If you are preparing to take the SAT, it’s encouraging to note that there are quite a variety of study aides out there to choose from—and study you should. Most students can increase their scores significantly with regular review, and higher scores mean more scholarship money.
For those interested in the latest and greatest, a new product has just hit the shelves this summer, called Prepmatic. Founded by a young entrepreneur, Elie Schoppik, Prepmatic is a “web-based application that combines traditional study methods with the latest research in memory retention,” according to BostInno, an online community publishing platform.
In my day, those ‘traditional study methods’ were flashcards we walked around with in our pockets, testing ourselves (and each other) on vocabulary and comprehension. Nowadays, my teen-age sons and their contemporaries, who are never far from their computers and smart phones, don’t have to fish out the bits of paper flashcard that went through the laundry in their pockets. They have Prepmatic.
Using an online, interactive, ‘intelligent’ process, Prepmatic helps students learn up to 3,500 SAT vocabulary words, without a single flashcard in sight. Using a similar process, however, Prepmatic guides the student through a list of (relatively challenging) SAT words, prompting them to type both the word and it’s meaning, which are initially supplied on the screen. After going through this process with 6 or 7 words, the program then requires the student to type the word when prompted and supply the meaning from memory. It tracks their success (or failure), and tailors the program to the student’s academic needs. After the student successfully completes 60 SAT vocabulary words, Prepmatic adds in SAT-style practice questions, but unfortunately I never progressed that far…
If students are fortunate enough to have a tutor (or mom) keeping them accountable and assisting their study, Prepmatic allows access to the student’s dashboard, with real time analytics to see how often the student has studied, and how successful they have been. No cheating allowed here. Tutor/Mom can then adjust the student’s work accordingly.
Interested people can try a free 5-day trial of Prepmatic at www.prepmatic.com, while ongoing usage will cost $19.99/month. Considering the potential benefits of SAT study, measured by increased scholarship awards, that could be money well-invested.
Do you have more questions about high school tests? I have resources available to help—just call me!