Multiple choice exam tips

1. Don’t guess too soon! You must select not only a correct answer, but the best answer. It is therefore important that you read all of the options and not stop when you come upon one that seems likely.

2. You must select not only a technically correct answer, but the most completely correct answer. Since “all of the above” and “none of the above” are very inclusive statements, these options, when used, tend to be correct more often than would be predicted by chance alone.

3. Be wary of options which include unqualified absolutes such as “never,” “always,” “is,” “are,” “guarantees,” “ensures.” Such statements are highly restrictive and very difficult to defend. They are rarely (though they may sometimes be) correct options.

4. The less frequently stated converse of the above is that carefully qualified, conservative, or “guarded” statements tend to be correct more often than would be predicted by chance alone. Other things being equal, favor options containing such qualifying phrases as “may sometimes be,” or “can occasionally result in.”

5. Be wary of the extra-long or “jargony option.” These are frequently used as decoys.

6. Use your knowledge of common prefixes, suffixes, and word roots to make intelligent guesses about terminology that you don’t know. A knowledge of the prefix “hyper,” for instance, would clue you that hypertension refers to high, not low, blood pressure.

7. Be alert to give-aways in grammatical construction. The correct answer to an item stem which ends in “an” would obviously be an option starting with a vowel. Watch also for agreement of subjects and verbs.

8. Utilize information and insights that you’ve acquired in working through the entire test to go back and answer earlier items that you weren’t sure of.

9. If you are not certain of an answer, guess… but do so methodically. Eliminate some choices you know are incorrect, then relate each alternative back to the stem of the question to see if it fits. Narrow down the choice to one or two alternatives and then compare them and identify how they differ. Finally, make an informed guess.

10. If you have absolutely no idea what the answer is, can’t use any of the above techniques, and there is no scoring penalty for guessing, choose option B or C. Studies indicate that these are correct slightly more often than would be predicted by chance alone.

11. When you get “all the above,” “none of the above,” or “a,b, not c” type questions, treat each alternative as a true-false question and relate it back to the question stem.

12. Think the answer is wrong? Maybe you should change it? Studies indicate that when students change their answers they usually change them to the wrong answer. Therefore, if you were fairly certain you were correct the first time, leave the answer as it is.

13. Finally, the best way to ensure selection of the correct option is to know the right answer. A word to the test-wise is sufficient.

We know that learning a foreign language may be difficult for some students. Whether if you are learning Spanish, French, or any other foreign languages, the Study Hut is here to help. We have tutors who specialize in foreign language tutoring, and we are please to also offer you these following tips:

Study every day.
Try to set aside some time every day for your studies, ideally in the morning, when your brain is most receptive of learning. Also, try to study for 30 minutes every day than for 3 hours once a week to avoid brain overload.

Review regularly.
Go over each lesson several times, but give your brain time to digest the material. Try to make sure the gaps between periods of study are not too long, or you will forget most of what you’re trying to learn. Also, make sure you understand the contents of one lesson before moving on to the next.

Don’t be discouraged by apparent lack of progress.
You will find that at times you’re making fairly rapid progress, while at other times you seem to struggling. This is normal when learning a language, so don’t be discouraged. If you feel like you are making little or no progress, try going over earlier lessons and exercises to see if they’re easier now than when you first tried them.

Don’t worry about making mistakes.
You probably make the occasional mistake when speaking your native language, so making mistakes in a foreign language is nothing to worry about. What matters is getting your message across, not whether you use all the right words, inflexions, tenses, cases, etc. If you cannot think of the exact words, try using other ones.

Have fun.
Find ways to make language learning fun. This could involve games, songs, stories, tongue twisters, jokes and anything else you can think of.

Worried about the writing portion of the ACT or SAT? You can prepare yourself by focusing on a few basic strategies for essay writing. Follow this list of tips to make your test essay stand out from the rest!

– Write a longer essay. I know that this is probably difficult for students who struggle with essay exams, but if you practice writing a SAT essay, and do it more than once, you will likely do better on the SAT essay portion on test day than if you didn’t practice at all. So get to writing!
– To save time, write a short introduction and a short conclusion. Realize that you only have 25 minutes to write the essay, so you can’t spend more than 10 minutes total (5 minutes each) on both the introduction and conclusion. The body paragraphs will earn you the majority of your score.
– Use a range of sentence structures when you write. Varying sentence structures can make your essay much more readable to the SAT essay graders, and increase your chances of earning a higher score.
– Stick to the topic. This sounds obvious, but many students forget to stay on topic. According to the College Board (the company to blame for the current version of the SAT, including the introduction of the SAT writing portion), “an off-topic essay will receive a score of zero.” Also, you do not have to write in any particular style. As long as you stick to the topic, you can choose the tone that suits you best.
– Use a few interesting words. Your essay doesn’t need to be chock-full of long, complicated words, but it should have at least a few. Use obstinate instead of stubborn, ambivalent instead of unsure, or disingenuous instead of dishonest.
– Watch out for spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes. If you have one or two of these mistakes, it is no big deal. However, if you have more than a few, your score may suffer.

