Each new school year brings college admissions exam season for high school students. Starting with the PSAT in October of each year, standardized tests including the SAT, ACT, and the SAT Subject Tests are flying at you fast and furious.

To succeed overall, it is important for you to plan, prepare, and practice in order to perform. This is the key for a successful college admission exams experience, and will ensure that you reach your target scores. These “4Ps” can make you more confident and less anxious as you begin to tackle these exams.

Let’s review each of the 4P’s to better understand their importance:

1. Plan

Your first step to a successful college admissions exam experience is to develop a plan. As you develop your plan, outline when you will register and take each test as well as what you will do to prepare for each test.  Make sure you allot sufficient time in order to prepare, usually regular study for 2-3 months before your test date is sufficient.  However, the earlier you start, the more time you have to ensure you reach your “target score” – and only have to take each exam once!

2. Prepare and Practice

After you have developed your plan, the next step is to prepare. Research your top 3-5 colleges, and determine your “target score” for each exam you plan to take.  Your target score should be equal to or higher than the scores reported by the schools on your list.

You do not want to take these tests without ample preparation; just like any sport or musical instrument you play, practice is the key to making your testing experience successful and thereby reaching your target score. Begin your practice early, and study daily, if only for 30-90 minutes each day, to become familiar with the test format, question types, content, and timing. Preparation will help you to be less anxious, more confident, and focused going into the real exam.  Your results on these tests influence your future path so it pays to invest in the proper preparation to ensure that you reach your target score – and that you score high enough to earn scholarships too (which really makes the investment worthwhile)!  To position yourself to reach your target score, consider the following:

1. Working with an expert tutor.
2. Taking a prep course.
3. Utilizing preparation books.
4. Reviewing online resources.

The right kind of preparation for you can certainly help you to achieve your target score and maximize your chance of getting accepted into the colleges of your choice.   I can’t count the number of students whom have received test prep from a MathSP coach, and as a result of achieving a high test score, earned scholarships that helped pay for college.  You see, making the investment on the front end can really help to save money on the back end!

photo courtesy of  http://gabrielledouglas.com/

3. Perform 

Now that you’ve planned, prepared, and practiced, it’s time to perform. After years of practice, Douglas made her hard work count. Gold-winning US gymnast and Olympic All-Around champion Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas is a great example of how planning, preparation, and practice lead to a strong performance. As a member of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, she won gold medals in both the individual and team all-around competitions. You too can apply Gabby’s Olympic mindset when exam day arrives! It’s important to condition your body and mind. Don’t neglect putting the pieces in place that will lead to your strongest performance possible.  Be sure that you do the following:

1. Develop Mental Toughness – Prepare mentally every day. Just like Gabrielle Douglas strengthened her body for the Olympic Games, you can strengthen your mental muscle. Complete a mental workout by doing practice problems every day to dramatically improve your focus and ability to consistently execute.
2. Make Short Term Sacrifices for Long Term Gains – Gabby moved away from her family to train with her coach and become a world class gymnast.  As much as you can, be committed to studying in an environment that is similar to where you will take the test to simulate a real testing experience.
3. Get a Good Coach – Gabby clearly has plenty of raw talent, but the mentorship of her coach Liang Chow also played a major role in her success. You want your College Admission Exams coach to have proven expertise and credibility. The MathSP Team is here to be YOUR Liang Chow. We will help you maximize your raw talent, boost your skill set and understanding, and build your confidence.

Download the MathSP SAT & PSAT Prep iPhone App Today!

Studying just became more flexible… and fun! 

The MathSP SAT & PSAT Math Prep app was developed to help you practice on the go! Use this app to help you practice anytime, anywhere, and hone your math skills to prepare for test day!

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Explore how the MathSP SAT & PSAT Prep iPhone App works: 

Is your high school student prepared for the PSAT, which is scheduled on October 17 or October 20 - depending
on the school?  Though the PSAT is only a preliminary test, it becomes quite important in 11th grade when students may qualify for National Merit and Achievement Scholarships –  and College Board data shows the more practice
with the test, the better students score on the SAT.

Has your child planned, prepared, and practiced in order to perform?  Bestcollegesonline.com article
“13 Reasons the PSAT Is More Important Than You Think” was recently published to outine the importance
of the PSAT.  Bottom line: this test is important for high school 9th, 10th, and especially 11th graders, and the more prepared your child is, the better off he or she will be long-term.   Here’s what you need to know about the PSAT:

1. It’s the only way to qualify for a National Merit Scholarship:

   The National Merit Scholarship is a prestigious award that makes testing well on the PSAT a mandatory requirement for winning. As less than 1% of PSAT-takers progress far enough to be named Merit Scholars, the distinction is an instantly recognizable feature on any college application. And while winners will have other factors like academic record and an educator’s endorsement taken into consideration before progressing to finalist, it all starts with this little practice test.

