Inscribed with Love and Secret Sauce

Look what I made:

 

Make my T-4 day and give it a whirl. Yes, I'm showing off, but it's all I've got right now.

Actually, I've got this one too:

 

So what is it about this SAT question writing that's got me so obsessed?

I think this is it: Writing SAT questions is like learning the magician's trick.

Here's how it goes: I pick the questions that are hardest for me -- say, one of these:

And then, I write the hardest question I can in that style, but different.  It's got to be original work.  And then I make it even harder.

This process, more than any other I've tried in 9 months of trying, forces me into a deep relationship with my worst enemy.  And then they go down like butter when I see them on a test (or at least on the pretend tests I take at home).

It's not a quick fix, (though it is fun, after you get over the initial resistance), but I kid you not....you go through them like butter when you're done.

My friend Catherine says it's like learning the cognitive architecture of the SAT. Learning the trick yourself causes the trick to pop when you see it on a test.

So there you have it.  9 months of studying, 4 days till next test, and that's my big revelation:

Writing hard SAT Questions is the best way to study for this test.

Now humor me and answer my questions.

 

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis