​Last weekend, runners filled the city and participated in the New York City Marathon. As I watched from the sidelines, in amazement, I saw a diverse sea of runners, and I thought about how each person had prepared for this event. All 33,000 of them, and usually, and usually, it is 55,000 people. Some ran with grace, and others hobbled along with pulled hamstrings. But the majority of them got to the finish line. It is sort of inconceivable to think that those who plan to compete next year are beginning to train for the 2022 NYC Marathon this weekend.
The SAT and the ACT are academic marathons, and they too require training to maximize the end result. Not one runner enters the marathon without preparation, and no one should take a college entrance exam without a plan of how to succeed. Whether you want a coach or have decided to use a book to understand the test, leave time to prepare so that you run through the more than three hours of testing without feeling exhausted. 
As the runners prepare for next year, they evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their performance. This is a difficult task for a runner who didn’t have a coach who observed them or if they didn’t have the ability to evaluate themselves. But without that examination, the runner will not improve. Similarly, when you take your first college entrance exam, such as the PSAT or even your first SAT, it can act as a starting point since any of these standardized tests present a unique opportunity for you to evaluate your performance according to a national norm. 
If you have taken one test already and need some help evaluating the results, the EA Team can do this. Just contact Judy at  eatestprep@gmail.com, or call 845.582.0017, and we can set up an appointment.

The school year has started. Halloween has just passed, and Thanksgiving is about to arrive. Hopefully, everyone is focused on learning and working as hard as possible to achieve the desired grades. While applying yourself in each class, you want to remember your long-term goal, which is to attend the college of your choice. Right now colleges are making their choices for the Freshman Class of 2022. Soon it will be your turn to enter as a freshman in 2023 or 2024.
 
Colleges are looking for their ideal students, and you are looking for the perfect college. In your junior year, the search begins. The best place to start is by asking your guidance counselor to recommend a few colleges that might be appropriate for you. After gathering the names of some colleges, it is best to look at the website of each college since it is impossible to visit every school on your list, especially if you need to travel to different regions of the United States. You can use each website to virtually learn almost everything about that college. The EA Team is happy to guide you toward the best way for you to look at the site depending on your needs.
 
If you are taking an EA Test Prep class, conversations about colleges are primarily held before class. Once you become an EA student, remember to arrive early!  And of course, we are always available to answer all your questions. 

​Here is a spooky thought for Halloween night! The junior year is filled with academic, extra-curricular, and social demands, which often exceed what a student has experienced. Combine these pressures with thoughts about college and preparing for the SAT and/or the ACT. However without paying ample attention to at least one of these tests, applying to the ideal college might result in disappointment that could be avoided by a greater awareness of the college application process and/or developing the academic skills required for a more seamless transition into college. However without paying ample attention to at least one of these tests, applying to the ideal college might result in disappointment that could be avoided by a greater awareness of the college application process.
 
Of course, the quintessential problem becomes how to incorporate more tasks into an already full schedule. The EA Team understands why these pressures could feel very scary. Let us help you prepare the ACT or SAT that you want to take. You can enroll for math OR English OR both. The choice is yours. If you are afraid to make the choice on your own, just call us and we will help make it all seem less frightening.
 
First, it is important to recognize that even thinking about going to college can be fraught with stress. For a student, it is a combination of wanting to go to the "perfect" college but not wanting to leave everyone and everything that is familiar. Combine this with the reality of the amount of effort required to prepare for the SAT and/or ACT, determining the colleges that are "reach, target, and safety" schools, as well as the written work to complete applications can produce a high level of tension. A student's motivation, self-confidence, and skills will influence the response to this situation. For a parent, the concern about how much college will cost and the value of that expense becomes a concern. Additionally, parents want to help their child minimize the stress while still achieving all the college application requirements in a timely manner.
With all these pressures, EA Test Prep would like to offer some suggestions to make the “goblins and witches” of the college application process disappear.
 
First, mark a calendar with the following information:
·      Every date that the SAT and ACT can be taken and circle the preferred test date
·      Dates to meet with a tutor to prepare for the SAT and/or ACT
·      Dates to meet with the high school college counselor regarding "reach, target, and safety" schools recommendations
·      Dates to visit colleges (Although students may not have chosen a college, planning dates to visit schools makes the process seem real
Once this is accomplished, place the calendar in a prominent place so that your child can review it.  Write additional college related activities as the high school sends home notices. For example, when the high school hosts a College Night. Each time students write on the calendar, they are focusing on their goal of attending the college of their choice.