Xiggi's SAT prep advice

gcf101 · July 12, 2005, 2:27pm

Sorry Xiggi, I over-generalized.

First off, I need to disclose that I am a professional tutor, but I did not join this forum for the purposes of self-promoting (not that I find it a wrong thing to do within the moral boundaries).

After reading your discussion with the SAT prep professionals (PeteSAT, Godot, xittamarg, risingstars_markg - I hope, I did not miss the other names), I decided that I agree more with Godot on the question of independent vs. coached SAT prep than wiith the other participants.

So, when I mentioned a theory, I think, you do not believe in, it’s just this single aspect. I should’ve been specific.

There is no need in rehashing this topic - I can’t add anything significantlly different to it.

Other than that, I strongly believe in your prep plan and recommend it to my students wholeheartedly.

Just one comment to your quote (how do you make it appear in a neat grey box?):

There is an ocean of SAT prep books out there, and, as one can see from this forum, “which books are good/better/best?” question is one of the more frequently asked.

I think, a good tutor can save a student tons of grief by selecting not just better books, but pinpointing the best sections.

What sets good tutors apart is also the ability to present a student with a concise and WORKING “toolkit” (using PeteSAT’s term) of techniques, thus enabling a student to prep instead of raking through the multitude of books.

xiggi · July 12, 2005, 3:35pm

GCF, thank you for the clarification. I have recognized many times that there are cases that are in dire need of tutoring. I also believe that I have been able to maintain a cordial relationship with most of the tutors who participated in this thead, as well as with a number of others. As in any profession, there are true professionals and there are charlatans. Throughout my posts on CC, I’ve always tried to make sure that I am not against tutors but against ineffective or misleading tutoring outfits.

I also admit that I disagree with some of Godot’s adversarial positions, namely that students CANNOT reach the highest plateau without professional help. My position is that a student who spends enough time preparing in earnest for the test AND participate in forums such as CC will probably find few surprises on the SAT, and that there are no secret techniques only known by tutors. This was amply illustrated when Godot posted secrets that he had not seen anywhere. It was childplay to show that the secrets were actually old news on CC and that I had covered them years ago on CC. Frankly, I am absolutely convinced that Godot could not teach me a SINGLE thing about preparing for the SAT, but that is not the point. The reality is that there are many students who find great help by hiring tutors, but there are also many students who could do as well without the outside help. A fact that Godot has not been willing to accept!

There are millions of students taking the SAT and all have indvidual needs. The paths to success are multiple, and none of them is inherently better than othe others because the audience presents different background. My only objective has been to point students in a slightly different direction and offer an alternative. My road might be the less traveled one, but in the end all roads lead to Rome or to a … great school!

killaerone · July 13, 2005, 3:06am

First of all, I would like to thank Xiggi and all of the other posters for this tremendously helpful thread.

I figured that it would be helpful to use the 10 Real SATs for the CR in addition to using the Blue book (8 Real NEW SATs). 
Well, I was just curious as to the difference between the 10 Real SATs First Version, Second Version, and Third Version. ARE THEY REALLY 30 DIFFERENT TESTS!? it can’t be…
Also, what is the difference between the three or so versions of the Real SAT IIs… I doubt they each version contains different tests (of the same subject)

Thanks

lavenderdream · July 13, 2005, 6:36am

killaerone - each “new” book differs in two tests from the last edition, if I’m not mistaken.

The best way to get different SAT subject tests is to get the “Official Guide for SAT Subject Tests” (it’s several years old now) and “Real SAT II’s” (the big blue book) … I think the big blue book is the same as “Real SAT Subject Tests”, which was just released in May.

Correct me if I’m wrong, everyone …?

Godot · July 13, 2005, 6:27pm

Xiggi,

I appreciate your input, as always. However, I do find the need to clarify and/or modify my previous statements so that we are clear on what MY positions in this debate are. In any debate, it’s quite easy to make unwarranted assumptions, exaggerate stated positions, or simply misunderstand various opinions. I’m afraid that you might have done so with my words. And if I have been careless in my use of words, or if my positions have appeared too extreme in the past, I apologize for that.

