psat and sat everything you wanted to know about the exams but were afraid to ask, didn’t know who...

PSAT and SATEverything you wanted to know about the exams but were afraid to ask, didn’t know who to ask,

didn’t get a satisfactory answer or didn’t believe the answer you

got…

OSSE Professional Development SeminarSeptember 24, 2013 – Washington, DC

Founder and CEO – Bell CurvesAkil Bello

Helping people fill in bubbles since 1990Akil Bello

In 2003, Bell Curves was founded by Akil and Hashim Bello.

Bell Curves

Provides test preparation services for major admission tests (SAT, GMAT, GRE)

Bell Curves

7 employees, 8 cities and 1 territory, 40 part-time instructors, 3000+ students

Bell Curves

Bell CurvesPartners with public schools, universities, NPOs, and CBOs.

Akil BelloIn 2013, he’s continued helping people of color achieve higher education

What do you know about the SAT?

© Bell Curves 2013

Math: 428

CR: 428W: 417

Math: 448

CR: 465W: 443

Math: 535

CR: 527W: 517

Average SAT scoresBy ethnicity

PSAT versus SATHow the PSAT differs from the SAT

PSAT SATTiming 2.5 hours 3.75 hours

Scoring 20 – 80 per section 200 – 800 per section

ContentSame but not quite as

advanced as SAT

Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading

Comprehension

Essay None 1 hand-written

The PSAT and SAT mostly differ in length.

Use the SOAS to inform academic staff about strengths and weaknesses

Question by question analysis can reveal trends and patterns

Skills categories are not aligned to state or Common Core … yet

What leads to poor test scores?

© Bell Curves 2013

www.bellcurves.com© Bell Curves 2013

Lack of content knowledge

Lack of test savvy (practice, comfort, strategy, stamina)

Inability to adapt habits

Over-reliance on external support

Challenges to testing success


Specific instructions

Familiar wording

1. Expand the following polynomial and then simplify the equation:

3(10x + 5y) + 5 = 65

2. What is the value of 10x + 5y, if 3(10x + 5y) + 5= 172 ?

(A) 167(B) 122(C) 55.66(D) 11.13(E) 0.37

Lack of instruction

Reasoning and calculation

Unfamiliar structure

Inaccurate expections and lack of familiarity



1. What aspect of Manchu Picchu contributed to the romanticizing of exploration?

Direct questions on known content

Familiar wording and structure

Habits that are counter to test philosophy

Challenges to testing successIn the summer of 1911, the explorer Hiram Bingham bushwhacked his way to a high ridge in the Andes of Peru and beheld a dreamscape out of the past. There, set against looming peaks cloaked in snow and wreathed in clouds, was Machu Picchu, the famous “lost city” of the Incas. This expression, popularized by Bingham, served as a magical elixir for rundown imaginations. The words evoked the romanticism of exploration and archaeology at the time. But finding Machu Picchu was easier than solving the mystery of its place in the rich and powerful Inca empire. The imposing architecture attested to the skill and audacity of the Incas. But who had lived at this isolated site and for what purpose?


1. The words “magical elixir” (line 7) primarily emphasize the

(A) motivation for an expedition(B) captivating power of a phrase(C) inspiration behind a discovery(D) creative dimension of archaeology(E) complexity of an expression

Answers contingent on vocabulary

Wrong (trap?) answers anticipate mistakes

Lack of content knowledge


www.bellcurves.com© Bell Curves 2013Lack of Test Savvy


A

B

1. In the figure above, what is the length of hypotenuse BC?

A

B

CC

3

4

2. In the figure above, what is the length of side AC, if AB is 3 and BC is 5?

(A) 4(B) 5(C) 7(D) 12 (E) 25

PSATand SAT

Preparing students for the

Tests are not evil monsters, test prep is not magic fairy dust.

Kill the Monsters and Fairies


Provide Support


Teach Kids How to Score

Teach Kids How to Score

Understand pacing Understand scoring Understand guessing

Know HOW to take the test!

John Q. Student Jennifer Jones

Attempted 60 (of 67) 36 (of 67)

Right 36 30

Wrong 24 6

Blank 7 37

Raw score

Reading Scaled Score

SAT pacing advice: Speed Kills!

John Q. Student Jennifer Jones

Attempted 60 (of 67) 36 (of 67)

Right 36 30

Wrong 24 6

Blank 7 37

Raw score 30 29

Reading Scaled Score 490 490

Understand conversion charts


Ways to support effective prep

Build confidence Understand scoring & pacing Know the differences Be the planner Know the resources Engage underlying skills


Know the resources


Good practice tests are available


Know the resources

SAT Grammar


www.sat.collegeboard.org – QOTD

www.collegeboard.org – online course (free)

www.freerice.com

www.dictionary.com/worddynamo

www.vocabulary.com – headlines

www.pwnthesat.com – blog, Q&A

www.sat.bellcurves.com - blog

Online resources


Bell Curves Blogs

ACT vs SAT

http://sat.bellcurves.com/blog/2013/05/10/act-vs-sat-the-only-difference-that-matters/

http://sat.bellcurves.com/blog/2013/04/17/act-vs-sat-myths-and-legends/

SAT Reading Passages

http://sat.bellcurves.com/blog/2011/10/05/october-2011-sat-reading-comprehension-aka-those-crazy-stories/

http://sat.bellcurves.com/blog/2011/08/15/sat-prep-tip-critical-reading/

Vocabulary

http://sat.bellcurves.com/blog/2012/07/25/may-2012-sat-vocabulary-beleaguered-batman-batters-bungler-bane/

Online resources

Akil BelloHusband, Father, Entrepreneur, Teacher www.bellcurves.com | [email protected]

psat and sat everything you wanted to know about the exams but were afraid to ask, didn’t know who...

Documents

success slide

dc slide

ethnicity slide

gre bell curves

students bell curves

higher education slide

lack of familiarity

machu picchu