Why are first-rate college essays so hard to write? There are a lot of reasons. Many students wait to start writing them until the last minute — and it’s hard to do anything well that way. A bigger problem is that college essays seem to ask us to Be Remarkable, to Be Amazing. We know […]
Why do so many teenagers hate and dread studying for the SSAT? Because the studying is often repetitive and mind-numbingly boring. So the way to get them to study is to make studying into a game. Here are some games and tips you can use for the Verbal, Reading and Math sections of the test. […]
A lot of people think that the science portion of the ACT is the worst, and with good reason. The science section looks like everything bad about the math and reading sections combined into one long, complicated mess. Fortunately, while the ACT science test seems pretty scary at first glance, it’s actually a lot easier […]
The new SAT essay is much like any 5-paragraph essay you’ve written for school. It provides a reading passage (“a source text”), for which students must write an essay, analyzing the author’s argument and elements, like simile and metaphor that the author uses to bolster his claim. You’ll have 50 minutes for the essay. While […]
Paragraph 1: Introduction Paraphrase the author’s claim in a “roadmap” sentence that lists three features the author uses to convince the reader of his or her argument. You will then discuss each feature in a separate body paragraph. Student Example 1: “Adam Summers conveys this through citing statistics, appealing to the audience’s emotions and sense […]