Test Prep

We found 20 articles

How Step 2 is different than Step 1
Starting to study for Step 2 CK can feel overwhelming at first because, compared to Step 1, there isn’t as much guidance about what you need to know and what resources to use.
The LSAT: why finishing each section should not be your goal
When I first started studying for the LSAT, I put a lot of pressure on myself to finish each section in 35 minutes. In this mad dash to finish, I was missing questions I should have been getting right. I was simply going too fast. 
Demystifying Anki: why and how to use it
The MCAT is a tough test. But, there are tools available to help you make the most of your studying. If I were to recommend just one thing to anyone studying for the MCAT, my advice is to use Anki.
How to boost exam scores with the bucket method
Multiple-choice exams are inevitable in our education system. They crop up for students as early as elementary school, follow students all the way through college applications, and persist in university courses and graduate school entrance exams. Having an arsenal of exam strategies ready to deploy during a multiple-choice exam can significantly ...
Perfect your practice: MCAT edition
As an MCAT tutor, I've encountered the same questions about effectively using MCAT practice time over and over again. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions I hear, and what my recommendations are!
Go from surviving to thriving during exam prep
There’s no question that preparing for standardized exams can take a toll on our emotional and physical well-being if we are not intentional about our approach. To reach your highest potential on a standardized exam, you must take your wellness schedule as seriously as your exam prep schedule. But what should you focus on? The following 5 pillars ...
Simplifying MCAT Organic Chemistry
While Organic Chemistry makes up a smaller portion of the MCAT, understanding the distinctions between types of organic reactions is essential. This will outline several foundational strategies for tackling chemistry on the MCAT, without pure memorization. Having a strong comprehension of organic reactions will allow you to save valuable time on ...
Achieving the MCAT body of your dreams (part II)
Welcome back! If you missed part I of this post, please check it out here. Now that you've made an MCAT study schedule, adjusted your lifestyle, and figured out the fuel your body needs, you're probably wondering...
How Sherlock can help you ace your MCAT: build a mind palace
If you’re a fan of BBC’s Sherlock, or have devoured Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels, you’re probably wishing you had the memory prowess of Holmes. At least I sure did when I began my MCAT journey. Sherlock’s seemingly inhuman ability to recall even the most obscure details derives from a Roman legend about the poet Simonides of Ceos, who retraced ...
Grad school standardized testing: to re-test or not to re-test?
So you got your score back from the standardized test you need to apply to graduate school, and you’re not thrilled. What now?
Mastering the SAT reading section
For many students, the reading section of the SAT is daunting. You’ve read plenty of books over the years, and your vocabulary is pretty good (estimable, adequate, respectable, even laudable!), but the prospect of analyzing four long and two shorter passages over the course of only sixty-five minutes can feel like an impossible task. Luckily, as ...
Eight essential tips for the GRE mathematics section
I want to give you a few more GRE quant power tips. There are 8. (8 also happens to be my favorite number.  I like that it is so symmetric.  I like that when I push it over, it is the infinity sign or a pair of glasses or the two wheels of my bike).   Anyways…
Structuring and strategizing your MCAT studying: phase 3
You made it to Phase 3 of your MCAT studying (see Phase 1 and Phase 2) and you're still alive –– congratulations! At this point, we are now in "Period B" studying (if that makes no sense, refer back to Phase 1). By now, you've successfully reviewed all the content in your books and you've taken a few MCAT practice exams. Things should be starting ...
The key to selecting the right answer on the SAT & ACT: part 2
Welcome to part 2 of my post on English strategies for the SAT and ACT! If you didn’t read part 1, you can check it out here. Picture it now: you’re breezing through the ACT English Language Arts or SAT Writing and Language section. Every question come easily to you, as you follow what your ear tells you is right. You didn’t need to learn grammar ...
