Kaplan is known around the world for its test preparation programs, so we
have many students who are interested in studying abroad and need help improving their TOEFL scores as well as their scores on various university admissions tests such as the SAT, GRE and GMAT. These students come from many countries, not only from Japan, and include native English speakers as well as language learners. Increasingly, these tests are also required for admittance to schools in Japan, or by employers who want a realistic score to judge the English ability of prospective employees.


While nearly all students are able to improve their scores significantly, some are unable to achieve the scores they desire because their English ability is at a generally low level. In these cases, students will benefit by taking advantage of other programs we offer such as grammar review courses; skill development courses in listening, speaking, reading and writing; as well as fun and interesting workshop classes.


Whatever your goal, whether to enter a top university, to get a better job, or just to improve your English level, Kaplan can provide the training you need.




▼▽▼▼【講師】Kurt先生のバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【How much will I improve?】2008.10.08 (Wed)
・【The Importance of Writing】2008.10.29 (Wed)
・【Bias in the News】2008.11.19 (Wed)
・【TOEFL iBT】2009.01.07 (Wed)

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One of the toughest things to convince my students to do is to take actual prep-tests under test conditions, and report the results to me. I understand why this is, of course; it's embarrassing to study like crazy, spend hours and hours participating in classroom discussion, and then do poorly when you try to take a "real" test. That having been said, it's vital to your success that you have--throughout your preperaton process--an objective and accurate gauge of your progress. By taking full tests and working full sections under timed conditions, you gain the endurance that you will need when faced with the pressure of test day. Also, you learn to budget your time and to be comfortable working with the clock.

I think that most students find the practice tests stressful and discouraging because they don't use the results the way they should. Use your practice tests to gauge your progress over time, to help you understand exactly how many extra questions you have to get right to get your target score, and to build strategies for time- and stress-
management on test day. Here are a few specific tips:

1) Most students do not do as well on timed practice as they do in the classroom, so don't be surprised when you miss questions on the practice session that you would have gotten right in class. When we study in class, I'm helping to guide you through the questions, pointing out issues that help you eliminate wrong answer choices and zero in on the right ones. Also, in class, there's no "time limit" per se, except that which I give you. So while, on the SAT or LSAT, you may only have a minute or so per question, in class I may give you two or three minutes to allow you to fully evaluate all of the answer choices.

2) As you work through your practice section, note answer choices that you were choosing between, and then review the explanations for the ones you got right, and the ones you got wrong. Remember that you will see not only similar questions on test day, but similar answer choices. That way, when you see a similar question on the test, you might well be able to anticipate the correct answer, and dismiss tempting trap answers.

3) Don't lie to yourself, and don't lie to your instructor! Keep accurate, merciless records of how you did, and chart your progress objectively. Use that information to set realistic goals, and then work toward those goals as test day approaches. Remember that, as you do better and better on the test, the difference between an average score and an outstanding score will only be a few questions! Talk to your instructor about your scores, your goals, and your preperation methods, because we are all here to help you do your best!

4) Finally, don't get discouraged. These tests are tough and tricky because they're designed to be tough and tricky. But other students before you have succeeded, and you will too!




▼▽▼▼Douglasの過去の記事を読む━━━━━━━━━━━
・【Smoke and Makuuchi】2008.10.01(Wed)
･【It's Always Something】2008.10.22 (Wed)
・【Working the Corners】2008.11.12 (Wed)
・【Logic Games】2008.12.03 (Wed)
・【A Truth about Application Essays】2008.12.24 (Wed)

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Throughout my personal studies and test taking I found two study methods which really helped me prepare for tests. The first one is to teach other peers the material. If you can teach others the material then surely you understand the material and so then you will surely be able to answer questions correctly about it. This worked really well for me because I studied math and physics. So if you are having trouble in the math section of a test or basically a section which is testing some kind of process I think this is a very effective way to study. Find a classmate who doesn't understand the material as well as you and explain it to them, killing two birds with one stone. However, this might not be a method that transfers very well to language.

This brings me to my second method. If you can study at a level higher than the actual test, the test material itself will become very doable. Now if it's all you can do to keep up with the material at the level of the test, then this might not be a practical method for you just yet. But if the level of the test and of your class is manageable then you might want to consider this method.

So how can you study at a level higher than the test itself? It depends on the material, but you should try to purposefully challenge yourself. If you have a writing question that you can reasonable respond to within the time limit, modify the question a bit so that it requires a deeper level of explanation or more specific examples. If you're studying vocabulary, don't just memorize the definition, but break the word apart. Look at its roots and any prefixes or suffixes it may have, but mostly its roots. Think about the root and other words which have the root. Make the root an intimately understood part of your English. If you're studying math, well it's pretty easy to study at a higher level. But you don't just have to study more difficult material. Instead of just memorizing formulas try to understand why the formulas work. If you can understand why something works, rather than just memorizing it, this is a higher level of study and makes the material itself seem pretty simple and easy to use.

