How Homeschooled Students Should Prep for the SAT

How Homeschooled Students Should Prep for the SAT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education, about 1.7 million students are homeschooled. If you're part of this 3.4% of the population and are planning to apply to a 4-year college, then you'll probably be taking the SAT (or ACT). This guide will go over the best preparation strategies for succeeding on the SAT, while keeping in mind theunique strengths you bring to the tableas a homeschooled student. Before delving intospecifics of the SAT, let's consider the advantages that your homeschooled education has afforded you. Reflect On Your Strengths Homeschooled students don't always take as many timedor standardized tests as those in traditional schools. If you're concerned that homeschooling puts you at a disadvantage for doing well on the SAT, pause and reflect on some of homeschooling'spositive aspects. You likely have a more individualized curriculum and have been encouraged to pursue your individual interests. Perhaps you've had the freedom to reallyreflect on your strengths and weaknesses, where you excel and where you need to grow as a learner. This kind of self-awareness is hugely helpful for homeschool SAT prep, as you can target your weak areas, customize your study plan, and focus your energies where you can make the most progress. If you feel you've had less practice with standardized tests like the SAT, consider the kind of learning you have had and how it caninform your approach to test prep. Self-Awareness and SAT Prep Having a sense of your strengths and weaknesses can be a huge aidfor designing your SAT study plan. Do you speed through geometry problems, but get tripped up by probability? Do you absorb vocabulary like a sponge, but feel like it's impossible to write a whole 5-paragraph essay in only 25 minutes? Try to get a realistic sense of where you have cultivated skills and developed strong content knowledge. Rather than delving into everything at once, you can set small, manageable goals for yourself and make progress towards them with steadiness and purpose. To address the above examples, you could gather official SAT sample questions about probability and thoroughly studythe problems and answer explanations. You could read strategies about how to time your essay writing and come into the SAT prepared with versatile examples that work for many different essay questions. The best way to achieve your target scores on the SAT is to identify the areas that most need improvement and focus your test prep there. How (and where) do you learn best? Customization and Self-Teaching Does your homeschooled education allow you to be relatively self-directed in your learning? If your educators agree with Lee Binz,founderof The HomeScholar, then their "long-term plan is to make learners who can absorb material by themselves." If you have received this kind of "self-teaching curriculum," then you've had the opportunity to develop your independence, perhaps more so than have students in traditional school settings. Students who are most successful on the SAT don't study every concept all at once or mimic someone else's study and test-taking schedule. Instead, they customize their test prep for their own unique learning styles and needs. They take control of their test prep by setting aside time each week to focus on the material and benefit from being a self-directed learner on their homeschool SAT scores. Besides having the independence to shape your study plan and follow through with it, you may also have some input into shaping your curriculum and homework assignments and projects. If this is the case, it would be helpful to ask if you can integrate SAT prep into your classes and therebyconnectyour math, reading, and writing to SAT practice questions. Tilt YourCurriculum If you're encouraged to explore and articulate your interests and goals, as Binz described above, then your educators may be open to your suggestions. Gaining admission to a 4-year college is a notable goal, and gaining strong SAT scores are an important part ofachieving this goal. If this is your motivation, find out if you can integrate SAT prep into your curriculum. Perhaps you could add SAT math questions to your math studies, or practice writing timed persuasive essays. In addition to whatever other books you're reading, perhaps you can incorporate Critical Reading passages and questions. Practice answering objective multiple choice questions, which may or may not be a skill you're accustomed to in English class. Review SAT grammar rules and edit writing samples to practice for "improving sentence," "improving paragraph," and "identifying sentence error" SAT Writing questions. If you can integrate homeschool SAT prep into your studies, then you can link your classroom learning with the test and apply your understanding of math, reading, and writing to each section of the SAT. In order to do this successfully, you must have a thorough understanding of the content and skills that are tested on the SAT. Throwsome SAT prep in the mix. Understand the Content of the SAT Do you know how many questions are in each section of the SAT, and how much time you have to answer them? In order to effectively incorporate test prep into your curriculum or out-of-school studying, you should gain a deep understanding of what exactly is tested on the Math, Critical Reading, and Writing sections of the SAT. The following is a quick overview of the content in each section. Math tests number and operations, probability/statistics, algebra, and geometry. Most of the questions are multiple choice, but there are 10 