Tips

The Xiggi Method

 

The legendary (and yet strangely elusive) "Xiggi Method," is solid SAT advice from a regular College Confidential contributor.  There are nearly 1000 comments about "the method"  -- to give you some idea of the level of status this advice has achieved.

Personally, I don't agree with everything Xiggi advises (e.g. I'm not sure you have to buy tons of SAT books.  I did that; it didn't work.)  But, I'd say that I agree with about 90% of the "Xiggi Method."

The method also includes a few interesting and unique pieces of advice, such as taking a few practice tests with the answers in front of you so you can study the correct choices.  Hummmm.....interesting; I wish I'd tried that.

Bottom Line: I think the 15 page "Xiggi Method" is well worth taking the time to read.

 

Doing my best to share everything I learned about the SAT last year (7 SATs in 10 months).  Check back for frequent updates to the SAT Resources and SAT Tips pages.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

 
3 Comments | posted February 8th, 2012
 

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Tips

7 SATs Later, Sharing What I Learned


Updating the Resource Page daily. Attempting to share everything I learned, post-7 SATs.  (I feel like I need a tag line: "I made mistakes so you don't have to,"....or "Do as I say, not as I did,"...or something like that.)

  1. OFFICIAL College Board Solutions to the Blue Book. Incidentally, I didn't always find these to be the most helpful.
  2. Additional Blue Book Solutions: The Khan Academy, PWNtheSAT Blue Book Solutions, The Blue Book Blog.
  3. Have an SAT Question?  Thorough, FREE, and prompt responses from a 2400 scoring tutor.
  4. Think your SAT was scored incorrectly?  Here are instructions for Score Verification.   NOTE: See Comment from Akil Bello, Bell Curves. i.e. Score Verification = Not Worth It.
  5. There are mistakes in the early printings of the 1st & 2nd editions of the College Board Blue Book.  Here is the Errata Sheet with correct answers. The new edition should be mistake free, as it says: "Updated!"
  6. Blue Book Database by Question Type (all 3 sections): PowerScore SAT Prep has a ton of great resources on their website....for free, including this database of all 3 sections of the Blue Book, categorized by question type.
  7. Prepping on a Budget: Here is a surefire SAT Prep plan for under $250. You must be methodical with this recipe.  Veer at your own risk.
  8. Calculator Advice: I spent a month trying to learn the Ti-89 (it does algebra, if you can figure it out, which I couldn't).  Ultimately, I used the Ti-84 and became very comfortable with all the buttons I needed (e.g. Graphing, Math/Frac, etc.).  That said, an expensive calculator is not necessary and the SAT is "calculator optional."  Read this blog post from Bell Curves that says everything you need to know about calculators and the SAT.

 

If you found these SAT resources helpful, check back in on the Resource Page every once in a while.  I'm attempting to update it daily as I go through my SAT notes over the course of last year.

 

 

 

 

 

Also, Two Highly Recommended, FREE SAT Test Prep Opportunities:

1)  SAT Info Video Chat:

Philip Keller, veteran SAT tutor, and author of The New Math SAT Game Plan, will be discussing  "Going it Alone: Math SAT Prep Without a Tutor or Course" on February 9, 2012 at 3 pm via video chat.

I discovered Keller from "the smart people" (on such matters as math and education).  Added bonus: by registering, you become eligible for $1000 scholarship.

 

2) Awesome SAT Math Book:

To win a free copy of the PWN the SAT Math Guide, follow this link for details.

Incidentally, this book is very highly regarded by 16 year old son, who fortunately, is MUCH better at SAT Math than his mother turned out to be.  One of my favorite aspects of this project was having my son explain the math to me.

