a quiz or test within the next few weeks, help him or her break the study time into multiple days. Have your child write these tasks in an organizer or on your family's refrigerator calendar. An example, if there’s a math test on Thursday, have your child write down to "review my study guide" on Monday, "memorize formula note cards" on Tuesday, and "do practice problems on page 50" on Wednesday. 

The earlier students learn how to study the better off they will be. As they move up to higher education, secondary and post-secondary, and are assigned more challenging work, these skills will become even more useful and help them to understand the material better. They will be prepared, more comfortable, have less stress, and better grades. 

Let us know how we can help improve your child's study skills! 

ACT STEM Report

The ACT recently released a report based upon students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) college degrees. They found that 26% met or were above the STEM readiness benchmark. The STEM score on the ACT is meant to be an indicator of how a student will perform in a first-year college STEM course. More information can be found here: www.act.org/stemcondition 

The ACT science section is comprised of data representation, research summary, and conflicting hypothesis based questions. The student gathers required information from charts, tables, and graphs. It's good for the student to know the scientific method as well. The ACT math section tests pre-algebra, algebra I, algebra II, geometry, and trigonometry. The more difficult math questions are usually toward the end and so the student must also focus on pacing. 

SSAT Tips and Strategies

•    Guess if you can eliminate 2 answer choices on easy or medium questions. Guess on hard questions if you can eliminate 3 answer choices.
•    "Attractor" answers are most common towards the middle and end of a section. 
•    The student receives 1 minute per question on the reading section.
•    The student receives 30 seconds per question on the verbal section. 
•    The student receives 72 seconds per question on both math sections. 

MATH
•    Half of the math questions are arithmetic and about one-fifth Geometry based. 
•    If it doesn’t say “not drawn to scale” then estimate by looking at it.
•    Use numbers that are easy to work with when plugging in for variables. 
•    If you think a question will take more than 72 seconds, circle it and come back to it later.
•    Watch out for sudden measurement changes. For example, the chart lists yards and the answers are given in feet. 

VERBAL
•    Review the word and find the correct definition.
•    The answers may also use a secondary definition.
•    Examine the word for roots, prefixes, and suffixes. 
•    Does the word sound positive or negative.
•    For analogies, build a sentence with the word to understand the relationship. 
•    Eliminate answer choices with no relation and that seem weak in their relationship. 

READING
•    Spend the first minute looking for “easy” passages to tackle. 
•    Reading is the only section that doesn’t progress from easy to difficult. 
•    Usually the very first sentence will be the main idea. 
•    Read at a strong pace, but do not re-read. 
•    Try not to worry about rushing through passages. 
•    Don’t move onto the next passage until you answer all the questions. 
•    If you’re running short on time, look for the questions that ask for a definition. 

Contact us if you're interested in learning more about SSAT prep! 

Average College Tuition: 1975-76 to 2015-16

Average tuition, fees, room, and board in 2015 dollars: 1975-76 to 2015-16 (selected years in table below)

SOURCE: The College Board, Trends in College Pricing 2015, Table 2A

Tips for Homework Success

1)    Show your child how to be and stay organized
2)    Get rid of as many distractions as possible
3)    Create a plan for tackling homework assignments
4)    Get your child to see how homework can relate to tasks in everyday life
5)    Support your child and provide encouragement
6)    Make your child look up to you by working on a task at the same time
7)    Be interested in what your child is working on 

These tips should help get you and your child set in the right direction!

Learn more about homework help and Academic Coaching by contacting us today.  

ACT English Test Approach

The English test on the ACT measures a student’s skill level at evaluating an essay. The English test is 45 minutes long and consists of 75 questions. The student is asked to read 5 essays. These essays are about the same length; questions asked are about style and grammar. Each essay contains 15 questions and the style is in line with current high school students. The language should be familiar and not foreign to most students.

Comparison of the content areas tested:

Area

Rhetorical Skills – 35 questions total

Strategy – 12 questions (appropriateness of sentences)

Organization – 11 questions (order of ideas, conclusions, and introductions)

Style – 12 questions (tone and clarity)

Usage/Mechanics – 40 questions total

Punctuation – 10 questions (commas, colons, dashes, semicolons, apostrophes)

Grammar and Usage – 12 questions (idioms, comparisons, pronouns, subject-verb agreement)

Sentence Structure – 18 questions (run-ons, fragments, misplaced modifiers)

On the official ACT score report, the student will receive an overall English score between 1-36. The student will also receive two subscores, each are between 1-18.

