How to do well on the SAT

Did you know that doing well on the SAT is one way of saving lots of money on college?

Not only are good grades and high SAT/ACT scores required for acceptance into college, but they are used to determine the amount of money you will pay to be there. Usually called Merit Scholarships, many colleges and universities actually determine the tuition you will pay based on grades and SAT/ACT scores. The chart shown below from Michigan State University is only one of numerous examples found on university websites. In most cases the tuition reductions are automatically applied to your account without even having to apply. So the obvious question becomes "How can I do well on the SAT/ACT?"



While attending a homeschooling convention this spring I saw several booths selling SAT/ACT test preparation programs, but one stood out above all the others. College Prep Genius - After attending a lecture by the owner and looking over the program we purchased it. I have been working through the material at home with my kids and am very happy with this purchase. Let me tell you why.

What we purchased is a one-year, on-line subscription to a series of lectures designed to be covered over a 12 week period. In addition, there is an electronic textbook and supplementary material such as a workbook which is to be printed at home. What I really like about this program is that it explains how standardized tests are written and strategies for doing well. She explains how logic can be used to answer most questions even if the material has not been thoroughly covered. Answering all the questions in the limited amount of time is the biggest issue when it comes to taking standardized tests. Therefore, she discusses the optimal order for answering questions in order to save time and do better on the test.

I was really skeptical at first, but have been completely turned around. One of the biggest selling points for me was that by understanding the principles of standardized testing, people who have completed this course not only do better on the SAT/ACT, but a wide variety of standardized tests as well. Since my daughter wants to become an orthodontist, the dental exam test is in her near future. My husband is also working through the program as he has a standardized test for security in his computer programming job coming up.

With many sites on-line it is often difficult to determine who is making money from what and this bothers me. Therefore, I want to be perfectly clear and let you know that with this blog I don't make any money for recommending this product or most of the products I recommend. I do make an extremely small amount of money (about $10/month) if you click and place an order for something I recommend on amazon through this blog. The only exception is the card game Speed! that I developed and the book Johnny's Jelly Bean Tacos written by my husband. I hope you enjoy this recommendation and the others I have made as they have worked well for me and my family throughout our homeschooling adventure.