 

 

 

Attempting to share everything I learned about the SAT last year (7 SATs in 10 months). Check out the SAT Resources and SAT Tips pages for frequent updates.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

 
6 Comments | posted February 3rd, 2012
 

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Tips

Filling Up the Tips Page

  1. Medium Questions have Medium Answers: If you're working too hard on an easy question (i.e. the beginning of a section), you're probably doing something wrong.  Similarly, if you come to an answer too easily at the end of a section (especially Math, though maybe that's just me) -- you've probably done something wrong too.  This does not apply to the Critical Reading passages which are not in order of difficulty. (Special delivery from Stacey Howe-Lott.)
  2. Calculators: The Ti-89 does algebra for you --  if you can figure it out (I couldn't). Ultimately, I used the Ti-84 which has a lot of useful buttons (Math/Frac, Graphing, etc.) --  but it's expensive ($135 new, though offered for much less on discount sites), and it's not really necessary. Read this Bell Curves blog post to find out everything you need to know on the matter of the SAT and calculators.
  3. Writing Section: Read every single word and complete all exercises in Erica Meltzer's The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar.  Just do it; don't even think about it.  I couldn't have told you the first thing about dangling modifiers or gerunds or subjunctives, until I read that book -- 45 years old at the time, mind you. And, I scored an 800 on the Writing Section after that book, ok?  I'm saying run, don't walk, to get yourself a copy.
  4. The Essay: Practice writing one per day (or at least a few per week), timed with College Board essay prompts, for the few months leading up to the SAT. Try to get a few people who know about "standardized writing" to score the essays for you.  Note: "standardized writing" is not necessarily the same thing as plain old "good writing."  Read these few posts for more on that topic.

 

If you want to see more tips like these, click on the Tips Page of this site.  I'm doing my best to fill up those pages/boxes on the righthand side of this site  with all the info I learned over the course of last year.

Or maybe I'm just procrastinating from what I should be doing right now (i.e. writing a book about this SAT experience)  -- because somebody suggested that my site needed freshening up.

 

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

 
4 Comments | posted February 2nd, 2012
 

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Tips

SAT Prep On A Budget

Are you living on a shoestring?  (Me too, by the way.)

Do not fret about this SAT thing -- I've got you covered.

But.....(big big BUT) -- You must follow this plan methodically. Veer at your own risk. I learned my lesson.

Ok, here goes -- 10 easy (haha) steps to great SAT prep:

THE Surefire $218 46-Week SAT Test Prep Plan*:

  1. End of 10th grade, start yourself an 18 month calendar (free, from Google). Mark on the calendar every single SAT that takes place over the course of these 18 months -- from fall of junior year, through fall of senior year. The official SAT test dates are posted on the College Board's website. And if they're not posted yet, use past test dates as place-holders until the official dates are posted. They'll be roughly the same.
  2. Also, mark down your school vacations, midterms, finals, AP exams, etc. onto this calendar so you can see which SAT dates fit best with your schedule.
  3. Buy The Official SAT Study Guide (aka "The Blue Book"). It's $13.00 on Amazon, and includes 10 practice SATs.  Solutions to the Blue Book can be found on the College Board's website, and about a million other places on the internet.
  4. Get yourself a Ti-84 Graphing Calculator if you don't already have one for school.  The price is $135 -- but, you can find them for much less on discount sites.
  5. Download these three (free) official College Board Practice SATs: 2007-2008 SAT, 2009-1010 SAT, and 2010-2011 SAT.  Now you're up to 13 official tests for study material.
  6. If you can spare another $70, enroll in the College Board Online Course. It's $10 less if you purchase the Blue Book at the same time from the College Board's website. The course includes 10 more practice tests. Note: Not all practice material is created equal. It is an essential ingredient in this SAT recipe, that you use "official" College Board material. Read this post (and comments) for more details about this matter.
  7. Block off a 5 hour chunk of time, every other weekend.  Put it down on your calendar well in advance. That's booked solid time for you.  You're not available then ... because this is when you will be taking the 23 full, timed, practice SATs I just told you about. Use a timer, take your 5 minute breaks, and make every effort to mimic an authentic SAT experience (e.g. use the bubble sheets, an experimental section, etc.). The SAT is as much about endurance, stamina, focus, and performance -- as it is about knowing the core material (cold).  Incidentally, I did not follow this full-timed-test advice until the bitter end. Turns out I'm stubborn. What can I say... I thought I was "different."
  8. Correct your SAT, and spend the next two weeks hunting down the soutions to every-single-question you got wrong. Use the College Board's Solutions, try the Khan Academy, College Confidential -- whatever.  Just make sure you know why the right answer is right.  In fact, know that "why" so well you can teach it to your teacher.
  9. If you still don't understand the answer, ask your teachers at school.  And if you're still stuck, put a question in the online hopper of this 2400 scoring tutor, and he'll get back to you with alacrity, precision, and accessibility -- and maybe even a little whiff of humor --  if you play your cards right.
  10. Ok, you're not going to like me for this, but I'm going to say it anyway: Look up every-single-word you don't know on that SAT -- even if you got the question right. (I know I know...my son gives me a very hard time over this one.)  Keep a list of these words on Wordnick, make flash cards, test yourself, have others test you -- and in short, make abundant use of these words in conversation (expect looks of shock and awe), and weave them into your school papers...often. Fringe benefit: you will get better grades while studying for the SAT.

