How To Improve SSAT Scores

How To Improve SSAT Scores Update: Some of this article's advice is now outdated due to changes in the SSAT. A more recent article on the exam can be found here.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. Dont add pressure: The tests can cause tons of pressure and anxiety for younger students, especially when parents pile it on. Thats 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 dont do well SSAT tutor/SSAT prep coach: You need to find a way to help your child relax and see why scoring high on the SSAT is important. A lot of students benefit from a professional SSAT tutor or prep coach who can ease the anxiety regarding the test and guide your child through the complex SSAT questions. Motivate your child: Ask yourself this: Is my child taking this test for himself/herself or for me? Be honest with yourself. You have to help your child find a reason why he/she wants to do well. That reason cannot be you. Maybe they like the facilities or computer equipment at a private school, and want to score well enough to be admitted. Whatever it is, your child needs a desire. If students dont want to do well they wont. It really is that simple. Familiarize yourself with the SSAT: Once your child has the right mindset, start reading up on the SSAT. Get a few books, read some blogs, talk to other parents with children who have taken it, etc. The SSAT is a multiple choice, aptitude test with five sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning (math), Mathematics Achievement, Reading Comprehension and Writing (essay). The verbal section tests vocab/verbal reasoning skills and your ability to relate ideas. The Quantitative/Mathematics Achievement tests your problem-solving, arithmetic, elementary algebra and geometry skills. Reading Comprehension tests how fast you can read and how much you can retain. The essay is not graded, and you have to respond to a given prompt. You can send your essay to schools, or leave it off your scoring report entirely. But, if you want to get into a top school, youll need to have a strong essay. The SSAT has two levels: lower for students currently in grades 5-7 and upper for grades 8-11, who are seeking admission into the next grade. Ease your child into SSAT practice tests: The first few tests might be a little rough, so dont worry about the SSAT scores, or how long your child is taking. Just try to find out where he/she struggles, and then work to improve in those areas. Target problematic areas: This is right where your SSAT tutor will help you by giving your child detailed explanations for each question they struggled with. This will ensure that they learn from their mistakes and get it right on the actual test. Mimic SSAT setting: Once youve ironed out some of your problematic areas, take a swing at a full practice test. Try to sit down once a week for 2 hours and 35 minutes (length of SSAT) and take a full practice test in the exact order of the SSAT. Then, review the questions you got wrong with your tutor sometime during the week. If you do this for 3-6 months, you will see a dramatic improvement in your score. Whats a good SSAT score: The lower level is scored 1320-2120 and the upper level is scored 1500-2400. But, most independent/private schools consider your percentile scores. If you want to be accepted into a top school, youll need to score in the top 90th percentile, above-average schools want scores in the top 75th percentile, and some average schools will accept students with scores in the top 50th percentile. Combine scores: You can take the SSAT multiple times a year and combine scores from previous tests. For example, you can use the Reading Comprehension, Mathematical Achievement from your first test and combine them with the Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning scores of your second. Schools will only see each sections best score. So, we recommend taking the test multiple times. Prepare for the entire test the first time you take it, and if you ace a couple sections, then only prep for the other sections. But, your SSAT tutor will help you create an SSAT strategy for combining scores, maximizing your final score. Contact Varsity Tutors today about SSAT prep, and well begin forming an SSAT prep plan tailored around your childs strengths and weaknesses.

