Each SAT or ACT taken by a student costs her roughly $50 and half of a day of her life — a small price when compared to the potential benefits of admission into college.  Now, consider this: one of the best ways to prepare for taking the SAT (or ACT) is, well, taking the SAT (or ACT).  So, take both — as often as one can stand the effort and expense.  But that could mean taking twelve tests a year!  Surely that is too much.  So what else should one consider?

Consider the history and purpose of each test.  The SATs were created in the 1920s by and for several elite eastern colleges (i.e., the Ivy League) to supplement high school grades in the colleges’ evaluation of prospective candidates for admission.  The tests have changed over the years, but the basic testing philosophy has not.  The tests are designed primarily to measure the skills a student needs for success in college.  Despite some controversy (regarding diversity fairness and “trick” questions), the tests correlate well with students’ success as freshmen in college. Today the SATs are taken nationwide, but are most popular among colleges (and their prospective students) located in states on or near the coasts.

The ACTs were created in the late 1950s by and for midwestern colleges unhappy with some aspects of the SATs.  The ACTs are designed primarily to measure what a student has learned in high school.  They also correlate with student success in college, but less so than the SATs (according to some experts).  Today the ACTs are taken nationwide, but are most popular among colleges (and their prospective students) located in the broad middle of the country.  Many students feel more comfortable with the ACT (thinking they did better on it than on the SAT), but they are often surprised to find that their percentile rankings on the ACT are no better than those achieved on the SAT.

Nearly all college admissions officers accept either test.  I help prepare students for either or both.  If time and money are not major concerns, I say “go for both.”  If there is a limit, either test will do.  Personally, I lean toward the SAT because of its emphasis on the skills needed for success at the college level.  Getting into a college is only the beginning.  A student must be prepared to succeed in the college learning environment – which is vastly different from that in high school.

In high school, the teacher covers the material in class.  If she is conscientious, she will then assign reading and exercises.  A student, even one weak in critical reading and problem solving, should then be able to do the assignment because the material was covered in class.  In college, the professor does not cover the material.  The student is expected to come to class having already done the necessary reading and exercises.  The professor then “uncovers some of the material” and conducts a seminar with the (informed) students.

In high school a student is tested often.  Most high school quizzes and tests do not emphasize writing or the solving of problems a student has not seen before.  Most college courses test only three times: a midterm exam, a final, and a term paper.  Depending on the course, each test will demand writing, problem solving, or both.

The skills required of college students are precisely the ones tested by the SAT.  Preparing for the SAT thus helps a student develop the skills needed not only to get into college, but to stay there.  So, for most students, my answer is to take both the ACT and the SAT, but to concentrate primarily on the SAT.

About the Author: Captain Karl K. is a retired engineer, college lecturer and admissions officer, and high school teacher.  He is an active and highly successful tutor in a wide variety of subjects including ACT and SAT preparation, English grammar, reading, and writing, mathematics from geometry to calculus, and science (especially physics and chemistry).  He and his wife live in Atlantic Beach, Florida (near Jacksonville).

There are tons of benefits for both teachers and students in tutoring arrangements.  As a teacher, you can keep sharp on your teaching techniques, try out new ones, and stay up-to-date in your subject area.  You might have found that after summer break, you feel a little rusty in the classroom – summer tutoring can be a great way to stay current and avoid this.

Helping a student who finds a particular topic elusive can be an emotionally rewarding experience in itself; and tutoring also provides the opportunity to earn extra money to put towards your well-deserved vacation or further education costs.  Cash-flow can be a problem during the summer months for teachers, so tutoring is a great way to ensure you can keep paying the bills – and you’ll gain valuable experience while doing it.

Tutoring provides you with the flexibility to determine your own schedule, the amount of hours you wish to work, and where you work.  If you love to travel and are adventurous, teaching English as a second language in a foreign country can be a unique experience.  Or, stay at home and work with local kids to contribute to your community and prepare them for the upcoming fall semester (and enjoy the short commute!).  Working with parents as clients can also be a satisfying experience as you get to know more about the community and the kids you teach during the normal school year.  Many students who receive tutoring in addition to regular class time during the school year build lasting relationships with their teachers and often credit them as having a hand in their future successes.

Working over the summer as a tutor has the added benefit of allowing you to deviate from your typical subject area:  maybe you teach English during the normal school year, but you have a hidden passion for math that you miss utilizing.  Tutoring at a basic level can give you the chance to exercise some of those neglected muscles.  Teachers are also in demand for adults and children for whom English is a second language. This chance to experience variety and make an important difference in someone’s life can be greatly appealing.

To re-cap, teachers who tutor enjoy the following perks:

• Increased cash-flow/compensation for lost pay during summer months;
• Rewarding relationship with students and parents;
• Opportunity to set your own hours, work from home, work locally or even travel abroad;
• Chance to try new things; keep your skills focused, and work in areas you might otherwise not have the chance to during the school year.

Visit Tutor Match to build a tutor profile and register to be linked with a student who needs your expertise this summer.

One of the main reasons that parents choose to enroll their children in tutoring sessions is the difficulty that comes with understanding complex problems and solutions. Many tutors develop unique methods of enabling understanding in children.

When tutoring math, it is crucial that the child learn the vocabulary associated with the methods, as this can provide understanding of the problems that are being asked. Even if the child is unable to recall the formula, the vocabulary associated with the problem can give insight to solving it.

Gauge the level of the child and where their questions lie. Do this by asking open ended questions such as “Where do you think that we should start?” and “What are the steps to working out this problem?” Asking these questions will promote the child to think on their own and formulate the process required to solve the problem in their head. Not only will this help the tutor to gauge the level of the child and determine which concepts require review, it promotes the child to think about the concept at hand and become confident with the steps required to solve the problem.