 

*This SAT plan is the advice of an extremely smart, well-educated and lovely --not to mention highly exclusive, SAT tutor.  It also happens to be the exact same very first piece of advice that I was told by another, very smart and lovely, well-educated, MIT-SAT-score-worthy friend.

Of course, I did not follow his advice.  But for those of you out there who would like to do well on a shoestring budget:

Do as I say, not as I did.

Ok, one more point to make:

This plan requires the student to be motivated and methodical, and I do realize that this could be a challenge for some people (e.g. me....surprise).  The fact that I was described as "disorganized" and "not methodical" on more than one occasion over the course of this year, kills me. I spend a lot of time and effort organizing myself -- not to mention I take great pride in my organizational tools; I consider myself to be aesthetically gifted in the area of methods to madness.

If this feels like it might be "you" -- like you and I could be birds of a feather -- here's an alternative to try:

Call the best test prep company in your area and see if they offer scholarship opportunities for motivated and deserving students. For instance, the Advantage Testing Foundation is an offshoot of Advantage Testing -- and let me just say, speaking from a firsthand (though way too brief) experience -- this route can be extremely efficient (not to mention a lot of fun).

All I'm saying is that you never know unless you ask.

 

 

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

 
35 Comments | posted January 26th, 2012
 

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Tips

Avoiding “The Porkchop” — And Other Things You May Not Have Thought Of

....Tip by Tip....

  1. The Curve: Don't spend your time worrying about the SAT Curve. For more details, check out this post.
  2. QAS: When you sign up for the SAT, order the Question-and-Answer Service (aka QAS) if you plan on taking the SAT again. It's an extra $18, but well worth it because you get back the test booklet of the test you took. If you have a fee waiver, the QAS is included. The QAS comes in the mail (not online with your scores) about 6-8 weeks after you take the SAT -- so it's not a great tool if you plan on taking tests that are close together. If you miss it during the sign up, you can always order it later. The QAS is only available for the SATs given in the months of January, May, and October.
  3. SAS (not to be confused with the QAS) is the "Student and Answer Service" that's available for non-QAS months. The cost is $13.50, and you can order it at the time of SAT registration, or after the fact. The SAS is a simple report that shows you which answers you got right and wrong. Helpful, not essential.
  4. When to begin test prep: Allow for 2-3 academic semesters (i.e. approximately one full year...or more) to prepare for the SAT. That will take the pressure off, and allow you to learn the material in a deeper, more gentle manner. I do realize that many people will balk at this time frame -- but seriously, if you want to do well, that's what it takes. Plus, the type of "test prep" I'm referring to is actually learning material that will serve you well in school too (e.g. vocab, grammar, etc.).
  5. Tutoring: The right tutor will help you be more efficient, but, a) make sure you have "the right" tutor (more on that later), and b) hiring a tutor isn't the only way to do well on the SAT.
  6. Preparing for the SAT on a shoestring budget: Buy a College Board Blue Book ($13.00/includes 10 official SATs), and print out the 3 official tests on the College Board website: January 2006 SAT, October 2005 SAT, and March 2005 SAT. Take a full, timed, SAT one morning each weekend (allow about 4-5 hours, and make the experience as close as possible to the real thing). Then, spend the next week (or two) correcting the test until you have a deep understanding of each and every problem that you got wrong -- including all of the vocabulary you didn't know, even if you got that question right. There are a gillion renditions of Blue Book explanations online -- from the Khan Academy to College Confidential, and even the College Board's website. Also, you can use your English and Math teachers as resources.
  7. Know your test taking rights: Read pages 1-11 of this ETS test day manual before taking the SAT. Here's my "broken rule" experience, which, incidentally, was reflected in my score that month.
  8. You are entitled to a quiet room during the SAT, so be prepared to say something if the noise is bothering you. I found hallway noise to be distracting if the doors were open, but it took me until SAT #7 to realize I could let the proctor know before the test that I'd prefer the closed doors; she was extremely mindful of my request.
  9. Sit in the front row if possible, so that you have less visual distractions. I only encountered "assigned seating" once in 7 SATs.
  10. Keep your own time: Don't count on the proctors (even though they are supposed to keep the time for you). Get an analog watch and set it back to 12:00 before each section so you don't have to do any more mental calculations than necessary. Read this post for more details.
  11. A proper desk is important: Avoid the "deskette" experience (aka "the pork chop"). Having the proper desk space for a test booklet (8 x 11), answer sheet (8 x 11), pencils, and a calculator makes a difference. Ask your friends or call the SAT test coordinator for the test location to inquire. I'd even go so far as to say that I think it's worth driving a bit further to get yourself to a proper desk. Pork chop desk shuffling adds unnecessary time and discombobulation to an already stressful experience.

