Revolution Practice SAT vs The PSAT
Many principals, parents and students ask us what the advantages are to using our practice tests in addition to the PSAT?
Here is a list of the 5 areas that set our testing apart:
1. Student feedback
While the PSAT offers cursory feedback to students, the tags they use are of minimal actual use when it comes to improving a students score.
The PSAT breaks down students performance on only 7 subscores (compared to the 100 metrics we use).
The tags they use, like "command of evidence" or "passport to advanced math," are vague and abstract and seem to be designed to justify the skill sets that the exam tests rather than to instruct students on how to improve.
The instructions they give students on how to improve are often absurd.
How is a student supposed to interpret the suggestion that he can "improve his skills by focusing on using a specific model to make a prediction and compare the predicted value from the actual value in the data set."
Even I don't know what that means or how it applies to the SAT.
How about this suggestion that a student "retain or add a piece of information or ideas to a piece of text to support claims or points in a challenging text."
We are a test prep company and everything we build is designed around the simple goal of offering the students easy-to-use tools to efficiently improve their scores.
We measure students performance in over 75 different categories with tags like "Comma Use" "Math Time Issue" "Subject Verb Agreement" "System of Equations" etc. that clearly indicate learnable skills as opposed to vague concepts.
We also plan to take the time to teach students and their parents how to use these reports to direct their focus over the course of the year. For a more detailed look at our reports check out the reports and this video on how to read them.
2. SAT, ACT and SAT VS ACT
We offer the students the opportunity to take one of 3 exams. The SAT, the ACT and a test that we designed that is the best indicator for students who are unsure. This is a service that will allow students to chose the test that will maximize their scores.
3. A More Genuine Testing Experience
The PSAT offers a shortened test with a score out of 1520. They explain that it is designed to “reflect grade-level appropriateness" and project what score students will get when they take the real SAT later that year. This scoring system while interesting, makes interpreting scores a little more difficult and thus has other test prep experts scratching their heads. Moreover, the shorter exam leaves students with an unrealistic view of what the test is actually like.
Our test is simpler. It is a real SAT, administered in its entirety scored out of 1600 and designed to answer the question- "what would you get if you took the SAT today"
4. School Data
Again, the data we generate is intended to be useful. It answers questions like- are students performing better at 9th or 10th grade math? How do the different classes score compared to one another?
5. Timeliness
We can have the results ready within 24 hours. Getting the students the information in close proximity to the exam allows it to retain its relevance and urgency.
If you are an administrator, let's set up a time to administer these diagnostics at your school today.
If you are a parent or a student, set up a time for you to come in and take a free practice exam.