AGES: 14-17
WEEK: August 5
TIME: 9:15 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.
FEE: $675
At the core of all standardized testing stand certain principles and strategies that put students in the best position to succeed with the interpretive ability they’ve honed and the content knowledge they’ve built. Avoiding careless mistakes is not merely a question of focus but of approach. Guessing is not guessing when done analytically. Pacing & prioritization must be planned and practiced.
With two test options for college admissions, the ACT & SAT, identifying where a student’s skill set is best rewarded should be the first step. Months of preparation can be wasted if the wrong test is pursued. The ACT is the faster test with more advanced math and a data analysis section masquerading as science. The SAT provides students with more time and a smaller set of math skills to study, but the questions are slightly more subjective.
This camp, through diagnostic testing, will provide students with clear guidance on which test (SAT or ACT) they are best suited for. Campers will also receive a strategy introduction to the SAT and ACT, practice in fundamental testing techniques, a high-yield content review, and 1:1 individualized feedback to determine what skills must be addressed to achieve their maximum score potential.
Syllabus Preview
- Diagnostic Testing in ACT vs. SAT to expose students to both test styles and determine better test fit and skill level across different subjects (Reading/Writing/Mathematics/Science)
- Testing foundations: understanding pacing, how to use process of elimination, the importance of showing work, using alternative methods to answer hard questions
- Changes and Updates to testing and how to prepare for the SAT’s digital format
- Evidence-Based Reading: reading with a purpose, differentiating explicit vs. implicit evidence, recognizing tone & characterization, when down to 2, what do I do?!
- English Grammar: core content (subjects, verbs, pronouns, oh my!), making language objective through sentence breakdown
- Math: what’s on the test, where are my knowledge gaps, how to avoid careless errors, how to break down multi-step questions, alternative methods when the formula fails, core content tested on both exams
- Science: avoiding basic errors in data interpretation, making deeper data connections
Sample List of Skills Taught
- Pacing & prioritization
- Categorization of question types: see the test from the test-makers perspective
- Reading critically for evidence and tone
- Grammar rules recognition and application
- Breaking down hard multi-step math problems into easy individual tasks
- Understanding ACT Science: interpreting data tables, charts & graphs
*Campers should bring a graphic calculator and a laptop to camp each day.
PROVIDER: Top Score Education is a boutique test prep and tutoring company that offers 1:1 in-home and virtual tutoring in the DC metro region, South Florida, North Carolina, and anywhere with the internet. Over the past 20 years, the team at Top Score has prepared thousands of students for success on the SAT and ACT. Top Score Education is widely recognized as a leader in the DC metro region in SAT and ACT planning, preparation, and support.
