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Another Thank You Note

Dear Ms Dalby
My daughter Bhuvana Pandalai was one of your students . She and I have been helping a lot of parents and students through college application process and preparation during high school. Most of these parents and students don’t even know ACT tests agreed and they have been asking where Bhuvana did her ACT tutoring. I have recommended your center to multiple parents.   I think couple of them have taken your course. One parent came back and said their son get a near perfect score.
I strongly believe Bhuvana’s top ACT scores were the results of your  excellent tutoring and would like to officially put your website as a reference site in our presentation and on our website. Please let me know if you are ok with us doing that.
Sindhu  Rajan

2019-10-12T19:16:58-04:00

At Home TJ Math Drills

When clients call for advice to get into TJ, the first thing I do is have them take a one hour at-home math test to see how strong the student’s problem solving skills are.  My test is extremely predictive: a poor score means acceptance to TJ is nil unless the student takes action to improve basic math skills.

To address the deficit, we conduct math drills for 7th graders on Tuesday evenings during the spring and summer.  The students come in, sit for a timed 25 question test, and then we review the problems that gave them difficulty.  This is an excellent method for improving math test taking skills and over the years it has made a dramatic difference, in conjunction with our comprehensive TJ prep class and SIS workshop, in enhancing their admissions outcomes.

Unfortunately hurdles abound for parents trying to get to our drill classes.

> I can’t get there on a weekday evening.
> It is too far.
> There is too much traffic.
> I’m too busy.
> The drill class is at dinner time.
> She has sports conflicts.
> He has a test.
> He has after school activities.

Fortunately we are working on a solution.  We have started math drills at home project and have launched our first drill.

We have four drills scheduled so far.

Drill #1 average difficulty
Drill #2 higher difficulty – recommended if you did well on drill #1
Drill #3 average difficult – recommended if you did poorly on drill #1
Drill #4 higher difficulty – recommended if you did poorly on drill #2

We will continue making drills if there is a demand for the videos.

To find out more, click here.

2019-05-04T16:28:40-04:00

Free ACT Diagnostic Test

SAT or ACT?  Try a Free Diagnostic Test.

If you are like many students, you are unclear which test is the right test for you: the redesigned SAT or the ACT.

To help you figure out which test to take, you can come take a free, no obligation 3-hour ACT on select Saturdays at 11:00 am with Inspiring Test Preparation.  This get acquainted offer is good for new clients only*.    This test is used for the first class of our ACT preparation.

 Sign up here. (more…)

2020-05-26T19:45:38-04:00

How to Get into TJ – Update

We posted a blog entitled How to Prepare on Your Own for the TJ Test several years ago.  The general recommendations are still good, but it is time for an update.

 

Here are the components for admission to TJJSST (Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology):
  • Grades and course work
  • Math, science, and reading test in November
  • Teacher recommendations
  • SIS essay with math prompt

 

Grades and course work:

Top grades are vital, and a GPA lower than 3.0/4 will disqualify an applicant.  Most of the students who gain acceptance have completed geometry by the end of 8th grade, and students only taking algebra 1 in 8th grade are at a distinct disadvantage.

 

Math, ACT Aspire Reading and Science:

The math required for the test is basic math, algebra, and geometry.  In the past, we have used old SAT tests from 30 years ago augmented with select problems to mimic the Quant Q.  In order to adapt to the changes, we will increase the number of permutation and combination problems in response to students’ observations about the math last fall. Past materials from ACT Reading and Science for college admissions  have served us well and were easier to locate than the ACT Aspire.

 

Teacher recommendations:

Assuming you make the first cut, you will need to get two teachers to write recommendations.  It is important to remember that a teacher can only write about what he/she has first hand knowledge of.  Your English teacher cannot mention that you won the math counts competition (unless she is the math counts coach).  On the other hand, if he/she counseled you on the written aspect of a science fair project, that would be first hand knowledge.  Don’t wait until the last minute to develop a relationship with your teacher. Be respectful and considerate in your interactions with all your teachers and ask thoughtful questions when appropriate. Remember to listen with courtesy when your classmates speak. Make sure to volunteer to help as needed and show you are the sort of student who is mature enough to handle the demands of TJ.  Finally, make sure the teachers who write your recommendations have a successful track record.

 

SIS essay with math prompt:

Writing well is important, but the topic of your essay is crucial – you need something to write about.  TJ has two ways to see your commitment to STEM: teacher recommendations and your SIS.  To provide proper preparation for the SIS, start get involved with STEM now.  If your family can afford it, go to STEM summer camps.  Even without summer camp, you can still develop your STEM interests by working on projects on your own via the internet.  Your local library also affords opportunities to pursue STEM interests.  If you can’t get to the library on your own, get a friend or family member to take you once a week so you can check out books on a variety of interests.  That sort of dedication to learning can translate to a compelling SIS prompt response.  In addition, make sure to capitalize on your personal interests; a strong essay from a passionate author will regularly trump “preferred” essay topics.

What about the math prompt on the SIS?  The last three years have seen the addition of a complex math problem on the SIS.  Inspiring Test Preparation’s Youtube channel has explanations to two of the problems and a third is on the “drawing board”.  Check out the videos there and then seek out other videos online for similar challenging problems.

 

What can you do with Inspiring Test Preparation?

Take our free at home math test for an first look at how well you do compared to the competition.

Sign up for a free 25-minute consultation to see what you need to do to get ready.

Come to our math drills on Tuesdays starting in February 2019.

Enroll in our geometry review/preview class the summer of 2019 — date to be announced.

Get essay writing instruction with Dr. Weinstein.

Enroll in one of our fall comprehensive TJ preparation courses.

Take our one-day SIS workshop in January.

Take our 3-hour diagnostic quant q, science, and reading test.  Call Kate at 703-203-5796 to schedule.  $100 fee.

2020-05-21T22:14:53-04:00

ACT/SAT Reveal Concordance Table

SAT vs. ACT – The classic battle between the two giants of standardized testing has long since been a concern for any student making their foray into preparation for college. After years of conflict, the SAT redesigned its test in 2015 to make it more similar to the ACT’s model. Despite this, ACT did not allow convergence from the new SAT due to the lack of data.

College Board developed and posted a concordance when it first released its latest SAT, but ACT objected to the unilateral effort because ACT believed there was insufficient data to draw conclusions. After two plus years of data on the new SAT, the ACT organization has decided that it has been long enough, and an ACT/SAT concordance table has been published on the ACT website. You can find the link here. This means that there is now an official ACT/SAT way to compare the two standardized tests. The table below shows a sample of the data in the convergence tables.

Note: For the sake of brevity, only ACT Scores from 26-36 will be shown. For information such as other scores and subject-specific convergence tables, please view the full document here.

SAT Total Range ACT Composite
1600-1570 36
1570-1530 35
1520-1490 34
1480-1450 33
1440-1420 32
1410-1390 31
1380-1360 30
1350-1330 29
1320-1300 28
1290-1260 27
1250-1230 26
In effect, this joint effort by the ACT and the SAT reduces the stress placed on the student by making them choose between the two tests. To all the folks at the ACT and the SAT, well done.
2020-05-21T22:11:26-04:00