I DON’T believe that students cannot reach the highest plateaus without extra help. More than a few students do, actually, in my experience. I also believe, however, that good professional help, in the form of a tutor, is beneficial in the vast majority of cases. In general – without rehashing all of my previous arguments – professional tutoring can make the test preparation processs more efficient (sometimes a lot more). A student can perhaps study on his own to achieve a 200-point increase in 5 months, but I, or another competent tutor, can perhaps help the same student do so in one. Additionally, I think most would agree that it might be very difficult – NOT impossible, mind you, but very difficult – to achieve the highest scores without some professional tutoring.

And when I posted the “secrets” on this site, they were only small tricks that I’ve discovered to be effective, but I never claimed that they were previously undiscovered, nor did I state that they were the most important or the most effective. I was merely responding to your criticism that I have never posted any “tips” or “secrets” on this site. (The reason that I had not, and still really do not, is that I believe there are enough experts, and students, on this site to come up with the answers themselves, and I don’t have the time to make 20 posts every day. On more than one occasion, though, I have offered what advice I could as well as solutions to various SAT questions.) It might very well be true that you cannot learn a single thing from me, but what would that really prove?? You are someone who has studied, worked on, taken apart, analyzed, and posted on – to the tune of thousands of posts – on the SAT for a very long time. It’s no surprise that you may not learn anything new from me or another tutor. Unfortunately, 99% of students are not as learned, experienced, practiced as you, and they can probably learn a thing or two from me or someone else. And I don’t feel obligated to prove myself to you on this site. I am not going to post all of my “secrets” (I’m using that term facetiously, as I don’t really regard them as secrets, just valuable strategies, experience, and know-how that an experienced test prep professional should have) just to see if I can teach you a thing or two or to demonstrate to you that I am a competent tutor. I’d rather teach the hundreds and thousands of other students who CAN benefit from my help a thing or two (and who perhaps appreciate me more). Notice I am not making any claims whatsoever to be the “best” or the most effective tutor out there. I simply really enjoy helping students, and I genuinely believe that my students benefit from my help (and enjoy the process at the same time!). That is really why I hang out and post on this site (aside from learning from others as well, including Xiggi).

I have stated – more than once, I think – previously that I DO believe that students CAN achieve significant progress on their own. Professional tutoring is NOT absolutely necessary or even recommended in every single case! My point is simply that in some – SOME! – cases, professional tutoring may help a student significantly – perhaps more than she can help herself, even with the aid of books or other tools, in a reasonable time. I hope you can appreciate that I DO concede YOUR point!

There are indeed multiple paths to success. I – and many others on this site – thank you, Xiggi, for sharing your insights and views on this site.

gcf101 · July 13, 2005, 7:51pm

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I have a position very similar to Godot’s in regard to advantages of coaching for the SAT (or any other tests/competitions).
I base it on 25 years of my experience as a tutor with the success rate close to 95%.

I would voice a stronger opinion than Godot though.
Here’s his quote (guys/ladies, please, how do I place it in a grey box?!):
“… in some – SOME! – cases, professional tutoring may help a student significantly …”.

I believe, QUALITY tutoring helps in a majority of the cases.

Now, quoting Xiggi:
“… student who spends enough time preparing in earnest for the test AND participate in forums such as CC will probably find few surprises on the SAT”.

I already said that there is no ideal single prep book, or even a few, that would prepare a student with a level of accuracy and efficiency even remotely comparable to mine. I am not trying to self-advertise here -
I am getting enough students, and, frankly, I charge such amounts that I don’t need many clients.

Spending time on this and other forums is fun and helpful, but in terms of efficiency (yes, it’s a big word to me), it is a truly wasteful way of learning.
Of couse, it’s possible to discover some very cool tricks and techniques here, but the way it’s happening is very random.

Just look at the number of duplicate posts!
I can’t really blame posters much for that, because searching capabilities of this site are dismal.

