Ever since the launch of our SAT/ACT curriculum, college students have been asking us to create courses for them–they love to text, and they’ve been hankering for a more convenient way to do practice problems.
Well, this week their wish came true. We just launched our GRE and MCAT curricula! Still unlimited practice; still low, $19.99/mo price; still the most convenient way to prep.
We’re sure they’ll study more because it’s more convenient. Want to check it out? Text STANFORD to 41411 and start a 1-week free trial!
Let us know what you think!
Text your way to ACT, SAT, GRE or MCAT success! from smsPREP on Vimeo.
We think that all students deserve quality preparation for college and professional school entrance exams. Unlike our competitors, therefore, we have made our service genuinely affordable—$19.99 per month for unlimited access to all of our materials.
But if that’s still not affordable for you or anyone you know, just tell us. Send your name, email, test and phone number to team@smsprep.com and we’ll get you set up with smsPREP for free. That’s free SAT, ACT, GRE & MCAT practice questions. No questions asked.
We are particularly dedicated to helping those who can least afford it. Ryan Rockefeller, our new Head of Non-Profit Outreach, has been doing a great job making sure that we provide educational access wherever it is needed. We have already partnered with several school districts and non-profits to offer smsPREP free to their students. If you’d like your school to be added to this list, just send an email to ryan@smsprep.com.
Happy studying,
-the smsPREP Team
Kevin Weaver, Author of The SAT Mathematics Solutions Guide for the CollegeBoard’s practice tests signed up for smsPREP, then sent us the following note:
“As an Ivy Bound tutor, I am always looking for innovative approaches to help my students improve their SAT-related preparation skills. Today’s youth are technologically savvy. Sending and receiving text messages is almost a way of life. With the smsPREP system, students are able to not only receive a variety of SAT questions directly on their mobile device but also get immediate reinforcement through an explanation of the problem. smsPREP has taken the traditional College Board’s ‘question of the day’ to the next level. Highly recommended!”
In just minutes per day, these hassle-free tricks will train your brain to think like the test.
1. Turn OFF spell-check:
When you write on your computer, turn OFF spell-check and auto-correct. Then, when you’re done writing, turn them back on and pay close attention to what you misspelled. Write out each misspelled word 3 times.
2. Turn life into a math problem:
While you’re on the bus, guesstimate the distance traveled, the trip time, and thus the average speed of the bus. Change the distance or time and do it again. Or guesstimate the area and perimeter of your school.
3. Read one article per day:
Find a newspaper, any newspaper, and read one article every day. Ask yourself what the main point is and where you found it in the article. Then ask what evidence the journalist uses to make that point.
4. Ask a friend to read aloud sentences you write:
Does it sound right? Does it make sense? Does it sound like something your teacher would say? Every time you answer no, see if you can figure out which part of the sentence is off–ask your friend what he or she thinks.
5. Practice a few questions per day:
smsPREP makes this easy by texting practice questions right to your phone. Whether you sit down to study or practice on the go, though, simply familiarizing yourself with the kinds of questions found on the exam will quickly boost your score.
Happy studying,
-the smsPREP Team
Thinking about the SAT or ACT for next year? In no particular order, here are the top 5 mistakes you won’t want to make when prepping for the exam:
1. Waiting til 2 months before the exam to start studying:
2 months sounds like a lot of time, but let’s do the math. Aim for 50-60 hours of studying for really solid prep. Even at half an hour per day, without fail, you’ll need 100-120 days=3-4 months. So, yeah, you could prep in just 2 months–sacrificing 1 hour every single day for test prep–or you could be smart, not ruin your life, and start studying sooner.
2. Thinking that a prep course will be enough:
The only proven way to boost your score is to practice. That’s why all those high score guarantees require you to attend all the classes, finish all the homeworks, and take all the practice tests–just ‘taking’ a course isn’t enough. So while you’ll get solid review in a prep course, if you want real gains, be prepared to put in a lot of extra studying at home.