The student should take a full-length practice test in order to establish an appropriate goal on the English section. It is the very first test on the ACT and the student has 36 seconds per question.  To score a 20 on the English test, the student needs to answer 43 of 75 questions correctly. With this score, the student is actually above the national average.

Question Types:

Underlined – These questions want the student to look for a potential mistake. However, it may be possible that the sentence is already correct and that there is no change needed.

Boxed – When students see a question that asks about deleting or adding information, this is a boxed question and they are usually rhetorical questions. These questions normally take the student more time to answer. 

Overall – This type of question will ask the student to reflect upon the entire essay. The question could ask about how the essay was organized or structured. The student may have to question the effectiveness of the essay.

Top Ways to Maximize ACT English Test Scores:

·         Answer the questions as you come to them in the passage

·         Make another pass through in order to work on skipped or starred questions (attempt the ones you think you may have the best chance of answering correctly)

·         Use any last bit of time to guess on remaining questions

·         If the time is getting close to the end, put energy towards answering the short underlined grammar questions

·         Don’t pick the first answer that sounds good

·         Never leave a question blank as there is no penalty for answering incorrectly

·         Eliminate answer choices in your test booklet and guess when you need to

ACT Math Breakdown

·         The ACT Math Test is the only ACT test with five answer choices. The English, Reading and Science tests all have four answer choices.

·         For odd numbered questions, students are given the following answer choices: A, B, C, D, and E. For even numbered questions, students are given the answer choices:  F, G, H, J, and K.

·         All of the other sections include D or J as the last answer choice. Don’t confuse the ACT Math E or K answers with D or J!

·         On the official ACT score report, the student will receive an overall ACT Math score between 1 and 36. There will be three subscores as well: Pre-Algebra/Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra/Coordinate Geometry, Plane Geometry/Trigonometry.

·         Most students would have completed all math included on the ACT by the end of 11th grade.

·         The questions progress from easy to difficult. There are 60 questions and students must finish in 60 minutes. A good idea is to limit 30 seconds on the first 20 questions, 1 minute on the next 20 questions, and 90 seconds on the final 20 questions. The last 10-15 questions are usually the most difficult and the student will want to save more time for these. It’s also when the student is the most fatigued on the math section.

·         There are three main types of ACT Math questions: word problems, basic problems, and challenging problems. Word problems are hidden using certain vocabulary. Students shouldn’t be scared, but instead, translate the words into a basic problem. Use the extra space in the test booklet! Basic problems are really short and normally the easiest. These problems are straightforward and to the point. The challenging problems are direct, yet require a deeper level of reasoning. Some might be really short like a basic problem: p2 + q2 = -2pq, what is the value of p?

Tips for maximizing scores:

·         Go after the easy to medium questions first. These are the least time consuming and it’s still worth one point, just like the difficult questions!

·         Guess on any remaining questions. There is no reason to leave any questions blank. There is no penalty for incorrect answers. With about one minute to go, students should fill out all remaining bubbles.

·         Don’t get bummed out. Students tend to get into a problem then become frustrated. What they thought was easy has turned out to be difficult. It is best to move on and not waste any time doing this. Students are working for just one point per problem.

·         If you finish early, make a second pass on those that were skipped. Focus on the ones that you think may be the easiest to answer. These will be closer to the beginning of the test. Try to eliminate answer choices and make an educated guess.

·         Work problems backwards. You can plug in answer choices and use them to your advantage. Answers are there for you to use in your arsenal.

·         Utilize the process of elimination. Since there is no penalty for answering incorrectly, guess as best as you can. However, before guessing randomly, work to eliminate answer choices. Eliminating answer choices increases your chance of answering the problem correctly.

·         Use all test booklet white space for figuring. Don’t try to attempt everything in your head!

·         If you know the test, you won’t have to waste precious time reading the instructions on test day.    

·         A couple ACT Math questions, per test administration, usually contain information that is obsolete to answering the question.   

Improving Test Scores

The key to improving test scores is to have the student take a full-length practice test. Based upon the results, a long-term plan is developed that involves practice assignments, timing drills, and additional full-length tests. The program is reassessed after each full-length practice test. This is why one-to-one is so effective. The tutor only works on the weaknesses for a specific student. The program is catered to the individual student and not a classroom of students. All of this takes place while leading up to the week of the test. It is not ideal to have gaps while prepping. 

Score improvement occurs after consistently practicing and learning concepts over a long period of time. Before starting a program, a full-length practice test is used as a baseline. The generated report reveals student strengths and weaknesses. For example, on the math section, the diagnostic report can reveal what the student has the most trouble with: radical equations, quadratic equations, slope, linear equations, distance, midpoint, etc.

