How to Succeed on SAT Subject Tests

How to Succeed on SAT Subject Tests Learning to succeed on the SAT often means learning to succeedon the SAT Subject Tests, too, which can feel like a lot of extra pressure. Luckily, SAT Subject Tests are optional, which means students can prepare andsucceedby focusing on areas of their choosing. There are 20 different subject areas offering tests, and each is only one hour. Students might choose to take an SAT Subject Test to improve their academic portfolio, test out of some college courses, or stand out in scholarship competitions. If youre interested in taking one or more of these SAT Subject Tests, it will be important that you know how to approach them, improving your chances to succeed. 1. Choose your SAT Subject Testscarefully If you know that you struggle with a particular subject, it may not be a wise idea to take an SAT Subject Test in it (assuming it is not required by your college). If you dont have specific requirements for subject testing, choose exams that complement your course of study and show your expertise well. Topic SAT Subject Tests offered Mathematics Math Level 1, Math Level 2 Science Biology E/M, Chemistry, Physics English Literature History U.S. History, World History Languages Spanish, Spanish with Listening, French, French with Listening, Chinese with Listening, Italian, German, German with Listening, Modern Hebrew, Latin, Japanese with Listening, Korean with Listening Above data comes from the College Board website. Avoid those that are irrelevant to your study or that will otherwise show a lack of preparedness. [RELATED:Should I Take SAT Subject Tests?] 2. Think about your SAT Subject Test timeline While SAT Subject Tests are available to you many months of the year, youll want to put a little more thought into your timeline, rather than just assuming you can conveniently take the exams whenever you wish. Allow yourself enough time to retake the subject tests if necessary, but also try to schedule them late enough into your accompanying studies that you are fully prepared. If possible, take the test when youre near the end of a corresponding class. 3. Practice makes perfect on SAT Subject Tests Of course, no exam prep is complete without a number of practice tests. This is true for the SAT Subject Tests as well. While your high school classwork will act as great preparation for the subject tests, theyre not the only things you need to do. Work with the specific subject test, making sure the practice exams you choose are from the current version of the test. At the end, go through the results carefully, which will give you a better understanding of the test and your learning process. Narrow down where specifically you struggle and then focus your attention and following SAT Subject practice tests there. 4. Work smarter, not harder While there are a number of different SAT Subject Tests, they all follow similar scoring systems. Each correct answer earns the test-taker one full point, while incorrect answers subtract a partial point. If youre struggling to come up with an answer, feel free to skip a question, making a note that youll need to later return to it. For questions you simply dont know, try to work backwards, eliminating possible answer choices until you come up with a reasonable decision. 5. Look into SAT Subject Testrequirements Every SAT Subject Test requires a different set of supplies, so make sure you look into each ones details so youre familiar with the equipment required, as well as the format. Some tests require headphones and a CD player while others might require nothing. Knowing what you need will be crucial to your success on the SAT Subject Test of your choosing, so dont come unprepared. 6. Create a great study space Having a great spot to study can really help your prep process. Create a space that is conducive to your learning style and well stocked with the appropriate study materials, which might include the following: headphones a graphing calculator highlighters extra pens and pencils notebooks Knowing that youve got an effective place to learn can help motivate you to put in the hours of study youll need to ace your SAT Subject Test(s)! Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us atblog@varsitytutors.com.

Certain Math Learning Issues to Be Resolved

Certain Math Learning Issues to Be Resolved Math is a subject that threatens or interests students to the maximum. Students who understand the core language of Math with its underlying concepts ace it without difficulty. The fact remains that only a handful of students master Math learning in all its spheres. Many students falter somewhere and are not successful in exhibiting their Math knowledge and skills. There are various types of learning issues in doing Math. As every student differ in their attitude and aptitude for learning the subject. Many students have considerable understanding of Math concepts but their poor basic skills pull them down for low scores. An online Math Tutor can trace out the symptoms of Math disabilities in students and pick out solutions for remedying them. What are the common Math learning disabilities? Not having a strong hold on number facts Number facts are the basics of Math learning and students at the preliminary level of subject learning do not hold strong skills in addition, multiplication or division. The result is their careless errors in computation while solving sums at advanced level. They may possess wonderful knowledge in Math concepts at advanced level but are pushed to the extreme of taking remedial classes for their computational skills. Do Math Tutors Leave Takeaways to Help You Improve Sco https://t.co/feIuuZqb15 â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) March 24, 2016 Interactive games, Math puzzles and other such techniques from virtual tutors can wipe out such disabilities from students right from their kindergarten level. Not being able to connect informal knowledge to formal Math learning Many students have very good knowledge about Math facts gathered through informal ways like practical situations and real life contexts. Once they get into formal subject learning, they are unable to connect the two and understand Math in its formal language. Doing homework is very tough for such students. Math homework help online can sort out such issues of students via expert tutor help and bring students to a mode where they can do the subject without a fuss. The tutors use concrete examples to help students in learning Math symbols and notations and understanding concepts without hassle. Difficulty in understanding the language of Math Terminologies in Math need in-depth understanding for hassle free learning.  Many students lack in verbal skills to understand the terms and explanations for Math concepts. They need some guidance for coming out of such critical situations and online tutors in Math equip the students with the verbal skills suitable for Math learning and make students understand concepts through easy explanations thereafter. So, learning issues in Math learning are commonly found among students. They can be dispensed with if proper advice is availed through expert online tutors. Get the best of the services available in the industry and overcome your Math learning disabilities.

