9486 in the collection
'Hack the SAT' author cuts through test's secrets
Ohanian Comment: I happen to love the semi-colon and find it amusing that anybody thinks the dash is a sign of sophistication. But just think of the horror of all the SAT prep classes in semi-colons and dashes that will result from this pop analysis of the SAT. What we have here is just one more example of "gaming the system." As this college shows, colleges do it, so why shouldn't students do it?
Cynicism trumps learning every time. If you doubt this proclamation, here's the subtitle of the book: Strategies and Sneaky Shortcuts That Can Raise Your Score Hundreds of Points.
The main message of the book seems to be "take the SAT multiple times."
In the "product description," the book's author is described as a "contributor to USA Today. Maybe that's why he gets such a glowing review. Here is the rest of the product description, sent by the publisher to Amazon.com:
Product Description
A top SAT coach—whose high-scoring strategies earned him $300 an hour from Manhattan’s elite private-school students —now makes his unique, proven secrets available to all.
Money can buy academic success, and the SAT is no exception. Harvard honors graduate Eliot Schrefer discovered this lucrative truth when he took a job at the nation’s most exclusive test-prep firm. He has helped hundreds of his clients raise their scores an average of 300 points and reel in admission to exclusive colleges. Now, in a guide that is as unique as his tricks, Schrefer brings his extraordinary pointers to every anxious applicant.
This user-friendly rescue manual delivers such scoreboosting features as:
• a killer vocabulary list, including words the SAT has repeated for decades (and why reading Vanity Fair magazine is smart test prep)
• cheap tricks to master the math section (surprise! you learned all you needed to know about SAT math by the eighth grade)
• how to be a grammar genius without cracking another book (bonus: discover the tiny subset of grammar rules that is the SAT’s secret lover)
Schrefer writes in a snappy, conversational tone, dishing gossipy anecdotes about former clients while presenting advice not found in competing books. With a design that is as vibrant as a gamer’s virtual world, this is the ultimate weapon in the quest for test-score triumph.
By Rebecca Kaplan
Students who plan to take the SAT may want to start preparing for Oct. 4, the first fall test date and the last one before early-decision college applications are due. Eliot Schrefer offers up some assistance in Hack the SAT (Gotham Books, $15). The 29-year-old Harvard grad draws on his background as a novelist and elite SAT tutor in writing a humorous, tell-all guide to the "strategies and shortcuts" peddled by SAT tutors on the wealthy streets of Manhattan's Upper East Side. Section headings include: "Learning Pretty Words" and "What to Do if You're Screwed." Sample questions feature such celebs as Lindsay Lohan and Gwen Stefani. Schrefer talks with USA TODAY:
Q: Why did you decide to write an SAT prep book?
A: When I started writing it, I was about five years into being a tutor. I realized I had evolved a totally new set of rules that weren't reflected (in SAT prep books) out there. I work for a lot of money and for a certain class of people. … I wanted to democratize a little bit.
Q: What was your SAT experience like?
A: Some people just click with the SAT, and I happen to have done really well on it when I was in high school. Even beyond that, I sort of enjoyed it in a geeky way. It was like a crossword puzzle, except it matters for the rest of your life. I didn't grudgingly come to it. Working with this test all the time is exciting to me.
Q: Would you mind sharing your SAT scores?
A: I never perfected the math section, but in verbal and writing I was able to get an 800 (the top score).
Q: There are dozens of SAT guides out there. Why should people buy yours?
A: Every page is two-thirds SAT prep and one-third having fun. There are some SAT books that are funny, that have quips, but … a lot of them were written not by practicing tutors but by people in a room who study the test. Knowing teen-speak helped. I also wanted a lot of visual imagery throughout the book. It's got a video game strategy guide look.
Q: What are the qualities of a top-notch SAT tutor?
A: The ability not to condescend but still be instructive and an authoritative figure. If a student spends their session with someone they consider a friend, they'll look forward to it. You also need to be able to think on your feet — there are any number of questions students will ask about the test that you wouldn't have thought of.
Q: What are your favorite other SAT prep books — aside from your own, of course?
A: The one that is a must-buy is the College Board's The Official SAT Study Guide— it's the only one with real practice tests, and honestly, taking those practice tests really helps raise your score.
COLLEGE BLOG: Even more prep books ...
Q: Are you writing full time now or still tutoring ?
A: I am still tutoring, mainly because I can only write for about three or four hours a day before I'm spent. I also really enjoy tutoring.
Q: What do you think about the SAT's new policy that allows students to send only their best scores?
A: It's a benefit for nervous students who want to take the test over and over, but I don't think that's why the College Board's made this decision. It'll soak in fees from more administrations, and be more able to compete with the ACT, which has long offered the same option and has been making inroads into the testing market. … This is all about business positioning.
Excerpt from Hack the SAT:
To get through all of this standardized testing without lasting emotional scars, resign yourself to retaking the SAT before you even sit it the first time.
It's an important test. Even if you do fine the first time, do you want to base your next four years on a "fine" result? Unless you outperform your expectations, plan on taking the SAT a second time.
For one, colleges compile your highest scores on each section from multiple administrations. That means they'll take, say, your Math score from March, your Critical Reading score from May, and your Writing score from October to come up with the best combination of the three. (They're not just being nice! It's in a college's best interest to compile your highest scores, because that improves the profile of their entering class in the all-important U.S. News & World Report rankings.)
— Rebecca Kaplan
USA Today
2008-08-11
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-08-11-hackthesat_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
[1] 2 3 4 5 6 Next >> Last >>
