Victory Step on the News!

Stuart Fraser is a blogger and instructor for Victory Step. Stuart contact's information - swfraser@gmail.com

Article Link - http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/education/091411-average-sat-scores-fall-in-texas

On September 14th, Fox 4 News ran a story about an alarming trend in Texas testing. Across the state, the average SAT scores have dropped 3 points in Math, 5 points in Reading, and 8 points in Critical Reading, bringing them to a combined score of 1446 (out of 2400).

While this problem has many causes, including the reduced resources in public schools and the growing number of students taking the test, Victory Step is taking measures to ensure that everyone is able to get the training they need in order to tackle this daunting test including SAT classes and private tutoring. The Fox 4 News story entered the class of one Victory Step instructor, Devon Earle, to discuss how an SAT test prep course helps students gain an even footing with students who perhaps have more resources in their schools to help with college prep and college-level AP courses.

With the growing number of students in Texas schools, more of them are not getting the individualized attention that is necessary to remain competitive on a standardized test such as the SAT. At Victory Step, each student gets training in the specific sections of the test which they need the most improvement, and results are measured across 4 full-length practice tests taken under simulated test conditions. This helps the students reinforce the subjects they already know while allowing them to bring up their scores on the sections they feel most challenged in, even as the relative strength of the student in each section changes over the duration of the course. Practice tests and instructor feedback help provide reassessment of each student’s strengths and weaknesses on the test.

With the Victory Step promise, any student who takes the time to practice and learn from our instructors is guaranteed a 200 point increase between their first test and their final test. This guarantee helps students take the real SAT with the confidence that they know how they will be able to perform on test day. By using the techniques mentioned above, Victory Step is working hard to fight against this alarming drop in average SAT scores.

Defeating Cognitive Bias

Eric Rosenbaum is a blogger and instructor for Victory Step. Eric contact's information - rosenbaume88@gmail.com


Imagine that you are in a room with nothing but a wax candle, a box of thumbtacks, and a book of matches. How can you attach the candle to the wall and light it so that the wax doesn’t drip onto the floor?

When psychologist Karl Duncker asked subjects this question in the 1940s, only about 20% of them got it right. It’s not that the problem is hard; once you know the answer it seems obvious (the correct answer is at the bottom of this post). The problem seems hard because it exploits flaws in human reasoning known as cognitive biases.
SAT problems can sometimes be as tricky as the candle problem. You may think that you are immune to the SAT’s tricks (a bias known to psychologists as bias blind spot), but chances are, you are not: some tricky phrasing can have you wasting time on a wild goose chase, or getting the question wrong altogether.

Confirmation Bias, or, “A Looks like the Right Answer; It Must Be A”

Have you ever tried to remember a song title, certain that begins with the letter L, only to remember days later that it begins with B instead? Once you start thinking in terms of L, it’s very difficult to switch tracks to think about B. In other words, instead of really looking for the title of the song, you begin looking for confirmation that your first method was correct. This phenomenon is known as confirmation bias.
One great way to avoid confirmation bias on the SAT and ACT is to avoid looking at the answers beforehand. If you subconsciously pick A before you’ve completely worked through the problem, it will not be hard to justify your solution later, right or wrong.

Overconfidence Effect, or, “This Is Easy!”

A study done by psychologist Ulrich Hoffrage came up with some interesting, upsetting results: of the people who claimed to be 99% certain about their answer to a problem, 20% turned out to be incorrect. Most of these people weren’t too far away from the right answer, and they were justified in making the choices they did. The problem is that people tend to overestimate how certain their certainty is.
Sometimes the most dangerous questions are those that look easy. They probably are easy, but maybe not as easy as you think they are. It’s important to check your work on the easy problems as much as on the harder ones.

Incubation, or, I Can’t Move to the Next One Until I Solve This One


Incubation isn’t a bias. It’s a way to protect against biases. Think back to the song title example. When your brain was in L mode, what was it that finally made you see B? Putting the problem aside. When you come back to the problem after thinking of other things, it’s easier to cut through dangerous preconceptions.
Oftentimes when I am working on a difficult problem, the solution feels so close that I want to keep working until I find it. I don’t want to forget the progress I’ve made, even when the progress is in the wrong direction. If you get stuck on a tricky SAT problem, even if you think you almost have it, try taking a break: it may be much easier when you come back. Even if you think you have an answer correct, it is a good idea to check your work and look at your solutions with fresh eyes.

Cognitive biases are a fact of life, but their effect can be limited. It just takes practice and a little bit of self-awareness. The difference in your score could be astounding.