Italian Grammar Rules How to Form Singular and Plural Nouns

Italian Grammar Rules How to Form Singular and Plural Nouns Brooke Neuman Mastering Italian grammar can be difficult. Nonetheless, its important if you want to become proficient in the Italian language. Below, Italian teacher Nadia B. shares some tips and tricks on how to form singular and plural nouns In Italian, it’s important to understand how to form singular and plural nouns. After all, nouns are a cornerstone of the Italian languageâ€"or any language for that matter. Luckily, this Italian grammar rule is easy to master as it follows a certain pattern. Once you learn this recognizable pattern, you’ll be able to express more exponentially in Italian. Lets get started! Identifying the Gender of a Noun Regardless of number, each noun has a gender: masculine or feminine. It’s important that you understand how to recognize whether a noun is feminine or masculine. Once you know whether a noun is feminine or masculine in the singular, you can make changes to the ending to pluralize. If a noun is feminine, it generally ends in â€"a in the singular and if it is masculine, it generally ends in â€"o in the singular. See examples below: Feminine:  la mela Masculine:   il ragazzo However, there are some nouns that end in â€"e,  which can be  feminine or masculine. See examples below: Masculine: il ristorante Feminine: la notte Pluralizing the Noun The most basic way to pluralize singular nouns is as follows: Nouns ending in â€"o, the ending changes to â€"i in the plural. See example below: Singular: il libro Plural:   i libri Nouns ending in â€"a, the ending changes to â€"e in the plural. See example below: Singular: la bambina Plural: le bambine Nouns ending in â€"ca change to â€"che in the plural.  See example below: Singular: l’amica Plural: le amiche Nouns ending in â€"e change to â€"i in the plural. See example below: Singular: lo studente Plural: gli studenti Exceptions to the Rule There are several exceptions to the rules listed above: For the nouns that end in â€"io,  the -i is generally not repeated in the ending.  An exception to this are words like lo zio, which becomes gli zii. See example below: Singular:  il negozio Plural:   i negozi not i negozii There are certain  feminine nouns ending in â€"a that change to â€"i in the plural. See example below: Singular:  l’ala Plural: le ali. There are certain  masculine nouns ending in â€"a that  change ending to â€"i in the plural, along with nouns ending in â€"o and â€"e, which can be masculine or feminine. See examples below: Singular:  il problema Plural:  i problemi Singular:  la mano Plural:  le mani There are also nouns ending in â€"a that can be both masculine and feminine. Dentista, for example, can be accompanied by the masculine or feminine article;  la dentista or il dentista. In these cases, the masculine noun changes to â€"i in the plural and the feminine noun changes to â€"e in the plural. See example below: Masculine Plural: i dentisti Feminine Plural: le dentiste Nouns that end in â€"ca and â€"ga have a hard sound that needs to be preserved in the plural. To do so, the plural forms add an -h, but are otherwise normal in their pluralization. These nouns can be either feminine or masculine. Here is an example of each: Singular: la barca Plural: le barche Singular: lo stratega Plural: gli strateghi The same addition of the ‘h’ in the plural also applies to nouns ending in â€"go and in â€"co. Some nouns ending in â€"co, however, don’t include ‘h’ in the plural (l’amico à gli amici). Singular:  il dialogo Plural:i dialoghi Singular:  il pacco Plural:  i pacchi Lastly, another type of noun with a spelling change are those that end in â€"cia or â€"gia. If the â€"i in this ending is unstressed in the singular, it drops the â€"i in the plural. However, if the â€"i is stressed, it is retained in the plural. Singular:la mancia Plural:  le mance Singular:  la farmacia Plural:  le farmacie Abbreviated Nouns In Italian grammar, there are other types of nouns that are  abbreviated, which are shortened to make them easier to write and say. La foto, for example, which is short for la fotografia. With these nouns, they retain the same ending in the plural shortened forms (le foto). Similarly, nouns that end with an accented vowel or a consonant don’t change in the plural, either. See examples below: Singular:  il caffé Plural:  i caffé Singular:  il film Plural:  i film An important part of understanding nouns is also understanding what articles accompany them, including definite and indefinite articles. You can read more about articles in this blog post. While there are many exceptions to nouns, the basic rules of how to form singular and plural nouns will take you quite far. As  you work with your Italian tutor, you can learn the exceptions through practice, listening, and repetition. Before you know it, you will naturally form singular and plural nouns perfectly! Photo by llmicrofono Ogglono Post Author:  Nadia B. Nadia B. teaches Italian in New York, NY. She graduated summa cum laude from New York University, with a double degree in Italian Language and Literature and Classical Music Performance.  Learn more about Nadia here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Singers, Dont Forget the Most Important Part of Performing!