In conclusion, make sure you prep well for the essay portion. If you need further SAT help, the Study Hut is here to help you. Call one of our tutoring centers (located in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach) to schedule an appointment now!

Manhattan Beach: (310) 546-2408
Redondo Beach: (310) 540-5888

It is almost time for exams! Instead of panicking and cramming it in all at the last moment, here are a few good tips for making the most out of your studying.

1. Get it done early in the day.
You tend to concentrate much better during the early hours of the morning and afternoon. If you get up at 7am and eat a light breakfast, you can easily knock out 4-5 hours of studying before you even have lunch, which means you can finish before the day is even half way over!

2. Don’t take a breaks often.
As odd as that may seem, taking breaks every hour will actually increase your risk of not studying as hard or effective as you are able to. As soon as you start of lose focus, take a quick breath, and start focusing again. Don’t go take a 10 minute break because those 10 minutes you spend on video games, TV, talking to friends, etc. may turn into 30 minutes, an hour, a few hours, etc., and before you know it, you have been distracted and wasted time when you could have just endured studying longer.

3. Study in a quiet environment.
One of the biggest distractions while studying at home is the TV and internet. Study somewhere you won’t have access to TV or the internet. If you can, try studying at your local library.

4. Emails, Instant Messaging, Facebook, Myspace – they can all wait.
Seriously, if you want to do well, you should avoid using any of these services I listed, and those I didn’t that don’t pertain to your studying. You’ll end up wasting time and getting sidetracked from your primary goal – studying.

5. Get a good night’s rest.
Sleep is very essential to normal brain functions. You’ll need at least 7-8 hours of sleep in order to be at your best for exams, so instead of burning the midnight oil the night before your exams, you should be resting.

6. Eat nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables are full of so many goodies – vitamins, nutrients and most importantly, lasting energy. The natural sugars in fruit will provide you the energy you’ll need to stay focused, while vegetables will give you the proper nutrition for your body.

7. Drink lots of water.
While drinking a lot of water may require you to use the restroom more frequently, water will keep you alert and hydrated. Remember, a hydrated body = a focused mind.

8. Review your notes.
The key to remembering information for an exam is to review your notes on a more frequent basis. Review your notes after each class, and again a few days later to ensure that the information stays fresh in your mind. You will be amazed at how much more you can retain on test day.

9. Be calm, and don’t worry.
Exams are meant to be tough, but if you prepared efficiently, then you shouldn’t worry. All your hard effort will pay off.

I hope these tips have helped. The most important tip in here is to get it done as early as possible so that you’ll have time to memorize the information you need. Good luck on your exams, everyone!!

Attention parents and high school juniors and seniors!!

Did you know that the January 23, 2010 is coming up in the next few weeks? Shortly after that is the March 13, 2010 test, so now would be the best time to prepare for either of those test dates!

Students, preparing for the SAT doesn’t have to be a boring chore that your parents are making you to do. At the Study Hut in both Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, we have fun and effective tutors that are ready to help you get prepared for the SAT while making it FUN! We have a great, positive studying environment here for you and all your friends. You can either chose to work one-on-one with a tutor, or in groups to learn and understand the material that is in the SAT.

And just to let everyone know, the Study Hut will also have a group class in preparation for the March 13th SAT test. Here are the details:

Class starts Monday, January 18, 2010. Classes are every Monday and Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Class will end on Wednesday, March 3rd.

The 1st Practice Exam (Diagnostic) is Saturday, January 16th, at 8:00 a.m. Please do not be late. Also, the exam is 4 hours long, so please plan rides to and from the Study Hut accordingly.

Subsequent exams will be scheduled as followed: Exam #2 – January 30th, Exam#3 – February 13th, and Exam #4 (the final preparation exam before Official SAT test on March 13th) – Mar 6th.

The 7-week class is priced at $795, and all written and online test prep materials will be provided by Clear Choice Prep.

