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‘Test Success!’ on Bay Sunday
Terrific interview with Frank Mallicoat on CBS Bay Sunday a popular Bay area
weekend news show. Frank was well informed and very easy to talk with. Thanks also to the producer and to the interns for making the whole experience so comfortable See the clip.
Had the great surprise to meet Alexia Martinique (see pic on the right) now a communications intern whom I knew years ago when she was a bright light of the Young Entrepreneurs at Haas program (Y.E.A.H). You go Alexia! And thanks Frank!
Guest blogging at Stanford
TEST SUCCESS! continues to get attention!
Do have a look on The College Puzzle, a college success blog by noted Stanford University educator Dr. Michael W. Kirst. Dr Kirst invited me to write a guest post, today featured on his website. The article is, “Get a Grip on Test Stress.”
Dr. Kirst’s blog is a most useful resource for college students helping them through the challenges of their college years. Do check it out, and thank you Dr. Kirst for including Test Success! in your mission.
Tried and true tutoring advice
You go tutors!
Every day I receive Google alerts about stories and statistics regarding test anxiety, test scores and test preparation. I like to keep current with what’s going on in the field.
Here’s one that came across my desk today: It’s from “Janice R.” who runs a tutoring service in Palm Coast, Florida. Janice offers a good roadmap for students: familiarize yourself with the test, do some solid preparation and get ready for test day.
How often we overlook the essentials!
I applaud Janice R for getting the word out and offering what she can to students who may not be getting the guidance they need and deserve. Keep up the good work!
Janice R is a tutor at WyzAnt.com. Check out their website. While I am not personally familiar their services and therefore can’t yet recommend them, I definitely am intrigued to find out more, and suggest you look them over too.
SAT/ACT Coach’s Lament: “Do it!”
Follow your coach's direction
I’m in NY for a conference organized by the NY Times on “Schools for Tomorrow.” I met yesterday with Alexandra Zabriskie, a top-notch NY tutor for the SAT and ACT (and school subjects too). Alex talked about coaching her students to take practice tests under the practice conditions, in other words, when it’s possible, to take at least one practice test Continue reading
Test anxiety? There’s help. Just ask.
Let go of suffering: you have options!
Something came across my desk today which I want to applaud and call your attention to. It’s a posting by the McNamara Academic Center at the University of Minnesota with helpful tips for test anxiety.
This kind of help is so useful for two important reasons: (1) it’s sound advice, and (2) it shows that there is help and you don’t need to feel alone if you are suffering from test anxiety.
I encourage you to take advantage of the Continue reading
When the Doc gives you a prescription, take the medicine
I recently had a Skype session with a client in Asia. He is preparing for the GMAT as he wants to go to business school in the US. A very bright guy who suffers terribly from performance anxiety. We made great progress in the Skype session– I was able to observe and point out to him the various things he was thinking and doing that were adding to his stress. now this is a great example of why some people might need personal coaching besides reading the workbook. okay, back to this GMAT guy. I taught him the tools he needs for reducing the stress so he could improve his performance. They are all based on the nine core tools in the book. All I do is tweak them, fine tune them for his specific needs. The difference, during the session, itself, was noticeable. Great! But wait. Now comes the next important part. Continue reading
Test prep & neuroscience
Our amazing brain: constantly seeking connection
Having just attended the Learning & the Brain conference in Chicago, I am struck with two competing thoughts I’d like to share: how much science there is about the brain, and what a challenge it is for teachers to integrate the findings into their daily practice. I attended fascinating lectures about many new scientific studies on the brain and motivation, gender similarities and differences, stress, etc., but at the same time I was left wondering, “How do I implement these discoveries in my work as a teacher and a coach?” I would like to suggest we need more collaboration between researchers and practitioners– between the scientists and the teachers. One of the
“My mother wants me to get higher SAT scores.” Really?
It's my goal!
Claire, a high school senior, was brought to my office by her two parents. She was an outstanding student– 3.5 GPA, captain of the soccer team, a volunteer in public service activities– all the makings for a great college application. The issue was her SAT scores. “Not high enough,” said her Mom when we talked on the phone.
So Mom and Dad brought Claire in for a consult. My opening question was directed towards her. “So Claire, why are you here today?” She looked at her Mom and then her Dad and then at me, “I’m here because my mother wants me to get higher SAT scores.” There was an audible gasp from the…
“Stop!” can mean “Pause…”
Take the time...
I was on my bicycle yesterday and I came to an intersection with a red light.
Before being hit by the taxi, when I was biking around town I would routinely sail through red lights and stop signs if I didn’t see anyone coming (well, full disclosure: even if I saw someone coming, if I judged I could sail through the intersection before they got there, I would). Post-taxi, I honor every red light and stop sign.
So here I am, facing a red light, at a completely quiet intersection, no one coming in any direction. The light says “Stop!”, and stop I do. Suddenly, I feel
3 legged stool: a fresh look at test results
A well-respected instructor in a prestigious health care training program. stopped me in the stairwell. “I want to tell you how I used the 3 legged stool last week,” he said. He proceeded to tell me about a recent incident in which a competent student did poorly on a performance test. After the procedure the teacher found out that the student had just suffered a death in his family and was planning to leave immediately after the test for the funeral. But the student hadn’t told anyone about the tragic event or his plans. He was determined to barrel through and take off.
Things didn’t work out the way he planned. Uncharacteristically, his test performance was sub-par. He barely got through. This was a smart,
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