​I know that everyday, I have a long to-do list. Some days, it is longer than others. But whether long or longer, I rank the task/events/chores in order of importance and urgency. Sometimes, I even include the luxury of doing something totally for myself like a yoga class or a pedicure. My intention is always to accomplish it all, yet everyday there are “things” that don’t get taken care of. It often seems inconceivable that certain tasks do not get accomplished even though they are considered IMPORTANT. I recognize that by not doing that “thing”, I am making it more difficult to accomplish it because knowing I have to do it weighs me down. By weighing me down, I mean that even if I am not thinking of it directly, my own personal “Jiminy Cricket” is whispering to me, "You need to get this done." But since I have studied procrastination for years, I know why I do it! I don’t carefully curate my list so it doesn’t include more than a human can be achieve in one day. I need to work on that!!
 
Here are some possible reasons that others don’t get it done. One possible reason is a lack of motivation. Sometimes a task doesn’t seem valuable, so it is difficult to act. For example, if you don’t think that working hard will really help improve a grade in a class, you don’t try. Another reason could be that the task appears too overwhelming. If you can’t break a large task into its smaller parts, then you might not understand how to proceed. For example, if you feel that applying to college is too overwhelming, you might not start preparing early enough. Still another reason is a fear of failing or the belief that you really can’t succeed. For example, if you don’t think that preparing for the SAT or ACT will result in a satisfactory score, then you might not put out adequate effort to study.
 
Understanding the reason why you procrastinate can help you to behave in a more productive manner. If you are a procrastinator, then think about these reasons for procrastinating and identify why you do it. Once you understand why, you are on your way to accomplishing your goals.

​What if someone walked up to you and asked you to look at this photo of berries and identify the type of berry in three seconds? Could you do that? I couldn’t even if I knew the type of berry because I would be so startled by the question. That is often how it feels when you are taking the SAT or ACT because in many ways they are as much psychological exams as tests of your ability to answer questions in English, Reading, and Math (as well as Science on the ACT). By psychological, we mean the ability to withstand the pressure of answering questions within a tightly timed situation.  


I never liked taking timed tests as a student. In fact, as a high school student while taking the SAT, I felt extremely anxious.  However, once I had the experience of designing tests, I discovered that there are specific ways to decrease the time spent on each question while increasing accuracy.  As a member of the EA, I have worked with our team to determine the best ways to teach students  how to balance accuracy with speed. WE HAVE THE SOLUTION!
 
If you rush through a passage or section of a test, you will probably get too many wrong answers to obtain a satisfactory score. However, if you work at a pace appropriate to your academic ability, you might not finish ALL the questions. EA Test Prep has the answer to this challenge: balance speed and accuracy.  Do you remember the story of the race between the tortoise and the hare?  The tortoise won the race.  Let EA Test Prep show you how to slow down and  “win” on the SAT or ACT by sharing the techniques we have developed, or as we call them –TRICKS - to increase both your accuracy and speed. 
 
During our six-week session, you will learn how to think critically in order to look at the question carefully, so you can determine the most important terms within that question. Yup, understanding that question is most important since the way it is set up determines which answer is correct. If you understand that there are specific types of questions that are asked and learn those types, well now you are ahead of the game. If you know the answers are designed to confuse, you recognize that you shouldn’t really look at them at all until you have determined your answer. The combination of these two ideas is one TRICK that will increase your accuracy. Once you know this TRICK, the confidence you gain from it will increase your speed. 


If you want to know more about how to balance speed and accuracy, we are always available to help you. Just contact us at 845.582.0017 or [email protected], and ask for Judy.  She is always happy to offer guidance about these exams. Or if you just want to learn more about us by browsing our website, visit eatestprep.com. Whichever method works best for you, we are here to help our community to succeed just as we have been doing for more than ten years.
 
 
 

​Well, I saw my first autumn leaves. I LOVE the colors of fall foliage and am excited each day to see how the trees have more red and orange leaves. But as the amount of daylight decreases, I often feel as though the days are shorter, which means I have to rush through my To-Do List. But in reality, I still have the same twenty-four hours that I had when the sun set around eight o-clock in the evening. Yet, somehow when I look outside and see it is dark, I feel like it is time to relax. Unfortunately, that isn’t the reality for many high school students who are getting home from an after-school activity as the darkness approaches. For many high school junior and seniors, they feel that don’t even have time to prepare for the SAT and ACT much less complete their homework.
 
For those students who are taking the SAT or ACT this fall, remember to practice a one question from each section daily. If you are feeling that would take too much time, read the EA tip below. Not only will it allow you to feel as though you can practice a question each day, but it will relieve some of the stress of involved in taking the exam.
 
 
It’s very useful to know how long it takes you to answer each type of question on the SAT or ACT because many students rush through the exam thinking that they will run out of time. If while practicing questions, you learn to recognize how long it takes to answer a question, then you eliminate the pressure of the time limit. For many, it is simply this concern about minutes ticking away that causes test-anxiety.
 
Here is a step-by-step guide to determine the time it takes to answer a question.
1. Ask a friend/parent to time you with a stopwatch. Timing yourself doesn’t work well because you need to estimate the time before you know the actual time.
2. Answer one question.
3. Write down the amount of time you believe it took you to complete the question.
4.Compare your belief to the reality by asking the timekeeper how long it actually took to answer the question.
5. Add up the amount of time you spent on each question and compare it to amount of time allowed by the exam for that passage and/or section.
 
If you are taking too much time, approximately more than a minute per question, then keep practicing until you can reduce the time. It won’t take long to train yourself to answer the question in the correct amount of time. Once the timing issue is solved, you have eliminated one of the greatest causes of anxiety on the test.
 
Remember EA Test offers enjoyable and affordable test prep that presents the most tips about how to succeed on these important exams.