The tools for success on the USMLE step I exam
In this blog post, I’ll be covering an extremely important part of your USMLE step I preparation: materials. In thinking back to my Step I preparation, I realized that I needed four specific tools: primary sources, a tool to retain information, questions, and a tool for self-evaluation. The specific implementation of this doesn’t matter very much, ...
The SAT essay dissected: a step-by step guide
For many students, the SAT essay is one of the most challenging parts of the exam. The short length of time means that you don't have the ability to develop a strong, well thought-out, complex essay. Fortunately, similar to other sections on the SAT, you can succeed by taking a methodical approach, and after some practice, this will come naturally.
How to quickly get information you need from an MCAT science passage
A lot of students struggle with the timing aspect of the MCAT: between reading all of the passages and thinking through all of the questions, it’s easy to lose track and start feeling rushed towards the end. If timing is a problem for you, try switching up your technique, particularly for the science passages.
The GRE tutor: how to prep for the GRE at the last minute
In a perfect world, we would all budget our time flawlessly. We’d have advance warning of our own needs, desires, and priorities. All large events would be slated into our calendars well in advance and in time slots when we had the brain-space and free time to give such events the focus they demand.
The GMAT tutor: crucial do’s and don’ts for the big day
So you’ve been preparing for months, and finally, your GMAT test day is rapidly approaching around the corner. You may be (understandably) starting to feel some anxiety creeping in. How will you retain all the strategies you've learned? How do you make sure all of that hard work, sweat, and toil translates to your test? As your trusty GMAT tutor, ...
Standardized test preparation: tackling SAT reading fill-in-the-blank questions
On the SAT Reading section, you will encounter “fill-in-the-blanks.” In these questions, you are presented with a sentence that contains one or two blanks, which indicate that something has been omitted. The exam presents you with five choices, from which you are asked to choose the most appropriate set of words that fit the answer.
topicTopics
academics study skills MCAT medical school admissions SAT expository writing college admissions English MD/PhD admissions GMAT GRE LSAT writing chemistry strategy physics math ACT biology graduate admissions language learning law school admissions test anxiety interview prep MBA admissions premed homework help AP exams creative writing MD academic advice career advice personal statements study schedules summer activities Common Application history philosophy test prep computer science organic chemistry secondary applications supplements economics PSAT admissions coaching grammar law statistics & probability psychology ESL SSAT covid-19 legal studies reading comprehension research 1L CARS logic games USMLE dental admissions mathematics Spanish calculus engineering parents Latin verbal reasoning DAT excel political science French Linguistics Tutoring Approaches academic integrity case coaching chinese DO MBA coursework PhD admissions Social Advocacy admissions advice biochemistry classics diversity statement genetics geometry kinematics medical school mental health mentorship quantitative reasoning skills time management AMCAS Anki IB exams ISEE MD/PhD programs algebra art history artificial intelligence astrophysics athletics business business skills careers data science internships letters of recommendation resume science social sciences software engineering study abroad tech industry trigonometry work and activities 2L 3L Academic Interest DMD EMT English literature FlexMed Fourier Series Greek Italian London MD vs PhD MMI Montessori Pythagorean Theorem Python STEM Sentence Correction Step 2 TMDSAS Zoom acids and bases algorithms amino acids analysis essay architecture argumentative writing brain teaser campus visits cantonese capacitors capital markets cell biology central limit theorem chemical engineering chess chromatography class participation climate change clinical experience cold emails community service constitutional law consulting cover letters curriculum dental school distance learning electricity and magnetism enrichment european history executive function finance first generation student fun facts functions gap year harmonics health policy history of medicine history of science hybrid vehicles induction information sessions institutional actions integrated reasoning intern international students investing investment banking lab reports logic mandarin chinese mba mechanical engineering medical physics meiosis mitosis music music theory neurology office hours operating systems pedagogy phrase structure rules plagiarism poetry pre-dental presentations proofs pseudocode psych/soc quantum mechanics resistors resonance school selection simple linear regression sociology software stem cells stereochemistry study spots synthesis teaching technical interviews transfer typology units virtual interviews writing circles