8/9 PSAT
Summer Opportunities
Volunteering
Scholarships
College Readiness
Jacob Kantor
[email protected]
818.355.4179
C2 Monrovia
Address: 522 W Huntington Dr, Monrovia, CA 91016
Phone:(626) 932-0190
[email protected]
Admission Process
What Do Colleges Consider?
o Grades – Core Courses
o Course Load Rigor (How hard of classes you took)
o GPA
These are objective measures of
academic accomplishment.
o Test Scores (SAT/ACT)
o Teacher/Counselor Recommendations
o Essay(s)
These are subjective
opportunities to show
yourself as a real person.
o Leadership / Extra-Curricular Activities
o Specific needs of each school, which change each year (might need a
trombone player or a soccer goalie one year, but won’t need them the following year)
o
Demonstrated Interest (College visits, college fairs, reaching out to colleges)
Agenda
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Understanding PSAT 8/9
Why students take the PSAT
National Merit Scholarships
Volunteering
Scholarships
Summer Opportunities
About Me – Jacob Kantor
• Cal State University Northridge
• BA in Communication Studies
• UCLA
- UCLA College Counseling Program
•
Random fact: Lost 100 lbs juicing!
(Story featured in Fat Sick & Nearly
Dead 2)
•
Counselor at Maranatha HS
(Pasadena) this past Spring
•
I partner with roughly 200 schools in
Southern California
PSAT 8/9
PSAT 8/9
The PSAT 8/9 is a test that will help you and figure out what you need to
work on most so that you’re ready for college when you graduate from
high school. It tests the same skills and knowledge as the SAT,
PSAT/NMSQT, and PSAT 10 — in a way that makes sense for your grade
level.
Who, Where, When
Eighth and ninth graders
At school
Benefits
The PSAT 8/9 establishes a baseline measurement of your college and
career readiness as you enter high school. It also gives you a chance to
preview the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, and PSAT 10 and connect to AP courses.
Get Ready for the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT
When you get your test results, connect your College Board
and Khan Academy® accounts to get free personalized study
recommendations.
Get Matched to AP Courses
If you’re in ninth grade, your test results will let you know if
you should check out AP World History or AP European
History. AP Potential™also helps schools grow their AP
programs.
Reading Test
The Reading Test will ask you questions that are a lot like ones you’ll
experience in a lively, thoughtful, evidence-based discussion.
Quick Facts
All Reading Test questions are multiple choice and based on passages.
Some passages are paired with other passages.
Informational graphics, such as tables, graphs, and charts, accompany
some passages— but no math is required.
The Reading Test is part of the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
section.
Writing and Language Test
The Writing and Language Test asks you to be an editor and improve
passages that were written especially for the test — and that include
deliberate errors.
Quick Facts
All questions are multiple choice and based on passages.
Some passages are accompanied by informational graphics, such as tables,
graphs, and charts — but no math is required.
Prior topic knowledge is never tested.
The Writing and Language Test is part of the Evidence-Based Reading and
Writing section.
Math Test
The Math Test covers a range of math practices, with an emphasis on
problem solving, modeling, using tools strategically, and using algebraic
structure.
Quick Facts
Most math questions will be multiple choice, but some — called grid-ins
— ask you to come up with the answer rather than select the answer.
The Math Test is divided into two portions: Math Test – Calculator and
Math Test – No Calculator.
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-8-9/scores/student-score-reports
PSAT Scores Matter…
…but not so much for the
college admissions
process!