Tips for Singers What to Pack in Your Gig Bag

Tips for Singers What to Pack in Your Gig Bag Suzy S. Performing in front of a live audience is an amazing feeling! But to ensure a smooth, no-stress gig, preparation is key. If youre looking for tips for your first gig or just need a refresher check out this advice from Saint Augustine, FL voice teacher  Heather L... For the performing singer, theres nothing quite like having practiced your butt off for three weeks, spraying your throat every five minutes with that throat spray for singers, and running through your customized voice exercises, only to realize as you walk through those venue doors that you forgot your microphone at home. As the lead singer of two Saint Augustine, Florida bands, I know that Im part of a team. But I also know that I need to be responsible for my own stuff, and what exactly we need as performing singers, whether youre a solo act or in a group, can get pretty specific. Whether its your first gig or youre an experienced performer, you need to be prepared. Heres my list of what every singer needs to pack in his or her gig bag. Throat Coat Tea and Honey (single-serve packets) You might be skeptical of special teas and potions for the voice, like I once was. But trust me, after singing in a dry room for two hours, youll be thankful for the lubrication! Great Microphone My microphone is a Shure product. Its not expensive and sounds great. Whats important is having your own, especially if you ever put your mouth on it. Germs, anyone? Wind Screen This is super important for protecting the investment that is your microphone. Strong wind, a drop on the floor, or even blowing air into it can cause damage. Your wind screen can prevent this. Your Phone OK, so you might not need to pack this in the gig bag, but be sure to take it. If youre running late, youll want to let the venue know. Mic Stand Even if youre the kind of performer who runs all over the stage with a cordless mic, youll need to keep that mic in a safe spot between sets. There might even be a song youll want to try with the mic in its stand! Water Even though I personally recommend drinking tea with a thicker consistency than water during performances, water will hydrate the body before and after you sing. Potato Chips I was skeptical about this one for a long time. But a music producer recommended them, and now, I always pack them in my gig bag. The salt reduces mucus, the oil lubricates, and the crunch helps relieve stress. Your Merch If you have any merchandise for your act, like T-shirts, CDs, cards for free downloads of one of your songs, or even just business cards, youll want to pack them in your gig bag. You never know who youll meet at a show, or what fans will ask for! Extension Cord Recently, my band had to make a really stressful and last-minute run to the local hardware store 20 minutes before show time, because our cords werent long enough for the new venue. Be prepared with a 50-foot extension cord. Oh, and make it an outdoor one, in case it rains! Not There Yet? Heres How to Get Gigs Word of mouth is said to be the best way to get gigs for bands and musicians. But since the Internet is where so much is communicated nowadays, word of mouth means having a great social media presence. Make sure that you have a fresh, updated Facebook page with videos, reviews (even from teachers and fellow musicians), audio, and lots of photos of rehearsals and formal band photos, too.  Make sure that you have a YouTube channel, so that potential clients and fans can watch you perform. Even if you only post great band practices, people can still get a feel for your sound! You can also  make your own website for free at Wix.com, where you can post past and future gigs. (Heres a great post from Wix about setting up your music website.) Next, search your local paper or Google local open mics   these are a great way to get exposure and meet other musicians! You can also build a profile for free at websites like GigMasters and GigSalad. Theyll send leads for gigs right to your email and charge a small fee. Heres a great round-up of those and other websites for finding gigs. Tips for Your First Gig Gearing up for your first gig? Congrats! First, get as many details as possible from your gig contact, whos probably the person who scheduled or hired you. Make sure that you know exactly what youll need to bring, what the venue already has and is willing to share, how early youre allowed to set up your gear, how long youre expected to perform, and a number for your contact at the venue on the day of the event, just in case you get caught in traffic or tied up, and you need to call ahead. Second, if its possible, go to the venue yourself to check it out. How much room is there? (Thisll also help you feel more comfortable when you actually perform in the space.) Third, rehearse as much as your schedule allows, and try to practice in the same physical set-up that youll be in the venue. Heres a handy checklist for preparing for a gig. Fourth, relax, but not by telling yourself not to be nervous instead tell yourself that the nervousness is only excitement. It really is all about perspective and attitude. All this considered, the most important thing to bring to a performance should be so big, that you couldnt fit it into any gig bag. That thing is your amazing self-confidence. Remember that excitement you were feeling earlier? One of the best tips for your first gig is to use that excitement as extra energy. Because, lets face it, you could drink all of the finest teas in the world and own the best microphones, but if you dont believe that you belong up there, singing, youre toast. Heather L. teaches singing, piano, acting, and more in St. Augustine, FL, as well as through online lessons. She is  a graduate of the prestigious Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and has performed with the New York and Royal Philharmonics, the New Jersey and Virginia Symphonies, the American Boy Choir, and the internationally renowned opera star Andrea Bocelli. Learn more about Heather here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by  Anaïs

