With the increasing pressure put on high school students to perform well on their SATs, students are encouraged to access outside resources to help improve their chances at getting into a competitive university. Unfortunately, many of the test-prep methods available are extremely pricey, and oftentimes students are unable to afford the luxury of a private tutor or Princeton Review prep course.

In 2006, the beginning of my senior year in high school, I struggled to balance studying for the SAT while continuing to maintain my 3.75 GPA, play on my varsity volleyball team and write for the school newspaper. I didn’t have the time to devote to a private tutor or the resources to participate in a review course. Paying $1,500 dollars to help me improve my chances of getting into a school that would cost me close to $200,000 was just not an option.

I ended up using a basic test method preparation tool and purchased a wide variety of SAT test study guides. While they were helpful in structuring and completing my test preparation, the heavy book made it feel immobile and I found myself only using the text on nights or weekends. The flashcards offered in the back of the book, as beneficial as they were, ended up consuming more time than I had to offer since each card had to be ripped out and cut up into squares. In the end, I did the best I could and after taking 3 SATs, I ended up with a 600 in both math and verbal. Despite this, I always wondered why there wasn’t a better system that would have allowed me to continuously prepare for the SATS without allocating all my time and resources.

With the increase in modern technology and Internet-accessible smart phones, it’s a rarity to see a student without their eyes glued to their cell phone. A wide variety of mobile apps have been created enabling students to access anything from Facebook to Twitter with the touch of a button. TestSoup, a new standardized test preparation app, allows students to study on the go with its web-based flashcard player that is available through their mobile app. Now students have the opportunity to access any flashcard system, including vocabulary words applicable for the SATS, GRES, LSATS and more, all in less than 60 seconds. The mobile app makes it fun and easy for students to prepare for standardized tests in between classes or on the bus ride home, without the inconvenience of carrying around textbooks or hand-made flashcards. With this new technology, TestSoup has created an outlet for students that encourages constant preparation without any added stress, giving students the confidence they need to score the best they can.

guest written by John J. Walters

Active studying — that is, turning studying from a passive “cram session” into a back-and-forth process of asking and answering — is a common theme on the TestSoup blog.  This can take many different forms, although the most obvious one is organizing a study group where you take turns quizzing each other on the course material.

Of course, there are ways to make studying an active process even if you don’t have the luxury of human interaction.  My favorite way to do this when I was in college was to first figure out all the topics that I thought would be covered on an exam and list them off (sometimes a professor was kind enough to do this for me) and then write out as much as I could on each one without looking at my notes or text book.

In other words, I tested myself before the test.  Then I would go back through the list with my notes and text book at the ready and make notes on all of the important information that I had forgotten.  By the time I was done I had a fully-fledged study guide that I had made from scratch under similar conditions to what I would experience during the test itself.

Why did I do this?  Simply put: it was the fastest way for me to internalize the information in a way that would carry me to the exam and beyond.  They say that the best way to learn is by teaching, and writing explanations of course topics seemed like a reasonable approximation to teaching to me.

If the best way to learn something is to teach it, then what’s the best way to study something?  As a matter of fact, it turns out that the best way to prepare for a test is by taking a test.  It may seem counterintuitive, but if you think about it test taking is very similar to teaching — answering specific questions on a given topic requires a deep, well-rounded understanding of the topic and forces you not just to regurgitate memorized sound-bites but express ideas in new ways, thus solidifying and increasing the number of connections that information has to your brain.

This might explain why study groups are so popular.  You get the benefits of taking a test along with the enjoyment that comes with hanging out with your college buddies.  But when you find yourself studying for tests that your buddies aren’t taking (like the GMAT or the Air Force PDG) and you don’t have the time to sit down and write exhaustive study guides because you have too much “real life” to deal with, it’s time to look for alternatives.

Flash cards are a great alternative in situations like these because they can be used on your own or with someone else.  Still, making flash cards can be a time-consuming prospect as well, and then you have to worry about toting them around with you wherever you go just in case you get a few minutes here or there to study.  If only there was a program with thousands of premade flash cards and quizzes for the most popular tests and subjects that worked on mobile devices we carry with us all the time…

                It’s about that time when current undergraduate students will be receiving information regarding graduate program interviews and admissions decisions. Since each program has its own admission schedule and many of the programs require acceptance decisions over a short period of time, this can be stressful for many students. It can be difficult to put down the deposit on a definitive answer from a school while you wait for the schools that you prefer to review your application. Some schools may ask for your current semester grades, while others will admit you prior to receiving that information. Either way, you could end up with a big mess of interviews and acceptances with incredibly inconvenient timing.

