GMAT Idiom Tips for Non-Native English Speakers
You’ve probably heard that the grammar section of the GMAT features a lot of questions about “idioms.” If all you’ve heard about idioms is that they tend to be annoying, here’s a more formal definition: The distinction between those two types of idioms is important. We get many reports of …
Thinking about Thinking: How Metacognition Can Help Students Learn
In our latest research at Knewton into how students learn, we’ve found that one of the best ways to get students to think more deeply is to get them to engage in metacognition, i.e. thinking about thinking. All this thinking about thinking about thinking (meta-metacognition?) has led to a few …
GMATPrep Q&A: Choosing the Best Answer on SC
This GMATPrep® Sentence Correction question was sent to us by a student who got stuck between two choices and couldn’t decide which was right. It is a perfect example of the fact that the GMAT asks you to choose the best version of the sentence from among the five choices …
Common Wrong Answers on the GMAT: True, but not the right answer!
There’s nothing more frustrating than preparing thoroughly for the GMAT critical reasoning section — poring over hundreds of complex arguments, wrapping your head around triple negations, learning to spot an assumption from a mile away — only to end up losing points for something as simple as not paying attention …
9 Ways to Save Time on the SAT
Managing your time on the SAT can be a tricky task. Most sections of the test allow for less than a minute per question if you want to finish. That said, with proper time management and knowledge of the test format, it is entirely possible to successfully complete every section …
Tipping the Scales: Letters of Recommendation
If your grades or SAT scores are on the borderline of acceptability for your college of choice, sometimes a strong letter of recommendation is the best way to tip the scales in your favor. When I was deferred after applying early decision to Oberlin College, I ran around like a …
A Teacher's View on Technology in Schools
Recently, veteran teacher turned ed-tech expert and author of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms Will Richardson gave an interview with Education Week about the growing role of technology in schools. The article stood out because it is (unfortunately) very rare to hear from someone with …
How to write an outline for the SAT essay
The SAT essay requires you to produce a 4 or 5 paragraph essay in a mere 25 minutes, a feat you will likely never be called on to repeat again (I can’t remember ever having less than an hour for a college essay test of comparable length). In this painfully …
The Case for Smaller Schools
Applying for college, while exciting, can also be incredibly stressful, tedious, and frustrating. Many students feel an intense pressure to attempt to get into the “best” school that they possibly can and, in the process, begin to miss the point. While all schools are certainly not of equal quality, it’s …
Common Core Learning Standards and Adaptive Learning
Jesse Sternberg is a Content Developer at Knewton. Perhaps the biggest recent news in the world of education has been the move by 34 states plus Washington D.C. to adopt a common set of educational standards for their K-12 public schools, known as the Common Core State Standards. The adoption …