Solution to the Candle Problem

The key is in realizing that the “box of thumbtacks” is really two things: a box, and thumbtacks. First, thumbtack the box to the wall. Then, place the candle inside the box. The wax will drip on the cardboard, not the floor.

SAT/ACT Guided Wilderness Tour

Welcome to the guided SAT wilderness tour. Please keep your eyes, ears, and brains inside the test zone at all times.

The SAT wilderness is a dangerous, disturbing place. All kinds of creatures are out there, trying to steal your attention and kill your score.
Hear that buzzing noise? That’s the sound of the mow-squito (lembus herba), an animal rarely seen, but nonetheless dangerous. You can recognize it by its faint, unending droning sound, usually outside of windows in quiet rooms. The mow-squito, though small, has the ability to really get under your skin.

If you listen very carefully, you can also make out a softer sound. This is the AC bee (frigidus locus), a close relative to the mow-squito which lives inside cold, echoing rooms. The AC bee is less obtrusive than its outdoor cousin, but for that reason it can be even more dangerous. As is the case with all the animals on our tour, the AC bee is more afraid of you than you are of it. If you stop listening, it will leave you alone.

On your left, you will see Sickness Stream. The stream is populated with all sorts of dangerous, distracting wildlife. See that ripple there? That’s the sign of the predatory sniffler fish (pisces naso). Sniffler fish are nearly harmless alone, but they always attack in schools. I remember once when I was almost attacked by sniffle fish. I was sitting in the test zone, minding my own business, when I heard a sniff from desk in front of me. Then, after a few seconds, there was another sniff to my right. Then one to my left. I was surrounded! Fortunately, I was able to ignore them before it was too late.

However, the most dangerous thing about sniffler fish is that they attract the deadly cough-odile (gutter lacerta). Where there is a school of sniffler fish, there are bound to be at least one or two of these attention-killing coughing machines. If you do hear the sudden bark of a cough-odile, you may find yourself momentarily distracted. However, you will be fine if you take a few breaths and return to the test.

On this tour, you may see one or two cell-ephants (tinnulus monstro). These big guys are banned from the SAT wilderness, but every now and then you’ll hear one charging through the underbrush, or at least feel the vibration of its giant feet.

What’s that you say? You think we’re being followed? Of course we are. The time-ger has been stalking us since we left camp. But don’t worry; as long as we pace ourselves and don’t try to run away, he won’t bother us. The time-ger can be your best friend in the SAT wilderness, keeping you on the path and away from distractions. He can also be your worst enemy if he tricks you into making dumb mistakes.

That brings us to the end of our tour. I hope you learned a lot about the wildlife of the SAT. The SAT wilderness can be a loud distracting place, and it’s easy to get lost there. But if you keep your head down, and stay out of reach of the time-ger, you’ll be just fine.

Sleepless night is more than just a MISTAKE!

Sleep and education never seem to get along. Kindergarten disrupts our nap schedule (one we all wish would return later in life). Middle School and High School students struggle with the ever-present “nod-and-jerk” routine of trying to stay awake in class: they start by looking forward, doing their best to pay attention (or at least look like it), and then slowly their head begins to sag and their eyes close before a jolt of awareness makes them quickly move their head back into place. In a hot Texas classroom on the day after a paper due date or a test, this cycle of can continue for the entirety of a class. For college students, the conflict is apparent by the students sitting in the classroom dressed in their pajamas with a large cup (or multiple cups) of coffee and a glazed look on their faces. At any age, it is difficult to balance a healthy, good night’s sleep with the demands of getting a good education.

In theory, the solution is easy: always try to get as close to 8 hours of sleep as you can. In practice though—with the ever-increasing demands placed on students of every level to excel in classes, to stretch themselves with extra-curricular activities, and to maintain a healthy social life—students are more likely to feel forced to sacrifice sleep for the sake of their education. This temptation must be avoided at all cost. So when it seems that there is a long night of work ahead of you, whether in the form of readings, busy work, papers, or a big, looming test the next day, here is something to remember which will hopefully help you make that decision: all-nighters, while promising in theory, significantly drain your energy and focus for the next day.

We’ve all had the idea that perhaps simply giving up sleep for a night will allow us 8 full hours to write or study. On paper it seems like a good opportunity to double the amount of time you have available to work, but the reality of every all-nighter I’ve ever taken (and I took more than enough in college) is completely different. Most start out promising, with a large mug of coffee or tea and a good study soundtrack, but around 2 or 3am, that motivation starts to disappear and gets replaced by the desire to give up. Sometimes that takes the form of hoping to wake up early and finish (a strategy which has worked well for many of my friends, but I personally find I always end up oversleeping). Most of the time, this desire to give up is quickly followed by the realization that it would be impossible to do so. Without having gotten enough studying or writing done earlier in the day, there is simply too much work which has to be done.