• National Merit
Scholarships (only in 11th)
• Self-assessment
National Merit Scholarships
National Merit Scholarship – The Numbers
• Students who perform exceptionally well on
the PSAT as 11th Graders
~ 1,500,000 Students take the exam
~ 50,000 “Commended” Students
~ 16,000 Semi-Finalists
~ 15,000 Finalists
~ 7600 Award Recipients
~ 1300 Non-Finalists receive Special Scholarships
• More info at www.NationalMerit.org
National Merit Scholarship Types
• National Merit $2500 Scholarship
• Corporate-sponsored merit Scholarships
– Awarded by companies based on their own
criteria
– Check to see if your parents work for such a
company
• College-sponsored merit Scholarship awards
– $500 - $2500 annually
National Merit Scholarships – Further Criteria
• Excellent SAT scores
• Excellent academic performance in
school
• Endorsement of your principal
• Completion of application materials
Volunteering
Volunteer Work
• There are all kinds of
volunteer work available!
• Pick something interesting
• Pick something (potentially)
related to your field of study
• Check out idealist.org
• Talk to your guidance
counselors!
Volunteer Work
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Soup kitchen
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School office help
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Ride sharing
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Reading to kids
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Food preparation
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Summer camp counselor
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Community outreach
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Financial assistance
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Suicide hotline
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Tutoring
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Missionary work
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Teaching technical skills
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Beach cleanup
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Daycare
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Data entry
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Planting trees
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ASPCA
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Float building
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Mentoring
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Insect treatment
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Seasonal projects
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Planting gardens
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Event coordinator
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Local fire/police departments
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Coaching local teams
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Youth outreach
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Collate and make copies
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Fundraisers
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City programs
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Art projects and banners
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Hospitals
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State/County programs
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Competition judges
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Hospice care
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National programs
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Supervise clothing donations
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Mental institutions
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Goodwill worker
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DARE
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Getting others to volunteer
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Office assistant
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Translate
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Teaching assistant
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Church events
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Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts
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Community theater
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Collecting food donations
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Cleaning graffiti
Volunteering
Find locally or online…
volunteermatch.org
dosomething.org
generationon.org
volunteer.gov
serve.gov
Scholarships
http://www.fastweb.com/
https://www.scholarships.com/
http://www.zinch.com/scholarships (Links to an external site.) - Zinch is a college students
one-stop-shop for scholarships that are creative, easy and fun to apply for and win. To
apply for scholarships via Zinch, you’ll have to create a username and profile that will help
the site find scholarships that are specifically relevant to you! One of Zinch’s most popular
awards is the Weekly Three Sentence Essay Scholarship (Links to an external site.), where
applicants must generate a 280-character essay (that’s only two tweets!) while vying for
$1,000 of cold, hard cash.
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search (Links to an external site.) - College
Board is the preeminent source for almost everyone involved in the college application
process, from students to educators. CB is also the primary site for SAT and ACT resources,
sample tests, and test dates and locations. As an adjunct service, College Board has added
its own proprietary scholarship tool. The College Board Scholarship Search (Links to an
external site.) service advertises over 2300 sources for possible scholarship funds.
Summer Local Opportunities
5/28 San Marino Library SAT
6/8 La Canada Library Practice Test
6/18 San Marino Library Practice Test
7/18 Pasadena Library ACT
7/23 Pasadena Library SAT
7/23 San Marino Library Practice Test
C2’s May Practice Test Event
Free New SAT – ACT - PSAT Practice Test
When? May 14th, 21st, 28th
To Register:
Please email [email protected]
Please include : School – Grade – Test
Preferred – Date Preferred
Practice Tests are a great way to get familiar
with the test before its taken for real.
Free Finals Help
2-hour session for students to get help writing
a paper, doing homework or preparing for
exams
with one of our skilled tutors.
