“I Forgot My Calculator for the ACT!”

About the author: I’m Karli Ching and I graduated with C.K. McClatchy High School’s Class of 2015.  I attend University of California, Davis as a biological sciences major pre-med student. ____________________________________________________ When I was taking the ACT for the second time during my senior year in October, I was taking it to improve my math score…

Continue Reading

Guest Post: SAT: Stressful Anxiety Time

About the Author: After being accepted to four year college, but choosing to postpone going to college in favor of pursing a career as a cyclist, David in his spare time works at Hubbubbaloo Creative.  In the following, he offers insights to the challenges in taking the SAT or ACT.   __________________________________________________ It’s a cold Saturday morning. You pull…

Continue Reading

Stamina, Attitude and Tranquility: Essential SAT & ACT Skills

At approximately 4 hours of testing time, the SAT and ACT measure the endurance of a student, as much as their knowledge and ability to reason.  Test taking skills can help students access their knowledge during the long testing period, and pace themselves appropriately.  Padma, CMC’s resident 8 year old Renaissance Man, shares the following test…

Continue Reading

Scantron Nightmares

Say, “S-A-T” or “A-C-T” to a high school junior, and watch their whole demeanor change.  The idea that a test score that will be considered as part of a future college application can provoke a racing pulse and perspiration. A typical conversation with Juniors about the SAT and ACT goes something like this:

Test Taking Tips

As high school Juniors prepare for the SAT and ACT this spring, some test taking tips from Creative Marbles favorite, eight-year old commentator, who offers his thoughts about getting ready for exam time.  As an added bonus, his advice can help with everyday classroom tests as well.  

ACT vs. SAT

Since college admissions officers will consider the highest score on either the SAT or ACT (and in some cases mix and match the highest subsection scores from multiple SAT test dates, aka “Superscoring”), then students often ask me, “Should I take both tests?”   Students are usually trying to determine which test will merit them the…

Continue Reading

Standardized Testing: The Good, The Bad and A Hmmmm…Moment

Bob Schaeffer of FairTest, an organization committed to a fair use of standardized testing in K-12 schools and college admissions, recently spoke with Creative Marbles about assessments.  Our conversation reminded me of questions I’ve been asking since I was a beginning teacher, “How do we know (i.e. grasp clearly in the mind) what another has…

Continue Reading