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Don’t Be Bored When Reading

If I had a nickel for every time a student has complained during a tutoring session that, “Ugh….these readings are SO BORING…,” I would be a very rich woman. Believe me; I get it. Who wants to read about black holes or Mark Twain at 8 am on a Saturday morning? I know the passages… Read more »

Being is BAD!

No heroic adventure of epic proportions is complete without a bad guy. An ugly, terrible, maniacal villain. In the quest for standardized testing achievement, “being” is that bad guy. “Being” is the villain because he looks like a good guy. He is going to sound like he fits ever-so-nicely into a sentence, but this is… Read more »

Get the Last Laugh When Reading

Want to get the last laugh in the SAT or ACT reading section? Pay close attention to the last line – better yet, underline this line. Chances are the last line is the key to the reading because this line concludes the author’s message and contains the extremely important MAIN IDEA. In fact, the entire… Read more »

Take Control: Play to Your Strengths on the ACT Reading Section

Hey, guess what? Nobody’s watching over your shoulder as you take the ACT. And that means when it comes to the reading passages, you get to pick which one you read first. The ACT always includes four readings, always in the same order: prose, social science, humanities and natural science. Now, most students (I’d say… Read more »

Increase Your Speed on the ACT Science Section

If the ACT Science section was six hours long, almost everyone would get a perfect score. Unfortunately, you only have 35 minutes. Here are 6 tips to increase your speed: 1. Don’t pause between questions. When you take school tests or other standardized tests, you might be used to looking over your answer for a… Read more »

Subjective vs. Objective

I receive many questions about understanding the difference between these two key terms — here is my answer! Subjective questions and readings are tied to EMOTION. Objective questions and readings are tied to FACT. When reading a science passage, ask yourself, “Is this an objective or subjective piece?” If the passage is objective, the questions… Read more »

ACT English: WEAR ONE HAT

I don’t know about you, but it is not often that I see someone walking down the street wearing two hats. Yet, metaphorically, students often wear two hats when they address the English section of the ACT. And, as we know, wearing two hats is a fashion no-no! There are two types of questions in… Read more »

The Return of the Pink Eraser!

Do not show up to the SAT or ACT with a mechanical pencil, and definitely do not show up with a bad eraser! Every year I yell and scream these Do Nots and every year students don’t listen and there are tears! Therefore, this year I am putting these Do Nots in writing. Here’s what you need to know… Read more »

WilsonPrep’s Top Ten Study Habits

Now that students are settled into the school year and the tutoring routine, I am getting lots of questions from parents about how their children should be studying at home. Preparing for the SAT and ACT is different than preparing for school exams; therefore, students need to be ready to try new methods. However, your… Read more »

Know Your Current Events!

This week Time magazine published its annual 100 Most Influential People, and I practiced my yearly ritual of reading it thoroughly, taking notes as I read. Why did I do this? Because bringing in current events is the key to getting a strong SAT essay score. History, literature, sports and personal examples all provide powerful… Read more »

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