Tuesday
July 5 th

Dear Rocketeers,

Happy post-July 4 th to everyone (even you overseas Rocketeers!).

Traditionally, July 5 th is when students everywhere wake up and realize, “Okay, enough fooling around with my newfound freedom, time to get serious and get some work done this summer!”

Time to get down to business!

I'll cover things for everyone, regardless of what grade you're in, and then I'll cover specifics for each grade level.

As always, it would be a good idea to print out a copy of this email for your parents, or at least forward the email to them so they can follow up for you where necessary.

Feel free to forward the information to your friends, too.

Read through the ENTIRE email, checking off the points relevant to your situation.

Information for Everyone

Unless you're a senior who's not planning to retake the SAT this fall, you should be ACTIVELY working on your vocabulary this summer. (And even if you're done with the SAT—lucky you!—improving your vocabulary will pay enormous dividends in your regular school classes, throughout college, and even into your career.)

Anyone who's serious about doing well on the SAT reading test should have NO TROUBLE memorizing our 323 Power Ranked Words—in a MONTH. I know that sounds like a lot but let's break it down to something manageable.

Tomorrow, print out the first 10 words on the list (you'll find the words in a PDF document on the website). You probably know some of these 10 already. Of the ones you don't know, come up with memory tricks (mnemonics is the fancy word) to MEMORIZE—as in PERMANENTLY memorize—the definition. You'll find a discussion of how to memorize words—and how NOT to memorize them—on page 307-308. Carry those 10 words with you and practice USING them throughout the day. Quiz yourself periodically.

Then, the next day, move on to the next 10 words. And repeat.

At the rate of 10 words a day—and again, you already know many of the words on the list, so the actual rate is fewer than 10 words a day—you'll be through the list some time in August.

The list is just a start, of course, albeit a very good start. Get in the habit of learning new words whenever and wherever you encounter them. I can't tell you what a difference it will make not just on the SAT, but also in college and beyond.

Some students have asked me to recommend a good vocabulary book. I've written a couple myself (Word Smart, Word Smart II), but I'm actually going to recommend a fun book that will help you develop your word sense through etymology. It's Word Power Made Easy , by Norman Lewis. Get the paperback edition and carry it around with you so that you can “dip into” it during down time throughout the day. It's slow going the first couple of chapters but your progress will begin to accelerate when you get to chapters like How to Insult Your Enemies. I'll post a review of it on the website in the next couple of days.

Summer Information for 9 th and 10 th graders

• There's not a lot to say to you guys, other than it's WAY too early for you to begin focusing on the SAT—apart from working on your vocabulary. If math isn't your strong point, you might consider working through the math Concept Boxes this summer. In addition to building a good foundation for the SAT (over a year away, remember), the concept boxes are an excellent refresher of math you'll need in school.

• Do NOT work on the SAT essay. You have better uses for your time. It's even too early for 11 th graders to begin working on their SAT essays, so it's certainly too early for you!

• VERY IMPORTANT: Do not even LOOK—not even a peek—at any of the eight tests in The Official SAT Study Guide. You'll need those tests when you begin active preparation for the SAT NEXT year, but if you use up the exams now, even some of them, you won't have enough practice material when you need it most. A lot of seniors who are going to retake the SAT have already used up those eight tests, which means they're out of practice material (although there are some old-old SAT's that have some useable material).

Summer Information for 11 th graders

• If you'll be entering the 11 th grade this fall, the first question to ask yourself is whether it's worth doing SERIOUS preparation for the PSAT—notice, I said PSAT, not SAT. For virtually all students, it is NOT worth doing serious preparation for the PSAT—saving your focused efforts for the SAT. The only students who should prepare ACTIVELY for the PSAT are those in the top 5 to 10 percent of test-takers, and shooting for a National Merit Scholarship. Everyone else should do SOME preparation for the PSAT—NEVER take an important test “cold”—but save their active preparation for the SAT.

