Remember that time we made a big deal about how we had updated our GRE study materials only three weeks after the test itself had been revised?  We said that is showed our commitment to always bringing you the best, most up-to-date flashcards and other test prep content that we possibly could.

Well, today, we reaffirm that promise, as we announce a complete revision of our Air Force Professional Development Guide flashcards and apps.  What can we say?  When the Air Force makes changes to its PDG content, we respond in kind.

It’s probably true that we could have left our flashcards pretty much unchanged.  After all, the core content is still pretty much the same.  Sure, some chapters were condensed, combined, or deleted entirely.  And what’s the harm in knowing more than you have to?  But we had to make sure that we had all the new content in there as well.  It certainly wouldn’t do to send people into such an important exam unprepared.

The first group to be tested using the content from the revised guide will be in December of 2011, which means there’s still plenty of time to pick up our flashcards (you can get them for free on our website, or for $19.99 in the Android Market or the Apple App Store) and start studying on your computer or on the go with your smartphone!

We live in exciting times when it comes to educational technology.  Not only has technology been getting better and better for many years (at a nearly exponential rate), it has also gotten significantly more affordable.

But with the rise of technology comes downsides too.  For one thing, distractions abound, from smartphones to online social networks to television to videogames.  People — especially young people — spend hours upon hours each and every day staring at screens and interacting with devices that even science fiction writers wouldn’t have predicted would exist 20 years ago.

And it’s starting to show.  Student achievement is falling or remaining stagnant by all measures.  Why is this?  Is it because students themselves are less capable?  Hopefully not.  They certainly have all the necessary tools for success at their disposal.  The resources possessed by the average school today are far and away better than those of a “good” school from many years ago.

So is it the fault of the parents?  Again, hopefully not.  They say many parents these days spend less time with their children because they’re working so much, but I think that’s a bit of a cop out.  I don’t subscribe to the belief that society is getting worse.  Maybe we’re just more aware of it thanks to how easily information spreads these days, but people have always been lazy, uncaring, and all manner of other bad things.

That must mean teachers are getting worse, right?  Honestly, I think not.  I had many wonderful teachers growing up, and I know many wonderful people who decided to devote their careers to teaching students.  Blaming teachers for everything is basically scapegoating, and I don’t think that’s fair.

The source of the problem, I think, lies with the solution: technology.  With each passing year, technology gets better and better and our lives are changed — sometimes drastically.  Do you remember when you first learned about the internet or used your first smartphone?  For me, these events were absolutely life-changing, and I say that without hyperbole.

It’s not to say that I could never live in a world without those things (not that I would choose to!), but that the amount of work these inventions save me each and every day is astounding.  The list of random things I no longer have to do thanks to new technology could fill a book, and I am truly grateful for it.  These advancements allow me to focus my life on other, more useful and satisfying pursuits.

But a change of focus necessitates a reevaluation of what we teach our children.  We can no longer waste time teaching kids things that they will simply not need once they get out of school.  A couple examples: I never write in cursive, but I do use my phone to send important emails and texts regularly.  I don’t remember how to use a library card catalog system, but I can find nearly anything on the internet.  I almost never do complex mental math, but I can use a scientific calculator quite well.

In some cases, I was introduced to these things in school.  I learned how to type in elementary school, I was introduced to the internet for research, and I had to buy a TI-83 for math class.  But I only received a cursory education about each.

I perfected my typing skills by using instant messaging programs and playing online videogames.  I figured out how to find (and analyze) truly useful online information when I began work as a research associate at a public policy institute.  And I had to teach myself how to program my TI-83 to do my work for me so that I would never have to do a complicated formula again.

These skills that I list are some of the most useful skills that I posses, and they were not adequately honed by a school system that is stuck teaching skills from the past.  Education needs to be dynamic, now more so than ever.  The best way to do that is to harness the awesome power of educational technology.  Only then will we be able to churn out students ready to succeed in the modern world.

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If you are a teacher, librarian, or media specialist and are looking to increase the use of educational technology at your school for free, check out The Back to School Giveaway.  You can enter simply by leaving a comment on the page, and there is $150,000 worth in premium edtech content available to winners, contributed by six different companies.