I’ve been volunteering as a math completions coach and a teacher’s assistant at my daughter’s and my friends’ kids schools for a number of years, but recently I decided that it’s more important to share my experience in a more important area - SAT/ACT prep.

Private tutoring is not an option for many students, and I find it socially irresponsible to service above the middle income tier exclusively.

I truly appreciate what Xiggi does - helping students for free.
I can’t do that full or even part time - tests prep is my source of income.

Bringing my expertise to this forum and offering it to more students than I can address anywhere else makes me feel that I also bring a sense of balance to my own life.

June - beginning of July is a slow time of the year for me. 
Presently I have a luxury of intensive posting, but that will end soon.

I invite other test prep professionals to offer their help on this forum as well.
We should not worry that our competitors will steal our proprietary methods - well, maybe we should, and they will.
Speaking from my experience, I have enough to share, so that I won’t deplete my “secret” warehouse.
I hope other tutors and prep courses’ authors feel the same way.

xiggi · July 13, 2005, 9:39pm

Godot, I appreciate that fact that you took the time to answer my post and clarify a few things. I’d also like to apologize if some of my comments sounded too harsh or were inappropriate. I know that, at times, I get carried away. I also rarely edit my posts and the words do not always convey the exact message. I do tend to be direct!

I hope to make sure that I do not view my role on CC to create controversy and cause friction. I simply try to help by sharing the knowledge -or the mere opinions- I have acquired when preparing for the test … and hang around this site after I was done. I am not trying to convince anyone that my ideas are better than others’. If I believe in something, I will debate its merits with passion. However, I am always happy to learn more and find better ways to contribute to the site. For this reason, I look forward to the increased participation of paid professionals, even if it provokes a few clashes.

PS Gcf, rest assured that I respect people who devote their life to tutoring. It requires deep commitments and dedication. From talking to tutors, I realize that they are very passionate about their work. This makes it even more natural to defend the profession from mild attacks of amateurs like me. :)

PPS Regarding the search engine … it is not perfect but the advanced tools do work much better than in the past. Also, one could use the site-specific tools offered by search engines. For instance, you can restrict google to CC and play with terms ad nauseam. However, one of the difficulties is that most terms applicable to the SAT are redundant.

woneuniceyoo · July 14, 2005, 1:32pm

“Xiggi” would be the best one to deal with…

ihateschool007 · July 14, 2005, 3:45pm

anyone know where i can purchase real New SAT tests? Like collegeboard came out with 10 real SATs for the older version of the SAT but does anyone know if they came out with one for the new SAT’s? and if they did can you tell me the title, ISBN number appreciated too.

Harvard2011 · July 14, 2005, 3:50pm

I think it’s funny because I know a person who took 7 of the 8 tests in a week, then he/she took the last test and his/her score didn’t improve… Why? You might ask… Because he/she didn’t review a SINGLE thing that he/she got wrong… I recommend that after you take the test you keep a journal and write the original problem that you missed, and make up your own solution to it. And then, two weeks before the SAT just go and make sure you know everything in this journal of yours… I also recommend to go through all of the word choices on the official practice tests for sentence completions and make a list of the ones that you don’t know… Just my “way” of doing the Xiggi method. I have the vocab lists typed up from the practice tests, if anyone’s interested.

pianoman · July 14, 2005, 5:28pm

The Xiggi method is the ONLY effective method. After trying dozens of SAT strategy books and never increasing my score beyond a 1400 on the old SAT, I used Xiggi’s method and got a 1580 after a couple of months. No kidding.

GeorgeS · July 14, 2005, 5:32pm

I don’t understand. It seems to me that trying dozens of SAT strategy books is part of the xiggi method. What specifically did you do to increase your score?

ihateschool007 · July 14, 2005, 7:44pm

anyone know where i can purchase real New SAT tests? Like collegeboard came out with 10 real SATs for the older version of the SAT but does anyone know if they came out with one for the new SAT’s? and if they did can you tell me the title, ISBN number appreciated too.

tanman · July 14, 2005, 8:58pm

CB put out The Official SAT Study Guide: For the New SAT <a href=“ISBN:%200874477182”>/u</a>. It has eight new-SAT style practice tests.