How to Help Your Student Face the ACT with Confidence

How to Help Your Student Face the ACT with Confidence How to Help Your Student Face the ACT with Confidence By todays academic standards, a strong ACT score can be just as important as a high school diploma. This rigorous exam, traditionally completed by high school students in the spring of their junior year, can determine college acceptance and eligibility for merit-based scholarships. The ACT tests students knowledge of Math, Science, English and Reading, includes an optional writing portion, and is scored on a 36-point scale. Unfortunately, the Washington Post reports that ACT scores reached their lowest national average of the past five years in 2013, with a composite average of 20.9. Worse yet, only twenty-six percent of tested students met all four of the ACTs subject benchmarks. While the specific cause of low performance is purported to be the result of many varying factors, the competition for college acceptance remains stringent. Acceptance standards are high, and a noncompetitive ACT score could spell the difference between attending the college of a students dreams and attending another university. The only strategy proven to increase a students chances of scoring high on an ACT exam is proper preparation. But what does this look like, and how can it be achieved? The Huntington Learning Center offers its top tips for successful ACT preparation. Get Familiar with Key Strategies Sometimes simply knowing how to take a test can be almost as helpful as knowing the material. For example, in the ACT reading section, your student will both save time and increase his or her chances of selecting the right answer if he or she reads questions before reading the corresponding passages. This strategy allows students to know exactly what theyre looking for while they read, a proven tactic to enhance comprehension. Its also important to know that students should answer every question on the exam, as there is no penalty for guessing. General test-taking strategies such as utilizing process of elimination for challenging multiple choice questions, memorizing the directions for each section beforehand, and always creating an outline for the writing portion of the exam, can also significantly improve your students chances for success. Take Practice Tests Encourage your student to take a full-length practice ACT exam, which can be found online, in test preparation books or from a tutoring service. Have your student take a diagnostic practice test before studying as a means to measure progress, and for an accurate score, always complete under similar test conditions (for instance, timing each section). Practice tests provide students an opportunity to determine pacing, identify potential weaknesses, and reduce test anxiety. Encourage your student to take as many practice exams as time allows. Use a Tutoring Service Instruction from the classroom may simply not be enough when it comes to thoroughly preparing for the ACT exam. Students need extra reviews to strengthen skills in certain subjects, and even if your student does well in school, supplemental studying is still both necessary and worthwhile. This is where an ACT tutoring program can help. With an ACT tutoring program, your student will receive one-to-one instruction tailored to his or her learning style, gain valuable test-taking strategies, develop stronger time management skills, and acquire thorough preparation in every aspect of the exam. There are even opportunities for full-length, proctored exams. In todays world of college admissions, in which a one-point increase in an ACT score can sometimes equal thousands in merit-based scholarships, theres no denying the value of adequate preparation. Help your student excel on the ACT exam this year with ACT tutoring from the Huntington Learning Center. The Huntington Learning Center offers three tutoring programs of varying lengths that offer proven test-taking strategies, highly-trained tutors, options for coursework and flexible scheduling. Contact the Huntington Learning Center today at 1-800-CAN-LEARN or visit us online to learn more about our services.

Care for Kids Taking ADHD Medication

Care for Kids Taking ADHD Medication A recently issued federal report found that 500,000 children who were treated with ADHD medication did not receive appropriate follow-up care per the recommendations outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Specifically, these children did not attend a follow-up doctors appointment within one month of starting their medication and 1 in 5 children did not attend additional follow-up appointments within one year as recommended. While this report focused on children enrolled in Medicaid, the follow-up care likely reflects typical care for most children who receive their medication from pediatricians or other primary care practitioners. The report did not identify the reasons why follow-up care was poor for so many children, but the findings do highlight the need for parents to advocate for their children. As a parent, what type of follow-up care should you expect for your child after they start an ADHD medication? The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines include four key points related to ADHD treatment: When medication is prescribed, a follow-up appointment to check on medication effectiveness and side effects should occur within one month. At a minimum, two additional follow-up appointments should occur within one year. For optimal treatment effects, behavior therapy should be provided in addition to medication. For preschoolers, behavior therapy should be used first, and medication should only be added if necessary. ADHD should be treated as a chronic condition, and providers should follow a chronic care model of treatment, like models used in other chronic conditions like asthma and diabetes. Therefore, treatment should continue beyond one year and medication adjustments should be made as symptoms change over time. In addition to following these guidelines, parents should expect to complete symptom rating scales at follow-up visits. Ideally, teacher rating scales should be collected as well. The provider should review these completed rating scales at each visit and consider the responses when determining whether a medication adjustment is needed. Follow-up care is particularly important for kids with ADHD because every child responds to ADHD medication differently. Some have a great response to the first medication they try. Others need to try two or three medications before finding one that works well. Medication dose also needs to be adjusted somewhat regularly, both when a medication is initially started and as a child grows and gains weight over time. Lastly, ADHD medications can cause side effects, many of which can be addressed with medication adjustments. Unfortunately, as the recent federal report highlights, not all practitioners adhere to the recommended ADHD treatment guidelines. Parents should feel confident asking for regular follow-up visits and to have access to ratings scales that can be completed by parents and teachers. ADHD medication can be a very powerful treatment tool, and its important to work with a provider who will provide follow-up care that optimizes medication response in order to help your child reach their full potential. ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