Nine times out of ten, all-nighters end earlier than expected. Everyone reaches a point where they’ve consumed twice as many mugs of coffee as the number of hours they know they’ll sleep that night and still can’t manage to keep themselves focused, motivated, or even awake. The next day, more often than not, is a struggle to restore your body and mind to the level of focus you felt at the beginning of working that first night. Not sleeping one night will lead to decreased productivity the next day. Fighting off a nap all day is not the struggle you want to be facing if you’ve just spent all night studying for an important test or if you have classes to focus on after turning in your paper.

While not every all-nighter can be avoided due to the immense workloads placed on today’s students, the best defense to feeling fatigued is to plan ahead to do as much work during reasonable work hours as you can. Know your limit, the time in the morning where you’re likely to start getting distracted, and plan out a schedule for studying that does not rely heavily on working after that time. As long as pushing yourself to work after that time does not become a regular occurrence (or does not happen the night before a major test or busy day), your body will thank you for not sacrificing sleep for a few more hours of less-productive work time. Remember that the idea of a sleepless night full of motivation and productivity is more than just a mistake, it is a recipe for an exhausting following day that will throw your work and sleep schedule completely off. When possible, getting close to a full night’s sleep will help you maintain both a healthier state of mind and help your productivity in the future.

Avoiding Clichés in Your Personal Essay

At some point, you just have to accept that there will be clichés in your writing. That’s the bad news. If you wanted to snip every cliché out of your college essay, you would be left with just a handful of articles and pronouns.
But then, clichés aren’t all bad. They lend a certain playfulness to your writing; they reveal familiarity with literature and culture; and they condense complicated ideas into short, easily understandable packages.
As with almost everything, there is a balance. The real trick to effective writing is not in eliminating clichés altogether, but in using them wisely. Here are five tips to help you use clichés in a smarter, more potent way.

1. Truth is stranger than fiction. No one person’s life is exactly like any other, so the more honest you are with your reader and yourself, the less likely you are to repeat someone else’s story.
For instance, how will you answer the inevitable question, Why do you want to attend this school? If you begin by imagining what the college wants you to say, you are doing the same as every other applicant. But if you honestly consider all of the complexities implicated in the question, you may even surprise yourself with your answer.

2. Imagine different audiences. Again, take the question, Why do you want to attend this school? How would you answer if you were speaking to your parents? Your best friend? A psychiatrist? The president? What if your essay were really an op-ed for the newspaper? A proposition for a new advertising campaign? The first page of your novel? A political treatise nailed to the door of a church?
Of course, you don’t have to literally address any of these people. The point is not to adopt a strange format which will raise eyebrows. You are a different person depending on whom you speak to; the point is to find which version of you is best equipped to write this essay.

3. Don’t write down your first idea. Your brain, like everyone’s brain, is swimming with recent memories. The jingle you heard on the radio this morning, the line you read in a book last night—those are all on top. Your most creative, original ideas— those are waiting underneath.
Try writing three or four versions of your opening paragraph. Then, for every paragraph you complete, return to the ones that came before it to see how the trajectory of your essay has changed. The most original ideas and phrases will spring up at you only after you have exhausted the easy ones.

4. Show, Don’t Tell. You’ve probably heard this phrase before (in fact, it’s a cliché), but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. Many clichés can be dissolved in details. The more (honest) details you provide, the more original your story will be.
For instance, take the phrase commonly found in college essays, “this will make my dream a reality.” How much more engaging would this passage be if the author wrote instead, “I will be able to walk up to my grandfather and read the pride on his face,” or “I will finally be able to take off this string which has been on my finger for four years,” or “someone will have to slap me before I believe I’m awake.”

5. Read other people’s college essays. This tip may be the most important of all. The only way to know what works and what doesn’t work in a college essay is to read essays which work and don’t work. There are a lot of books and websites which offer sample essays. You may also want to read non-college essays as well. For instance, as far as essays go, it is hard to top Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. It is powerful and emotional and brilliantly written, but also puts together a very convincing argument in response to a set of questions.


Creativity is not something that can be acquired in five simple tips. Sometimes being creative means breaking all the rules. I will end with my favorite college essay story. A friend of a friend of mine received a college essay prompt which requested simply, Ask yourself a question and answer it.
His essay: “Do you play the tuba? No.”
He was accepted.

Victory Step is Hiring! Administrative/Sales Assistant Position

Victory Step Test Prep LLC. is now hiring Administrative/Sales Assistants in the Dallas area!