grid-in questions that you will answer directly on the bubble sheet. Critical Reading asks you to read long, short, and paired passages and answer multiple choice comprehension questions. These often ask about the general purpose of the passage, along with tools of literary analysis like tone, style, inference, and interpretation of various details. These questions also often ask you about vocabulary in context, while the current SAT has stand-alone vocabulary fill-in questions as well. The new SAT in 2016 will continue to ask about vocabulary, but is eliminating these stand-alone questions in favor of providing more context. Writing starts out the SAT with the 25-minute essay, in which you are asked to provide your opinion and support it with examples from reading, observation, current events, or any other area. Additionally, you will answer multiple choice questions and use your understanding of grammar rules to identify sentence errors and improve sentences and paragraphs. Even if you are unused to timed standardized tests, all of these skills are basic math, reading, and writing skills that you practice inyour general education. Again, if you have some input into shaping your curriculum and homework assignments, then you can try to incorporate SAT practice and essay questions and reinforce your learning on the context of the SAT's tricky questions and strict timing. Outside of your classroom learning, you will need to make time devoted specifically to prepping for the SAT. Make Time for Test Prep Before you take your test, I would recommend spending at least ten hours really getting to know the content, format, and instructions of the test so you know exactly what to expect on test day. A study plan involving about 40 hoursmight get you ready to take the test for the first time, but a regimen of around100 hours of targeted practice would be more effective for improving your scores. While the amount of time you need to put in to boost your scores varies for each students, these are rough estimates of how many hours you should prep to raise your overall scores. SAT Composite Point Improvement 0-50 points - 10 hours 50-100points- 20 hours 100-200 points - 40 hours 200-300 points - 80 hours 300-500 points - 150 hours+ If you start early and spread your study plan out over months or even a year or more, then you can gradually improve and these hours won't seem like such a daunting task. You could spend about 2 to 3 hours a week starting 6 months before your test, and then increase your study time as the test date approaches. Of course you also don't want to put in more time than you need to, when you could be focusing on other areas of school, life, and preparing for college. So how can you maximize the effectiveness of your study time? One important part of test prep is simulating testing conditions to train your time management. Time flies when you're taking the SAT. Practice Timing Yourself The SAT is a strictly timed test, and once you've finished a section you can't revisit it or revise any answers. I would say these strict time limits are perhaps the biggest source of stress for students, especially those who like to process information at a more relaxed pace. Luckily, you can use strategies to improve your efficiency, as well as time yourself while you study and take practice tests to get better and better at working fast and well. I would recommend starting with a diagnostic practice test and simulating testing conditions. Sit in a quiet room with fewdistractions and time each section. Yourinitial score will just be a baseline. After studying and targeting your weaknesses, take another timed practice test and note your progress. Even if finishing in time is something you struggle with, practicing this skill at home will help you pace yourself on the SAT and manage your time effectively. You should also learn about and experiment with different strategies, like speed reading and using process of elimination to answer multiple choice questions. Get Strategic On Each Section While an understanding of certain math concepts and skills in reading and writing are important for doing well on the SAT, so is simply learning the tricks of the test and developing your ability to work quickly. For example, you don't have time to leisurely read the Critical Reading passages and take notes on what you find interesting. Instead, you should practice habits of skimming for important introductory points, transitions, and details related to the corresponding questions. While the essay might seem like a hard part of the SAT, you can basically use a tried-and-true 5 paragraph formula and show up prepared with dynamic examples that will work for most questions. Strategies for how to tackle each section, answer questions, and even fill in the bubble sheet (answering in chunks in your booklet and then transfering all at once can help save time) arehugely helpful in combination with your content knowledge for conquering the SAT. By trying out strategies, reviewing concepts and vocabulary, and sticking to your study schedule, you will see improvements in your SAT scores. Besides the strengths many homeschooled students bring as self-directed, independent learners, do they have any extra responsibilities when it comes to taking the SAT? Homeschooled Students and the SAT As a homeschooled student, you might not have as large a community of college-bound peersand guidance counselors as those in traditional school settings. Depending on your situation, you may have to shoulder more responsibility for designing and sticking to your homeschool SATprep schedule, keeping track of your academic progress and application