"Test day jitters" manifests as "the problems were hard!" when what's really going on is "I'm not quite as capable when I'm nervous / amped up / in the spotlight." The biggest barrier to addressing this issue is misunderstanding what's really going on.
Test Prep
2019 Admissions Scandal
"There is a front door, there is a back door, and I've created a side door." William Singer may have been thinking outside the box, but I suspect he's soon going to be in a different (and much less metaphorical) sort of box -- one well-suited for lots and lots of...
Math Under Pressure
This outstanding TED Talk by Barnard's president is mainly about choking under pressure. But how interesting that the example Professor Beilock spends most time on is girls' learning math. One of the excellent points she makes so well is that there's a difference...
Cheating On The SAT
The thing I can't get out of my head when I read this NYT article on kids paying other kids to take the SAT for them is simply this: All they charged was $3600? Cripes, that's a bargain at ten times the price. Don't get me wrong: you shouldn't cheat, both because it's...
What The SAT Tests
I can't make this stuff up: three days after I reposted my 2012 essay in response to an article by a grown-up taking the SAT, Forbes published this article about -- you guessed it -- a (different) grown-up taking the (new) SAT. I can't resist the karmically-ordained...
Using Game Theory To Beat The SAT
Sure enough, game theory is a useful tool to have in one's toolbox when setting out to ace the SAT. This short article does a good job of showing how it works.But don't be fooled. If you want to beat the SAT, your top two priorities are no secret: know your stuff and...