• If you're not sure whether you have a shot at National Merit, take a practice SAT. You can DOWNLOAD a FREE SAT (a bit different from the PSAT, but close enough for our purposes) from www.CollegeBoard.com . If you've already done that test, you can use as your ONLY ALTERNATIVE a practice test in The Official SAT Study Guide. VERY VERY IMPORTANT You MUST get your mom or dad or someone else to time you. MUST MUST MUST. Timing yourself is 100-200 points EASIER than having someone else time you. Trust me on this. When you've finished the test, if you scored above 1900 (190 on the PSAT scale), you have a chance at National Merit and should CONSIDER preparing actively for the SAT. If you don't feel like preparing actively for the PSAT, that's fine, but at the least you should do SOME preparation for the test, as discussed below.

• If you're SURE you want to prepare actively for the PSAT—and there are some DANGERS, such as running out of practice materials too early, leaving yourself with little to work with for the SAT—then this summer you should do some two or three practice SATs—NOT more—timed—by your mom or dad, as I just explained. In addition to these two or three timed tests, you should do one or two EXTREME UNTIMED (see my May posting on the website for a complete explanation of this drill). NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, BE SURE you save AT LEAST three untouched—unpeeked at—ACTUAL SAT's for your SAT preparation BEYOND the PSAT.

• In addition, if you're ACTIVELY preparing for the PSAT, you should work through The RocketReview Revolution. Duh.

• If you're doing MINIMUM preparation for the PSAT—and again, for most students, that's more than enough—you should do a SINGLE practice SAT timed (you know the deal by now), and a SINGLE EXTREME UNTIMED SAT. In addition, review the BASIC chapters in the three test areas: math, reading, and writing (grammar, not the essay).

• When preparing for the PSAT, remember that the PSAT is somewhat different from the SAT. The PSAT has NO ESSAY, and the PSAT has no algebra II level math (so you can SKIP these areas for now). It's also a LOT shorter than the SAT, but that fact won't affect your preparation.

Summer Information for 12 th graders

• If you took the March test, and you're planning to retake the SAT, I STRONGLY recommend that you order a copy of your exam and answer sheet. (Unfortunately, this service was not offered on the May exam; I'm not sure about the June test.) Go to www.CollegeBoard.com and look up “Question and Answer Service.”

• If you're planning to retake the SAT and you've already finished all the practice tests in The Official SAT Study Guide (and the free one you can download from www.Collegeboard.com ), your next best bet for practice questions would be a copy of the OLD 10 Real SAT's (you can order through Amazon.com). However, about half the questions in the new Official Guide were taken from the older guide, but the odds are you won't remember having done them anyway. Virtually all the reading passages in the old guide are NOT in the new guide, so that's good news. But the sentence completions and the math problems are hit or miss: many of these questions are also in the new guide. The old guide does NOT have any grammar questions, which is too bad, and it does NOT have any of the tougher algebra II level math questions now on the SAT. If you're not shooting for a score in the low 700's or higher on the math, however, the math questions in the old guide are fine. Ignore, however, the quantitative comparison math questions and analogies, which USED to be on the SAT but of course no longer are.

• If you want to CHALLENGE YOUR SAT ESSAY SCORE, drop me an email and I'll send you the challenge form. It costs $50—yet another College Board RIP-OFF—but you get that fee refunded IF you're awarded a higher score. In an effort to scare off students from taking this option, the College Board warns students that it IS possible that an essay will receive a LOWER score. To minimize the likelihood of this possibility, it makes sense to challenge your score only if you believe your essay received a score 2 or more points below what it should have received (on the 2 to 12 scale). IF YOU'RE NOT SURE, send me a copy of your essay (transcribe it please, not the JPEG) and the score it received, and I'll give you my assessment (and RocketScore's).

• Fall test dates are OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, and even JANUARY, so if you're applying regular admissions you have plenty of time to finish up with the SAT or any SAT Subject Tests you need. If you want to retake the SAT, and you're not applying early decision, the November or December date gives you time to ease into the fall term (there's a LOT to get done for your applications, remember, on top of your regular academic load).

• If you're APPLYING EARLY, most schools WILL accept the November test results, even though you probably have to submit your completed application BEFORE that date.