2.  … which is a key to major college scholarships:

   This is probably the best-kept secret in the college scholarship world: schools practically kill to get National Merit Scholars at their schools, and they are willing to pay for the privilege of being able to boast a large number of them each year. The actual Nation Merit Scholarships themselves can stretch from $2,500 all the way up to $10,000 per year, and some schools will even offer free rides for worthy enough Scholars. But even finalists and semi-finalists for the award can see increased scholarship offers.

3. … which is important because fewer scholarships are being handed out:

   Anything you can do to increase your odds of landing a scholarship is important, because the amount of scholarship money to be had is steadily dropping. According to student lender Sallie Mae, grants and scholarships fell from an average of $7,124 per undergraduate to $6,077 for the 2011-2012 academic year, a whopping 15% slide. Colleges are starting to make it harder to qualify for merit-based scholarships, which makes being a National Merit finalist or winner even more critical.

4. If you qualify, you’ll also gain access to the National Achievement Scholarship Program:

   The NASP is a scholarship program that’s only available to black high school students and is responsible for 700 scholarships of $2,500 each. Like the National Merit Scholarship, the door is also opened to corporate scholarships. Nearly 5,000 black students are honored each year, and of those, 3,100 get college referrals as promising candidates. The PSAT also puts black students on the radar of advisors and recruiters through the National Scholarship Service.

5. It’s vital practice for the real thing:

   The proof that taking the PSAT pays off is already out there: the College Board found that last year, students who took the PSAT scored 145 points higher on the SAT than their peers who skipped the PSAT.

6. It could be a good wakeup call:

   October is the most popular month for seniors to take the SAT because it gives them time to take it at least once more before college applications become due around the first of the year. Many who are unhappy with their scores will take it two or even three more times, trying to improve. It is much more advisable to iron out the kinks your junior or even sophomore year by taking the PSAT. That gives you plenty of time to increase your studying level, if necessary.

7. The majority of kids’ SAT results show they’re not ready for college:

   Clearly most students today need more studying and practice-testing time, as last year’s crop of SAT-takers proved. According to the College Board’s College and Career Readiness Benchmark, only 43% of students who took the SAT in 2011 demonstrated with their scores that they were prepared to move on to college-level courses. Scores fell in all three categories of the SAT, with reading scores at their lowest mark in four decades.

8. It provides a way for colleges to contact you:

   It’s to your advantage as a college-bound student to make it as easy as possible for colleges to get ahold of you. Through a program called the Student Search Service, the College Board (the group that administers the PSAT and SAT) allows students to share “personal and preferential” information with more than 1,100 colleges and scholarship boards for no cost. The service is opt-in, and you won’t get bombarded by spam mail. The SSS is a great way to hear from colleges you may never have considered.

9. It allows you to stack yourself up against other students:

   While you should have a fairly good idea what kind of college you can expect to get into after you graduate, there’s also a fairly strong chance of overestimating your marketability to a school. You don’t want to find out by trial and error that your strong SAT score and above-average grades aren’t good enough to get you into your top choice (as happened for some in the Class of ’16). And although the PSAT won’t entirely solve this problem, it will give you a good idea of how you rank compared to your competition while you’re still in your junior year and have time to make changes.

10. You can take advantage of My College QuickStart:

    Every student who takes the PSAT gets access to a program called My College Quickstart. It’s a free resource that lets you use your PSAT scores to predict your future SAT score, go over questions you got wrong on the test, see a list of recommended colleges that are a match for your stated degree interest, have a customized SAT study plan created for you, and even view suggested majors and career choices that might be a fit for you.

11. It can help you study smarter:

    Once you’ve used My College Quickstart to review what kinds of questions you missed on the PSAT, you’ll be armed with invaluable knowledge about where to target your studying. We know it’s the real world, and you have only so much time to dedicate to SAT prep, so why waste time studying for a subject you clearly already have down cold?

12. You need to take it to keep up with your classmates:

    Your peers may have made it even more important to take the PSAT your junior year, because some of them have already taken it once or even twice by their junior year. The College Board reports over half (56%) of the PSAT-takers in 2011 were sophomores or younger, which on average helps them score 3.5 points higher on each section of the PSAT their junior year.

13. It can encourage you to take some advanced placement courses senior year:

    An SAT score comes too late to allow a student time to schedule one or two AP classes in high school. As you are no doubt aware, most colleges want to see at least one of these college-level courses on an application as evidence that students have challenged themselves and can handle more difficult material. If you’re doubting your own abilities, your PSAT score could give you the proof that you can handle the work and should go for it.

MathSP can help your child excel on all sections of the PSAT & SAT!  Learn more about MathSP SAT & PSAT prep options.