If you’re not an educator but know one that might be interested in entering, please feel free to spread the word.  We are accepting entries until the end of this month.

by John J. Walters

Writing news update posts is always a little bit of a challenge.  Actually, writing a post for the TestSoup blog at all is a bit of a challenge for me this time around.  I’m a bit rusty, if you must know.  Our guest posts have been so successful that I haven’t written a single post for our blog since we got back from co-hosting EdTech Karaoke at ISTE 11, and that feels like it was ages ago.  But every once in a while, I need to poke my head in the door and make sure everything is humming along as it should.

Here’s the real challenge, though.  How do you make the fact that we’ve updated our GRE flashcard content to be in sync with the August 1, 2011 General Test revisions into a fun and interesting blog post?  How do you make people care about the fact that we completely revamped our materials in under three weeks time?  Is there a way to dress that up and make it appeal to the masses?

I don’t know.  I just… Don’t. Know.

What I do know is this: they’ve been talking about updating the GRE — the standardized exam that all applicants to grad schools must take — since 2006.  But they didn’t do anything about it until this year.  They say that now the test is more in line with the skill sets that are important for success in modern graduate programs.  And I’m sure it is.

Changes to a test like this cannot be made lightly.  Maybe that’s why they spent so long talking about it before they made their move.  Fortunately, TestSoup isn’t constrained by multiple layers of bureaucracy.  When we see a test that needs quality, up-to-date study content, we move.  It’s what we do, and we make no apologies for it.  Should we?

It all goes back to the vision of our founder, Brian Reese.  You see, back in the day (and by that, we mean almost two whole years ago), Brian was studying for the GMAT, and he was spending a lot of money on test prep materials.  Some were worth the cash, but the vast majority of them weren’t.  So he started making his own flashcards, and after a very short while he saw the scores on his practice tests going up.

Fast forward to last year and Brian had assembled test prep experts to help him produce flashcards for several other standardized tests.  Of course, creating relevant content was important then, and we’re not going to stop now.  What kind of players would we be if we bailed on the game as soon as things got interesting?  I mean — could we still call ourselves “players?”

You may not care about the GRE.  I understand that.  But if test prep is in your future (and I would love to see a future that doesn’t involve some amount of studying) then you should know that TestSoup plans to continue staying relevant and up-to-date.  That’s a promise that extends to every one of our tests.

guest written by Eric Clark of Quincy Tutoring

Last week, my friend Mark from My Town Tutors wrote a great guest post for TestSoup.  This follow up will give you five things that you should look for in a tutor.  Don’t limit your list to these five categories, use the list as a starting point once you being the tutor search process.

References

Do your due diligence and make sure that each tutor that you hire is a great fit for your student.  Each student has a different set of needs, and it is important that the tutor meets those needs adequately.  It is important to gain trust in your tutors, but that takes time.  Ask for references; if the applicant doesn’t have any, stay away!

Experience

Experience tells a lot about a tutor’s ability to do their job well.  A tutor may be a great tutor with little to no experience, but experience is usually better.  Experienced tutors should be able to adapt a tutor session mid-stream, and help the student reach their potential.  Inexperienced tutors can help students, but it may be less efficient.  Experienced tutors also cost more, and for some, an inexperienced tutor is the best option.

Training

Quality training is almost as important as experience.  There are several great tutor training programs out there, and I would recommend the Crossroads of Learning (CRL) tutor training.  When a tutor successfully completes the CRL training they are certified by the National Tutor Association.  Tutors that have gone through teacher training are great as well.  My Town Tutors has a database of tutors that are/were full-time teachers.

Communication

Communication is a key component to a successful tutor/student relationship.  Tutors with great non-verbal communication will be extremely successful.  Tutors that can ask open ended questions will also be successful, because they require students to make connections.  Students will learn far less if they are given direct answers to their question.  A good tutor will allow their student to think and come up with their own answer by providing clues that the student can piece together.

Intentions

Is the tutor in it for the money?  If so, that relationship is not going to work.  Tutors need to be invested in their students, much like teachers are.  I don’t know a single good teacher that is in it for the money.  The students must come first!

As stated in the beginning, use these 5 categories as a starting point in the tutor search process.  There may be specific criteria that will come from the initial interview, so don’t be afraid to ask the tutor specific questions.  Students should feel comfortable with the tutor from the onset.  Don’t get started off on the wrong foot by hiring a tutor that is not a good fit.

The Quincy Tutor Network is only four months old, but it is a great place to start the tutor search.  New tutors are registering every week, and there is always room for more.  If you are a tutor please consider joining our free network and our LinkedIn Group.  Tutors are also given the ability to blog, which is a great way to show potential clients your skill set.  As always, feel free to find Quincy Tutoring on Facebook and Twitter.