Both of the methods really come down to taking an active role in your education and purposefully challenging yourself. Don't be satisfied with just sitting in class and getting spoon fed by the teacher. There will be no spoon feeding on test day, and all the crap you previously swallowed wont help you all that much anyway. These two methods were two ways in which I could purposefully challenge myself.

In addition to the self challenging that takes place, these methods are also a part of over aiming. If you aim for your goal but don't reach it, there might be some sad consequences, like not getting into the school you were hoping and dreaming for. But if you make your goal higher than what is really necessary, if you don't meet that higher goal, you may still meet the requirements. It's kind of like setting yourself up for failure, but not so negative.

These two methods proved very effective for me throughout my studies, and I hope that they can for you as well.

▼▽▼▼Amberlyの過去の記事を読む━━━━━━━━━━━
・【Something Interesting】2008.10.22 (Wed)
・【an interesting book】2008.11.28 (Fri)

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With the introduction of speaking and integrated skills testing in the new TOEFL test, everybody agrees that the test is much more difficult than ever before. Before getting discouraged, however, remember that everybody has to take the same test - you're still competing against non-native English speakers, just like always.


The new test is challenging, but in many ways it lends itself to thorough preparation even better than the old test. For example, you can learn how to give quick answers under pressure, internalizing the patterns and rhythms common to different types of questions. These questions are far less daunting if you know what to expect and have confidence in yourself.


The keys are understanding how the test is structured and knowing what is expected of you, learning the Kaplan methods, then practicing until you feel comfortable with the questions and can routinely answer them in a systematic manner.


So don't worry - with a little help, you can still score
well on the TOEFL!




▼▽▼▼【講師】Kurt先生のバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【How much will I improve?】2008.10.08 (Wed)
・【The Importance of Writing】2008.10.29 (Wed)
・【Bias in the News】2008.11.19 (Wed)

ブログランキングに参加しています。
下記の3つをクリックして、応援していただけると嬉しいです。
▼Please help us increase our blog ranking by clicking below!▼

We thank you for your continued support!

Today's entry is mainly directed at my many SAT students, bright young people who are on their way from high-school to college. Many of you ask me about your college application essays, and in reviewing them over the years I've noted trends in successful essays, and in those less successful.


There are two principal, consistent components to good application essays: They are interesting, and they tell admissions administrators that you can work independently, outside your comfort-zone. Interesting essays are those that tell the reader something about your personality, what "makes you tick," as the saying goes.


This is a problem for some students, who feel like they're not interesting people, or who just feel that--since they're so young--they haven't had any life-experiences that might interest the old folks who evaluate their essays. It's certainly true that not all people are equally interesting, or equally able to make themselves sound interesting. Some of us just have a way with a story; we can make mundane events sound amusing. But remember that this essay is your best chance to really communicate directly with the people who are making the decisions about your future. Also, remember that you're not writing "Gone with the Wind," you're just telling some people (who ARE interested in helping bright young people to succeed) what makes you an individual.


So, to make your essays interesting, try thinking of an anecdote (a story about yourself) that defines your character. For instance, I would write about how I decided to go skydiving before I began studying for the bar exam. I figured that if I spent all of that time studying, and then my parachute didn't open, I'd be really upset. But, on the other hand, if I was falling toward earth and certain death and hadn't started studying yet, at least I could think "Well, that's one more annoying thing I won't have to do." That story tells you something about me; I'm an optimist, and I try to live in a way that allows me to enjoy myself, and take risks while still seeing the positive side of things.


The other thing your essay should do--and this is just as important--is to let the application administrators know that you can function with minimal supervision in a new, diverse environment. See, colleges know what kind of grades you got, and they know how you scored on the SAT, but what they don't know is whether you're responsible and adaptable. As high-school students, most of us didn't have much freedom; our parents and teachers watched out for us and made sure we did our work, and punished us if we didn't.


But in college, no one is going to care if you don't work; they'll just flunk you out, and that will be the end of it. If they let you in and you don't work hard, the college really loses TWO students: you, and the person whose application they had to reject in order to let you in. Remember, colleges only have so many openings for each class, so if they let you in they have to reject someone else.


So write an essay that tells administrators that you can work without supervision, and that you understand that you have to be independent and self-motivated. That's the reason that so many of the essay questions ask things like "Tell us about a time you went outside your comfort zone," or "Tell us about a time you had to be a leader." Young people who have shown those skills before are more likely to adapt well to college.




▼▽▼▼Douglasの過去の記事を読む━━━━━━━━━━━
・【Smoke and Makuuchi】2008.10.01(Wed)
･【It's Always Something】2008.10.22 (Wed)
・【Working the Corners】2008.11.12 (Wed)
・【Logic Games】2008.12.03 (Wed)

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下記の3つをクリックして、応援していただけると嬉しいです。
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We thank you for your continued support!