Ok, I'm stopping here for the night because 11 is my lucky number. This list will continue to grow on the Tips Page of this site (middle, righthand side).

More tips coming soon(ish).....

llustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

 
8 Comments | posted January 19th, 2012
 

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Tips

SAT FAQ: Just the Facts

Two weeks after my 7th (and last) SAT in 2011, and I'm finally making it through the mountain of paper* that had piled up over the course of the year.

I'm stunned by all the treasure I discovered along the way that was suffocating in a 6 foot blob on top of the guest bed.

Take, for example, this FAQ from Erik the Red, which I'd printed out and highlighted on March 29, 2011, having no idea at that time the gold I'd just stumbled upon. This FAQ answers nearly every question I've ever heard asked about the SAT, including.....The Curve.

I'd suggest anyone facing the SAT in the next year or two start with this link from Erik the Red before heading over to another one of my favorite sites, College Confidential, which can be more wild west than authoritative (though fun...very fun....so don't get me wrong about CC. I love it there. I'm obsessed. But I've learned to always verify what I hear there.)

But for SAT Facts (without having to wade through the College Board's site), cut to the chase with Erik the Red's FAQ, and find reliable answers about:

  • The SAT Calendar
  • Reused SAT Questions
  • The Curve
  • Test Details
  • Links to 3 Actual SATs (answers included)
  • SAT Question Index
  • Test Date Popularity and the "Best Month" to Take the SAT

*Yes, I am one of those retro old people who prints out blog posts. But, if a blog post makes it to the "printed out" phase of my life, that means it passed the cursory online read and is ready for a deeper embrace.

And yes, I recycle.

P.S.  Three more days until December SAT scores are released.  YIKES.  I'm so scared (and excited). I have so much to say about that last month of study.....so much to say....so little time.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

 
3 Comments | posted December 19th, 2011
 

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Tips

Take Heed (I Am)

SAT tutor, Stacey Howe-Lott, left a comment below with some test taking tips that she hadn't mentioned before because she thought everyone knew these things....

Given that somehow they didn't hit my radar for the first 46 years of my life, I'm going to assume that there are probably others out there who also may have been absent on the day these strategies were given out....and I'm posting the whole, worthy, kit and kaboodle comment, as is:

A quick note on keeping time: My digital watch (which has a timer) beeps, so I don't use it for the SAT. I use an analog watch instead. And, at the start of each section, I wind the hands to the top of the hour (it is perpetually 8-8:30 am during the test). By starting each section at 8:00 - it then is very easy to see how long I have left - "Oo. 8:15 - just 10 minutes left)

Why waste brain cells on trying to calculate how much time you have left if it is currently 8:48 and you started at 8:33.