If you would like to sign up for SAT tutoring, please call either the Manhattan Beach or Redondo Beach office (whichever is conveniently located for you) to make an appointment today. Our Manhattan Beach office is located at: 880 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. That office’s phone number is: (310) 546-2408. Our Redondo Beach office is located at: 210 Avenue I, Redondo Beach, CA 90277. That office’s phone number is: (310) 540-5888.

And students, don’t wait until the last minute to prepare! Enroll now! We look forward to helping you out soon!!

I know that some readers are probably tired of reading articles pertaining to the SAT, but it’s SAT crunch time! The Study Hut is ready to help you prepare for the upcoming SAT tests; we offer one-on-one SAT tutoring and SAT class prep for all high school juniors and seniors. In addition to providing tutoring, we also are pleased to help you with a few SAT tips to help you be prepared for the test. Read more to find out what top 10 strategy tips we have for you!

1. Be Equipped.
On the night before the test you should gather everything you’ll need: your admission ticket, a photo ID (driver’s license, a state photo ID card, or US passport), several #2 pencils, a calculator with fresh batteries, a watch, and a nutritious and high-energy snack.

2. Don’t Cram.
The best thing to do the evening before the test is to get a good night’s rest. You should be calm, rested, confident, and ready on test day.

3. Dress in Layers.
The climate in test centers can vary from sauna-like to frigid (the latter is usually the case in classroom testing sites). You need to be comfortable to do your best.

4. Arrive Early.
You may want to scope out your test location before test day to ensure that you know where you’re going. Getting to the test should be the least of your concerns, and you never want to arrive late on test day.

5. Don’t Spend too Much Time on One Question.
Each question is worth the same number of points. If a question is confusing or too time-consuming, don’t panic. Use an educated guess, and move onto the next question. You can come back to hard questions if you have time at the end of a section.

6. Don’t Look for Unscored Questions/Sections.
The experimental section on the SAT is well-camouflaged, and you will waste your time if you look for it. Treat the (unknown) experimental section the same as other sections, and try to do your best on every question.

7. Keep Track of Where You Are in a Section.
On the SAT, obvious answer choices early in a set may be correct. Obvious choices near the end of a set are often booby traps.

8. Use Logic When You Have to Guess Your Answer.
If you don’t know an answer, don’t leave the question blank or guess randomly. Eliminate the choices you know are wrong, then make an educated guess from the remaining options. Remember, if you can eliminate even one answer choice, then it pays to guess on the SAT.

9. Be Careful Filling in the Answer Grid.
Make sure you’re filling in answers next to the right numbers. Even a mistake could jeopardize your entire section and score.

10. Relax.
Your attitude and outlook are crucial to your test-day performance. Be calm and confident. If you’ve studied hard for the test, chances are, you will do good on it.

Here are some rules to “follow” (you don’t have to necessary follow all the rules, but integrate them into your life) in order to have a successful and happy life. You can also make rules for yourself to follow as well.

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat a healthy, balanced breakfast, followed by a healthy, well-proportioned lunch and dinner.
3. Eat more veggies and fruits instead of processed foods that contain artificial flavors and ingredients.
4. Exercise, exercise, exercise! Be sure to exercise at least 30-60 minutes every day. It doesn’t have to be rigorous; a fast-paced walk around the neighborhood a few times should suffice.
5. Sleep for at least 7-8 hours every night.

Personality:

6. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
7. Try not to have negative thoughts. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.
8. Don’t always over exert yourself. Keep your limits.
9. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
10. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
11. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
12. Forget issues of the past. Harboring it will ruin your present happiness.
13. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
14. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
15. Realize that life is a school, and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16. Smile and laugh more.
17. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

18. Try to often spend time with your loved ones.
19. Be gentle with to Earth. You don’t want to be selfish, and ruin it for future generations, do you?
20. Learn to forgive more.
21. Spend more time with people over the age of 65 & under the age of 6. You’ll thank yourself, and society will thank you.
22. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your family & friends will. Stay in touch with them.
23. Politeness and courtesy go a long way. Trust me.

Life:

24. Share your knowledge. Think of it as a way of achieving immortality 😀
25. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
26. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. Be humble.
27. If you mess up, it’s no one’s fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes… learn from them.
28. Be excited about living life. Don’t dwell on how “miserable” your life is. If something makes you unhappy, change it.
29. Share “I cans” with other people – make them feel like they can do anything too.
30. Have a positive attitude about everything. Have faith that things will work out for you if they are not right now.

Let’s face it. Most people hate writing papers (I’m one of the few that love writing papers, but that’s a story saved for another day). Yes, I know that writing can be a drag, but writing is an essential skill that you need to have (and develop) in order to be competitive against your peers. In order to become a better writer, you will need to take the time to learn how to write well. How do we accomplish this? I have several suggestions for you. Read more to find out!