About the author: Eric Clark is the founder and CEO of Quincy Tutoring, an online tutor network.  Quincy Tutoring also offers affordable standardized test prep, and fully endorses TestSoup’s flashcard system.  Follow Eric on Twitter and Facebook.

When you think about it, who do you trust most when it comes to test prep?  Odds are, you have your own system for preparing for exams that you developed through years of trial and error.  You know approximately what works and what doesn’t for you.

But let’s take a step back from that.  How consciously did you develop your own study habits?  Did you pay close attention as you cultivated this style of yours, or did you just get used to doing what came easiest and most naturally?  Hopefully you didn’t just wing it, but even if you put a lot of thought and effort into your study system there is likely still room for improvement.

We study for so many tests in our lives that the act of studying becomes routine.  We stop paying close attention to our methods and we just focus on the simple fact that we are “studying.”  It becomes more about fulfilling an obligation; putting a check in the box.  And our retention of the material falls by the wayside, along with our study habits.

Why is this?  Perhaps because even though the need to practice has been drilled into us since we were very young, most people pay very little attention to how they are practicing.  In other words: we know that we need to study often, but we fool ourselves into thinking that we are studying when we really aren’t, or when we’re only phoning it in.

TestSoup aims to change that.  We want to remind people that there are smarter ways to study out there.  You know the phrase “work smarter, not harder” right?  It also applies to studying.  Why bother sitting in front of a text book for hours when you could get so much more out of making studying an active process?  If you can learn the material more quickly, why waste time doing things any other way?

Getting back to the original question of this post: who do you trust the most when it comes to study habits?  Rather, who should you trust most when it comes to study habits?  Most likely, you should trust someone who actually has devoted years and years to consciously developing the most effective study system.

In other words: trust a tutor.  They know what they’re talking about.  Not only are they experts on the specific subject matter, they have spent their careers working out clever ways to make the most out of every hour spent studying.

That’s why TestSoup is embarking on a quest to find expert tutors to write guest posts for our blog filled with study hints and tips.  We’re going to be looking for the best, the brightest, and the most creative.  We want to help you learn all you can about study methods, so the next time you need to study for a big test you won’t just being repeating those same, tired moves you’ve been making since middle school.

When we are young, our lives are defined by the summer.  We look forward to it almost deliriously.  In fact, I think the only time we weren’t counting down the days until summer vacation was when we were counting down the days to some shorter (but closer) vacation.  Three months of idleness is enough to make anyone with a full-time job more than a little jealous.

They say that summer used to be a time when students stayed home to help out on with the harvest.  This was, of course, in the days before a measly 2% of Americans called themselves farmers.  Our society has shifted from agrarian and rural to knowledge-based and urban.  Today, only 17% of people live in what can be considered truly “rural” parts of America.

Assuming that summer once had a purpose, what is its purpose now?  Are we simply so used to this rotation that we don’t dare change it?  More than likely.  Globalization has made the nine-to-five office job all but irrelevant these days, yet people still find themselves falling into familiar work patterns.  Change is hard for us to accept, apparently.

Now, let the record show that we at TestSoup are not advocating for the end of summer vacation.  Long live summer vacation!

But long live education, as well.

Today’s American students have a tough time keeping up when it comes to math and science.  We’ve already tried throwing money at the problem.  Spending per pupil in America on public education has increased from $2,500 in 1960 to $10,000 today (in inflation-adjusted dollars).  Clearly, the key to churning out well-equipped students is not to be found in expensive tech or other budget-busting fads.

Real education happens when students are actively engaged in the lesson.  This can be the result of any one — or a combination — of several factors: Quality teachers, a naturally inquisitive mind, supportive family members or friends, or even a desire to get an “A.”

That’s the first part of the equation.  The second part is the work.  An engaged student is a great and powerful thing, but if you don’t take steps to keep him or her that way then you won’t get very far.  That’s why the summer is such an important time for students.  Three months is a long enough time to forget the vast majority of what you learned during the past nine — or enough time to forge it into a solid foundation for next year.

America used to make its living with our hands and our backs.  During this time it made sense for students to neglect their studies in favor of the harvest.  But now we make our living with our minds.  Should the fact that we have no fields to plow mean that we are allowed to do nothing for three months?