materials, and meeting your college deadlines. If this sounds like, what can you do to stay on top of things? Be Proactive About Your Schedule This is easier said than done for a lot of students, but try to make the most of your time and establish routines for yourself, just as you would when learning how to playguitaror practicing soccer. Use a planner with hourly (or half-hourly) time increments or an online tool like Google Calendar. Set aside time to work towards your goals, like achieving your target SAT scores, and fulfill your college aspirations. If you're someone who's motivated by an approaching deadline or test date, then design your schedule to reflect that (while still leaving enough time to learn). If you prefer to spread out studying or practice and reap the benefits slowly over time, then honor that approach. These skills of actively taking control of your time will help you stay organized and achieve your goals in high school, college, and beyond. Do Your Research Part of your SAT prep plan is knowing what your target scores are, and part of determining that (apart from your own personal goals) are knowing your colleges' expectations. What are the average SAT scores for last year's accepted students? How much are SAT scores emphasized in the admission process? Does the school have a test flexible policy? When are your deadlines? Planning for college starts early. Check out websites, visit campuses, speak to admissions officers, and gain a clear sense of your colleges' expectations and requirements. Then figure out how to tell your story and stand out from the competition. Since you probably don't have a guidance counselor keeping you up to date on the SAT and prep courses, you need to seek out helpful homeschool SAT test prep resources. PrepScholar's online test program is one way to prepare, along with official practice tests, books, and SAT Question of the Day. Khan Academy is another good online resource, especially because it has recently offered sample questions for the upcoming redesigned SAT. Besides online and book resources, you can also make an appointment with a counselor at your local high school and seek his/her advice on SAT prep and college planning. Through it all, work onstaying organized to keep track of requirements, deadlines, and all the online passwords you're sure to collect. Stay Organized The best way to plan your schedule and keep track of your college planning is to create a system of organization that works for you. Write everything down, whether on paper or virtually, and stay on top of deadlines and test dates. If you start early with SAT prep, you can take the test several times and prep between each real test to improve your scores. If your homeschooled education helped you develop independence in your organization, learning, and time management, then use these skills to your advantage in the SAT and college planning process. Start early, study the test, and put in the time and effort to achieve your target SAT scores and gain admission into your college of choice. What's Next? Using official practice questions from the testmakers and taking timed practice tests are an essential part of your study regimen. Download official SAT practice tests and score them to diagnose your level and gauge your progress toward hitting your target scores. When exactly should you register to take the SAT? Are some test dates preferable to others? How many times should you take it, anyway? Learn how to choose your test dates and shape your study plan accordingly. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also feature thousands of practice questions, 10 official SAT practice tests, and personal feedback on your essays from an expert instructor. We work with a lot of homeschooled students who like the self-paced, self-guided nature of our online prep program. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Creativity a literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Creativity a literature review - Essay Example However, both definitions aren't accurate enough to describe the main two forms of creativity: the creative problem-solving and the role of social appraisal of judgment. So which to speak it itself is known as a multi-componential perspective. For instance, creativity that is seen from a human being is due to the interaction of the environment and the person his/herself. As an ongoing chain, even that isn't the true understanding of what creativity is. So as a couple of definitions , both Batey M. and Furnham A. believed it was the following: 1. Attributes of the inventive novel and useful to a particular social/cultural group. 2. Attributes to the person who came up with the idea of the product. 3. Attributes of the person assessing the creativity of the product and 4. Attributes of the environment including the following: source of evaluation, source of support, of resources, and the source of stimulation inspirable. The main target of how to establish the individual differences wa s in personality traits and intelligence. Testing personality has interacted a relationship of creativity and extraversion, openness to knowledge, and conscientiousness. When studying the creative intelligence, tests found weak relationship to psychometric intelligence. Convergent thinking is to come in or bring together while divert thinking is to turn aside from one course to another, to amuse. Studies have rated creativity to measures of intelligence to find that there were non-significant relationships. When you score quality aspects of creative answers, you get hypothesizes and tests that must be run multiple times and from there use different methods such as the following: FFM (Five Factor Model), IB (Ideational Behavior), and RIBS (Runco Ideational Behavior Scale

