Friday, June 19, 2020

3 Ways to Empathize with the Writers of Standardized Tests for Exam Day Success

Hey everyone --I'm Zack, an experienced GMAT and SAT tutor at Cambridge Coaching. I'm excited to use it to share some key tips with you about making the most of your standardized testing experience. Here are 3 key tips that I have for you that apply for almost any standardized exam, whether it's SAT, GMAT, or whatever else you might be studying. Make sure you know what the body of knowledge the test writers want to test. For the SAT it's reading comprehension, Algebra/Geometry, and grammar/writing skills. Because the test isstandardized,in order for scores to be meaningful for admissions professionals across test sittings, test questions need to reflect a consistent body of knowledge a student needs to have mastered. Usually the College Board or the Graduate Management Admission Council or whoever is writing your test will make that public. Spend a little extra time and start there. I'm always a fan of remembering the fact that test writers are people too -- remember that if you can figure out what they care about, you can bring yourself a long way toward that dream score. Consistent with #1, a lot of standardized tests reward students who are good at pattern recognition, so you mustdo lots of practice problems to recognize the patterns!If there is a consistent body of knowledge that is tested across test sittings, that must mean that doing prior problems or practice problemsWRITTEN BY THE TESTMAKERSwill help you prepare for future exams. There are lots of great prep providers that write excellent questions, but I always advise students and friends to do real practice problems that the test writers write -- there is no substitute for that. There are always little quirks or patterns, and it's always better to give yourself the chance to see a positive surprise on the test (you see a topic that was in a practice question from the test writers) than a negative surprise on the test (a topic you never studied that was in practice questions from the test writers). Just remember that somewhere out there, someone absolutely LOVES the topic that you're addressing by answering that question right now. Maybe it's systems of equations, maybe it's finding logical conclusions in narrative passages, or maybe it's calculating the value of the apothem to find the area of a regular polygon (don't worry if you don't know what an apothem is -- if you work with me, I'll tell you what it is and a really cool story about it). I PROMISE you, there is someone out there who loves the topic you're answering a question about (if it isn't at the very least me). Try tochannelthat passion when you're taking the test by telling yourself "someone out there loves this so I can too." It's a lot easier to achieve any goal, much less excelling on a long standardized exam, with a positive attitude than a negative one. So give yourself an extra oomph of energy by finding the passion and the excitement in that apothem or in that passage about the origin of the coelacanth (a fi sh that happens to prove some super interesting things about evolution in biology!). Thanks so much for reading and best of luck with studying! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me! Zack is originally from Northwest Baltimore, 20 minutes outside of the city, and is a fan of both Ravens football and crab cakes, just as the movie â€Å"Wedding Crashers† astutely predicted. Zack graduated with an A.B. degree cum laude in Economics and a Foreign Language Citation in Catalan from Harvard College up in Cambridge, MA, after which he moved down the Eastern seaboard where he spent 6 years working in investment banking and equity and credit investing. Zack is currently pursuing his MBA degree at Columbia Business School, where he is a Columbia Fellow. Zack is also proud to have passed all three CFA exams as of August 2018 and subsequently earned the CFA charter after 3 years and hundreds of hours of studying. Want to work with Zack? ;

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Topics For Writing An Opinion Essay

Topics For Writing An Opinion EssayWhen you are writing an opinion essay, there are many topics for writing an opinion essay. Topics for writing an opinion essay might be political, ethical, personal, or philosophical. Whatever the topic, the essay must be well written and informative to allow a reader to be interested in reading it.Before writing an opinion essay, you should think about the topic of the opinion essay. Do you want to create a strong emotional reaction in the reader? Would you like the reader to agree with your point of view? These are important questions to ask yourself when you are deciding what topic to write on. Remember that the opinion is a way for you to express your feelings.When you are choosing topics for writing an opinion essay, you will need to choose a topic that will suit your situation and personality. You should first consider your personality before your situation. For example, if you are a business owner, you might want to write a business review es say. If you are a parent, you might want to write an essay on parenting. The point is to write about topics that you are interested in or have experience in.When you begin to write, keep in mind that you will not have to have a lot of experience to write an effective essay. This is true because most good essay writing is based on a solid argument. However, you should not make your writing too technical, because this is often times the difference between great writing and lousy writing. You can certainly practice on your essay until you can produce great writing skills, but do not become too comfortable with the technical aspect of the essay.What you must do when you are writing an opinion essay is to develop a logical way to express your point of view. This is done by developing a structure. While many people use some form of formal structure when they are writing, you can also consider traditional styles.Before you begin to write, decide which format you will be using for your essa y. There are many different formats, including: MLA, APA, Open, Chicago, and Chicago Review, among others. Each format will have its own advantages and disadvantages, but they all follow a common set of rules.When you are writing an opinion essay, you must first be clear about the topic. You will want to define your topic before you begin writing. You must have a clear definition of your topic before you begin. Once you have a clear idea of your topic, you can begin writing an essay.If you are looking for topics for writing an opinion essay, then you will need to look for a topic that will work for you. You will not be limited by any of the topics for writing an opinion essay, because they are simply a beginning point.