How Your School May Have ruined your essay writing and online writing

How Your School May Have ruined your essay writing and online writing Most of us eventually realize that the things we learned in school don’t always apply out in the real world. This fact is especially true in terms of our writing habits.I have been a private writing instructor for close to 10 years now and entered college at 16 myself. Most of my students are college students, though I’ve also taught middle and high-schoolers. Public education is a stressful and often thankless field, and I am not criticizing the many wonderful, hard-working teachers of the world. Rather, I’m pointing out that the average English teacher’s job is to teach you the grammar and rules of VERY basic academic writing, generally in preparation for standardized tests. While these are undeniably important skills for that context, they don’t all transfer to college and the real world. Here are three things that worked for your school papers school that you want to avoid online and in your admission essay. Finally, why am I talking about online and admissions in the same breath? These days, many colleges are now accepting online and html applications. If this does not apply to you, just file away the info about web writing for later. You're going to need it once you get to the university of your choice!*Pointless ElaborationIf you’ve ever found yourself tempted to refer to Webster’s dictionary while struggling to write an introduction, you’re not alone. Similarly, if you’ve ever wanted to use something like “For the entire history of [insert field here], man has sought [insert value here]” to open a paper, you were probably doing so to fill up the assignment’s minimum page count. By requiring you to fill up a certain amount of pages, your English teacher unwittingly taught you to use a lot of words to say very little. In online, college, and business contexts, being concise and clear are your top priorities as a writer. Let me repeat: good writing is clear, concise content. Avoid summarizing to fill space: it tends to be redundant, especially when you can link to/cite whatever you’re referencing. Think about your audience, and assume that they know the basics of your subject. Avoid jargon and clichés like the plague. They don't make you sound smarter.*Terrible Document DesignMost high school and college papers require the same recycled format: 12-point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced. Usually you will have to have a header. The double-spacing is practical in this context. For a teacher, it’s much easier to make notes and corrections in the spaces between lines. However, this practice also leads to many students never understanding the importance of white space. Though subtle, white space is one way that you know this paragraph isn’t about the exact same topic as the one just before it. The space between paragraphs and headers helps the reader visually navigate a piece of writing. This visual cue is especially important online, where people tend to skim writing for its most interesting and relevant pieces. Headers and lists serve a similar function, though if your teacher was an MLA style purist, you probably never had occasion to use them in school. *Wordy, Excessively Formal Prose“Don’t write how you talk” is a common mantra of the grade-school English teacher. In the age of text-speak, most kids need to be told not to use acronyms and abbreviations. But often, this point gets driven home to hard, causing older students to try to “sound smart.” A common side-effect of this is using unnecessarily long or obscure words: “utilize” instead of “use,” “equilibrium” instead of “balance,” etc. Rather than making the writer look smart, these verbal gymnastics make the writer seem pompous. (Ironically, someone who does this can be described as “sesquipedalian.”) Avoid verbose or confusing terms by choosing the simplest way to say what you need to say. Don’t say “due to” or “in lieu of” where “because” or “instead” will get the job done. As a rule, online writingâ€"whether on a blog, social media, or message boardâ€"tends to be informal. Context is the key to making decisions about mechanics and grammar. Avoiding contractions may be appropriate for a research paper, but in blogging that’s simply not the case (see what I did there?). A sentence fragment would be out of place in a literary analysis, but can offer emphasis and style in conversation or story-telling. Many college applications have a narrative option for the essay prompts--mine had one about escaping from a pit of menacing wolves with a list of pre-prescribed items!Calvin and Hobbes, credited to creator of that legendary comic!As a rule, online writingâ€"whether on a blog, social media, or message boardâ€"tends to be informal. Context is the key to making decisions about mechanics and grammar. Avoiding contractions may be appropriate for a research paper, but in blogging that’s simply not the case (see what I did there?). A sentence fragment would be out of place in a literary analysis, but can offer emphasis and style in conversation or story-telling.For your essay, you will:Avoid contractions, Allow yourself many drafts/brainstorms/ideas/topicsBe yourself/Brag a little (but make it a humblebrag!)Clearly and Concisely Convey your ContwntBut beyond that, stand out! What is unique about you? Why are you any different and why should the reader not sail your essay into the garbage? Grab attention and go forth from there! Good luck! If you're in Austin, I can help you craft the perfect essay.

