mAke the grAde

Midterms: How to Plan and Thrive

thepowerhouser — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:02:08 +0000

Midterms occur this month for High School Students. These are important exams and require effort and planning. Here are some basic ideas to help you thrive on the midterms and avoid unneeded stress.

1. Early and Often: Start to study early and give yourself time. 15 minutes of review a day over a few weeks is much more effective than 3 hours of cramming.

2. Collect and Organize: Gather and organize all of your papers, worksheets, notes, old quizzes and tests, etc from the classes in one place. Typically midterms cover the entire year to date so work from September and October is important.

3. Ask Questions Now: Whether you typically need help or see your teacher outside of class, it is a good idea to clarify any information or answer any questions you have early in the study process.

4. Know Your Abilities: Identify your areas of need. People tend to redundantly study information that they already know because it’s more comfortable. Make a plan to address your areas of need.

For more tips or to create a midtern study action plan contact Dr Greene at mAke the grAde AcAdemic services at www.makethegrade.net or 215 540 TEST

PSAT Analysis

thepowerhouser — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:31:54 +0000

The PSATs are (finally) back.
mAke the grAde will do a no cost analysis of your test and your score along with recommendations for improvement and an assessment of what the scores mean.

Contact sgreene@makethegrade.net for information.

Twas the night before the SATs…

thepowerhouser — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:00:51 +0000

This is a funny take on the SAT and it’s stresses… good for this time of year…
and with an SAT this weekend…

Done by Dr. Nancy Berk, author of College Bound and Gagged: How to Help Your Kid Get into a Great College Without Losing Your Savings, Your Relationship, or Your Mind

SAT Vocabulary list

thepowerhouser — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:47:32 +0000

One way to learn vocabulary is by grouping words that have similar meanings.

If you are using my ‘index card’ system… this fits right in.

(if you’re not.. ASK about it.. it WORKS!)

Words by Category

Unoriginal/Lacking in Substance: Prosaic, Pedestrian, Banal, Cliché, Trite, Hackneyed, Vapid, Vacuous, Quotidian, Mundane, Insipid, Derivative

Stubborn – Obstinate, Obdurate, Intransigent, Intractable, Tenacious

Brief – Fleeting, Ephemeral, Transitory, Cursory, Transient

Beyond normal human understanding – Esoteric, Recondite, Abstruse, Arcane

To Make Better/Relieve Pain – Ameliorate, Alleviate, Assuage, Palliate, Mitigate

Varied, Diverse – Heterogenous, Eclectic, Motley, Multifarious

Talkative/Outgoing – Loquacious, Garrulous, Gregarious

Using few words – Laconic, Terse, Perfunctory, Spare

To Insult – Impugn, Disparage, Deprecate, Malign, Censure (also means punish), Decry, Vilify, Vituperate