• Applying early decision DOES improve your odds (e.g., if your odds at Ivy League School X are 1 in 4 under regular admissions, say, they'd improve to 1 in 3 by applying early), but apart from the ENORMOUS hassle of completing your application by November 1 (for most schools), you also SACRIFICE any chances of negotiating your financial aid package (since you've committed to going to the school).

• The MORE you get done for your applications THIS SUMMER, the LESS you'll have to do in the fall CRUNCH. Start working on your PERSONAL STATEMENT. In the next week I'll send out another email JUST about the personal statement, and how best to approach it (think ONE SPECIFIC, MEMORABLE ANECDOTE rather than a waffly, grand statement or an epic autobiography).

• You might also want to approach one or two teachers about writing you a RECOMMENDATION (they'll be beleaguered by requests in the fall). It helps when asking for a recommendation to give the recommender a PERSONAL SUMMARY SHEET, a SINGLE-PAGE OUTLINE resume that covers your general extracurricular or other activities, any awards you may have won, and anything else about you that seems relevant. In any event, preparing this sheet for your college adviser is a GOOD IDEA.

• SEND AWAY FOR APPLICATIONS (some schools have them available already); at the very least, download a copy of the COMMON APPLICATION (used my many colleges) so you can get started thinking about your responses to standard application questions. When you RECEIVE the application, PHOTOCOPY IT AND HIDE THE ORIGINAL SOMEPLACE SAFE. Work out your responses on the COPY and when you're satisfied, you can transfer your responses over to the original.

• COLLEGE VISITS are often a huge WASTE OF TIME. If you're visiting a nearby school, fine, but major treks are expensive and time-consuming (and as this lengthy email attests, you've got a LOT ON YOUR PLATE THIS FALL). MORE IMPORTANT: until you're actually accepted at a school, your impressions of that school—negative as well as positive—will be HIGHLY MISLEADING.

• An excellent source of college “leads” is the Princeton Review guide to colleges. You don't need to buy the book; you can do your research at your local library. For each college in the guide, it lists 5 or 6 OTHER colleges that students who applied to that school also applied to. It also tells you which of those colleges students tended to prefer over THAT school, and vice versa.

I think that about covers everything for the next week or so. Stay tuned my young apprentices.

Obi Wan Adam

PS: My sincere apologies to the student who TWICE emailed me and twice I inadvertently deleted his email. Considering how many emails I get every day—and I eventually respond to all of them—occasional lapses will happen. Still, I apologize.

PPS: Sarah wrote and asked what the differences were between my current book, The RocketReview Revolution, and my first book, Cracking the SAT, which was a New York Times best seller when it came out nearly 20 years ago! RR reflects my latest, best thinking not just about the SAT, but how best to explain things to students. I've worked with THOUSANDS of students since my first book, and I've come up with MUCH better ways to explain things on the SAT. Also, although Cracking the SAT revolutionized test preparation when it came out, the test has changed a lot (largely in an unacknowledged recognition of the effectiveness of the techniques I developed). So my original way of explaining the many parts of the SAT no longer is, alas, no longer the most effective way. I haven't been involved with Cracking the SAT or the Princeton Review in over ten years. In short, while I'm proud of what Cracking the SAT was when it came out, it no longer represents my best thinking about the test.

PPPS: To help develop practice materials for EVERYONE, I'm looking for EXACTLY 50 students to join what we'll call ADAM'S BETA CLUB. Every week or two I'll send out practice problems to members of the Beta Club to solve and send their results back to me. That way I can discover the difficulty of the questions and whether they're statistically “SAT-like” enough to send out to everyone else. If you join the club, you're committing to doing the practice problems soon after I send them. (Figure 30 minutes or so every other week, it's NOT a lot of time really.) If you don't complete a set of the practice problems, you'll forfeit your place to someone else. The BENEFIT is that I'll give you PERSONAL FEEDBACK on your assignments, so think about it. If you want to join, let me know ASAP. You'll get great practice problems and my personal feedback; I'll get the benefit of your work so that I can improve the problems that will ultimately be posted on the website for everyone else.