Take the summer for what it is: a chance to unwind and recharge your batteries.  But also as a time to set yourself up for success next year.  Read books.  Sign up to take classes that you are interested in but had no time for during the school year.  Parents (if you have little children), send your kids to a camp that’s more than just playing outside.  And teachers, please use the time to improve your skills as well.  Our students’ futures are in your hands.

Studying for finals can be a stressful time. Reviewing an entire semester’s worth of information for all of your classes in a short period of time can be nerve racking and extremely difficult given the high-pressure situation. However, there are many ways for someone to help themselves study for exams to minimize stress and maximize scores.
First, start studying well before the given final takes place. For example, if you have a test on Friday start studying on at least the Monday or Tuesday preceding the test so you can go over everything a few times and get to all the last details. By giving yourself more time to study, you can become more aware of what topics you have difficulty with and concentrate on them and you can be sure to avoid any last minute cramming.
If you can find a study partner it would be wise to take advantage of the opportunity. Studying with a friend gives you a chance to not only study material, but also actively talk about it with someone. Talking about the material will force you to put the information into your own words and will help commit it to memory. Furthermore, it is often easier to start studying when you’re doing it with someone else. By having someone studying with you, it’s more difficult to keep putting the study session off.
There are things you can do that aren’t directly related to studying that can help with your tests as well. Living a healthy lifestyle leading up to the exams will give you a sharper, clearer mind when it comes time to take your tests. Be sure to get to bed early and get plenty of sleep. Eating healthy foods helps too, as many nutrients are associated with brain function and keeping you alert throughout the day. Eating bad foods can make you tired, sluggish and leave you struggling to find the right answer when the time comes.
On top of everything else is simply to just stay calm about finals and remember that everyone has to take them. You aren’t the only one nervous about tests and feeling stressed. Keeping in mind that everyone is in a similar position as yourself will make you feel better about your own situation and may even become a comforting, distressing thought. Get studying early and good luck!

Worried about that big test coming up soon? Got finals, the SAT or even the GMAT causing your stress levels to rise and your heart to beat faster and faster every day? Here are some tips to ensure you prepare the best way possible so that you can take your test with your head high, confident of your cognitive abilities.

Don’t cram all of your studying in the day before, or even two days before. Studies show that it is best to study little by little, every night for at least a few days. This will help you remember things more easily and ensures that you give yourself ample time to prepare for every question a test may throw at you. Cramming it all in the night before will only make it more difficult to retain all of the information and may also cause you to lose sleep and raise stress levels as you rush to study everything hours before the start of your exam.

Get a good night’s sleep the day before your test. Studies prove that much of the memory retention you have occurs during sleep, so in order for you to benefit most from your studying you have to sleep so that the information can soak into your mind. A good nights rest will always leave you feeling refreshed, energized and sharp in the morning: perfect test taking mode. You should also be sure to eat a big breakfast, as this will help keep you focused on the task at hand instead of allowing your mind to wander while your test sits idly in front of you, the clock ticking away…

During the test, be sure to pace yourself accordingly. Chances are you have a limited amount of time to test, so you should be sure to skip over the questions that initially give you trouble so you are sure to make it to all of the problems you know with confidence.

Remember to relax in the days leading up to the test as well. The second you start to freak out over the test is the second you start to lose focus and concentration, and eventually it may cause you to lose points. If you stay optimistic about things and remain focused and poised, you stand a much better chance of studying efficiently and effectively. Relaxing before a test will also set your mind at ease—you need to be sure that you remain grounded when the time comes so that you can delve into the depths of your memory and pull out the answer that you know is lurking in there somewhere.

There are tons of articles online about improving your memory.  A quick search will bring up pages and pages of results.  I spent a few minutes clicking at random and then a few more sorting through the articles I chose.  Here are three of my favorites:

• Discovery Health has a good piece about improving general memory that should help with aspects of your life outside of your studies.  I am including it at the top of the list because it provides a good base (and also because their first tip is to drink a glass of wine, which is both unorthodox and totally awesome).
• For a quicker read that involves less clicking, try this WikiHow article that has 15 good tips and links to a bunch of other articles that may be helpful to your more specific situation.
• If you want to know more about what memories are and how your brain works to create lasting memories, check out this article on HelpGuide.org.  It spells things out scientifically in ways that are actually comprehensible to people without much psychological training like myself.

But what about improving your memory specifically for your studies?  Learning things for school is a particularly difficult task because it involves a certain amount of precision and recall that is not normally required in “real life.”  After all, we can almost always hop on the internet and look up something when we’re not in a classroom taking a final exam.

