We interview Rick from RK Test Prep. He’s got some great tips on psychology and motivation that make measurable differences on SAT and ACT test performance.

Resources Mentioned:

Rick’s book: RK Test Prep Book of Essential SAT Grammar: Writing and Language Practice Tests

Steven Pressfield’s books Do the Work and War of Art are great books for breaking through procrastination.

Cal Newport’s book Deep Work talks about the necessity of putting away technological distractions while doing work for productivity.

Sponsors:

RK Test Prep helps students improve their SAT and ACT scores with in-person or video tutoring sessions by experts who encourage students to maximize their potential.

3 Key Points:

1. Tutors can make students 2-10x more efficient while studying.
2. Students who have set college goals are more motivated to test prep.
3. Tutors inspire confidence in their students, which makes an overall difference in the score.

Notes:

1:15- Introduction. Rick’s been tutoring kids in West Chester, PA and online for five years. He tutors about 100 kids/year. He recently wrote a book compiling his knowledge.

2:21- Advantages of having a tutor: A tutor can better explain material and make students 2-10x more effective while studying. Also, it gives students confidence to work with a tutor that knows everything about the test. The tutor can instruct them in what strategies to use and what to study.

3:59- Kids meet with Rick for about 10 hours and practice 40 hours on their own and can expect about an 150 point SAT score increase.

5:02- One way to increase motivation to study is to set high expectations of students.

5:28- When kids come back from their first official college visit, their scores increase. Students who have scoped out colleges are generally more motivated.

6:26- There are websites that compute the odds of admission given GPA and SAT/ACT Scores. Here are some:

7:45- Some recommended books. Steven Pressfield’s books Do the Work and War of Art are great books for breaking through procrastination.

Cal Newport’s Deep Work talks about the necessity of putting away technological distractions while doing work for productivity.

8:59- Sitting through and doing practice tests is really more important than just reviewing notes.

9:45-Accountability is a big motivator. Knowing that you’re going to meet with a tutor who will ask questions about what you’ve done helps keep you on track.

11:17-Students who take more advanced classes are likely to improve more on the SAT than students who don’t.  The rigor of the coursework is more indicative of success than GPA.

12:59-Your mindset can make 60-90 point differences in score. Tutors should make their students feel confident about the test.

Check out our Ultimate SAT Guide and our Ultimate ACT Guide

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