It Helps to Prepare for the Test

Back when I was applying to college, I took the SAT - because that's the test required by the college I wanted to attend.  The only sat prep I had was this HUGE book full of practice questions, which I really didn't use.  I did like the big book, just because it was a big book.  I wonder if just having it helped me with the test?  Probably not, but I did well enough that I got into college.

Nowadays kids have it so much easier, getting ready for these kinds of tests.  There are practice questions online, and good SAT and ACT prep courses that can help them improve their scores.  Of course, it's the same as the book - if you don't use it, it can't help you.  When Cory was getting ready to take the ACT, I kept telling him he needed to do some studying or some of the practice questions so he'd be ready.  Of course he waited until the night before the test to do any of them.  Still he did well enough that he could get into any of the University of Wisconsin schools, according to his school counselor.

I wonder how much higher he could have scored if he'd done a little prep.

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Yearly Dementia Test

I posted this Neurological Test early in 2009 - - so when I got this email, I thought I'd share it too.

It's that time of year for us to take our annual senior citizen test. Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles. As we grow older, it's important to keep mentally alert. If you don't use it, you lose it! Below is a very private way to gauge how your memory compares to the last test. Some may think it is too easy but the ones with memory problems may have difficulty. Take the test presented here to determine if you're losing it or not.

The spaces below are so you don't see the answers until you've made your answer. OK, relax, clear your mind and begin.

1) What do you put in a toaster?









Answer: 'bread.' If you said 'toast' give up now and do something else..
Try not to hurt yourself. If you said, bread, go to Question 2.

2) Say 'silk' five times. Now spell 'silk.' What do cows drink?









Answer: Cows drink water. If you said 'milk,' don't attempt the next question. Your brain is over-stressed and may even overheat. Content yourself with reading a more appropriate literature such as Auto World. However, if you said 'water,' proceed to question 3.

3) If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from?









Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. If you said 'green bricks,' why are you still reading these??? If you said 'glass,' go on to Question 4.

4) It's twenty years ago, and a plane is flying at 20,000 feet over Germany. (If you will recall, Germany at the time was politically divided into West Germany and East Germany). Anyway, during the flight, two engines fail. The pilot, realizing that the last remaining engine is also failing, decides on a crash landing procedure. Unfortunately the engine fails before he can do so and the plane fatally crashes smack in the middle of 'no man's land' between East Germany ! ! and West Germany ... Where would you bury the survivors? East Germany , West Germany , Or no man's land'?









Answer: You don't bury survivors. If you said ANYTHING else, you're a dunce and you must stop. If you said, 'You don't bury survivors', proceed to the next question.

5) Without using a calculator -
You are driving a bus from London to Milford Haven in Wales. In London, 17 people get on the bus. In Reading, 6 people get off the bus and 9 people get on. In Swindon, 2 people get off and 4 get on. In Cardiff, 11 people get off and 16 people get on. In Swansea, 3 people get off and 5 people get on. In Carmathen, 6 people get off and 3 get on. You then arrive at Milford Haven
+++++

Without scrolling back to review, how old is the bus driver?









Answer: Oh, for crying out loud! Don't you remember your own age? It was YOU driving the bus!!
++++

If you pass this along to your friends, pray they do better than you..

PS: 95% of people fail most of the questions!!

Note: I am in no way admitting that I am getting old or insinuating that any of you are, either. I just thought this would be fun. Let me know how you do!

Time to Study for the ACT

I heard about this on the news last November and posted it because I knew it would come in handy. Cory will be taking the ACT next month, and I'm expecting him to spend as much time as possible on this site between now and then.

I'm also posting this again for anyone else who has a student who needs to study for the ACT or SAT.

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MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin students can study for their SAT and ACT exams for free on a new state Web site.

KnowHow2GoWisconsin announced Friday that its Web site now has tutorials and interactive practice sessions for the two college entrance exams as well as the graduate school exam known as the GRE.

The program paid for with a federal grant includes a vocabulary builder with more than 2,000 words that adapts to each student's abilities.

KnowHow2GoWisconsin is a partnership of Wisconsin public schools, colleges and universities that aims to help more students go to college.

KnowHow2GoWisconsin

This looks like it's going to be really helpful. Besides the test prep, the site is supposed to help students know what they should be doing now to get ready for college. There are a lot of great resources on the site, too. I'm looking through this site wondering why no one told us about it before. Were we somehow supposed to find it on our own? I do wish the school would do a little more to make sure the kids have the resources they need to be successful.

Time to get serious about this whole college thing. Like they say, "There are lots of steps 2 take and this website can help. It’s never too early–or too late–2 get started on the road 2 college."

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I Be Smart

I just got an email from a friend linking to this little test. It's just a little test to see how smart you are, and he said I wouldn't pass. Of course that meant I had to try it and see how well I could do. I got them all right and got this trophy, too. How about that?

For a little brain exercise try the Intelligence Test and find out how smart you are.

Finals and Exemptions

The kids have semester finals at school this week. I know high school has been a long time ago, but I don't remember having finals. Really I don't. I also don't remember being able to be exempt from finals, but that's what these kids get. If they have good enough grades and not too many absences, they can be exempt from their finals. They still have to take 3, no matter what, but the rest of them they do not have to take. One of the finals Cory had to take was for Jazz Band. He had to write a paper and turn it in by 8am today. He turned it in yesterday, and he didn't even have to go to school today. Tomorrow he has to go and take his other two exams, and then Thursday he gets to stay home again. There's no school Friday for anyone.

Beth had to go take two tests today. She's got two tomorrow - luckily the same time Cory has his, so they can go together. Then she's got another one on Friday. Yeah, somehow she had to take 5 instead of 3, so she only got out of a couple. I guess some of the classes have what they call a 'culminating activity' and you can't be exempt from it. It doesn't count toward your grade, either. Beth doesn't think it's fair that she has to go for those, but there's nothing she can do about it. Besides, being able to skip any exams at all is a big privilege and not a right. Teenagers have a hard time understanding the difference.

Grades

We got the kids' report cards last week. Beth is doing much better this year - only because she has to get a B average to keep her driving privileges. It's very important because her insurance costs are 1/3 cheaper when we get the good student discount. Other than the desire she has to drive, she has no motivation to get or maintain good grades. It's really sad because she was a very good student up until 8th grade. Then suddenly she stopped caring or trying. No matter what we say to her she just doesn't see any need to do well in school. She doesn't see how this will translate into real life and how what she does now will either open up or limit her possibilities in the future. I don't remember ever thinking about the future when I was in school. It didn't matter why I was learning this stuff or doing this work. The fact was that I was doing it now and I was going to do the best possible job while doing it. Her lack of caring just makes no sense to me.

Beth didn't quite make her B average for the quarter, but has to get there by the semester grade. The really puzzling part is that we got the results from the 10th grade standardized tests they took in November. She scored in the Advanced level in one subject area and in the Proficient level, but just a few points away from Advanced, in several other subjects. Obviously the girl is smart. When we asked her about the differences here, her explanation was that the questions on the test were really easy. *shaking my head*

I think we would be ok with her grades if we knew that was the best she could do - even at the expense of losing the good student discount for insurance. However, knowing that she can do better but chooses not to is really hard to deal with. All her teachers are the same way. They know she can do better and expect more from her than she is giving. If she honestly could not do better, that would be different.