Singers, Dont Forget the Most Important Part of Performing! Sign up successful Developing Stage Presence by Emphasizing Particular Words or Phrases Given this dynamic, a singer can enhance his  or  her performance in a number of ways. A particular word or phrase might be emphasized with more volume or ornamentation (or conversely, as a contrast to the bombast around it) if the word or phrase is of particular importance to the message. When I perform He Aint Heavy, Hes My Brother (my version is closest to Neil Diamonds version), I always put extra focus on the words Why not share? just before the songs climax. Listen here: This crystallizes the meaning of the song into a single, simple phrase, and I sing it as though my obligation to the audience is to have them internalize just these three words if they take anything from my performance. In other cases, words may be sung with a particular inflection of strain or of release, as per the singer’s vision of the song’s message. I put an extra level of strained intensity into the line Stop this heartbreak overload in John Waites Missing You in order to show that the narrator has reached the limits of his emotional angst and thus must cry out in fury: Meanwhile, I sing the line Take away all my sadness in the song Have I Told You Lately (my version is closest to Rod Stewarts version) with exceeding calm and relief, expressing that although the tone of the song is rather sad, the narrator is reassured into solace by his lover. Developing Stage Presence Through Body Language Body language can also be an important element in conveying a story to an audience, even if one’s body is partially occupied by playing an instrument while singing. An audience will always respond to conviction and comfort, and these can be displayed not only through a singer’s familiarity with the song at hand, but also through confident posture and the willingness to connect both with individual listeners and with a crowd in general. Some artists accomplish this through their banter between songs, or their willingness to perform a cover of a well-known song to which the audience already may have a strong nostalgic attachment. Others draw from techniques employed by dancers (purposeful movements, exuberant energy), actors (poignant facial expressions), speech-givers (different rhythmic cadences to emphasize key thematic concepts), or folk-tale narrators (a tangible sense of wondrous exploration in each new piece that is sung). Perhaps the most universal connection between singer and audience can be achieved through strategic use of eye contact. Eye contact need not (and perhaps should not) occur for every moment of a song â€" a singer may look above the audience’s head, look down, and/or close his or her eyes for certain lines in a song, and often these moments not only infuse an enhanced urgency or poignancy into a line that is sufficiently powerful to compel such a change, but can continually renew an audience’s interest every time that eye contact is re-established. Need some specific exercises to practice that will help improve your stage presence? Check out the quick tutorial below. When I teach voice lessons, it is sometimes necessary to work on things such as intonation, situational breathing, projection, eye contact, vowel sounds, and other tools. These instructions help develop the basic parameters of a capable singer. But I always strive to gear these devices toward helping the student achieve a unique interpretation of each song he or she works on. Keep these performance tips for singers in mind . The real magic occurs beyond the physical framework of the notes; it occurs in the message that is communicated. Steve G. teaches singing, piano and music theory lessons in Davis, CA. He earned his PhD in music theory and composition from the University of California Davis and also tutors math and writing.  Learn more about Steve here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by  Barry Lenard

