Hey there future, SAT-masters!

As part of our ongoing commitment to bringing you the newest, most accessible tutoring materials we are now offering Skype tutoring.  A great way to get some personal SAT help if you don't live in the Southern California area - Skype allows you to work with the 100 POINTS founders on whatever you need.  Whether it be reviewing a practice test, working through practice problems, or general overall strategy tutoring with 100 POINTS via Skype is an easy and affordable option.  

Please email us at get100points@gmail.com to inquire about rates and hours of availability.  Start here, finish strong!

-J

What?
What kind of an SAT guru would be promoting an "apathetic" score?

This kind. The 100 Points kind!

An alternate title to this post could "How to succeed on the SAT and score a 1960 without really trying."

Allow me to explain...

Back in May, I took the SAT exam (as I and/or Ryan often do here at 100 Points) with the intention of scoring as high as possible without pressuring myself to answer the hardest questions.  I took the test from the perspective of a 100 Points student who had mastered all of the strategies we teach, and added a dose of "apathy" to the mix.  In other words, I knew all the strategies needed to answer all the easy and medium questions, and when faced with the hardest questions, or even a mildly difficult ones that I didn't want to push myself on, I left them blank.

BLANK! As in no points earned and no points lost.  And while I still missed a couple (to even more accurately simulate the Ultimate Apathetic Student) on top of the blanks and switched my essay point of view mid-stream, I still came away with a composite score of 1960.

You heard me, 1960!

600 on Math, 680 on Critical reading, and 680 on Writing.

I know that a 1960 isn't going to break any records, and it might not be high enough for some first choice schools.  I also imagine many of you are thinking "wow a 1960, I'd kill for that score!"  No mater what side of the argument you are on, one thing is true, if you can score over 600 in each SAT section you are putting yourself in a very good position.

Here's the best thing about this "ultimate apathetic score"... it was achieved by mastering the fundamental strategies of 100 Points and by leaving 20% of the test blank.  That's right, you heard me, I left 34 out of the 169 questions BLANK, over 20%!!!  And not to get too mathy, but the 20% of the questions that I left blank included 54% of the HARD questions on the entire test, and 88% of the Hard SAT Math questions!

Like I mentioned earlier, my approach was to use the 100 Points fundamental strategies to perfection and when I was faced with a tricky problem that wasn't easy to solve just by using simple technique I left it blank.  I also aggressively used process of elimination, and while I ended up missing a couple of questions I was right on 97% of the questions I attempted (sorry for the extra math, but I can't help myself)!

That's why I classified myself as "apathetic," because I didn't push myself to answer questions that I perceived as difficult.  And let me tell you, it was a very stress-free process.  Imagine that! A stress-free SAT experience, where you can leave blank 20% of the test and still walk away with a 1960!

The moral of the story is this: if you can master the fundamental strategies of 100 Points, you can set yourself up for a near 2000 score.  Sprinkle in a little less "apathy" - as in, answering a few more hard questions and you can be in rarefied SAT air.

I took a big risk by leaving so many problems blank, but I was confident in the 100 Points techniques that Ryan and I have worked so hard to build, and my "apathetic" May 2011 test result proved that our techniques work.

So what are you waiting for?  Pick up your copy of 100 Points today, and get to work!  I know you can achieve your dream score.  It's not where you start, it's where you finish, so start here with 100 Points, and finish strong!

Josh

The COMPLETE 100 POINTS SAT GUIDE is now available on Amazon!

Don't fret, you can of course still buy individual guides and website help here, but if you would like all three books bound together in a handy single copy, you can order it here.

Thanks for the support, and remember to "Start here. Finish strong."

J&R

OK, full disclosure.  I, like all those under-dog lovers, was rooting for Butler to win the NCAA basketball championship this year.  Alas, they came up short for the second year in a row, BUT their loss can be your SAT gain.  How?

By this simple statistic:  18.8%

Or in another form:  12 out of 64

What does that figure represent?  That was Butler's shooting percentage on 2-point baskets.  That's right, the team that had a two point lead at the half went on to lose by 12 points because they couldn't make easy baskets.  In fact, Butler launched 33, yep THIRTY-THREE, three-point shots in the game, making only nine of them, in the hopes of finally winning a championship.

In SAT terms, what Butler did was eschew easier questions in an attempt to score more points on the harder ones.  Sure, some might say that Connecticut was making it hard for them to get easy points and they were forced to shoot a lot of threes - but the truth holds that whether it be in playing basketball or taking the SAT, you will have a better chance at success if you can execute on the easier opportunities.

