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Ender Markal

8 Helpful Hints for the SAT Essay

The SAT essay is – for good reason – always one of my students’ hugest concerns. I say “for good reason” on a number of grounds. In the first place, students sit down to the SAT writing section after years of high school English classes that have instilled in them the process and practice of writing a meticulously organized exposition – one that takes multiple drafts, demands countless hours of editing, and occasionally requires a sleepless night or two. Suddenly they are faced with a 25-minute window in which their first instinct is to squeeze that whole working-and-reworking process into a significantly shorter period of time. Of course, this isn’t humanly possible – nor will it be expected of you. In the second place, the essay is the only section of the SAT that is scored – let’s admit it – subjectively. Read More »8 Helpful Hints for the SAT Essay

What is a Good Score on the GMAT?

The question I inevitably get asked regarding GMAT is: “What is a good GMAT score?” The short answer is that a good score is the best score that you, personally, are capable of achieving – something you’ll definitely have a better sense of once you’ve sat down with a few practice tests.

The longer and equally frustrating answer is that whether a score is “good” or “bad” is pretty indeterminate. Read More »What is a Good Score on the GMAT?

12 things to consider before retaking the GMAT

Broadly, there are a few questions you’ll have to ask yourself when your test scores come in: Am I satisfied with the time and energy I’ve put into preparing for this exam? Given the constraints of my life, did I prepare as well as I could have? Is there room for improvement here? Am I capable (again, do I have the time and energy) of working for that improvement? To make it easy on you, here are 12 things to consider: Read More »12 things to consider before retaking the GMAT

How Many Times Should I Take the SAT?

Just about every senior-year student I’ve worked with has had friends who have taken the SAT as if it were a monthly ritual to be resignedly endured, until he or she was finally able to crawl painstakingly to the mailbox for the very last time to check his or her scores, too exhausted to celebrate the outcome. Those same students most likely had friends who took the test the first time, left the test location and went directly to the public pool (the weather’s always gorgeous when there’s a test to be taken), and were never seen at a test administration site again. Most likely you’ve known students, too, at both ends of the SAT “numbers spectrum.” So where do you fit it? Read More »How Many Times Should I Take the SAT?

5 Reasons to take the PSAT

You’re taking AP classes, running on the cross-country team, performing in your high school play, and volunteering at the local senior center. You’re right on track to apply to college, but you’re also burned out! Why take the time to study for a standardized test you don’t even need for college admission?

There are a few good reasons to take the PSAT: Read More »5 Reasons to take the PSAT

When To Take the SAT (and When to Begin Preparing!)

If you’ve opted to take the SAT over the ACT, now the question you’re most likely facing is when – and, if necessary, how often – should you take it? Naturally, these are questions best answered by taking each student’s individual situation into consideration, but there are some reasonable guidelines relevant to the majority of students.  Here are some suggestions, by grade: Read More »When To Take the SAT (and When to Begin Preparing!)