409. WHY PRACTICE TESTS MATTER SO MUCH
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Release Date: 11/15/2022
437. GAME-BASED LEARNING
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Education is serious business but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be fun! Amy and Mike invited educator Julie Post to share the latest tips and tools for game-based learning. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is game-based learning? What makes game-based learning effective? What are some examples of effective game-based learning? How can educators implement game-based principles into instruction? What are the limits of game-based learning? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Julie Post, the owner and primary instructor at . As an undergrad, she attended Columbia University and...
info_outline
436. ASSESSING COLLEGE FINANCIAL VIABILITY
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The foundations of higher education are shifting, often subtly but sometimes with seismic force. Case in point, a confluence of economic, societal, and demographic trends will almost assuredly lead to school closures. The big questions are “Which ones and when?” Amy and Mike invited educational analyst Gary Stocker to understand the complexities of assessing college financial viability. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does financial viability mean in the context of colleges? Are all schools equally viable? What is at risk when attending a school with viability...
info_outline
435. USING SPACED REPETITION FOR STUDY SUCCESS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Conventional wisdom holds that if you don’t use it, you lose it, whatever “it” happens to be. But why do we forget information we’ve learned and how can we better retain it? Amy and Mike invited educational entrepreneur Tyler York to explain how to use spaced repetition for study success. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is spaced repetition? How does spaced repetition compare to traditional study methods? How does reviewing information you’ve already learned save time? What are the best use cases for spaced repetition, and what is it not good for? What are...
info_outline
434. FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Aspiring college students tend to commit abundant time and resources to learning all about specific schools and programs, yet remain oblivious to their own motivations and needs. Amy and Mike invited author Tracy Badua to comment on finding your authentic self in the path to college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why is the concept of authenticity so central to discussions about life after high school? In what ways does a high-pressure academic environment impact a high schooler? What makes being rejected by a dream school so difficult for teens? What lessons can you...
info_outline
433. COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONSIDERATIONS FOR AUTISTIC STUDENTS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The college search should ideally reflect a student’s distinct preferences for learning and living environments, which can be particularly important for teens on the autism spectrum. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Eric Endlich to detail college admissions considerations for autistic students. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What specific aspects of autism might impact a traditional college experience? What accommodations might autistic students expect in college? Why are campus visits so important for autistic students? Are certain colleges better for...
info_outline
432. TESTING GAME PLAN FOR THE CLASS OF 2025
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Major transitions often result in major confusion for the unprepared. If you are–or support–a teen in the high school graduating class of 2025, the time to consider taking or skipping the new digital SAT is now! Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to strategize a testing game plan for the class of 2025. What are five things you will learn in this episode? When will the digital PSAT and SAT be available in the United States? Should students worry about being among the first wave of digital test takers? How should high schoolers plan for the digital SAT? Will the ACT be changing at...
info_outline
431. FOUR SCHOLARSHIP MYTHS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The only facts most college applicants know about scholarships for certain is that free money is awesome; everything else is subject to review. Amy and Mike invited scholarship expert Jocelyn Paonita Pearson to clarify four scholarship myths that keep students from winning awards. What are five things you will learn in this episode? When is the best time to apply for scholarships? Do you need to be very special to earn a scholarship? What are the best scholarships when people think about awards? What are time savings opportunities to find scholarships? Where should a student who...
info_outline
430. DEBUNKING LEARNING STYLES
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
We’ve long accepted that students tend to learn best through specific instructional channels based on their personal preferences. But do they really? Amy and Mike invited data scientist Stanislaw Pstrokonski to review the evidence on learning styles. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does personalization mean in the context of teaching and learning? What are the generally accepted learning styles? Does evidence support the validity of learning styles? What methods of personalizing instruction actually facilitate learning? Are learning styles effective during...
info_outline
429. IEC PROFILE: Maria and Tom Geffers
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Maria and Tom Geffers of . With over 30 years in the education field involving levels from secondary to university in both the public and private school systems, Maria created various educational programs in regular and gifted education. Maria has presented at state, national and international education conferences. Maria has hands-on experience creating educational curricula that meet the academic needs of gifted and regular education students and AP students....
info_outline
428. IEC PROFILE: Wendie Lubic
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Wendie Lubic, a professional who brings a wealth of experience to her educational consulting. She is a Certified Educational Planner () and a professional member of , and PCACAC and has taken classes in Independent Educational Consulting at UC Irvine. Wendie has worked with parents and students since 1996, as a certified Parent Educator at the , and as a Professor of Graphic Design at American University. Wendie became interested in educational consulting as she...
info_outlineTest takers have more ways than ever to prepare for important exams. However, if the way you are learning doesn’t involve actually taking practice tests, does it even count as prep? Amy and Mike invited educator Paul Pscolka to explain why practice tests matter so much.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is it really test preparation if you don’t take practice tests?
- What can be learned from practice tests?
- Why is simulating official test conditions so critical?
- Are timed tests necessary?
- What kinds of tests provide the best practice?
MEET OUR GUEST
Paul Pscolka is the founder of Ivy Masters, an organization based out of New Jersey devoted to helping students improve their SAT and ACT scores and get accepted at their first-choice university.
Paul has taught SAT and ACT full-time since 2003. His students have scored perfect on SAT and ACT as well as countless others who have scored within 100 points of perfect on SAT and within 2 points of perfect on the ACT. Many of his students have received thousands in scholarship money as a direct result of their scores.
Paul was a Division 1 student-athlete at an Ivy League School. He earned his B.A. in Sociology and his M.S. Ed. at the University of Pennsylvania.
Paul first appeared on this podcast in a TEST PREP PROFILE in episode 296.
Find Paul at https://www.ivymasters.com or 732-485-6480.
LINKS
Why Practice Tests Matter So Much
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT SAT & ACT DIAGNOSTIC TESTS CAN TELL YOU
COMMON TESTING MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BAD TEST TAKER?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.