In addition to knowing fundamental concepts, the student will need to know how to approach certain types of questions:

Know the Test – The first step to any prep program is to ensure the student knows the test. This consists of the following: timing for each section, number of questions, directions for each section, overall format, how the test and certain sections are scored, etc. Being aware of these will eliminate surprises and reduce test day anxiety. Most tests in high school classes are usually an hour long. ACT/SAT tests are new to most students and they usually don’t take tests at this length.

Pacing – Managing time is extremely important. Students may know the answer to every question, but only make it half-way through each section. Through administering hundreds of practice tests, we’ve seen this to be common. Students should plan on not getting stuck on every single question. Move on if a question stumps you. Regardless of the difficultly level, all questions are worth the same (except the new SAT will have an extended math thinking question). On the opposite hand, there are also those that rush and who do not recheck their work; even when there is ten to fifteen minutes left on the clock.   

Write, Bubble, and Erase – Each student can control his or her answer. Make sure to bubble clearly when answering. Also, be sure to erase all of an answer. These mistakes are normally careless errors. If a question is skipped on the current SAT, make sure not to bubble in that skipped space for the next question. Knowing where you are on your answer sheet is important. If you do skip a question, put a star next to it and skip it on your answer sheet. You can go back to it if there is time and it helps to remind you that you skipped that question. Always use a No. 2 pencil and write your essay as legibly as you can. The essay should be written on the lines only. The readers won’t see anything in the extra space margins.   

Make an Educated Guess – The student should answer every question on the ACT and new SAT. On the current SAT, the student needs to choose whether to skip or guess. There is a ¼ point penalty for answering incorrectly on the current SAT. Usually, students should guess on easy to medium questions, if they can eliminate two answers. For more difficult questions, students need to try and eliminate three answers before guessing. Using process of elimination will help narrow down answer choices.

With plenty of practice, students can be prepared to excel on test day! 

The Top 8 Redesigned SAT Changes

No Penalty for Wrong Answers

The decision to get rid of the penalty for wrong answers was made to encourage students to try their best on every question. The College Board figured that it wasn’t in their best interest to have students decide whether to skip or guess. Losing one quarter of a point for each incorrect answer has a negative impact!

U.S. Founding Documents and the Great Global Conversation

The founding documents of the United States include the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. Today, these documents are still heavily debated in politics and throughout civic life. These important documents are discussed in culture, essays, books, lectures, etc. Vocabulary in these documents can be much harder to understand and students usually don’t see these words on a daily basis. The redesigned SAT reading section will include a passage from a founding document or from a Great Global Conversation. A Great Global Conversation could come from writings from someone of significance. This could be someone like Mahatma Gandhi or Edmund Burke. The questions following the passage will ask the student to reflect on the author’s point, choice of words, and how he or she was persuasive.

Analysis in History and Science

These questions won’t be marked clearly, but the topics will present themselves in the reading, writing and language, and math tests of the redesigned SAT. The student won’t have to know exact event dates, such as the Battle of the Bulge or the empirical formula for Chlorine gas. Instead, these questions ask the student to apply knowledge and skills acquired in history, social studies, and science courses. On the reading section, for example, the student will be given two history/social studies and two science passages to review. The student might be asked to come up with how he or she thinks the writer came up with evidence, to support a certain conclusion. Regarding the writing and language section, the student might have to edit a passage to include data from a chart, based upon the results of a certain experiment. For the math section, questions will come from a social studies or science background.

Problems Grounded in Real-World Contexts

These questions will be related to college and career work. Questions in the reading section will be comprised of graphics that may be seen in science related fields. Some of them may also focus on certain majors and workplace jobs. On the writing and language section, students will have to do more than just identify errors. There will be edits and improvements to texts that are based on career topics, science, history, and the humanities. There will be questions on the math test that are based on social science and science careers. Some will be hard to tell that they exist and others will be sectioned together. There will be questions with multiple steps and these can be based on real-world concepts. Charts and graphs that are essential to the student in college, career, and life will be included.

Focus on Math that Matters Most

The redesigned math test will focus on three main areas: The Heart of Algebra, Passport to Advanced Math, and Problem Solving and Data Analysis. The Heart of Algebra will include a focus on linear equations and systems. The College Board wants the student to think in abstract terms. They want the student to master how things relate and don’t relate.  The College Board believes that problem solving in Algebra is an important element of becoming prepared to perform well in college and in the workplace.