To Praise/Hold in high regard – Tout, Extol, Revere, Laud

Generosity – Munificence, Magnanimity, Largess

Greed – Avarice, Cupidity

Inclination toward – Penchant, Proclivity, Predilection, Affinity

Prevent – Forestall, Preclude, Thwart

Highly decorated – Florid, Ornate, Baroque

Poor – Indigent, Penurious, Impecunious

Shy – Reticent, Aloof, Diffident, Reticent

Hardworking – Assiduous, Diligent, Sedulous

Cheerful – Jovial, Jocund, Mirthful

Overjoyed – Exultant, Elated, Jubilant, Ebulliant

Lazy – Indolent, Slothful

Arrogant – Condescending, Supercilious

Complicated – Byzantine, Convoluted

Clear – Lucid, Perspicuous

Harsh, Burning – Caustic, Vitriolic

Sickeningly Sweet – Cloying, Treacly, Maudlin, Mawkish

Mystery – Enigma, Conundrum

Unpredictable – Mercurial, Capricious

Narrow-Minded – Provincial, Insular, Parochial

Broad-Minded – Cosmopolitan

Small Amount – Paucity, Dearth

Large Amount – Myriad, Copious, Plethora

Fake – Spurious, Specious

Suspicious of – Wary of, Chary of

Fraud, Trickery – Charlatanism, Chicanery

Naive – Ingenuous, Guileless

Calm – Phlegmatic, Placid

Easily Angered – Irascible, Cantankerous

Violent – Bellicose, Pugnacious

Supplementary, not of central importance – Ancillary, Peripheral

Irrelevant, Unimportant – Picayune, Trivial

Free from blame, find innocent – Exonerate, Exculpate, Vindicate

credit: http://ultimatesatverbal.blogspot.com/p/top-sat-words.html

by Erica Meltzer

Vocabulary Building – free iPhone app

thepowerhouser — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:43:33 +0000

There are many ways to improve vocabulary.

Here is a link to an iPhone based app:

http://www.domesatreview.com/content/dome-sat-vocabulary-flash-cards-iphone-free

I have found that this app is a good basic start.

Enjoy

Test Evaluations

thepowerhouser — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:59:42 +0000

With the Octover PSAT complete and the October SAT and ACTs and November SATs done, students will be receiving their score reports shortly. It is important to understand how to interpret these scores to help plan your test prep strategy moving forward.

Contact the MTG office for a free test evaluation.

ACT? SAT? which is better for you?

thepowerhouser — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 15:37:25 +0000

The Upper Dublin Library Presents:
College Admissions Tests ACTand SAT
Which is better for you? What is your plan?
http://ACTSAT.eventbrite.com to register

Thursday November 3 2011 7pm – 830pm
in the UD Library Community Room

The objectives of this event are to discuss:
Common Questions About Test Prep
College admissions credentials
Differences & value of SAT & ACT tests
Learning styles best suited for each test
Value of Test Prep
Test Prep Options
mAke the grAde Approach

This event if FREE and open to the general public. Please spread the word with anyone who would have an interest. If you have questions about this workshop please contact mAke the grAde at 215 540 8378. This event if FREE and open to ALL members of the community.

UD Library Info>> 215 628 8744 http://www.upperdublinlibrary.org
mAke the grAde Info>> 215 540 8378 www.makethegrade.net

Thumbtack – new listing

thepowerhouser — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:38:24 +0000

check out the listing for MTG On Thumbtack.

Academic Tutor All levels 4000 successes

if you know someone with a local business.. it’s a great way to market.

5 Steps to Greater Productivity

thepowerhouser — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:19:47 +0000

The 5 step process to greater productivity for students and business people

Posted on September 21, 2011 at 8:18am Print

Most students and business people face multiple challenges simultaneously. A student sitting down to do homework may have as assignment for each class as well as some shorter and longer term projects to work on… this begs the questions: How do you decide what to do first? and How do you manage your time?

What to do first is most often the most important and highest priority task or assignment. This is of course a relative thing for each person, but it is something that needs to be quickly evaluated and sorted. Here is a basic protocol to accomplish this that we at mAke the grAde do with our students daily.

1. make a list of all the ongoing assignments
2. Assign S (short) or L (long) term time frames to each task (typically S are due the next day and L beyond one day like an upcoming test)
3. rank the tasks in the order of importants – all the S then all the L
4. Estimate the time needed to do each task
5. Use the chart to set up your homework or work time.

This system is simple, yet powerful, and will increase both efficiency and productivity.

ACT or SAT? Free Program at UD Library

thepowerhouser — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:36:33 +0000

The Upper Dublin Library Presents:
College Admissions Tests ACTand SAT
Which is better for you? What is your plan?
http://ACTSAT.eventbrite.com to register

Thursday November 3 2011 7pm – 830pm
in the UD Library Community Room

UD Library Info>> 215 628 8744 http://www.upperdublinlibrary.org
mAke the grAde Info>> 215 540 8378 www.makethegrade.net