In “Xiggi method”, you not only have to buy strategy books and read them, but you have to know how to apply what you learn and how to learn from your mistakes, which is what many people that I’ve seen never do. The “Xiggi method” is essentially based on common sense - take the practice tests and learn from what you did wrong.

Also, what Harvard2011 suggested sounds like an excellent idea. Since your prep will be spread out over some time, writing down what you miss and reviewing it all before you take the test is a good way to make sure you’ve learned the material.

Mahnsta · July 14, 2005, 9:26pm

Hey, xiggi. I’ve been reading your posts and find them really helpful. I am just getting started with my SAT prep and it’s great info.

What did you score on the SAT? How many times did you take it?

Thanks!!

vtran31 · July 14, 2005, 11:44pm

this is way out of sync but I want to say how I solved a problem xiggi posted earlier in the thread. It took longer than 10 seconds, but at least it makes sense to me.

BTW, love the thread! keep on the discussion!

A girl rides her bicycle to school at an average speed of 8 mph. She returns to her house using the same route at an average speed of 12 mph. If the round trip took 1 hour, how many miles is the round trip.

A. 8
B. 9 3/5
C. 10
D. 11 1/5
E. 12

ok. so she travels at 8 mi/hr on a path and 12 mi/hr back along the same path.

so label the distance of the path x and the round trip 2x. Traveling 12 mi/hr she went a distance of x mi. and traveling 8 mi /hr she also went a distance of x mi.

if you divide the distance traveled by the speed, you will get how much time it took to travel that distance.

so for her 8 mi/hr trip:

x / ( 8mi/hr) = hrs taken

and for 12 mi/hr trip:

x / (12 mi/hr) = hrs taken.

since the entire trip took 1 hour and only includes the 8 mi/hr trip and the 12 mi/hr trip, you get the equation:

( x/ (8 mi/hr) ) + ( x/ (12 mi/hr) = 1

finding the common denominator:

(3x / (24 mi/hr) ) + (2x / 24 mi/hr ) =1

and adding the fractions:

(5x/ (24 mi/hr ) ) =1

and multiplying by the reciprocal:

x = 24 /5

since you are looking for 2x (roundabout trip) you find:

2x = 48/5

and that equals 9 3/5

sorry bout that. was that lucid?

harry3734 · July 14, 2005, 11:48pm

dude i think

(2Speed1Speed2)/(Speed1+Speed2)

is a lot easier…but that is jus tmy opinion

vtran31 · July 14, 2005, 11:51pm

I guess I find it harder to memorize equations with no real pattern

killaerone · July 15, 2005, 12:10am

Harvard, I would really appreciate it if you sent me the list… is it all of the voc words on ALL of the CR (of each 8 New SATs)? Thanks a lot…

my e-mail adress is <a href="mailto:killaerone@aol.com">killaerone@aol.com</a>

gcf101 · July 15, 2005, 1:27am

<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?p=997233[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?p=997233</a>,
post #8

Then again:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=74410[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=74410</a>
post #5

It resurfaces on:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=75306[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=75306</a>
post #16

---- Xiggi! ----
see what I meant when I talked about how inefficient this forum could be in helping students to self-study (post #166 above)?

You said:
“FWIW, I have posted in DETAILS how to solve this problem in anywhere between 10 seconds to twenty seconds, without the possibility of errors.”
(post #10 on
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=74410)%5B/url%5D”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=74410)</a>.

If someboody was not reading it then, what are the chances that s/he will unearth it now from underneath of the evergrowing mountain of new posts?

And how many other valuable formulas, tips, methods, etc. are buried deep inside that mountain?

One has to maintain daily presence on this forum for months in order to accumulate knowledge that could be offered in a few tutoring sessions.

I find this forum extremely interesting, but I wonder if you feel exasperated at times, answering some question in umpteenth time.

Xiggi's SAT prep advice

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