                The best way to alleviate the admissions process blues is to understand the admissions processes of the various schools that you are applying to. Apply to up to six schools so that you can fully understand the admissions timelines and programs. This will also give you an advantage on the application, as well, since you will be able to put more energy into each of the individual essays for each school.

                When applying to schools, try to talk to admissions counselors to see if the school favors students from the nearby area or prefers a diverse array or regions for the program that you are applying for. Also find out the deadline for current semester grades from the school that you are applying to so that you can coordinate with your professors and records department to ensure that you do not have to be disqualified  by this deadline based on your school’s grading timeline.

                Make a timeline with all of the schools admissions processes so that you can visually understand when you will be receiving decisions from each school. This will help ease your nerves when you only hear back from a few of your schools quickly. For rolling admission schools, or schools with multiple admission pools, try to apply as early as possible without rushing through the application.

                Lastly, try to talk to current students about the program. What is it like on a day-to-day basis? What are the professors like? What is the atmosphere like at the school? Are the students competitive or collaborative? This will help you paint the big picture when it comes down to your final decision of where to go.

The morning crunch of frosted blades of grass echoes against the familiar buildings as herd of students make their way to campus. The chill of the morning air brushes softly against the rested faces. It’s time for clean new shoes, trendy new outfits, and fresh haircuts. It’s spring time. While spring semester might not bring warm weather, morning showers, or tulips just yet, it is certainly a chance to start all over again. Here are some things to keep in mind as you embark on this new adventure.

The first impression is vitally important to our relationships with others. Most people make up their mind about acquaintances within the first few minutes of meeting them. Therefore, what you wear, how energetic you seem, and how you carry yourself can make a substantial difference. On the first day, skip the sweatpants and throw on a pair of jeans or a nice dress with tights. Dressing appropriately for your first meeting with your teachers shows them how seriously you are willing to take their class. They’ll appreciate the effort and have faith that you are putting effort into the assignments. Always try to be upbeat when meeting new people, as well. A smile can bring you incredibly far and will make you seem friendly, likeable, and approachable.

Next, come prepared. Order books in advance for your classes so that you don’t fall behind within the first week. On the first day, bring something to write with, a notebook, and a planner. By starting out organized, you will be much calmer going into difficult classes, and much more likely to stay organized. You should also print a copy of your schedule with assigned room numbers the night before so that you aren’t late on the first day.

Go to your career center. This might sound odd or irrelevant, but it is best to start planning early for internships, graduate school, or careers. Regardless of what year you are in, there are plenty of resources for students at all stages of the process. For instance, freshmen should write out their resumes and have them reviewed by the career center. Understanding how you look on paper to potential employers and graduate schools will help you understand your strengths and focus on improving your weaknesses. Going early on will also help you avoid the panic rush at the end of the semester when people start scrambling to start the job or graduate school application process, and it will keep you up to date on deadlines or deliverables that should be completed.

Finally, have fun. Go to a basketball game, play some volleyball when the weather gets nice, or indulge in some Midnight Breakfast. It will go by faster than you can imagine, so enjoy it.

Standardized tests can be a very intimidating and overwhelming experience for any student because of the importance of the scores. The majority of academically strong colleges and universities consider these scores to be a large factor for admission. However, with the right attitude and preparation, this can be a much less stressful time in a student’s life.

You should definitely consider taking a class or getting a personal tutor. This will encourage you to spend time practicing for these exams. You will improve your scores on the SAT and ACT exams if you continuously practice. “Practice makes permanent” is something that truly applies to test taking because the way in which you practice will greatly influence your performance on these tests. Thus, practicing with a teacher will show your weakest points and the best way to progress in those areas.

Even though all of the questions will be different on the practice exams, you will begin to be able to recognize each of the sections and the directions that are included. You will better your skills in mathematics, rapidly read through the critical reading and learn the break down of the writing sections. You will become much more comfortable seeing these sections when you will be able to recognize the things that they are going to ask of you.

Another reason to be in a class or have a personal tutor is to have them explain the grading when it comes to these exams. There is a guessing penalty for wrong answers on the SAT. There is no penalty on the ACT for a wrong answer; therefore, you should answer all of the questions. A few helpful tips that seem to be quite effective are to do all of the easy questions first, skip questions that you are spending too much time on, and understand the amount of time that you have for each section.

When it comes to Test Day, feel confident from your preparation because you know how much time you spent practicing. Comfort level goes a long way when you see the exam; therefore, you should take a deep breath and focus on your goal of succeeding.

- Nick Scutari