Also - mark your answers in the booklet - I draw a big circle around the answer I chose (including the letter and the answer). I also write the letter (big!) to the left of the question. That way when I bubble in, I can just quickly glance down the left side of the questions and write in my answers (A, B, E)

When I skip an answer, I put a large circle to the left, to remind me to skip that bubble.

And, I don't bubble in after each question - I only bubble in the spread - so if the section starts on the right-hand page, I'll answer all those questions, then bubble those. Then I'll turn the page and answer all the questions on the left-hand and right-hand pages and then bubble in all those before I turn the page to get to more questions.

 

I especially love the tip about how to keep your own time.  I've ordered myself an analog, beep-free Swatch for the SAT next Saturday (my last one for this project...), which should arrive in today's mail.

 

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

 
11 Comments | posted November 28th, 2011
 

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Tips

How’d You Do It? (i.e. Raise Your SAT Score)

Stacey Howe-Lott remains the single highest score increaser I've been able to personally locate.  As implausible as this sounds, she's a mom too, who discovered the joy of the SAT long after high school.  Incidentally, Stacey is now an SAT tutor and works via Skype.

Unlike me (thus far, though I will optimistically point out that my year isn't over), Stacey managed to raise her SAT Math score by leaps and bounds: from a 500 (45th percentile) to a 700 (93rd percentile). It took her the better part of a year to do so. She was already in the 98% percentile for the Reading and Writing sections.

When I asked her how she did it, she told me, "I was a 40-year-old new mother at home with her baby, battling sleep deprivation, and desperate to find some sort of intellectual stimulation between cooing at the baby and doing more laundry. During nap-time, I’d work on SAT problems, approaching them as logic puzzles rather than a math death-march."

Here are Stacey Howe-Lott's Top Math Tips:

• Most students (500s-600s) can skip the hard questions

• Medium and hard questions don’t have easy answers

• Draw pictures to help you see the problem

• If you can’t solve the problem directly, estimate, backsolve or make up numbers

• Keep clam (That’s a Northwest joke. Keep calm for the rest of you)

And here’s what Stacey would have done differently:

• Hire a tutor for at least a couple of hours to put me on the right track. It would have saved so much time and heartache if I only knew where the find the best materials, what strategies I should follow, and who I should trust. I wasted so much time and money on bad materials, bad strategy and bad advice.

• Kept obsessive records from the beginning so I could track what I was learning and what I still needed to learn

• Focused in more quickly on the stuff I didn’t know. And learned just the amount I needed to use on the test.

 

I worked with Stacey for a month last Spring (before the June SAT). Here are the top 10 things I learned from our sessions together.

And, you can read her full story in this blog post, which includes some amazing quotes and more details.

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

 
Leave a Comment | posted October 30th, 2011
 

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Tips

I Have a Question: How’d You Do It?

Tell me the story

Whenever someone sends me their scores, I reply back with the same question:

How'd you do it?

My favorite email last week was from a father of a daughter who is a junior in high school.  She took both the SAT and the PSAT this month (October). And lest you think to yourself, "that's too much...." Guess what?

She rocked it! 

  • Critical Reading 800    (99%)
  • Math 750    (97%)
  • Writing 770    (99%)

Here's how he responded to my "How'd she do it?" email:

Math: I had her do medium and hard level Blue Book questions. After less than two weeks I realized she was doing so well I moved onto writing (skipping 2/3 of Blue Book math). It was a judgement call on where to spend the limited resources (time).

Reading: She doesn't know how or why she got an 800. She was shocked!  Her pattern (recently) was to miss one CR (or none) and then miss one or two vocab.

Reading & Writing: I was pushing Erica's suggestions to her continuously. Stacey had her do an exercise (because of timing issues) where time was reduced by one or two minutes for a CR section section.  She did that several times.

And a lot of good old fashion luck!

 

Another emailer said, "My client, xxx told me yesterday that her daughter improved her SAT math score nearly 200 points by reading that Philip Keller book."

