FREE Test Prep Resources for ACT and SAT

Back in the day, only the ACT provided a FREE downloadable guidebook with a full-length practice test and test prep tips. The SAT did not provide much in the way of free resources.

The tides changed when the College Board redesigned the SAT in 2016. Upon launching a new test format, the College Board also launched a partnership with Khan Academy to create an entirely new and FREE test prep platform with FREE full-length practice tests and tons of study resources.

Now the ACT has pushed to be king of the free resource hill with the recently launched ACT Academy, a FREE online platform full of practice tests, test prep tips and more.

With so many free resources available, this is a glorious time to be prepping for the SAT and ACT.

I am hopeful that free resources will even the playing field. Test scores on standardized tests have historically shown that students who have access to resources will outperform students who don't have resources. Put differently, standardized tests are biased towards those students who had the money to buy guide books, the time to take practice tests or the resources to hire tutors.

Free resources may not completely remove this bias, but they are a good start.

If you need help navigating the resources for the SAT or ACT, contact CROSSWALK today. We offer free resources too, like this this blog, as well as financial assistance or pro bono work for many of our programs.

Spring ACT/SAT Test Prep Series: Register Now!

Register today for a focused and individualized SAT and ACT test prep program by Brooke Higgins of CROSSWALK.

Starting Tuesday, March 27, CROSSWALK is hosting a six-week Spring ACT and SAT Test Prep Series.

Attend in person at the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach or via Skype.

All sessions meet on Tuesday evenings from 6-7:30pm. Here is the schedule:

• 3/27: SAT and ACT Test Overview and General Strategies
• 4/3: Reading Strategies for Success
• 4/10: Math Strategies for Success
• 4/17: Writing Strategies for Success
• 4/24: Science Strategies for Success
• 5/1: Essay Strategies for Success

Drop in for the session you need and pay by the class or sign up for the whole program and save.

Sign up via the following form. 

Questions? Or need further information? Contact CROSSWALK.

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula's local resource for SAT, ACT, PSAT, SSAT prep and academic tutoring. 

Test Prep Radio Hour Update

What a joy it has been to host the Test Prep Radio Hour on KSPB 91.9FM. For the past two months I have been on the radio from 4-5pm every Thursday with test prep advice and fun music. 

Weekly themes have included the test prep mindset, test content vs test context, how to play the numbers game, the math toolbox and more. 

Even though we have covered some great stuff, we have barely scratched the surface of many major test prep topics. 

I am excited to continue to host the Test Prep Radio Hour but the show will be on hold starting today until we are back on the air March 15th. 

Tune into KSPB91.9FM or stream the show at www.kspb.org starting March 15th and every subsequent Thursday from 4-5pm. 

Also, feel free to contact me via this blog or my twitter handle (@brookewhiggins) to send me questions, comments or suggestions for test prep advice and music. I would love to hear from you and we can likely get your question or suggestion on the air. 

In the mean time, feel free to contact CROSSWALK to find out how we can help you prepare for the ACT, SAT, PSAT, SSAT and all academic classes. 

Challenge with ACT Science is NOT Science

"I am no good at ACT Science," my students tell me frequently. Too frequently, in fact, to be a coincidence.  

The first problem with this statement is the fixed mindset. Someone with a growth mindset would offer, "I am no good at the ACT Science yet." 

The second problem with this statement may have less to do about Science and more to do about stamina. 

Stamina may be the main challenge on the ACT since the Science section is the last section of the test. After hours of testing, tackling another section of critical and logical thinking may just be too much for students to handle. 


However, every challenge offers an opportunity. The opportunity here is to improve test-taking stamina. 

Yes, the key strategies to ACT Science--like annotating passages, covering up answer choices to state your own answer first and eliminating answer choices based on themes--are all valid and helpful. 

Also, students will improve their scores by building stamina and concentration over long periods of time. The best way to do this is with lots of full-length practice tests. Prepare for the marathon by practicing marathons. 

Another method, and much less taxing, is the Hocus Pocus Super Focus method:

1) Remove all distractions. 
2) Hunker down for thirty minutes on an assignment, academic activity or critical thinking task. 
3) At the end of the period, take a five-minute break. 
4) Repeat this until your focus is sustained easily for thirty minutes. 
5) Now go for longer periods or more consecutive periods. 

