College Entrance Related Pages:
About the Tests - SAT/ACT Tutoring - SAT Subject Tests - PSAT
SAT/ACT Test Preparation:
Students who desire to attend most colleges are required to take the SAT exam or the ACT exam. Some students take both tests and submit their best scores. Kaplan Tutoring Services can help you reach your best score on either test. Improvement over PSAT and prior tests is almost always significant (for 98% of our students) and sometimes dramatic (increase of 300+ points).
Additional information about private tutoring and test preparation appear below and throughout the website.
Parent Testimonials About KTS SAT/ACT Prep:
"The one-on-one attention given to my daughters made the world of difference. Mrs. Kaplan's knowledge of their individual strengths and weaknesses was key to taking the 'fear factor' out of the test. The thorough evaluation of practice tests was also invaluable." Classical High School Parent
"My daughter's SAT scores jumped 230 points as a result of tutoring with Cindy Kaplan. Cindy knows how to engage a teen. She helps defuse test taking anxiety, and she breaks the tutoring down into manageable pieces so the student doesn't feel overwhelmed. Best of all, the tutoring enhances the student's grammar, vocabulary, writing, and math skills and teaches test taking strategies, leaving the student better prepared for college and beyond." Providence Country Day Parent
"We cannot thank you enough for the help and confidence you provided." Barrington High School Parent
Comparison of SAT and ACT Test Format:
SAT TOPICS:
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Critical Reading Sections (25, 25, 20 minutes)
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Mathematics Sections (25, 25, 20 minutes), part of one section is not multiple choice
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Writing Sections (25, 10 minutes)
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Essay (25 minutes)
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Experimental Section (25 minutes) does not count
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Scoring: 200-800 each section, final score is total of all sections (maximum of 2400)
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Essay score: 0-12
ACT TOPICS:
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English Section (45 minutes)
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Mathematics Section (60 minutes)
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Reading Section (35 minutes)
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Science Section (35 minutes)
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Essay (30 minutes) (not part of composite score)
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0-36 each section, composite score is average (maximum of 36)
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Essay score: 0-12
TEST PREPARATION Outline:
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Review & practice of test-taking strategies
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Review of all math concepts and formulas
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Vocabulary building
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Reading comprehension practice
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Complete review of grammar and punctuation
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Critique of practice essays
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Practice of graph & diagram interpretation (for ACT Science)
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Complete (4-hour), timed practice tests
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Extra attention devoted to area(s) of greatest need
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Extra practice for vocabulary can be found at www.freerice.com.
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SAT Question-of-the-Day can be found at www.sat.org.
SAT SCHEDULE 2012-2013
Anticipated
Test Date Registration Deadline (without penalty) Final Date to Register
Oct. 6, 2012 to be announced to be announced
Nov. 3, 2012
Dec. 1, 2012
Jan. 26, 2013
Mar. 9, 2013 (No Subject Tests)
May 4, 2013
June 1, 2013
To register, go to www.sat.org.
ACT SCHEDULE 2012-2013
Test Date Registration Deadline (without penalty) Final Date to Register
Sept. 8, 2012 Aug. 17 Aug. 24 Oct. 27, 2012 Sept. 21 Oct. 5 Dec. 8, 2012 Nov. 2 Nov. 16 Feb. 9, 2013 Jan. 11 Jan. 18 Apr. 13, 2013 Mar. 8 Mar. 22 June 8, 2013 May 3 May 17
To register, go to (www.act.org). Be sure to sign up for the ACT WITH Writing.
COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES:
Our SAT and ACT Prep students have received acceptances into many public and private colleges and universities. They have been accepted into honors, engineering, liberal arts, marine biology, nursing, and fine arts programs. Some have received full or partial merit scholarships. A partial list of these institutions is included below.
Public Universities:
Universities of: Rhode Island Massachusetts California (UCLA) Connecticut Vermont New Hampshire Pittsburgh Maine Delaware Maryland Toronto New York (SUNY) Central Florida Penn State Michigan State New Jersey (Rutgers) Texas (at Austin) West Virginia Oregon South Carolina United States Naval Academy (Annapolis)
Private Colleges and Universities:
Some schools require at least one SAT Subject Test. Note that some schools will accept the ACT with Writing (using the Combined Writing and Science scores) in lieu of SAT Subject tests. To be certain whether a school requires SAT subject tests, the student should check the school's website or contact the school's admissions office.
**UNIVERSITIES** **COLLEGES** Yale University Williams College Columbia University Middlebury College Stanford University Bates College University of Pennsylvania Wellesley College University of Chicago Vassar College Johns Hopkins University Colby College Brown University Dickinson College Cornell University Claremont McKenna College Emory University Smith College Vanderbilt University College of William & Mary Washington University in St. Louis Boston College Georgetown University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Tufts University College of the Holy Cross Brandeis University Connecticut College University of Michigan Hobart & William Smith Colleges University of Southern California (USC) Union College Lehigh University Babson College Boston University Grinnell College New York University Mt. Holyoke College Carnegie Mellon Manhattan School of Music University of Rochester Macalester College McGill University Occidental College University of Richmond Trinity College Case Western University Bentley College University of Miami Kenyon College Northeastern University Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Colgate University Springfield College Fairfield University Simmons College St. Andrew's University (Scotland) Colorado College Furman University College of Charleston Yeshiva University Pratt Institute American University St. Michael's College Georgia Tech Hartwick College (nursing) Elon University Washington Coll. in MD George Washington University Marist College Tulane University St. Mary's College of Maryland Sacred Heart University Assumption College Syracuse University Providence College Clemson University Lasell College Clark University Savannah School of Art James Madison University Stonehill College Villanova University Rhode Island College Purdue University Massachusetts College of Pharmacy Sewanee--The University of the South St. Anselm's College Drexel University Curry College Bryant University Siena College Fordham University Quinnipiac University Duquesne University Monmouth University Roger Williams University Suffolk University St. John's University
REASONS TO TAKE THE ACT COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAM:
Many students perform better on the ACT College Entrance Exam than on the SAT Exam for the following reasons:
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The ACT does NOT take away points for the incorrect answers, as does the SAT. Students answer ALL of the questions without penalty.
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On the English, Reading, and Science sections, there are only 4 possible answers rather than 5; therefore, the probability of choosing the right answer is greater.
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The ACT does NOT have Sentence Completions (Vocabulary) questions, and there are NO DOUBLE PASSAGES. Students with weaker vocabularies can still do well on the Reading sections.
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There is no jumping around from reading to math to writing and back again. Each subject is taken one at a time.
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The ACT is straight-forward, not purposely tricky. For example, geometric drawings are drawn to scale
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The math problems are similar to math textbook problems, which students are accustomed to. They are less wordy than SAT math problems.
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The Science section does NOT require a science background; it just requires the student to interpret charts, graphs, and diagrams.
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For many colleges, if students take the ACT, they do not have to take the SAT subject tests.
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The topic for the required essay is teenager-friendly, and students can support their arguments with logic, rather than examples from history and literature. Students are given 30 minutes (5 minutes longer than the SAT) for the essay.
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Colleges and universities readily accept ACT scores along with, or instead of, SAT scores.
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Students can take the ACT many times and submit their best score.