Next Step Prep

Test-taking anxiety can strike suddenly or build over the whole semester. It can impact a score by just a few points, or it can cut it half--or even boost a score, if handled properly.

Tomorrow night at 7pm I'll be discussing testing anxiety and other topics with a few powerhouses in the industry. I'm honored and thrilled to be joining Eric Endlich, Ph.D. and Jennifer Quinn tomorrow night to talk about this huge topic.

A few highlights I'll be sure to hit:
- There are three main sources of testing anxiety
- We can address each one in different ways
- In understanding the causes and the fears, we can overcome them
- The limited role of test prep in helping students who suffer from testing anxiety--what other professionals and parents can do to help the child

So if any of that sounds interesting to you--don't miss it! See you tomorrow night!

Testing Tips for Students with Learning Differences | LinkedIn Please join us for this live, interactive event to discuss test prep for neurodivergent students. We'll answer your questions on test anxiety, disability accommodations, the digital SAT and more!

Test Prep Tips for Students with Learning Differences!

On July 25th, I'll be joining nationally-acclaimed college consultant Dr. Eric Endlich for a live discussion on how neurodivergent students can gain testing accommodations, how to manage test anxiety, what the digital SAT means for these students, and more.

We'll also answer questions from live attendees on these topics and anything else in our expertise.

This event will be absolutely FREE and streamed live so you can join us from anywhere. There's no need to pre-register: just mark your calendar NOW for Tuesday, July 25th at 7pm EST.

You'll be able to join the event at this page: Top College Consultants

You might remember the SAT having a dedicated vocabulary section--no longer!

That's good news for most people, since memorizing vocabulary words out of context was the most tedious part of studying for the SAT for nearly everyone I've talked to who took it that way.

Now, the ACT and the SAT test vocabulary words in context, meaning it's bundled into the reading section. While students read the passages, they'll occasionally get questions about what an underlined vocabulary word.

This is way more common on the SAT than the ACT. Like 5x-10x times more common, depending on the year.

So if your student doesn't feel comfortable with vocabulary, or they don't often read for fun (usually a better indicator of vocab), then the ACT might be the better choice!

Test anxiety is a real problem for many students, especially those with learning differences. It's not unusual for students to find the real SAT more challenging due to the pressure of knowing that these results will count towards their college admissions. It's not just about knowing the material - managing stress and staying calm under pressure can also play a crucial role in your performance. If you're struggling with test anxiety, know that you're not alone and there are strategies to help. 💭🎓

If the real SAT feels harder than the practice test you're taking, think about how the test conditions might be affecting you. The environment in which you take the test can have a significant impact on your performance. The real SAT often feels more challenging than practice tests because of the pressure of the timed, regulated test-day environment. It's not just about mastering the content - it's also about learning to handle the conditions. 📝⏰

This week on Dear Jonah, we’ll answer a parent question about why a teacher won’t give a dyslexic student more time in class to complete assignments.

This doesn't happen very often at the high school level (which makes it very frustrating when it does), but it's more common at the undergraduate level.

Why won't the teacher give my dyslexic student more time? - Next Step Prep This week I answer another question from a parent: why won't the teacher give my dyslexic student more time?