Conflicts in Tutoring

Conflicts in Tutoring Tutoring is to work with people. Not always do your students and their parents have the same scale of values as yours, they may have a different life experience, maybe other family traditions. Therefore, there is no insurance against the conflicts, even for   the most experienced tutors. But in most cases, conflicts can be avoided. The main advice for tutors: always listen carefully to parents and future students in the 1st phone call, or when you meet personally for the first time. If the objectives are hard to  accomplish    try to explain why. A good grade at school, unfortunately, depends not only on your experience and professionalism, but also on other factors. For example, during the interview you were informed that your potential disciple is very talented but lazy. This is an occasion to reflect . Will you be able to turn one pathological lazybones into a workaholic in a couple of months? After all, by hiring you, parents hope that you will be able to do in a few months what they could not in 10-15 years. Of course, the tutor should try to reach out to every student. Though sometimes it may not work. Actually, there are pathologically lazy kids, and believe me, it is better to refuse one time the work with such a student than to hear later that you took the money   but you were not able to teach them anything. It is important to determine the cause of the backlog. Often, the student or a parent names the cause which is of secondary importance: student was sick for too many days,   “just” missed 4 lessons, the school teacher explained in a incomprehensible way. During the tutoring it turns out that there are other reasons. For example, laziness (most common) or computer addiction. It is very sad, but access to the Internet for an immature childs mind is indeed a serious problem. An incorrect evaluation of students background knowledge can lead to a conflict situation with parents. Quite often it happens that the student presents really high grades in some subject, earned not because of his knowledge. Like, for example, if a student is good at sports â€" teachers will support and cheer him with high grades.  It is recommended to conduct a testing during the first interview in the presence of parents. So both sides will have a clear understanding of the knowledge  level of the student. Another tip: always keep records during the interview capture correct and incorrect answers. This will help in the future to track students progress. And finally keep the distance. Stay in the official status of a tutor and do not become just another family friend in the 1st month. It will save your nerves and reduce the percentage of conflicts.

The 3 Best Ways to Network in College

The 3 Best Ways to Network in College Networking can be integral in landing the right post-college job or internship. People who know the 'right' people can more easily get their foot in the door and land positions they desire. People who network can find new leads in the job market or even find connections to smooth the transition to grad school. Simply put, those who network are seen as more successful and confident. They have the advantage of knowing lots of people and are resourceful in utilising those relationships to get ahead. They are able to land the right job, school, or position in life. There are a few great ways you can do some fruitful networking of your own while in school. Stay socially active Attending business functions where you can meet and mingle with other professionals in your area of study is a great way to stay in the loop. By doing this you can meet others who work in your prospective field and connect. Even if your relationship with these people may seem insignificant now, you never know when you can call upon these people in the future. Also don't forget to hang out with your peers; besides making friends, these acquaintance relationships may create a lasting impression for years to come. When you have friendly rapport with your peers, they tend to be more likely to help you out with favours or connect you with the right person. People like to help people, especially ones they like! Online social networking The beauty of the Internet is that you can easily stay connected to people at all times. Social media and job networking sites make it easy to stay in touch with old classmates, teachers, and other professional contacts. It also enables you to reach out to people you don't know and would like to connect with. You have a whole collection of professional resources at your fingertips! It's excellent that these websites have done all the work for us in organising our contacts. This makes it easy to quickly look someone up and send a quick note or ask him or her to write you a letter of reference. It's also good for contacting other professionals to ask them about potential career moves and fields. Get creative Brainstorm ways to network; meeting the right people doesn't always have to be conventional. Throw a fun event and market to local professionals, or people you'd like to connect with. Maybe you could volunteer in the area where you'd like to be successful in your life. Throw a fundraiser, connect with old contacts, or pick a favourite coffee shop and go mingle. You never know what or who could be waiting for you right around the corner!