Next month, schools will offer the 2016 PSAT/NMSQT to 10th and 11th grade students nationwide. What do you need to know about the 2016 PSAT? Who takes it? The PSAT/NMSQT is open to both 10th and 11th grade students. While many 10th graders take the test, most test takers will be juniors because 11th grade students who take the PSAT/NMSQT compete for the coveted National …

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  The New SAT has been the biggest story in the college preparation world this year. Rolled out for its inaugural appearance on March 5th, the exam is both a flashback and a fast-forward: it returns to the 1600 point total of decades past, but fundamentally alters scoring procedures. In other words, it’s unique, and requires unique preparation. Students who took the…

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Midterms are coming, and finals will be here before you know it. Students everywhere are biting their nails and doodling nervously in their notebooks, hoping they’ll do well. But how do you turn your hopes into reality? With good study habits. If you start thinking about studying now, you’ll prepare yourself for success in a few months. And the first step is to fi…

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There’s no getting around it: the new SAT is coming. After January 23, 2016, it’s sayonara to the old test! This means you need to be prepared, especially because a quirk of timing makes the March SAT more important to high school juniors than the SAT has ever been for students. Many juniors use the March SAT to prepare for the May SAT, counting on experience to help …

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As the world becomes more connected through social media, teenagers are more distracted than ever. They have instant access to the thoughts and feelings of friends and strangers and often this is more intriguing than any other subject at hand. So how do we as parents, educators and tutors answer the challenges technology presents? How do we turn our teens away from the scr…

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It's just the PSAT, right? As in "pre-SAT"? As in "just practice"? Wrong. The PSAT has always been more than "just a practice" test because it also acts as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT), meaning that eligible students who take the PSAT are automatically entered to compete for the prestigious National Merit Scholarship. This alone has long made the…

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Many students will start applying to college as early as next month through a variety of early application programs. But before you submit that early application, be sure to consider all of your options. Early Action vs. Early Decision: What's the Difference? The biggest difference between early action and early decision programs is your obligation: With early action prog…

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Comparison of the Major Features: Pre-2015 PAT/NMSQT Redesigned PSAT/NMSQT Total Testing Time* 2 hours and 10 minutes 2 hours and 45 minutes* Components 1. Critical Reading 2. Writing 3. Mathematics 1.Evidence-Based Reading and Writing • Reading Test • Writing and Language Test 2.Math Important Features: • Emphasis on general reasoning skil…

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According to a recent national study, students between the ages of 8 and 18 now spend more than twice as much time with high-tech screens than they do in the classroom. Although much of this time is spent on thoroughly non-academic pursuits -- socializing, streaming media, playing games -- there's no reason why screen time can't be put to good use. Here are some tips fo…

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It’s time to celebrate the 239th birthday of our nation. As we all know, on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was created by our founding fathers. While there are many things we honor at this time of year, we wanted to share some little known facts about our national anthem. “The Star-Spangled Banner” is an iconic embodiment of American unity, courage and…

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