Review: College Prep Genius

As many of you know, my oldest is an 8^th grader this year and we're using her 8^th grade year to practice, plan, and prepare for high school.  An invaluable planning tool has basically fallen in my lap by way of TOS Homeschool Crew -- College Prep Genius.

College Prep Genius is a complete SAT, PSAT/NMSQT prep program consisting of a 4-disc DVD set, a textbook and a student workbook ($79) that combine to teach high school students:

• Time management skills
• Test-taking logic
• How to find the patterns in the SAT
• Acronyms to help the student remember the patterns and codes
• Tips to cut critical reading time in half
• How to answer math questions quickly, while rarely using the calculator
• How to write quality essays in fifteen minutes
• Timing mistakes to avoid
• Types of essay questions that might occur

It is suggested that students begin preparing for the SAT as early as 9^th grade and College Prep Genius helps a student to do just that.  The 10 hours' worth of DVD material and the text book walk the student through learning tips and techniques for improving their SAT score, pinpointing their own weaknesses and learning how to make the most of their test practice time.  The student then begins to put those tips and techniques into practice as she works through the accompanying student workbook.

One thing that I found very interesting about the program was the author's comment that "students should be prepared to put a lot of time into the course -- that success isn't instant."  It seems, so often, that when books or programs make the kind of claims that College Prep Genius does, it's expected that success will take little effort on the part of the student.  That's not the case with College Prep Genius.  It's expected that the student will begin taking practice tests during their 9^th grade year and will take multiple practice -- and actual -- SAT tests over the course of their high school career in order to achieve their highest results.

Although we'll begin putting most of our efforts into beginning SAT prep next year, as Brianna enters 9^th grade, we'll are going to be using the course over the next few weeks to start laying the foundation for next year.  I'll be posting a complete review toward the end of the month.  In the meantime, you can read some of the author's articles on topics such as:

• Ten Terrific Tips To a High SAT Score 
• 13 Common SAT Myths
• Prepare Your High School Student for College
  

You might also consider hosting  a SAT Prep Workshop in your town led by College Prep Genius author, Jean Burk.  There is a minimum of 10 students, if you're in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and 25 students for other locations.  The workshop is 10 hours of instruction, -- designed to be covered in a two- to three-day format, covering math, writing and critical reasoning -- and includes the lecture, textbook and student workbook for $99 per student.

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