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Revisions: Conjunctions

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 04/13/2018

Revisions: Conjunctions

Just as you will be seeing revisions on the SHSAT that have rely on grammar basics like Subject/Verb Agreement and Articles, you also will need to remember how to structure…

Revisions: Articles

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 04/13/2018

Revisions: Articles

You’ll remember from your elementary school days that articles help a writer tell the reader whether they are talking about something general (“tell me about a superhero”) or something specific…

Revision: Punctuation Practices (not commas)

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 04/13/2018

Revision: Punctuation Practices (not commas)

So far, our revision prep for punctuation has focused on the comma, which makes sense. Misuse of commas is the single most common mistake made in writing, and SHSAT writers…

Revision: Punctuation Practices, Commas

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 04/13/2018

Revision: Punctuation Practices, Commas

When you are revising for punctuation on the SHSAT, the most important guide to remember is that most punctuation errors are from either the wrong punctuation or from too much…

Revisions: Subject/Verb Agreement

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 04/13/2018

Revisions: Subject/Verb Agreement

So far, we’ve looked at how verbs agree with each other in sentences (See Verb Tense, part 1 and part 2). But it’s important to remember that verbs also have…

Revisions: Verb Tense, Part II

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 04/13/2018

Revisions: Verb Tense, Part II

Lots of the revisions you have to make on the ELA section of the new SHSAT exam revolve around knowing how to use verbs. We’ve looked at the Good &…

Revisions: Verb tense, Part 1

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 04/13/2018

Revisions: Verb tense, Part 1

Sometimes the most common mistakes on the SHSAT happen when students overlook the most basic things. Verbs are pretty basic. You’ve mastered them years ago. But, on an ELA revision…

Revisions: Word Choice, Part 1–Clumsy Words

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 04/13/2018

Revisions: Word Choice, Part 1–Clumsy Words

Think about your favorite fiction book. What makes the bad guy the villain? Is it a tough answer? Maybe. There are lots of reasons why a bad guy could be…

Revisions—Clumsy Words, Part 2: the Fix

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 04/13/2018

Revisions—Clumsy Words, Part 2: the Fix

You’ve already seen three ways SHSAT writers on the ELA might try to trip you up on revising clumsy words (see “Clumsy Words, Part 1”). Clumsy words can change the…

Revision: Frequently Confused Words, Part 1

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 04/13/2018

Revision: Frequently Confused Words, Part 1

When you’re prepping for the SHSAT, make sure that you don’t make common mistakes. Here’s the thing: you aren’t common! You’re on a path to going to the school of…

Revisions: Frequently Confused Words, Part 2

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 04/13/2018

Revisions: Frequently Confused Words, Part 2

You’re on your way to figuring out how to keep from making common mistakes on the SHSAT. Part of stepping out of common mistakes is to be ready to avoid…

Revisions: Concise & Precise

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 03/01/2018

Revisions: Concise & Precise

You’re honing your SHSAT game—you know what tricks the SHSAT writers are putting in your way when it comes to if/then sentences (see “Logical Sequence”) and voice (see “Voice”). But,…

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 03/01/2018

Transitions

An important part of revising is making sure there are good transitions that hold writings together. Transitions hold the main ideas together, make a passage more readable, and help organize…

Big, Ugly, Hairy, Wrong Fallacies, Part 3

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 03/01/2018

Big, Ugly, Hairy, Wrong Fallacies, Part 3

Here’s the deal: there are so many problems with the way we think on a regular basis, that entire books have been written to help us avoid making the same…

The Voice: How to Revise to Active Voice

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 03/01/2018

The Voice: How to Revise to Active Voice

Most of the SHSAT revisions for voice will be turning the passive voice into the active voice. (For a refresher on when you won’t use the active voice, see “The…

Revisions: The Voice, Active & Passive

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 03/01/2018

Revisions: The Voice, Active & Passive

It might be weird to think that writing has a voice. But, it does! There are two types of voice for our writing (whether literature, scientific writing, technical writing, blog…

Consequences (IF/THEN)

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 03/01/2018

Consequences (IF/THEN)

No doubt, your parents and grandparents talk to you about consequences. If you make this decision, this other thing will be the consequence, or result, of your action. Did you…

Big, Ugly, Hairy Wrong Fallacies, Part 2

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 03/01/2018

Big, Ugly, Hairy Wrong Fallacies, Part 2

We’re gearing up to remember the common mistakes people use in conversation and in writing. If you run in to these mistakes (started in “Part 1”), you’ll automatically know you’ve…

Tips for Part A

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 03/01/2018

Tips for Part A

The single biggest change to the SHSAT is the revamp of the Verbal section into Part A and Part B. We’ll cover specifics for each Part throughout the prep, and…

5 (More) Tips on Multiple-Choice and the SHSAT

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 03/01/2018

5 (More) Tips on Multiple-Choice and the SHSAT

In total, there are 10 Top Tips for taking multiple choice exams, generally, that apply well to the SHSAT. {For the first 5, see “5 Tips for Multiple-Choice and the…