And another emailer said that PWNtheSATs Math Truism -- is true:

If you just want to break 600, you can skip FIVE QUESTIONS PER SECTION if you get all the rest of the questions right. Seriously.

You can read all about this truism in this post -- and if you still want to read more, read this one too.

I'm sure you're thinking to yourself right now, "If this truism is so true, why hasn't she tried it?" And honestly, I'm lol'ing as I read PWN's post on the matter: "Don't be obstinate!"

I want to write back to him and say, "I'm not obstinate. I'm special. I'm different. I'm unique."

I can't stand it when I flip to the end of a section and see some luscious triangle problem on #20 that I feel sure I can do, or a #19 function table that I just practiced.

I'm obstinate!

When PWN was here yesterday, and we were going over my full timed practice SAT from last week, he very politely (and possibly even too subtly) said to me, "Let's talk about the math."

And I kind of smiled, and said back to him, "Yeah, you know, Catherine and I've been thinking maybe I should try that suggestion of yours about spending more time on the first 15, instead of barreling through the section."

And then I added, "You don't think I'm stubborn, do you?" To which he very delicately said back to me, "Um, First Serve Debbie?"

OMG, I'm obstinate.

I honestly can't believe it.  In a million years, I never would have described myself as obstinate, I swear to you. I thought I was flexible.

I'm hereby taking a public vow to try said truism, which is, in fact, espoused by all my favorite experts, on the next SAT (November 5, 2011).  I'm even going to try it tomorrow on a full practice SAT from the Red Book (not to be confused with the Blue Book).

Ok, back to the purpose of this post:

I'm curious to hear from others,  How'd You Do it?

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

 
20 Comments | posted October 26th, 2011
 

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Tips

What Makes a Good SAT Question?

Ever since the Impostor post, I've thought long and hard about whether studying with unofficial College Board material is an effective use of one's time.

Here's where I stand (today) on the matter:

The right impostor material (rare, but would include PWNtheSAT and UltimateSATVerbal, and possibly others) can build the necessary muscles and be effective, while the wrong impostor material (prevalent, and shall remain nameless) can waste time and lead you astray.

The questions from the "Impostor" post came from Akil Bello of Bell Curves.  Here's what Akil had to say about them:

The questions used in the impostor challenge are all pretty good and do a fair job of simulating SAT style, content, skills, and flavor however each impostor has some flaw that might send the wrong subliminal message to the hyper-discerning test taker.

Question 1 has is some ineffable quality of its construction that makes it questionable. Each time I read it the intended clue "combined departments" does not solidly convince me that the word I'm forced to choose for the blank is properly supported by the sentence, though it should. As with many questionable SAT questions this one does have only one supportable answer but it doesn't really reflect the flavor and tone of real questions.

Question 3 uses a contemporary actor which is not typical of the SAT. While its not out of the realm of possibility that the SAT use a contemporary figure when they do so the figure tends to be an obscure writer (oddly the writer is often Asian or writes about Asian cultures such as Lisa See or Lan Cao).

Question 4 seemed to be the critics next choice as it has no glaring fault that would make it identifiable to me as a simulated question.

 

Here are the questions repeated.  You can click here to see the poll results.

1. Once the plan to ------- the offices is complete, the managers of the company expect that the combined departments will require less money to operate.
(A) comprise   (B) disconnect (C) consolidate (D) continue (E) sever

 

2. In the classroom, Carol was unusually -------; on the playground, however, she became as intractable as the other children.
(A) optimistic (B) mercurial (C) magnanimous (D) taciturn (E) docile

 

3. Whether Nathan Lane is performing on Broadway, acting in a film, or discussing the techniques of acting, the actor's animated disposition ------- his passion for his profession.
(A) misrepresents (B) exaggerates (C) satisfies (D) reflects (E) disguises

 

4. It is not surprising that the new book tracing the history and cultural impact of comic books has a ------- tone since comic books are rarely discussed seriously.
(A) cathartic    (B) didactic    (C) reserved (D) congenial    (E) flippant

 

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

 
4 Comments | posted June 30th, 2011
 

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