Research critique Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Critique - Research Paper Example Prior to its development, only partial checklists were available for qualitative researches. Other methods, which would have been used, for critiquing this research include Bray and Rees model of 1995 and Benton and Cormack model of 2000. These methods have been used prior to the COREQ method and can still be used for critiquing this research (Lee, 2006). The journal featured in the ERA ranking fro 2009. It can, therefore, be said to be highly regarded among numerous published journals. The authors of the report can be identified as professionals in the field. Kate and Jeannie are research fellows at the George Institute for International Health, Sydney, NSW. Cunningham works at Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, NT. Numerous related works of research can be associated with her. The other authors also work in related fields of medicine, and they can be termed as credible authors. The analysis of this research based on the credibility of the authors becomes immensely simplifie d. The title choice for the paper seems impressive. While catching the attention of the reader, it identifies a statement from a respondent (Kothari, 2006). It entices a reader to enquire what caused the statement highlighted to be made. Making this enquiry, the reader manages to review the research. The key point of the research sought to explain the understanding of different Australians concerning end-stage kidney disease. The research bases this on the need for effective communication between a patient and medical staff. The understanding of a patient about a disease can immensely help medical staff in offering the patient with desirable care (Devitt J, 2008). The research sought to establish perceptions of indigenous and non- indigenous Australians concerning the disease. The aim of the research can be identified as establishing the difference in understanding of the ESKD between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. The review of this topic provides a solid base for the r esearch. Existing evidence shows that, Indigenous people face numerous barriers when seeking medical care for the disease (Lawton J, 2009). It, therefore, becomes essential to establish the perceptions of these patients to enable healthcare workers understand the patients. Research team and reflexivity Reflexivity can be defined as the ability for an action to affect the person performing. The authors of this report need not be reflexive in order to avoid bias in their reporting. This can be extremely difficult, considering their profession. They, therefore, should try to limit their reflexivity towards the research. The authors are members of the profession aiming to benefit from the research, therefore, reflexivity can be allowed minimally. None of the researchers worked in the hospitals where the interviews were conducted. The researchers worked for various institutions within the medical profession but not directly in hospitals. The participants did not have any knowledge of the interviewer. The interview sought to establish a life narrative about the existence of the disease and, therefore, the participant did not know the reasons for giving the interview. The interviews were conducted through peer-to-peer mode (Holliday, 2007). This ensured comfort of the participant as the interviewer was conversant with the livelihood of the participant. The interviewer had some knowledge of the participant. With interviews conducted in indigenous languages, it became essential to use interviewers who

The Pros and Cons of Steel Construction to Firefighters Essay

The Pros and Cons of Steel Construction to Firefighters - Essay Example The advantages of steel construction are vast. First, steel is much lighter than other construction materials like wood, brick, and concrete. Second, it is resilient, it has an excellent strength to weight ratio, meaning it is able to support heavy weights with a low mass proportion. Third, it is malleable and is thus available in various shapes and sizes making it more efficient. Finally, it is cost effective. Its alloy nature is a combination of various elements that would have been expensive individually (Connell, 2005 pg 252). These advantages make firefighting easier for that; its light property makes it easier for firemen to move through rubble and save property as well as lives. In other buildings such as those constructed of concrete, maneuvering through the rubble is difficult for firemen making it hard for them to do their jobs. Also, steel is highly flame retardant. This makes it easier to put out fires and it less costly for fire departments. The main disadvantage of steel construction is that steel is an excellent conductor of heat and has a poor ability to resist fire (Connell, 2005 pg 251). In the event that the architect did not put in place specific measures for the particular building, the occurrence of a fire or high temperatures causes building disintegration. The improper placing of steel beams, joists and studs would cause a building to fall immediately in catastrophic events. These poor connections are what make steel construction hazardous to firemen. The high probability of steel to disintegrate makes it difficult for firemen to perform their duties during fires as there are chances of the building collapsing on them. Therefore extra precautions are required which may take time. Generally, steel construction makes firefighting easier.  