The best way I found to make sure I actually remembered something in school was to make studying an active process.  Reading and highlighting your text book or paying close attention in class may help create a base from which you can work, but it’s unlikely that you’ll remember quite enough to ace your exams just from reading.  To make lasting memories, you need to make your studying something you do rather than something that just happens to you.  I touched on this in another post, but let’s go a little deeper this time.

Your process for test preparation should place your mind in a state similar to the conditions of the test itself.  In other words, you need to test yourself repeatedly before the test begins.  If you know that you will be required to do certain types of math problems then don’t just look over the formulas — try doing sample problems without referencing your text books or class notes.  If you know you’re going to have to write an essay explaining an idea or historical event then don’t just read about it — try writing about that idea or event.  This way you won’t just be remembering the starting point (the equations or the basic facts) but the act of using the ideas you have taught yourself.

If there is one central idea to take from the myriad of articles on improving your memory available online, it’s that lasting memories make their home in more than one place in your brain.  The human brain is a complex thing, with hallways and passages leading every which way.  The more anchors that you can link an idea to, the easier it will be to remember it.  That’s why actively engaging your brain (and optimally the brains of your classmates) in the study process is so essential.  So study often, study actively, and study with others whenever you can.

Last week, I mentioned that my study system in college involved not studying in advance for tests and quizzes to see how much of the class material I had actually internalized.  That’s not the whole story, though, and since I don’t want to mislead anyone (this is, after all, a site devoted to helping you study more effectively) I thought it might be a good idea to note a few of my study tips.

While it may be true that I tried to avoid cramming for every quiz or test that came along, it wouldn’t be the whole truth to say that I “didn’t study.”  Of course I studied.  Studying is part of college life.  I did, however, study differently than everyone else I knew.  Here are a few of my rules:

1) Read your textbooks, go to class, and take notes.  It may not be required but it is important nonetheless.  You need to keep up with reading, pay attention, and have meaningful notes to look back on when it comes time for the final.  Of course, it helps to have interesting classes that won’t put you to sleep when you show up or sit down to read the text book.  Thankfully, many colleges give you a lot of latitude when it comes to selecting classes, so do your research beforehand.

2) Review your notes regularly and randomly.  There’s a lot of down time in college between classes — so use it!  A few minutes here and there add up, and will do wonders for reinforcing the core concepts in your brain (in fact, that’s the basic idea behind TestSoup, except they’ve made the notes and quizzes for you).

3) Ignore the quizzes beforehand but spend as much time as you need on them after they’ve been graded.  This one may seem counterintuitive, but in most cases quizzes don’t even count for a very large percentage of your final grade so it’s no biggee to sacrifice a few points here.  I did this to test how well I was keeping track of the course material.  Once I got the quizzes back I would review them to make sure I now understood everything I missed.

4) Use your quizzes to study for tests.  In most cases, quizzes are a good indicator of what material is most important to the class.  So I would use them, along with my notes, to study for tests.  Since I had already marked up my quizzes with extra notes explaining what I had previously gotten wrong, these were very helpful study guides.  I would then do pretty much the same thing with my tests once I got them back to make sure nothing slipped through the cracks.

5) Make a detailed study guide for the final.  Professors will usually distribute a list of stuff you should know for the final.  These are massively helpful, but even without one you can usually use your syllabus to list all the important topics.  Once you know what to look into, use your notes, quizzes, tests, and textbook to write yourself a “mini-textbook” of several pages explaining all the core concepts in your own words.  This active studying will reinforce everything you’ve been learning about.

6) Start studying in advance.  Like I said before, I would look over my notes regularly so that I didn’t need to cram for quizzes.  For tests, I would review my notes and old quizzes briefly the afternoon or evening before.  For exams, I would make my study guide two or three days in advance and then review it the day before like I would prepare for a test.

So the truth comes out.  It’s not that I never studied — it’s that I would spread out my studying throughout the semester so that I never had a crunch time.  When other students would discuss how long they had studied for their final exams, I was inevitably on the lowest end of those who actually had taken the time to study, and yet I would generally hold my own when the grades came.

Why?  Because I had been paying attention, reviewing, and studying throughout the course of the semester instead of slacking off.  This prolonged repetition allowed my brain to truly process and comprehend the information it took in and turn it into a long-term memory rather than a short-term fact that would disappear soon after the course ended — and all without sacrificing my social life.