Psych! Using Psychology to Pass That Test
/
Three ways that all students can use psychology to pass their next test. #studyingtips #testtakingstrategies
Read More
The You Got Into Where? College Admissions Blog
Posts by High School and College Students Around the World on Their Admissions Experiences
Guide to Acing the ACT English Section
/
{How I got a 35 on the English ACT}
“I admire people who dare to take the language English, and understand it and understand it’s melody.” –Maya Angelou
Let me clue you in on a little secret: I hate studying. Especially mechanical things like historical dates, math equations, or grammar rules. With that being said, around 60% of the English section of the ACT is exactly what I just described: mechanical things like grammar rules.
I definitely have to work on staying focused and paying attention during that 60% of questions, and the other 40% too. Below are some tips and tricks to aid you while taking the English section of the ACT, but first, let’s break the test down.
The English test consists of 75 questions to be answered in a 45-minute time span. The questions are:
Usage and Mechanics
Punctuation: 7-11 q’s
Grammar and usage: 11-15 q’s
Sentence structure: 15-19 q’s
Rhetorical Skills
Strategy: 11-15 q’s
Organization: 7-11 q’s
Style: 11-15 q’s
Tips for Usage and Mechanics:
- Use Practice Questions to Your Advantage. There are so many practice tests and worksheets out there. Try to do a couple each day, and at the end of the week grade them. The ones you had trouble on the most, practice the next week.
- The 4 C’s. Make your sentences Complete, Clear, Concise and Competent. Read sentences out loud to yourself and make sure they sound accurate.
- Cross out answers that are obviously wrong immediately. Instead of trying to choose between four answers, choosing between two or three is a lot easier.
- Know the W’s. Who and Whom. Who goes with he, she and it. Whom goes with Them.
- Commas go in pairs. (Unless separating two independent clauses)
Tips for Rhetoric Questions:
- I cannot stress it enough how much reading helps. When reading, you are constantly being exposed to new vocabulary and correct sentence structure and grammar. Make sure what you are reading is officially published, so it is edited correctly.
- Read above and below the sentence the question is on. Know the style and tone of the paragraph you are answering the question in.
- Focus on the NOT. A lot of people miss simple questions because they do not notice a question that say which is NOT right, compared to the contrary.
Know the basics of English. If you have been taking Literature or British Storytelling for two years, you might need to review the basics!
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSIONS? CHECK OUT THE YGITW BOOK HERE!
LOOKING FOR A HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE INTERNSHIP? APPLY HERE!
PHOTO CREDITS:
http://forwardprogressac.com/
https://gplinthehouse.files.wordpress.com
https://store-images.s-microsoft.com
Khan Academy: The Guide to Academic Success
/
Khan Academy is a website and phone application that offers a wide range of academic assistance. The program was created in 2006 by Salman Khan as a non-profit educational organization to provide "free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere". Students all over the world use Khan Academy, not just for the regular studying, but even for test prep! Here is what Khan Academy can offer you to improve your grades and understanding:
Subjects
Khan Academy contains educational help on not just subjects, but sub-subjects of the subject. Their services vary from Math (by subject and grade) to Computing to Arts and Humanities. Recently, they implemented a new program dedicated to college admissions assistance, aptly titled College Admission!
Learning and Practicing
Now that you know what is offered, you may be asking, “How exactly does one learn in Khan Academy?” The answer? Through the old school saying: practice makes perfect!
Khan Academy contains video lesson on every sub-subject, like Arithmetic in Math. In Arithmetic you can see videos on different topics like negative numbers and fractions. Once you have selected a topic, you instantly have access to a multitude of videos! For example, if you choose the topic “fractions”, you would come to a page that displays video titles like “Intro to fractions” or “Fractions on number lines”.
These videos are usually less than 10 minutes long and provide examples and practices to help you understand the content better.
After finishing a lesson or video you can also do practice tests!
When you finish you can take a short quiz to practice the material you just learned. Khan Academy offers hints and an explanation to an answer if you get it wrong on the quiz.
Through the video lessons and practice tests you are able to expand on your understanding of a subject and can apply your new knowledge to you academics.
Test Prep
One of the most useful content available at Khan Academy is the test prep, especially when it comes to the SAT.
College Board partnered with Khan Academy in order to provide FREE SAT practice to all students. Khan Academy filters your PSAT score and analyzes the areas where you weren’t as strong in and provides practice session on those areas.
There is even a routine you can set where you can study reading and writing or math for 30 minutes a day for three days to keep a consistent study routine, and once you’re done with that, they provide four full practice tests!
They also fill you in on details about the new SAT you might be not be sure about and they also give tips and strategies for the SAT. You can also choose to review your study practices and see what questions you get wrong and which sections you have a harder time on.
Beyond SAT prep, Khan Academy also offers test prep on the MCAT, GMAT, IIT JEE, NCLEX-RN, CHASEE, and even AP Art History.
You know what they say, practice makes perfect, and with Khan Academy, you can certainly get plenty of practice. In fact, with a resource like that, you could even reach perfection!