Next, listen – Although this step may sound as if it is the easiest, listening is a talent that many tutors need to work on. Listening will allow the tutor to assess the communication and skill levels of the child they are tutoring. Listening is the only way, aside from witnessing the problems being solved, to gauge the comprehension of the child.

Math is a complex subject to learn and should be approached with drawings and diagrams to promote understanding. In complex diagrams, have the child label points such as types of angles, sizes of angles and solutions to problems.

And finally, remember to reinforce the child’s main educational school program with similar concepts.  You can always provide some refreshers on the basics, but don’t get too far ahead of what they’re studying in school.

1. Provide a quiet place for the child to study and review the concepts that have been learned that day. This could be a time after dinner when the table is clear or any another designated study area within the home or the bedroom.

2. Keep track of assignments. The more you are involved in the child’s school schedule, the more the child is going to consult about it with you. Remember when assignments are due, when assignments need to be started and when any tests or quizzes occur within the classroom.

3. Help children with basic skills including math skills like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. These basic skills are required for any further math concepts to become developed throughout their academic career.

4. Use everyday situations to help your child learn math, English and scientific principals. This will ensure the child will realise the importance of the lessons that are being taught while reinforcing the information that has been covered in the classroom setting. Repetition ensures that the child will retain the information.

5. Use worksheets, computer software and educational games to further develop and practice the concepts that have been taught within the school. Using the skills learned on a daily basis will help to solidify the lesson within the child’s brain.

And finally, don’t be afraid to seek professional tutoring help if you’re in over your head or if your child is simply struggling too much.  Tutor Match has thousands of Math tutors, English tutors, and Science tutors available either in your neighborhood or offering tutoring services online.

The first thing to test is your child’s ability to do standard multiplication and not the ladder method. This is fine with small numbers, but once they get to 3 digits and decimals, it becomes nothing but a pain and often a source of errors.  I usually had 2-3 students in each class using the ladder method.  I worked with them during extra help or before school, retraining their multiplication and wouldn’t you believe … they found it much easier to do the traditional vertical multiplication method!  What you can do at home is each night give your child a few problems to do using traditional method. They will be confused at first and might forget, but after a few days they should catch on.  Don’t overwhelm them with a ton of problems; 2-3 each night is fine.

The next thing I suggest is to review their long division skills.  Some students came to 6th grade only knowing how to do “partial sums” which again is fine with small whole numbers, but once you get into decimal division, it doesn’t work as well and creates confusion.  So first, review long division (or teach it depending on the case) and then review decimal division.  Most 5th grade math curriculum covers both long and decimal division so it should not be a foreign concept to a 6th grader.  Each night, give your child 2-3 decimal or long division problems.  Don’t overwhelm or overload.

Parents, if you don’t feel confident about making up your own problems, contact the teacher and ask if he or she can send your child home with a worksheet or if they can recommend a website with problems and examples.  Two very good websites with worksheets are edHelper.com (which is a paid subscription) and Math.com which is free.  And teachers, send your students home with worksheets to do at their own pace.  It may seem like a lot at the beginning of the year, but retraining math skills only makes learning new ones easier.

About our Guest Blogger and Author:
Mrs. Hilary M. is a Math Tutor and Teacher from Princeton, NJ who offers her professional math tutoring services on TutorMatch.com.  She also blogs at Mrs. Mo’s New Jersey, Baby! and HCM Tutoring.

Your child’s education is important. Use the summer months when school is out to help improve your child’s education, rather than give them a chance to fall further behind in their studies.

If your child has been struggling in school over the past year, summer is not the time to let him or her forget everything they learned. Many parents don’t capitalize on the summer months when school is out, but this is the best time to continue your child’s education with either personal, face-to-face tutoring, or an online tutor.

I would hate to suggest you curtail any kid’s highly anticipated summer vacation, so we’re not talking about summer school here. But if your child has been having a hard time in math, or english, or any subject over the past academic period, then summer is the best time to bolster their education and prepare them for the upcoming school year with a professional tutor.

There are some factors to consider when looking for the right tutor for your child:

1. Does your child have a short attention span? If so, then working with an online tutor may prove quite difficult. You might want to consider a more personal approach with a tutor located near you that can work with your child in person. Most tutors are very flexible, and will either come to your home, or meet with you and your child in the local public library.
2. Does your child have special needs? If so, you may not be able to find someone appropriately qualified close to your home. If this is the case, consider an online tutor. An online tutor can work with your child right at your home computer with you right next to them. Often online tutors will use email, chat rooms, digital whiteboards, or even voice internet phone services such as Skype, which will allow you to converse with them over your computer’s microphone without having to pay any long distance phone bills.
3. Is it difficult to schedule time for tutoring? If you’re busy, and are away from home working quite a bit, there are even some tutors who will offer themselves as babysitters. You may pay them to tutor your child for an hour or so, and then pay a decreased rate to have them babysit your child for the rest of the day.

Of course, whenever you are looking for someone to work with your children, make sure you research and interview them thoroughly.

So don’t let the summer go by without taking this opportunity to improve your child’s education. You’ll be thankful you did come September.

Tutor Match Tutoring and Homework Help, http://www.TutorMatch.com, is a free service which lets parents and students search for both online and personal, face-to-face tutors. You can find tutors for just about any subject, including (but not limited to) English and Reading, Math, Science, History, and Foreign Languages such as Spanish, French and German.

Tutor Match Tutoring and Homework Help is a free service which lets parents and students search for both online and personal, face-to-face tutors. You can find tutors for just about any subject, including (but not limited to) English and Reading, Math, Science, Social Sciences, and Foreign Languages.