SAT Score: Context > Content

Read a chapter, memorize the terms and regurgitate them on a test. It's content-based learning at its finest and it's standard practice in most schools. 

Much of learning is based on acquiring and retaining new content. For some educators, content is king. Their goal is to stock a student's brain with as much information as possible. 

While learning content is certainly a big part of education, it's not the only part. Sometimes, context is more important than content. To truly learn, one must make connections across content to comprehend the context of a situation. 

It's a skill that the College Board feels predicts college performance and that is why many SAT questions are based on context more than content. 

Take math questions, for instance. Rarely do you find a straightforward Algebra problem like "solve for x." Instead, you have to "solve for x" in the context of a Geometry problem, or a word problem. 

On the reading section, vocabulary questions require more than rote definitions. You have to fill words in the blanks based on clues that the sentence provides. 

In other words, the context of a situation is more important than the content. If this were a math equation it would be: context > content. 

Score more on the SAT by understanding that context, and not content, is king on the SAT. 

Contact CROSSWALK to learn about SAT & ACT Boot Camps, private tutoring and other academic support. 

On the SAT: Attitude > Aptitude

Your attitude is more important than your aptitude. 

While this may be applicable in life, it certainly is key for test preparation. Especially on the SAT. 

The power of positive thinking is a foregone conclusion. Think you will do well, and you will. Think you will perform poorly, and you will. 

But a positive attitude is just the start. To succeed on the SAT and other standardized tests, you must possess more than optimism. The SAT requires a focused mindset and a determined test-taking mentality. 

Simply put, the SAT necessitates a unique approach. Memorization and regurgitation are skills that work well in school but not so on the SAT. More than just rehashing content, the SAT questions require a keen focus, a clear understanding of the scoring, and an individual approach that both leverages strengths and compensates for weaknesses.  

Achieving the right attitude for maximum success means ample preparation, stress-free practice, comfort in a testing environment and familiarity with the format. And yes, a little optimism. 

There is no way to avoid the fact that the SAT is an aptitude test. But in order for your aptitude to shine, your attitude needs to be in line on test day. As Zig Ziglar famously put it, "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." 

Get your attitude aligned with the help from CROSSWALK. The Monterey Peninsula's local resource for SAT test prep, CROSSWALK offers Boot Camps and private tutoring to get your attitude in line for success. Contact us today to learn more. 

What Can I Do Just Before the SAT?

Here's a frequently asked question: What can I do the last couple of days before the SAT?

First, what not to do: stress. Once you start to stress out, your brain does not work as well. A little stress can be productive as a motivator but it should generally be avoided at all costs. That is why you can't cram for the SAT. And it's also why you probably shouldn't try to take a full-length practice test days before the real test.

Now, what you can do: try an SAT Walkthrough. If you only have days before the test, pick up one practice test in any reputable study guide and walk through the pages. Read the directions and skim the problems. In your mind, review your test-taking strategies and tell yourself how you would tackle each question. Limit yourself to 90 minutes for this activity so as to not create any stress.

In fact, CROSSWALK is now offering SAT Walkthroughs every Wednesday evening before the SAT. Join us as we review tactics, timing, scoring and more. Students new to the SAT and students experienced with the test will benefit from the guided discussion. The next one is scheduled for January 23 at the Stevenson School. Contact CROSSWALK for details.

CROSSWALK is Monterey Peninsula's local resource for test prep, SAT & ACT Boot Camps, private tutoring and academic support. Visit CROSSWALK or contact CROSSWALK today. 

The Most Important SAT Vocabulary Word

Do you find rote memorization of vocabulary abhorrent? Does SAT vocabulary seem like an impregnable fortress of nonsensical words?

Hold on. What does "abhorrent" mean? And what about "impregnable"?

Curse those SAT vocabulary words. Sure, they are useful for reading comprehension and writing, but nobody wants to memorize lists of words all day. Reciting words and their definitions is just plain boring.


Instead, learn the most important SAT vocabulary word: equanimity.

Equanimity is not only a word found on the SAT, it is a philosophy for conquering the test. Equanimity means mental calmness and composure especially when faced with a difficult situation. As in, "it takes tremendous equanimity to succeed on the SAT." 

Sounds like a good approach on test day: keep your cool, stay focused, and maintain an even temper throughout the nerve-wracking marathon of a test.

Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid the challenging vocabulary found on the SAT. You can circumvent the monotony of list memorization by using learning tools like flash cards. Tech-savvy folks can use and create online versions of flashcards at places like Quizlet and VerbaLearn. 

Just don't forget that your equanimity on test day will be the most important word and approach on test day. 

By the way, abhorrent means loathsome and impregnable means unable to defeat.

Start your test preparation with an SAT Boot Camp from CROSSWALK. Check www.crosswalkeducation.com for camp dates, information on private tutoring and more resources for academic success. 

3 Ways to Maximize SAT and ACT Study Time

Suzie is a typical high school student. She attends school all day, plays sports in the afternoon, studies about two hours a night and squeezes in meetings during the week for student council. Weekends are busy with tournaments and she even has a part time job on some evenings.