SHSAT: What to Expect on the ELA Section

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 03/01/2018

SHSAT: What to Expect on the ELA Section

You’ve figured out by now that the English Language Section is brand new on the SHSAT. It’s been redesigned to help attract a new crop of students in NYC to…

Problems with Revisions

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 03/01/2018

Problems with Revisions

Most students will struggle with Part A and Part B of the SHSAT because they are going to think of them as “Revising/Editing” sections, and they might not have a…

Big, Ugly, Hairy Wrong Fallacies, Part 1

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 03/01/2018

Big, Ugly, Hairy Wrong Fallacies, Part 1

Have you ever heard of Big, Ugly, Hairy, Wrong Fallacies? The truth is, you probably have, and you didn’t even know it. We usually call these “logical fallacies” and if…

5 Tips for Multiple-Choice and the SHSAT

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/28/2018

5 Tips for Multiple-Choice and the SHSAT

The SHSAT is one big, problem-solving game, given to you as a multiple-choice exam (except for the new 5 grid-in questions on the math section.) Three awesome features of this…

Test Day Basics! (Where do I go? What do I bring?)

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/28/2018

Test Day Basics! (Where do I go? What do I bring?)

You have your SHSAT Test Ticket. (You’re holding your future in your hands! Exciting!) All the information on it is correct, it tells you when and where to take the…

What Happens After I Take the SHSAT?

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/28/2018

What Happens After I Take the SHSAT?

Once you finish taking the SHSAT, you’ll probably feel a mix of relief (it’s over!) and worry (how will you do?). During the time between finishing the exam and waiting…

Biggest Mistakes on Test Day

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/28/2018

Biggest Mistakes on Test Day

You don’t want to spend time and energy prepping for Test Day and get tripped up on common mistakes. So, here is a list of the most easily-preventable errors students…

Timeline to SHSAT Success

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/28/2018

Timeline to SHSAT Success

You’ve already showed that you’re ready to do what it takes to do well on the SHSAT—you’re prepping with ArgoPrep, and you’re being careful with all of the logistics it…

What if I’m on an IEP, 504, or am an English Language Learner?

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/28/2018

What if I’m on an IEP, 504, or am an English Language Learner?

Did you know that the reason the SHSAT was redesigned was because the City wanted to ensure that the student populations of the specialized high schools are like the student…

What if I’m Homeschooled?

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/28/2018

What if I’m Homeschooled?

Most of the instructions you’ll find for how to take the SHSAT are directed at current 8th graders at public, private, and parochial schools in New York City. But, if…

How hard is the SHSAT?

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/28/2018

How hard is the SHSAT?

If you believed everything older students told you, you’d believe some crazy stuff, right? Let’s face it: students a couple of years older can occasionally give you bad advice and…

Where do I take the SHSAT? How do I sign up?

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/28/2018

Where do I take the SHSAT? How do I sign up?

You’re jazzed to take the SHSAT and land in your primo specialized high school of choice—but don’t forget to sign up to take the test! All current 8th graders, and…

How to Prepare for the New SHSAT

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/28/2018

How to Prepare for the New SHSAT

You’ve done your work. You’ve excelled as a student. You’ve put yourself in position for that next right of passage: getting into the high school of your choice. Now, there’s…

What is the New SHSAT exam?

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/28/2018

What is the New SHSAT exam?

Think about the most fun that you’ve had in school (apart from hanging with your friends!). It might have been a pottery class that showed you that you are going…

6 Tips & Strategies GUARANTEED to Boost Your SHSAT Score

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/15/2018

6 Tips & Strategies GUARANTEED to Boost Your SHSAT Score

The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) can be intimidating because it has great power in determining your admissions to one of the prestigious high schools New York City has…

6 Tips & Strategies GUARANTEED to Boost Your SHSAT Score

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/15/2018

6 Tips & Strategies GUARANTEED to Boost Your SHSAT Score

The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) can be intimidating because it has great power in determining your admissions to one of the prestigious high schools New York City has…

SHSAT Exam Test Stress: A Growing Issue

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/15/2018

SHSAT Exam Test Stress: A Growing Issue

As testing days continue to rise in districts around the country, many educators and researchers believe schools could do a better job minimizing the stress and anxiety students feel due…

The NEW SHSAT: To Prep or Not to Prep

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/15/2018

The NEW SHSAT: To Prep or Not to Prep

What is the SHSAT? If your child lives in New York City and excels in the arts or sciences, chances are you’ve heard of the New York Specialized High Schools….

New SHSAT: Revising/Editing Getting the Best of ‘Find the Error’ Question

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/15/2018

New SHSAT: Revising/Editing Getting the Best of ‘Find the Error’ Question

The Revising/Editing sections of your ELA test can actually be really fun, especially if you think of the section as a logic game. An important key to beating this part…

New SHSAT Exam: Practice Makes Perfect

Author: Anayet Chowdhury Date: 02/15/2018

New SHSAT Exam: Practice Makes Perfect

Why Practice? When you’re preparing for a big, important test like the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT), it’s important to determine a clear study and preparation plan. You can’t…