Passport to Advanced Math will include more complex equations. The College Board tests students on topics that are important to master before prepping for advanced concepts. The questions will require students to perform procedural skill in subtracting, adding, and multiplying polynomials. Students may be tested to work with mathematical expressions involving exponentials, integer powers, radicals, and fractions with a varying denominator. The ability for the student to recognize structure is tested. Students will need to solve radical equations, quadratic equations, and rational equations. What is also important is that students may have to play with an equation that contains several variables. The goal would be to single out a quantity of interest.

Problem Solving and Data Analysis questions are based upon ordinary situations. These questions could be about tipping a waiter or waitress at a restaurant. Perhaps a student is out at a restaurant with friends and the bill needs to be split a certain number of ways. Ratios, proportions, problem solving, and data analysis is important when it comes to real-world scenarios. The goal of this section is to test the student’s understanding with regard to problem solving. Many of these questions will be set in both academic and career settings. The background will be drawn from science, including the social sciences. Some questions will present information about two relationships. Students will be provided with a table or scatterplot and asked to draw conclusions.

Essay Analyzing a Source

The essay on the redesigned SAT will be optional. It will also move to the last section of the test. Previously, the essay was the first section of the test. This will really change things for most students. Students will be presented with a passage and they must explain how the author builds an argument. The essay will double from the current 25 minute time-frame to 50 minutes! The good thing is that only the passage and one sentence in the prompt will change on each administration. This means the prompt will be pretty consistent, but the passage will vary with each administration. Two graders will score the essay, in three areas, utilizing a 1-4 point system. Each score will be on a 2-8 scale for the three areas: reading, analysis, and writing. The student will need to consider how the author uses evidence, develops ideas and claims, and how he or she uses persuasiveness. The student’s essay needs to demonstrate an understanding of how the author puts his or her writing together. This will be a rhetorical analysis dissecting how the passage works. Summarizing what the author has written is not going to work here. Instead, students will explain why the author is writing this piece and what does the individual use to persuade the reader.

Command of Evidence

Students will be required to gather evidence and demonstrate an understanding. Similar to writing a research paper, an individual is showing that he or she interprets evidence clearly. The questions may ask students what part of the text reflects a certain statement. Does the writer do a good job of including information from a chart into the passage? Can information that may not be relevant be taken out of the text? A standard way of doing this, on the reading section, will ask the student to decide on the best evidence for an answer to a prior question. Examining textual evidence will become extremely important. Students will need to identify text from a passage that gives support for the answer to the previous question.

Relevant Words in Context

The redesigned SAT will test relevant words and phrases. The College Board wants to eliminate rare vocabulary that can be used in limited contexts. Instead, they will test students on common words that are found in college and in the workplace. This is vocabulary that students will use throughout the rest of their lives. Vocabulary expands as students advance through life. This will include vocabulary used in history, literature, and science. The passages will help to provide clues to certain meanings. The redesigned SAT will test words with multiple meanings. This means they may use the word in a passage a bit different from what the student is used to seeing. The context will help to provide certain clues and students will need to be prepared to look for them.    

ACT Changes

The ACT has released a new practice test. Please email us for a copy. The changes aren't as significant as the SAT. You should get to know some of the updates:

SCIENCE

On the redesigned science section, there will be 6-8 conflicting viewpoint questions (there is usually 7), 12-16 data representation questions (there is usually 15), and 18-22 research summary questions (there is usually 18).

READING

Timing is still 35 minutes and there are still four passages (prose fiction, social science, humanities, and natural science - follows this order). There are 10 questions for a total of 40. The ACT introduced two short passages that address similar topics. The first questions are geared to the first passage.  The second set pairs to the second passage. The third will address both passages. 

ESSAY

The essay has changed dramatically. The essay section will now be 40 minutes instead of 30 minutes. It will still be optional and the essay score is not incorporated into the student’s overall composite score. The information in the prompt will be incorporated into the student's response. The scoring of the essay will also go through a change. 

The essay will have students evaluate various arguments, analyze evidence, and work to spark the student’s own ideas. They will be asked to review three opinions on an issue and develop an argument. Students analyze different points of view that are presented. Essays will now be scored in each of four categories:  organization, development and support, ideas and analysis, language use and conventions. Two different readers score the essay in the four categories on a 1-6 scale. Students will receive a score of 2-12 based upon these four categories. The score will be translated into a 1-36 scale. This changes from the old 2-12 scale.

SAT Scores and Schools

Most colleges and universities are preparing to accept both the current SAT and new SAT. This should last for a few years. The College Board will release specific guidelines for colleges and universities to use. Since the tests are two different assessments, a new SAT score will not be the same score on the current SAT.