Some simple, but effective tips include:

* Practice, practice, practice! I never would have gotten A’s on my papers if I never practiced writing in my free time. You don’t have to write “practice” research papers either – even creative writing (like a short story) would suffice. Daily journal writing would also help.
* Have a friend, acquaintance, or even teacher proofread your writing. You’ll never learn from your mistakes if you aren’t aware of them.
* READ. Yes, I said the dreaded word next to “writing” and “homework”. And when I said read, I meant read actual literature such as novels and news magazines like Time and U.S. News & World Report. Don’t read fashion and gossip magazines or comics. You’ll never learn the right style of writing and expand your vocabulary from those sources.
* If you have been assigned a paper, get started on the paper the day that it is assigned. This doesn’t mean that you’ll actually need to start writing the paper, but rather it means that you should think about the topic. Write a summary of ideas that would help you get started and organized.
* For the rough draft, start writing it at least a week before the assignment is due. This way, you’ll leave yourself plenty of time for revisions and to take breaks from writing.
* Lastly, remember that writing doesn’t need to be an agonizing process. It can be fun, but only if you stay open-minded and positive about writing.

On another note, the Study Hut would like to wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving with your loved ones. We leave you with these wise words:

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
– Unknown

Butterfly in the sky
I can go twice as high
Take a look
It’s in a book
A Reading Rainbow

I can go anywhere
Friends to know
And ways to grow
A Reading Rainbow

I can be anything
Take a look
It’s in a book
A Reading Rainbow
A Reading Rainbow

Can you guess where this article is heading?

Every other day at The Study Hut Tutoring, we have our students do reading assignments to further enhance their educational experience with us. This is usually the time we hear the most complaints we ever hear from our students – “Reading is boring”, “Reading sucks”, “Why are we doing this? I suck at reading.” (They consider this activity to be a form of torture! Oh my!)

Students, reading should be entertaining! When I talk to the kids who say “reading sucks” about what books that they have read, they usually tell me the name of a book that’s required reading for school. This shows me that they really haven’t delved into the many different kinds of writing, and it disappoints me. I’m not completely gaga about reading, but I do enjoy reading books for my pleasure and enrichment, and I believe that all students should as well.

What I’m basically telling students is – don’t blow off reading because the books you read in school weren’t fun. Reading can be fun if you chose the right book that suits your preferences. Reading isn’t just about reading difficult Shakespeare sonnets, it’s about enjoying the wonderful world of magic, mayhem, and fantasy (i.e. the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Ring series). Go, read, and broaden your perspectives with these great literary treasures!

And lastly, parents, show your children the path to enlightenment and adventure through books. They’ll thank you (albeit, not now, but soon enough) and you’ll be thanking yourself (and me) if they become a Pulitzer prize winning author in the future!! 🙂

Why is science tough? Why do people struggle with it in school? These are questions that I hear a lot.

Science is definitely a subject where the old cliché of, “The more effort you put in, the more the rewards are” applies. Chemistry, Biology, Human Anatomy, Physics, and Physiology further exemplify this adage. It seems that many high school students have trouble putting “more” into academic subject, especially a notoriously dry one that requires excessive memorization (see the previous article for some tips about memorization!), which is usually due to typical teenage distractions such as sports, socializing, and other life activities .

The notion of putting “more” into an information dense course in the science field, whether it be Chemistry or Physics, doesn’t necessarily mean more work. Although it does require some degree of hard work, putting more into those subjects means more organization, better time management, and most importantly, consistent and frequent studying, which may arguably be even more important than studying. The Study Hut tutors, especially those who have degrees in the sciences, understand this. We had to utilize these skills in order to survive the rigorous science classes of college! The coping mechanisms we learned as students of such classes are enthusiastically passed on and instilled into The Study Hut tutees.

Any type of science subject is taught in a sequence with each unit representing a system. Those units build on each other, and a mastery of each unit is essential for continuous understanding of the class. Falling behind is not an option, at least for those students who aim to achieve high grades. This is all very challenging and requires a fair amount of academic discipline. Academic discipline is not a term often synonymous with teenager or high school student. The Study Hut tutors teach study skills to keep up with and master material, thereby reducing frustration and increasing gratification. With help from the Study Hut, your child may develop a burning passion for any type of science, and maybe even entertain a future as a Field Scientist, or just pass the class with flying colors while enjoying every step of the learning process! Contact us at 310-546-2408 (Manhattan Beach) or 310-540-5888.