If you cannot make it thirty minutes, try a shorter period until that is comfortable and build from there. 

The stamina needed for the ACT or SAT is sustained focus for about four or five periods of fifty minutes with five-minute breaks. 

As you build your stamina, remind yourself that you will be more fatigued later the process. Use this knowledge to your advantage and fine tune your focus toward the end. 

ACT Science may not be so bad after all. My students who claim ACT Science is too hard soon learn that focused stamina makes a major difference. 

Build your stamina, build your confidence and watch your score improve. For more test-taking tips and academic support, contact CROSSWALK today. 

1,000 Reasons to NOT Stress on ACT & SAT

Almost two years ago I wrote a blog post about 850 reasons to NOT stress about the SAT and ACT.

Now there are more than 1,000 reasons. 

Check out this list produced by FairTest of over 1,000 colleges that "do not use SAT and ACT scores to admit substantial numbers of students into bachelor-degree programs."

Cue the sound of a valve turning and pressure releasing.

Do you hear that? That is the sound of the release of any stress and pressure around the SAT and ACT. With over 1,000 schools that don't care about your test score, why should you stress?

Stress clouds the brain. An unstressed brain learns better than a stressed brain. Walk into the SAT or ACT stressed out and your score will drop. 

The first step in any test prep is to remove as much stress as possible from the process. My students repeat the following mantra over and over: "Stress is the enemy of test performance."

It's okay to use a little stress to get focused and prepared but too much stress will lead to miserable testing experiences and performances. So use this latest update from FairTest as confirmation that you need NOT stress. 

Sure, you may be interested in schools that are not on this list. Schools not on this list still weigh SAT and ACT test scores heavily in the process of admission. However, at a minimum, the schools on the FairTest list offer terrific alternatives. 

So don't stress. Let your brain work and learn to its full capacity. Consequently, your confidence and your score will improve.

For studying advice on the SAT, ACT, PSAT, SSAT and academic subjects, contact CROSSWALK. 

How to Achieve More ACT and SAT Success

The ACT and the SAT are basically a numbers game. Scaled scores, raw scores, percentiles, number of correct answers to achieve your goal score, total questions, total minutes per section, points per minute, etc. It's all about the numbers. 

But there is one number that is guaranteed to get your more successes on the SAT and ACT. 

Failures.

Yes, failures. The more failures you achieve, the more successes you build. 

It's the most basic numbers game of all and it is one salespeople know too well. If you want more sales, then go out and seek more rejection. Each rejection can teach you how to sell more and along the way some of those rejections will become successes.

Same with the ACT and SAT. The more times you fail at a particular question type or section, the more you will succeed. You can learn from your failures and along the way you will figure out how to  achieve more success. 

It's not rocket science, it is just time on task. Put in the time, try problem after problem, dissect your score reports and learn how to get better. 

As Napoleon Hill once said, "Patience, persistence and preparation make an unbeatable combination for success."  

I love students who come to me to say "I bombed that test." The failure they see in their mind is a step closer to success in my mind. 

Learn from your failures with CROSSWALK, the Monterey Peninsula's local resource for SAT, ACT,  PSAT, SSAT and academic subjects. 

Test Prep Radio Hour on KSPB

Test prep advice is coming to your radio in 2018! 

Turn your radio dial to 91.9 KSPB every Thursday from 4:00-5:00pm as I host the Test Prep Radio Hour. 

Join me as I play tunes and dish out study tips on how to prepare for the SAT, ACT, PSAT, SSAT and other standardized tests as well as general study advice. 

Students will learn how best to prepare for standardized tests and parents can learn how best to support their learners. 

If you live near the Monterey Peninsula, turn your FM radio dial to 91.9 every Thursday from 4:00-5:00pm. If you do not live locally, you can live stream the Test Prep Radio Hour at www.kspb.org. 

Call me during the show at 831-625-5078 or tweet me @brookewhiggins with your questions or comments. I will be sure to answer your questions on air. 

Best of all, this is totally free! 

And don't forget to contact CROSSWALK about the upcoming SAT/ACT Winter Test Prep Series. 

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula's local resource for academic tutoring and test prep.