On Sunday, August 26, 2012, MathSP presented “Knowledge for College!,” a college admission, financial aid, and test prep workshop at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. After opening remarks by Alicia Sierra, Assistant Dean of the Goizueta Business School, the event kicked off with a panel discussion and a question and answer session. The speakers for the panel discussion included Stephanie Espy, President of MathSP Tutoring and Test Prep; Elisa Buckner, President of Access2Admission; John Sisk, the Assistant Director of Financial Aid and Admission of Emory University; Brandon Lay, the Assistant Director of Admission of Georgia Tech; and Karen Powell, President of College Fund Resource.  Some of the questions addressed during the panel included:

• What is the common application and what is required for a complete college application?
• What tests are required for college admission, and how do the tests differ?
• When should a student begin preparing to take admission exams? How should a student prepare for these standardized exams?  What score should students be striving to achieve on these tests?
• What are the top three factors for college admission?
• What qualifies a good essay from a poor essay?
• What can students do to stand out in their application?
• What types of scholarships are available to students and what are some of the common requirements in order to be awarded a scholarship?
• Why is summer enrichment important and what types of programs should students attend?
• What types of aid are available and who is eligible?
• What is the difference between FASFA and theCSSProfile, and do students need to reapply every year?
• What information needs to be provided when applying for financial aid?

After the panel discussion, the larger group consisting of 350 participants was divided into four smaller groups for the breakout sessions.  The speakers rotated between each breakout room and presented detailed information pertaining to college entrance exams and preparation - PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP Exams, SAT Subject Tests - (Ms. Espy), admission requirements and aid - Emory University - (Mr. Sisk), scholarships criteria and admission considerations (Ms. Buckner), admission requirements and aid - Georgia Tech - (Mr. Lay), and financial aid planning (Ms. Powell).

Click on the links below to download the event program, speakers’ bios, handouts, and presentations:

• Attendee Agenda
• Speaker Bios
• SAT/PSAT and ACT General Information and Statistics
• Stephanie Espy (MathSP) – College Entrance Exams: Plan, Prepare, Practice, Perform Presentation
• Elisa Bennett Bucker (Access2Admission) – Defining College Readiness Presentation
• John Sisk (Emory University) – College Admission Process Presentation
• Brandon Lay (Georgia Tech) – College Planning and Admission Presentation
• Karen Powell (College Fund Resource) – College Financial Aid Planning Presentation 

After the breakout sessions, the groups came together again and gathered in the main auditorium for the prize drawing and closing remarks from Stephanie Espy.  To enter the drawing, each family was asked to submit a feeedback form.  Some of the comments from students and parents included:

• “It has been over 20 years since I have been through the college admit process.  Things have changed, and this workshop was just what I needed.”
• “So glad I came!  I wish all my friends had too!”
• “All aspects of the college admission process were addressed.”
• “Starting early is the key.  I’m glad my son and I were here to gain valuable information!”
• “So glad I now have a jump start on the college admissions process – and I can take a SAT Subject Test this year as a sophomore.”
• “Great advice.  So much great information about college preparation.”
• “Extremely informative.  A must need!”
• “Excellent information.  The earlier the better!”
• “I enjoyed the individual speakers from different backgrounds.  To have representation from Emory and Georgia Tech was valuable.”
• “My classmates do not understand enough about preparing for college, and this workshop answers all of the questions.”
• “I recommend this workshop to all to get a jump start on planning for sending your kids to college.”
• “Very informative, well-organized, and well-presented.  Time well spent on a Sunday.”

All of the feedback forms were placed in a box for the prize drawing; students received many educational and enrichment items, including books from Little Shop of Stories, gift cards for books from Book Nook, tickets to Zoo Atlanta, tickets to the High Museum, school notebooks from MathSP, backpacks from Nike, a $100 giftcard to The Container Store, and even a free MathSP SAT/PSAT Prep small group course – all items were donated in kind by our sponsors.

Thank you again for your interest in MathSP and the 2012 “Knowledge for College!”  workshop.  We look forward to helping your child succeed academically and on college entrance exams.  Please feel free to contact us at info@MathSP.com or (678) 628-4650 for your child’s tutoring or test prep needs!

“Knowledge for College!” is a FREE seminar designed to educate students in grades 8-12 and their parents on the college admissions process; format, structure, and content of standardized exams including the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject Tests; and scholarships and financial aid resources and opportunities.

Attendees will hear from college admissions, financial aid, scholarship, and test prep experts and receive test prep study resources. If your child is in middle or high school, now is the time to start planning for college admission!

Register Today!

Register Today!

Workshop includes:

• Hear from MathSP founder on the differences between the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and SAT Subjet Tests and how to prepare
• Learn valuable information from Emory University and Georgia Tech admission representatives
• Learn valuable information from scholarship and financial aid experts and advisors
• Receive free testing and study resources
• Receive a free MathSP PSAT/SAT test prep phone app
• Raffle for a free MathSP SAT Prep course valued at $849

Official Knowledge for College! Sponsors:

Please Note: Registration is required as space is limited. Reserve your space today!

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