Learning Italian Find the Best Italian Teacher

Learning Italian Find the Best Italian Teacher Finding the Best Tutors to Learn Italian With ChaptersWhat to Look For in a Teacher of ItalianWhat are you Learning Italian For?Self-Taught or Certified?Language Instruction Delivery MethodsTeachers of the Italian language are worried. A recent report by the British Council reveals that, overwhelmingly, secondary school students are learning to speak French, German and Spanish.If all people want to do is speak Spanish, how is an Italian teacher to earn a living?Many have turned to giving private Italian language lessons. They teach Italian online, or visit their clients' homes for one on one instruction.That makes for a crowded market, one where the choice is great. Where you may find the teacher you need right around the corner from you.How would you know a good teacher from a mediocre one? That is to say: of all of the teachers of the language of Dante that you could engage, how to find the one that is right for you?Let us give you some ideas on how to winnow the long list of Italian teachers available for hire into a manageab le two or three names, from which you would then select the ideal teacher for you.You don't have to look far to find your ideal Italian tutor Source: Pixabay once you have determined what level of certification your teacher should have...Once you know why you are driven to take Italian courses, you can follow these steps to find your perfect teacher.Buona Fortuna!Prepare for your Italian exams with our guide to exams.

Managing Your Time - Private Tutoring

Managing Your Time BobbiM Mar 27, 2014 Once youre done finally managing yourself-we knew you could do it-learn to manage your time. You have so much time to get your stuff done. Insert some deep quote about the mystery of time here. Lets get started. To manage your time effectively, you will need to determine three important pieces of information: 1. What do you need to accomplish? Consider the classes you must attend each week, your work schedule, social commitments, class assignments, and so forth. One of the hardest problems to figure out is how much time an assignment will take. Some of the ability to know how long things will take comes with experience, but the following general rule may help you plan your time: THINGS ALWAYS TAKE LONGER THAN YOU THINK THEY WILL. 2. What things do you currently do that waste your time? Before you can figure out how to spend your time effectively, you need to find out if and how you are wasting time. To do this, think about how you currently spend your days. Are there some things you do that simply waste large amounts of time? How might you restructure your days so that less time is wasted? 3. How can you keep track of what you need to do? Most people who manage their time successfully say that they cant live without their schedule book or daily planner. It helps them keep track of appointments, assignments, social commitments, and even important phone numbers. If you dont already use some kind of schedule book invest in one today. Take your schedule book with you to class and be sure to mark down your assignments. But writing things down is only half the battle-you have to make a habit of checking your schedule book every day to see why you need to do. Excerpt from College Success Strategies by Sherrie L. Nist and Jodi Patrick Holschuh.

ACT Math Strategy Series [Part 3 of 3]

ACT Math Strategy Series [Part 3 of 3] ACT SAT Prep and College Admissions Blog Math is a subject that most students either love or hate. In either case, preparing thoroughly for the Math section of the ACT is important in order to do your best. If math is not your strongest subject, building a solid foundation of understanding will be important for maintaining a decent overall score. If math comes easily for you, reviewing will still be important in order to fill in the gaps in your knowledge, especially if you want your score to truly reflect your ability. Either way, this series of posts gives you valuable strategies that will help you maximize your score. This post is the third of a three part series that looks at strategies for acing the ACT Math section. Strategy #7: Recognize Obvious Shortcuts Often problems that appear to involve laborious calculations will actually be quicker to answer if you recognize shortcuts. For example, 256/64 is obviously 4 if you know your powers of 2. Other problems might be quicker to solve if you merely approximate the answer, which may get you close enough to recognize the correct answer from among the given choices. The more you practice with the specific types of problems that show up on the ACT, the more easily you will be able to recognize shortcuts when they are available (and the less likely you will be to waste time looking for them when they don’t exist). Strategy #8: Check Obvious Answers It doesn’t hurt to glance at the answer choices before attempting to solve a problem and check for any that appear to be obviously correct or obviously incorrect. Of course, if an answer choice appears to be obviously correct you should still verify it for yourself, as well as confirm that the other choices are not correct. Conversely, if an answer is obviously incorrect, you can eliminate it, which can make it easier to identify the correct one. Strategy #9: Use Strategic Guessing On the ACT there is no penalty for guessing, so there is no reason to not answer every problem. Guessing works best if you can stack the odds in your favor by eliminating as many incorrect answer choices as possible. On some problems you may be able to guess and check. If the answer is a number, it makes sense to guess the middle one first, because if it doesn’t work you may be able to tell if you need to go higher or lower. This will often be faster than starting at the highest number and going down or starting at the lowest number and going up. Dane Dormio is an online tutor and blogger with an unconventional approach to education. Visit his tutoring blog at www.synergy-tutoring.com. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(215486, 'a519c073-790d-4c67-b0fd-7095f1869478', {});