If you are like Suzie, you know the challenge of finding time to get ready for the SAT or ACT. Carving out study time for test preparation is not easy to do when your calendar is  full of activities. 

With such a busy schedule, what can Suzie do? 

Assuming she can dedicate some study time for the SAT or ACT, Suzie will need to maximize her time to the fullest, Here are a three ways to maximize your SAT or ACT study sessions: 

1) Avoid Stress: it is scientifically proven that stress kills brain cells. You need all the brain cells you can get for standardized tests. If you are stressed during a study session, you will not retain the information. Take a step back and find a time where you are not stressed to do your test prep.

2) Focus in the Now: your study sessions will be more productive when you remove all distractions and simply focus on the test prep materials. That means no music, no cell phone, no tv, and most importantly, no thinking about anything other than test prep. When you strip away all distractions and thoughts about other things, your brain will focus intently and you will process the material more effectively and efficiently. 

3) Practice Perfectly: the old adage "practice makes perfect" doesn't always apply for test prep unless you practice perfectly. Practicing perfectly means recreating the testing environment as much as you can. When prepping for the SAT or ACT, be sure to practice your key strategies just as you would on the test. For example, get in the habit of skipping the most difficult questions on the SAT. On the ACT, be sure you get an answer for each question as there is no punishment for wrong answers. Another key way to practice perfectly is to time yourself. After all, this is a timed test so you may as well time your practice. 

Maximizing your study time is crucial for the SAT and ACT. In a perfect world, students would have loads of time to take practice tests, review strategies and memorize common question types. 

Unfortunately, our world is not perfect so we must maximize the available time to make it as productive as possible. Whether or not you have the luxury of time on your hands, be sure to maximize it to the fullest. 

You can also maximize your SAT or ACT test prep with a Boot Camp from CROSSWALK. The Monterey Peninsula's resource for tutoring over the past ten years, CROSSWALK has prepared hundreds of students for the SAT, ACT and more. CROSSWALK can also match private tutors with individual students in a variety of academic subjects. Contact us today to learn more or check our Boot Camp Calendar for the next one-day camp. 

Carelessness is a Punishable Offense

One of the worst yet most common standardized test horror stories has to do with those silly little bubbles. Invariably, in just about every Boot Camp that I do, one student shares a story like the following:

"I knew I needed to skip one question because it was just too hard. I figured I would come back to it later if I had more time. So I moved onto the next question. When I got towards the end of this test, I almost had a heart attack. As I was filling in the bubble for question #18, I realized had actually worked on question #19 in my test booklet. Turns out, I was filling in all of the wrong bubbles starting from the question I had skipped! With only minutes to go in the test, I had to erase and fill in bubbles like mad. It was a disaster!"

The good news is that the student followed a good test-taking strategy: skip questions that you can't do quickly and try to come back to them later.

The bad news is that the careless approach to filling in bubbles made this "question-skipping" strategy backfire.

I always tell my students to remember that those bubbles are not graded by a person, they are graded by a machine. If it were a person, they might give you the benefit of the doubt. A teacher might have given partial credit, for example. But a machine only recognizes correct answers, incorrect answers or blank answers. There is nothing in between. So a machine will indeed punish a student if he or she is careless.

Same goes for stray marks on an answer sheet or bubbles that are not filled in properly: for better or worse, carelessness is a punishable offense on standardized tests.

Don't let a machine tell you if you whether or not you performed well on a standardized test. Let your answers dictate your scores by checking your test booklet every so often. A half second spent double-checking your answer sheet to make sure you are filling in the corresponding bubble, completely filling in the bubble and erasing all stray marks will pay off in the long run.

Learn more test-taking tips with an SAT or ACT Boot Camp from CROSSWALK. The Monterey Peninsula's resource for tutoring over the past ten years, CROSSWALK has prepared hundreds of students for the SAT, ACT and more. We host one-day Boot Camps for SAT and ACT and we also match private tutors with individual students in a variety of academic subjects. Contact us today to learn more or check our Boot Camp Calendar for the next one-day camp. 

2 for 1 Boot Camp...No Better Deal in Town!

Save money, learn quickly and boost your score on the SAT or ACT. You can't go wrong with this deal!

CROSSWALK is now offering a 2 for 1 deal that cannot be missed: two students for the price of one for upcoming ACT and SAT Boot Camps. There is a limited number of spots available for this deal, so you must act fast if you want to get in on this.

The Monterey Peninsula's local resource for academic tutoring for the past ten years, CROSSWALK has prepared hundreds of students for the SAT and ACT. We've hosted numerous one-day Boot Camps for SAT and ACT and we have also successfully matched private tutors with individual students in a variety of academic subjects.

If you are in need of an academic boost, CROSSWALK is your path to learning success.

More importantly, if you are preparing for the ACT or SAT, you need to contact CROSSWALK today. Let us help you determine the best path to test-taking success. And now with our special 2-for-1 offer, you will no doubt save some money and still learn effectively and efficiently.

New Boot Camps are always forming. Check our calendar or contact us directly to set up your own group. at 2-for-1 pricing, you can't go wrong!