Register for your complimentary session at
http://tinyurl.com/c2finalshelp
The C2 Method
Diagnostics
• Pinpoint strengths and weaknesses
• Provide a basis for customized program
Customized
Programs
• Tailored to meet each student’s needs
• Focus on weaknesses instead of needless review
Excellent
Teachers
• Score in the 95th percentile
• Not just educators, but mentors and support system
Amazing
Results
• Average SAT increase of 350 points (3 points on ACT)
• 100% see grade improvements within one year
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PICKING THE RIGHT EXAM
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PICKING THE RIGHT EXAM – ACT V SAT
Scoring
Total Scored out of 1600
English and Math out of 800
Optional essay out of 8
Total Scored out of 36
Eng, Math, Reading, Sci out of 36
Optional essay out of 36
Time
3 hours, 50 minutes including
optional essay
3 hours, 45 minutes including
optional essay
Question
Types
Require analysis and critical
thinking
Slightly more literal and
straightforward
Guessing
Penalty
No penalty
No penalty
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PICKING THE RIGHT EXAM – ACT V SAT
English
Passage style questions
Tests both grammar and rhetoric /
style
Includes charts / graphs
48 seconds / question
Passage style questions
Tests both grammar and rhetoric /
style
No charts / graphs
36 seconds / question
Math
Math up through Pre-Calculus
Narrow, deep focus
Emphasis on problem-solving &
application of knowledge
Calculator and no-calculator
sections
84 seconds / question
Math up through Trigonometry
Broader focus
Emphasis on straightforward
application of knowledge
Calculator permitted throughout.
60 seconds / question
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PICKING THE RIGHT EXAM – ACT V SAT
Reading
Science
College-level passages from
literature, history, science, and
social studies, including founding
US Documents.
Emphasis on comprehension,
analysis, and use of evidence.
Vocabulary is tested in context
75 seconds / question
College level passages (or pairs of
passages in four categories: Prose
Fiction, Humanities, Social
Science, and Natural Science.
Emphasis on comprehension with
some analysis.
Vocabulary is tested in context
53 seconds / question
NO SCIENCE SECTION – graphs /
charts are included throughout
the other sections of the exam
Includes several passages as well
as charts / graphs. Students are
tested on logical reasoning as well
as quantitative data analytical
abilities.
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PICKING THE RIGHT EXAM – ACT V SAT
Essay
Analyze and evaluate multiple
perspectives on a given issue,
Evaluate an author’s argument,
either adopting one as your
especially the techniques s/he
own or presenting another. Back
uses to make it strong
up your perspective with
50 minutes
reasoning and examples.
40 minutes
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PICKING THE RIGHT EXAM – ACT V SAT
These tests are fundamentally similar
• English / Grammar
• Critical Reading
• Graph / Chart Reading
Major Differences
• Math difficulty level
• Think about your students’ math schedules!
• Essay task and timing
• Overall time / question
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PICKING THE RIGHT EXAM – ACT V SAT
• SAT is required for National Merit Scholarships
• PSAT prep naturally aligns with SAT prep
• Colleges, at least so far, do not care which exam
students take, and will be able to translate scores
between exams (i.e. no advantage to taking the
“easier” exam)
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PICKING THE RIGHT EXAM – PREP FOR BOTH, LEAN TOWARDS ONE
In light of all this, perhaps the best strategy is to pick an
exam as the primary choice, with a bias in preparation
towards it
• Use it as the primary curriculum from which the student works
• Use the test dates for that exam for planning purposes
• Focus on that style of essay
Supplement the curriculum with material from the other
exam
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Useful, because of the degree to which the exams overlap
Preserves students’ options
Increases variety and can break up the monotony of one-exam prep
Ensures students don’t miss concepts or ideas that appear on one exam but
not the other, in line with C2’s focus on long-term student development
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COMMON CORE
• A new set of educational standards
• Standards categorized by grade and subject
• Advances learning pace for students
• Real-world applications
• Emphasis on critical thinking
• Problem-solving redefined
COMMON CORE
• Establishes competitive equality for all students
• Provides a normalized set of standards for colleges
• Variability with teacher quality and state academic
standards eliminated
• Supports a smarter generation of rising adults
• David Coleman
WWHY
HYARE
AREEESSAYS
SSAYS SO
SO IMPORTANT
IMPORTANT?
?
• ~ 3 million student applications per year
• Are you a good fit and match?
• Unique look at who you are
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What is valuable to you?
How are you different than the others?
What are you unique perspectives?
What makes you YOU?