The College Board will unveil new concordance tables in summer 2016. This is important because it lets us compare scores from the current SAT and new SAT. We will also be able to compare new SAT scores to ACT scores. Again, this won’t occur until summer 2016. In the meantime, we can still compare current SAT scores to ACT scores. However, the new concordance tables will allow for schools to use scores from all tests in order to make admission decisions. This means that students who take the current SAT can keep their college applications current, without having to take the SAT again.

SAT Score Choice will remain as it always has. If you take the SAT multiple times, you may choose which scores to send. All section scores from a chosen test date will be reported and used. This will follow each school’s known score-use practices. In the end, students and educators will have the necessary information they need to compare scores. 

Setting ACT and SAT Score Goals

It is important to set score goals based upon the student’s baseline practice test scores. You want to set score goals for each section of the test. The goals are based upon the middle 50% scores, for the last freshmen class, to get accepted to a certain college or university. This is why it’s especially important to take a full-length practice test as an initial diagnostic. Not only does it reveal the weakest areas for the student, but it also helps in determining score goals. Another important aspect to taking a practice test is that it will reveal how much prep is needed.

Local Virginia, Maryland and DC middle 50% ACT/SAT scores:

American University:

SAT Middle 50%: 1180-1360 (Critical Reading and Math)

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 27-31

Catholic University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 510-610

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 500-610

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 22-27

Christopher Newport University:

SAT Middle 50%: 1070-1230 (Critical Reading and Math)

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 23-27

Frostburg State University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 430-540

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 430-530

SAT Writing Middle 50%: 420-510

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 18-22

College of William and Mary:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 630-740

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 640-730

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 29-33

Georgetown University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 660-750

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 660-750

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 29-33

George Mason University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 530-630

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 520-620

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 24-28

George Washington University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 610-700

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 590-690

SAT Writing Middle 50%: 600-700

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 27-31

Howard University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 460-680

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 470-670

SAT Writing Middle 50%: 430-670

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 19-29

James Madison University:

SAT Middle 50%: 1180-1270 (Critical Reading and Math)

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 26-28

John Hopkins University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 680-780

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 660-740

SAT Writing Middle 50%: 660-760

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 31-34

Longwood University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 460-540

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 460-550

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 19-23

Loyola University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 560-640

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 540-630

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 25-29

Marymount University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 460-560

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 470-570

SAT Writing Middle 50%: 460-560

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 20-24

Old Dominion University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 470-570

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 460-560

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 18-23

Radford University:

SAT Middle 50%: 950-1100 (Critical Reading and Math)

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 19-24

Salisbury University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 540-620

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 540-610

SAT Writing Middle 50%: 530-610

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 22-26

Towson University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 500-590

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 490-580

SAT Writing Middle 50%: 500-580

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 21-25

University of Mary Washington:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 500-590

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 510-620

SAT Writing Middle 50%: 490-600

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 22-26

University of Maryland:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 620-730

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 580-690

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 29-33

University of Richmond:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 620-720

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 590-690

SAT Writing Middle 50%: 600-690

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 28-31

University of Virginia:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 630-740

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 620-720

SAT Writing Middle 50%: 620-720

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 29-33

Virginia Commonwealth University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 500-600

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 500-610

SAT Writing Middle 50%: 490-590

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 21-26

Virginia Tech:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 580-680

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 540-640

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 25-30

Washington and Lee University:

SAT Math Middle 50%: 660-720

SAT Critical Reading Middle 50%: 650-740

SAT Writing Middle 50%: 650-730

ACT Composite Middle 50%: 30-33

Get Ahead with Summer Test Prep

Students entering the summer, as soon to be seniors, will have the chance to take the ACT or SAT one last time. There is a September ACT and an October SAT that students can take. Students taking these tests will receive their scores back and can still apply for early decision or early action. This is usually due around November 1st. Our average score increase for our 12 session package is 4 ACT composite points and 230 total SAT points. 

Those entering the fall as sophomores and juniors; it is highly recommended to take a full-length practice ACT and SAT over the summer. Vint Hill Educational Services is offering free mock practice tests over the summer and into the fall. We can also send out the free practice tests to take at home. We will match up the scores to see which test the student is scoring higher on. All colleges and universities accept both the ACT and SAT. We can determine which test is best after a student takes one of each. We will then help the student prep for a spring test, by matching the individual up with the perfect tutor. 

We've found that completing full-length practice tests can help students:

• Increase their composite and overall scores on the actual tests
• Gain exposure to the tests and real-world test experience 
• Find out which test is in line with their strengths (ACT or SAT)

Sign up for one of our group practice tests today! Or contact us to have the tests taken in-home.