Resources

Below are some resources for test prep that I’ve compiled. Many of them are a combination of someone else’s work and my own, and I’ve made sure to give due credit in each case. I hope you find them helpful!

SAT

I created this deck more to help with all the science and research words that show up throughout the Reading/Writing section (hence “load-bearing"—used to build the section rather than just as answer choices), but many of these words also show up as answer choices in Words in Context questions. It’s only 203 words, so it’s a great place to start if you’re struggling to understand what’s going on on the SAT Reading/Writing. It also contains some terms related to the math section.

(the deck is The College Panda’s 400 word SAT Vocab deck—not the largest, but enough words to be helpful without making vocabulary absorb all your SAT prep energy)

SSAT

These Anki decks were both created by me out of existing resources—the first is a compilation of Quizlet decks, and the second is from the Official Study Guide for the Upper Level SSAT—with a few revisions and additions. Putting them into the Anki format (see nearby) allows you to work through them in an automated way that is scientifically shown to be best for long-term memorization.

The vocab deck for the SSAT is much longer than the one for the SAT, because vocabulary learning is the bulk of preparation for the SSAT Verbal (although I also work with students on Analogies strategy and a bit of Synonyms strategy).

The Vocabulary Decks are all files that plug into Anki, an invaluable flashcard software trusted by committed learners in any number of contexts.

Anki is free for desktop. https://apps.ankiweb.net/

It's also free for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ichi2.anki&hl=en_US

The iPhone version costs $25 once, and is called Anki mobile flashcards. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ankimobile-flashcards/id373493387

It's important to get the right one as there are knockoffs that charge a subscription fee.

The special value of Anki is not only that it’s a platform into which many flashcard decks can be plugged. It also contains a setting, “FSRS,” which uses a spaced repetition algorithm to determine when to repeat a flashcard. The algorithm is based on cognitive science research which concludes that you remember something best over the long-term if you review it right as you’re about to forget it. That window gets longer as you review something more, so a learned flashcard will come back at longer and longer intervals.