Category Archives: Product Reviews

23 Jan 2012

Khan Academy for SAT Math: A Review

Thousands of students are thrilled to study at Khan Academy—a nonprofit, online learning center that distributes detailed videos on motley subjects, ranging from Art History to Organic Chemistry. In each video, site creator Salman Khan couples patient, step-by-step voiceover instructions with clear, color-coded visuals to ensure no student is left confused.

A great blessing to any scholar of the SAT, the website also includes over 100 videos that explain every math problem in the old version of  the College Board’s “Official SAT Study Guide.” If you’re using the College Board’s second edition of this book, just note that tests 4-10 are identical to tests 2-8 in the old version.

For more thorough content review, refer to Khan’s math playlist. This section of the website holds over 1600 videos to treat just about every math topic—from basic addition to calculus. The site also has many exercises, so students can practice using new concepts and advance their skills.

Extremely clear, thorough, and easy to follow, these videos are an excellent resource for students who have fallen behind in math and need to re-learn certain topics to prepare for the SAT.  Still unconvinced? Check out the video of Khan explaining some SAT practice problems, below.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWtZ9jpN_3k]

Glossary
These key SAT words are expertly identified by Sentia tutors

Motley: made up of different colors or parts

14 Dec 2011

Excellent SAT Study Apps

It’s no surprise that technology has increasingly encroached the flashcard’s throne. While decidedly useful for memorizing facts, flashcards are annoying to make, easy to lose and cumbersome to carry. When I was a pup prepping for the SAT, the website, Free Rice gained notoriety for its fun and philanthropic approach to vocabulary study. Visitors engage with stacks of pre-made, electronic flashcards that adjust for difficulty based on a user’s performance. Students watch their levels increase and rice piles grow. Thus the site provides a score-based and game-like approach to learning—about as relaxing as Angry Birds, but far more productive.

Bonus: The website donates 10 grains of rice to help end hunger for every question a kid gets right.

Perhaps sites like Free Rice foreshadowed the advent of SAT study apps. Recently, Bob Tedeschi of the New York Times reported on several helpful apps for SAT preparers. The Sentia List (below) draws from his suggestions as well as others rated highly throughout our glorious Internet. Enjoy!

  • SAT Ladder: Perfect for anyone with a competitive edge! Users of this app race to correctly answer 5 rounds of SAT Math, Critical Reading and Writing questions. You can play solo, with a friend or against another, similarly leveled Ladder member.
  • ACT/SAT Math Booster: A must-have for Android users looking to beat the much-hated ACT/SAT point-stealer: time. The app offers tutorials for programming shortcuts into your TI-83 or TI-84. Never worry about remembering or hand-performing a complex equation again!
  • Adapster is a math app for both Android and iPhone that adapts a plethora of quizzes and practice questions to users’ personal scoring patterns. Lessons on math concepts are likewise included.
  •  SAT Remix isn’t exactly an app, but its still cool. Available for any cellphone, SAT Remix delivers a daily vocab lesson that is set to music and thick with repetition. Students can further set lessons as ringtones, promoting a sweet, easy way to learn by osmosis. Check out the above link to sample a lesson!

Glossary:
These Key SAT Words are Expertly Identified by Sentia Tutors

 Plethora: A surplus
Osmosis
: A gradual, often unconscious process of assimilation