Final essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 6

Final - Essay Example Byzantine, the Persian, the Arab and the Ottoman were the most dominant empires that influenced and directed the cultural dimensions practiced in the region. Different countries in the region, however, had their religion, customs, language, and religion. This variation of cultural dimensions left a profound impact of the cultural representation observed today. Various aspects of culture: language and cuisine were exchanged with others from countries within member region. Cuisine varies in different member countries in the Middle East. There are similarities of common dishes in the region, but flavoring techniques differs among member countries. Olives and Chickpeas are used in cooking across the region, while chicken, beef, and lamb are popular foods in many countries. The region largely practices Islamic and, as a result, pork and alcohol is not allowed in many countries. Arabic is a widely spoken language in the region. However, Arabic has many different dialects depending on different countries, which make it difficult for members to comprehend dialects from various countries. Although there is a huge variation of dialects, there is a standard form of written Arabic common to all countries. Muslim is the widely practiced religion in the region and uses Arabic language in its teaching. Iran and Israel use different official languages; Iranians use Persian whereas Israelites use Hebrew and English. Upper-class citizens of most members in the Middle East use French. The cultural dimensions of the Middle East countries are highly influenced by religion. Many institutions in the region incorporate religious aspect, where Islamic stands out to be the most influential. However, there are two sects of Muslims, Shi’a and Sunni, who have theological and philosophical differences. Israel is dominated by Jewish religion and has a different culture from the rest of Middle East countries. Christianity is still practiced sparingly in a region,

Reflection Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflection - Case Study Example In addition, the author has explored the roles of managers, CFO’s, and strategists in ensuring that the aspects of competitive advantage and shareholder value coexist well in their companies. The author of this article has also discussed the aspects of short-term and long-term measures of earnings in a company. According to the author, most managers believe in short-term measures and dismiss the long-term. However, the author proves that it is important for a manager to focus on long-term valuations of cash flow. A major reason is that long-term orientation takes into account various important aspects in the market; include the pricing mechanism of the market. This article has a considerable relationship with basic financial management. Overall, the article addresses an aspect that involves planning and directing the use of the financial resources of a company. This includes all cash acquired from lenders and investors, as well as the cash obtained through the operations of the company. The author has tied this role to the Chief Financial Officer and other managers responsible. The responsibility of financial management in a company belongs to senior financial officers and/or owner of the company. Therefore, the author has tied this role to the responsible and relevant parties. The content of this article also to a larger extent addresses the aspect of cash management, which is important in Financial Management. For instance, in the article, the focus on cash flows in a company and how it affects company productivity and competitive advantage sheds light on the important practices that financial managers should adopt in order to ensure increased productivity, competitive advantage, and shareholder value for the company. The content of the article also addresses an important aspect in financial management, planning and forecasting. For instance, in the long-term orientation, the author notes that in order to have an accurate view of market pricing,

Open the Social Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Open the Social Science - Essay Example tain level of â€Å"cultism† develop around the male population, which causes them to be held in an almost deity-like way for the potential they hold as sources of propagation of the species. We might be surprised to see some very unusual circumstances develop around the males; the â€Å"Amazonian woman,† fiction come to life where a largely female society might â€Å"use† men in way that is now associated with fulfilling sexual fantasies, and for which some people even today might pay a high price to experience. Bizarre â€Å"tribal† ceremonies have historically and anthropologically surrounded the human male/female conditions, and in a society that where the population scales are permanently changed in a way that men would be less accessible to women, we might expect to see some very strange â€Å"ceremonial† tendencies manifest themselves even in a civilized culture. What we probably would not see in a society where the male/female proportions we re permanently altered, is a tendency towards same sex relationships. It is unlikely that because of a shortage of men heterosexual women would turn to lesbianism, especially since it would not propagate the species. To the extent that that did occur, it’s unlikely that we would see it in a pattern of â€Å"permanent relationships,† since a lesbian experience probably wouldn’t be any more satisfying to a heterosexual women in a society where there fewer men than it is in a society where there is a balance in the male-to-female numbers. 5.) Having gone to study a culture, with no knowledge of that culture’s language, and challenged by the rule of not asking questions, yet with the goal of determining what behavior within that culture was deemed by the culture to be â€Å"deviant,† would require employing a methodology of carefully documenting behavior through observation. It would be necessary to employ a methodology that pays strict attention to the emotional responses of the members of the society to the behaviors