To find out more, visit www.victorysteponline.com/employment.html

Victory Step is a leading educational organization in Dallas, TX, with experience in building futures of students. We provide high-quality SAT/ACT instructional programs to hundreds of students each year. Our curriculum is specifically designed to reinforce foundational skills and bolster SAT performance to allow admission into top colleges.

In the position of Admin/Sales Assistant, we seek dynamic, engaging individuals. Candidates MUST have prior experience in sales and administrative roles. Requirements include a person who is outgoing, with high-energy and a cooperative personality. Also, candidates should have excellent verbal and written communication skills, basic computer skills, a good working knowledge of basic math, ability to work under deadlines and a desire to work cooperatively with others as a team player.

Candidates must be able to learn quickly and work under minimal supervision. Administrative/sales assistants will handle customer inquiries and requests from a variety of sources -- phone calls, e-mail, faxes, etc. They will work closely with the manager in a supportive role. In this position, they will prepare reports, send emails, prepare class schedules, maintain sales database records, run reports and organize sales data, compile and prepare other material. Basic office duties such as faxing, filing are also part of the position.

To find out more, visit www.victorysteponline.com/employment.html

What to Look for When Picking a College

There is a lot to think about when looking for the perfect college. This is the place where you will be spending four formative years of your life. Where is it located? How are the academics? Does the school offer much financial aid? How big is it? Are the alumni successful? These are just some of the questions that your college advisor or college guides will prompt you to ask.

However, there are some aspects of college life which you may not think to investigate, but which can greatly affect your experience. Here are just a few of them:

· Professor credentials. I majored in philosophy. When I was looking for schools, I assumed that every philosophy program was the same; Plato is Plato no matter where you study him, right? In fact, most professors have very narrow specialties. It turned out that very few professors at my college studied the people I really wanted to study.

In order to avoid my mistake, find the names of the professors in your desired departments. Look for what is called their curriculum vitae (or CV); this is the list of their major publications and accomplishments. Make sure someone there is interested in the same things you are interested in.

If you do not know what you want to study, make sure the school employs people with a variety of specialties, so you are not forced into a concentration for lack of options.

Even more important than what a professor studies is whether the professor is good at teaching. You won’t learn anything from a brilliant writer who can’t express herself. The website www.ratemyprofessor.com is an excellent resource for learning about a professor’s skills in front of the chalkboard.

· Visiting Speakers. In four years of college, I probably learned as much from visiting lecturers and performers as I did from classes. I heard from poets, reporters, architects, musicians, humanitarians, politicians, and one international chess champion. You can usually find the names of some of next year’s speakers on the school’s website, or the website of a particular department. Looking at last year’s speakers can give you good idea of the caliber and variety of people the school attracts.

In addition, student groups often bring in speakers or performers related to their cause. If you find a student group whose mission intrigues you, do a little research to see whether they have sponsored lectures or performances in the past, and whether they are planning to do so in the future.

· Student Government. Student groups are another indispensible part of the college experience. I was a member of a performance poetry group, and some of my most fulfilling and educational moments in college took place in the service of that group. We were fortunate in that the school’s Student Union was supportive and helpful. Without the help of student government, student groups get very little done.

If you have any interest in creating or participating in a student group, check the website of your student government. How much money does it have set aside for student groups? What kind of paperwork do you have to fill out? What kinds of activities do they usually fund, and what do they usually not fund? Learning about your student government can also tell you something about the social atmosphere on campus.

· Food. There are more important things in college than food. At the same time, how you eat greatly affects how you feel and how you learn. How many places are there to eat on campus, and how diverse are their options? How close are they to the dorms? Are they open late? Are they healthy? How much do they cost? What are the off-campus dining options?

Some college manuals grade a campus’s food. Remember, variety is more important than quality (although ideally you want both). I don’t care how much you like pizza, you will get tired of it if you eat nothing else for four years.

· Major Conflicts. College students and authority figures don’t always mix. There is bound to be some sort of conflict between the students and the administration, or the college and the surrounding city. If you google your college and the word “news,” what stories come up? What were the headlines of the last few student newspapers? If you plan on joining a fraternity, how do the fraternities relate to the school’s administration? What degree of racial, religious, and socio-economic understanding is there? At some schools everybody gets along, but at some schools they do not. It is worthwhile to know which kind of environment you are entering.

· Ask around. Every school has its own quirks. You will learn more about a school by asking current students than you will from the internet. While you are talking to a current student, ask them what questions they wish they had asked before they entered school. Even if their school doesn’t interest you, they may have some insight into college in general which you won’t hear anywhere else.

--Eric Rosenbaum

SAT/ACT Instructor

Email - solutions@victorysteponline.com