Uniqueness 7 Ways to Build a Personal Brand in College

Uniqueness 7 Ways to Build a Personal Brand in College unsplash.com Personal branding is increasing in importance. In her article,  â€œPersonal Branding Tips for College Students,”  Susan Chritton said that in the past students who went to college found jobs very easily after graduation, but college students today face competition from other college graduates with experience, non-college graduates with experience and older people in the workforce; this makes entering the workforce more difficult, increasing the immediate need for personal branding. Start building your personal brand now by adhering to the following tips. 1. Understand your career goals and aspirations. Think about what you want to do with your future. Where do you see yourself down the road? At least have an idea of what you are hoping to do in your career. Think about your  aspirations. How can you attain these? Take some time to think through what sort of mark you want to make on the world; this will help orient you to the way you want your personal brand to look. 2. See yourself through a different set of eyes. How do people  perceive you? Try to look at the way you act, speak and dress through the eyes of those around you. Who are you hanging out with on the weekends? What are you posting on social media sites? Did you dress like you wanted to go to class this morning? Part of building your personal brand lies in the way others will accept that brand. Remember, professionals and  employers will judge you  based on how you live your daily life, what you put on the internet and how you conduct yourself in society. “Branding yourself is just putting yourself out there and people responding well to it,” said O’Shea, “so make yourself a kind of product that you want to be around.” Start living a little more professionally and strengthen your personal brand. 3. Find what makes you unique. Though employers are judging the decisions you make, they also look for candidates who are unique. One of the first things to do when building your brand is to understand  what makes you unique; why are you different from the other students in your major or from other people in general? Think about your internships, travel abroad experiences, the languages you speak and any  special projects you’ve done. You can think about volunteer work or special skills you have and any awards you may have received as well. What makes you, you? When you figure out how you are unique and use it to your advantage, you will develop a useful personal brand that will help make you known in the world. 4. Build a strong skill set. While you are in college to learn within a specific major, you should also try to learn about anything else you can before you graduate. “I think [students] should be well-rounded,” said Doak, “and as experienced in the field they’re looking at as they can.” Whether these skills are academic, professional, social or otherwise, the more skills you can become an expert on, the  more credible you become. Credibility is very important in building your personal brand; the more credible you are, the more likely an employer will feel they can trust you and the more skills you can offer to a job. 5. Become an internet guru. Social media is largely becoming a part of the work world, and it is thus important to know how to use it professionally. Social media is also a great outlet to show off your personality. “Have a personality that people respond well to, whether it’s a class or going out somewhere or just hanging out with friends, and have different avenues for it like Twitter or blogging,” said O’Shea. unsplash.com Learn how to use social media  such as Twitter and Facebook to follow and like companies you’re interested inâ€"they may post job offerings or other useful career information. Using social media professionally will strengthen your personal brand by getting your name and information on the internet for potential employers to see. The caveat is that you have to be mindful of what you post; what would you want an employer to see? What would be terrible for them to see?  Remove inappropriate material from your social media sites to ensure your online presence is professional. In addition, blogging is a great way to build your personal brand. Blogging about a topic that interests you is a great way to showcase your personality and writing skills. Share your blog via social media to get your name spread. Your personal brand is about putting yourself out there and getting an edge on those who are not doing so. 6. Keep networking. You may not realize that you are probably already networking. Any time you talk to someone in class, join a new organization or sit next to someone on the bus, there is potential for networking. Networking with professionals is a fantastic way to get your name into the professional world. Make sure to network with  any and everyone you can, however; you never know who will be the connection to your dream career. This includes networking with your parents’ friends, your friends’ parents, past employers, coaches, and  other people who know you well. The more you network, the more connections you will have that know about and can talk about you. Also check out  LinkedIn, a site built for networking. 7. Create documents to display your personal brand. Highlight your uniqueness  through different documents. After you have a grip on your personal brand, create documents that will help other people to  understand who you are. Use your resume and cover letter to stand out by highlighting what makes you unique compared to other candidates. Craft business cards with your name and specialty to pass out to friends and employers. Follow these tips to get started on creating and strengthening your personal brand. Stand out among other job applicants and show your personality, uniqueness, skills and online presence through personal branding. If you have your own tips for building a personal brand in college, feel free to leave them in the comments below.