One might argue that if Butler had made more of their three point shots then they would have had a better chance to win.  Obviously more three point shots made would have equaled more points, so there is some logic to that argument, however no one would argue that a three point shot is EASIER to make than a two point shot.  Butler was relying on HARD shots in order to win, not the easier, two-point variety.

The numbers don't lie, while hard shots or questions can get you extra points, the real key to victory lies in racking up points on easy shots and questions.  Think about how this example applies to you and YOUR test-taking experience.  Do you try to get all the hard questions?  Do you miss easy questions because you're rushing?  Or are you getting all the easiest questions and most of the medium ones in order to set yourself up for a nice score over 600 per section?

Please don't waste your opportunity like Butler did by only swinging for the hardest questions.  Of course you'll get a few of those hard, three-pointer (not literally) type questions, but the best way to score big on the SAT is to knock down those easy two-pointer questions (again, not literally since every question is worth only one point... but you get the idea).

Who knew that so much SAT wisdom could be gained from watching college basketball!?

-Josh

Hello and welcome to 2011.  We waited until the 11th to post our first blog because... well, no real reason, actually.

For those of you excited to get your hands on the 100 POINTS materials, we have made some awesome updates.  The re-vamped writing book is coming out in less than a month, AND we're also going to be offering all three books in one complete manual.

If you think that your school or class might benefit with 100 POINTS materials, make sure to get in touch with us.  We can create tailor-made programs for schools in need of strengthening SAT fundamentals.

2011 is upon us, so it's time to START HERE and FINISH STRONG

Alright, so by ow everyone who ordered the October QAS probably has it back in their hot little hands!

The QAS is a GREAT tool for prepping for your next SAT.  Now you can see exactly what you missed and mabe why you missed it.

Did you make any careless errors?  Did you give them WTWK?  Maybe you misread a bit of the passage in one of the Critical Reading sections?

If you are working with a tutor bring your QAS to them to get some help, or if you want a consultation, get in touch with us!

Put down those flash cards - they can't help you now.  Instead, wind down the day with some light drills and one last essay.  Remember - you already know what you're going to write about first thing tomorrow morning.  Stay energized as best you can - take breaks to stretch your legs and refocus.  And no matter what... FINISH STRONG!

Good luck!

Hey gang, just posted a very helpful post on College Confidential.

Check it out HERE and feel free to comment.

These 5 mistakes are ones that we HAMMER HOME here at 100 POINTS!

Alright, so as most of you know, we here at 100 POINTS have a FANTASTIC method to increase your essay score and help you lock in that 6.  In order to practice that skill, we wanted to share with you a great post at College Confidential that has an archive of a few years'  worth of SAT Essay prompts.

As you can see, they're very general and even slightly repetitive... all of which works in your favor!

So if you're curious, you can check out the archive HERE, and make sure that you learn how to boost your essay score HERE.

Here at 100 POINTS, we have a saying, "start here, finish strong!"


But where does that come from, and what exactly do we mean?  The second part of that slogan is easy to explain.  Obviously you want to finish "strong" on the SAT and walk away with a good score and a better shot at your dream college.  We certainly wouldn't want to be carrying a slogan that said "start here, finish just OK."  No!  We want you to give yourself the best chance possible.


But how about the first part?  Why should a student getting ready for the SATs "start here"?


We want EVERYONE to start their SAT prep with us!  Why?  Because we are the most affordable, accessible, fundamentals-based SAT study program out there today.  The key to our curriculum is to drill home the easy to master fundamentals that can make a difference of 100 points or more per SAT section.  We have over 20 years of experience and that experience is the same knowledge that private companies charge over $100 an hour, some even double or triple that amount!


Start "here" with 100 POINTS so that you can build a solid, fundamental-based approach to taking the SAT, and then you can go in any direction you want.  Maybe our materials are enough for your needs.  Maybe you'll want to take more practice tests at your library or in other study guides.  Maybe you'll pay top dollar to learn from a private tutor.  The great thing about 100 POINTS is that our materials will give you the best foundation no matter what!


In fact, if you have the means to study with a private tutor, 100 POINTS can save you LOTS OF $$$!  Why?  Because for less than one hour with a high priced tutor, you can have our ENTIRE PROGRAM!  Not only that, but the 100 POINTS program is based on the same SAT fundamentals that any decent tutor will focus on.  Trust us, we've been private tutors for over 20 years collectively, AND we've even trained tutors to go out and teach the techniques that are in all the 100 POINTS materials.


Save money, work at your own pace, learn from the best - all of these and more are reasons why we believe you should "start here" with 100 POINTS.  But hey, don't just take our word for it, give the materials a try - we know you'll love them!