3. Not being honest about studying:
When most students prep, they end up focusing more on the subjects they like. Bad idea: they’re only getting better at what they’re already good at. Instead, try being honest with yourself and really force yourself to work on the subjects you dislike. If you’re truly diligent, in around 20 minutes per day you can pwn your weak spots, we promise.
4. Looking at the answers too soon:
Most students immediately look at the answer when they can’t do a question. They’ll be like, “yeah, OK I can kinda see how to do that,” and move on. For that 50% commitment, they get 0% gain: they learn nothing. Don’t half-ass the process. First struggle with a question–really tear your hair out–then move on. Then, only after you’ve finished every problem in the set, look at the answers.
5. Choosing the wrong course:
$$$ prep courses = huge score gains, right? Wrong. Big gains come from practice + solid fundamentals. So ask yourself, what’s the best way for you to get practice? Courses or tutoring are good if you lack discipline, but you’ll still need to put in time outside of class. If you can learn on your own, go to Number2.com and use their amazing (free!) resources; you don’t need a course (really). If you’re super-busy, limit your studying to hitting your weak spots or (shameless self-plug) try smsPREP for studying on the go.
So don’t make these mistakes! Tomorrow we’ll tell you some easy things you can do to start boosting your score TODAY…
Happy studying,
-the smsPREP Team
We recently added a new 100% satisfaction, money-back guarantee that covers everything from your subscription to your score gains, and anything in between. Some say it’s risky to offer the best guarantee in the business, but we disagree. Our only business is ensuring that people feel genuinely good about a process that too often feels broken, frustrating, and overwhelming.
Every day we work tirelessly to make our students and parents happy. It’s not uncommon for past students or parents to ask us for advice as they move on and encounter new challenges–and that’s the way we like it. We want people to think of themselves as part of the smsPREP family…for life.
So hold us accountable and tell us how we can improve your test prep (college admissions, high school, life…) experience. And when you’re done studying with us, tell the world how much you love smsPREP. We’ve always depended on our zealous fans to spread the news about us–and they gladly do so…because they love smsPREP 
If you don’t love smsPREP, it’s free. It’s that simple.
Happy studying,
-the smsPREP Team
PS Check out the legalese for our guarantee:
If, for any reason, you are not 100% satisfied with your subscription or your results, we’ll give you your money back. All that we ask is that you let us know what was unsatisfactory and tell us what you would have preferred instead.
Every parent of a test prepping student should be interested in the book Predictably Irrational, by world-renowned behavioral economist Dan Ariely. It’s a great read, but Ariely conducts one experiment in particular that’s helpful for parents wanting their child to do well on the SAT or ACT. Indirectly, that experiment helps explain why smsPREP students study more
The experiment tested under what conditions students did their best work: when they were given one deadline for all their work, a series of deadlines throughout the semester, or the freedom to determine their own deadlines. The best performers? Those given a series of deadlines throughout the semester. Second place went to those who could choose their own schedule. Dead last were those who had a single deadline at the end of the semester.
Parents should be interested in Ariely’s explanation for why students did best when given a series of deadlines. He writes that, on average, students perform better when they’re forced to put in the work and they have clear expectations about that work; otherwise, they simply procrastinate. I think we can all sympathize on this point. One of my favorite professors in college made us turn in a draft of our final papers long before the paper itself was due. At the time, I abhorred the practice, of course, but I soon came to see the genius in preventing someone like me from procrastinating.
The analogy to test prep is clear. High school students have a huge deadline–the SAT or ACT–lingering in the future. If left to their own resources, most would probably put off studying until the week before the exam…and would do worse as a result. Test prep courses are valuable because they force the student to do some of the work sooner–by virtue of sitting in a class for umpteen hours, you’re forced to learn something. But who would be the best performers whose ‘deadlines’ are spread out evenly? Probably those that are forced to study a small bit at a time…over a long period of time.
And that, I think, is part of the reason smsPREP students study more: they’re ‘forced’ to…every single day. After school, there’s a test message already in their box, just waiting for them, reminding them to study if only for a few minutes. So, yeah, you’ll study more because it’s so convenient…but you’ll also study more since we’ll force you to.
What do you think? Do you do better with one deadline, or a series of them, or none at all?
A few weeks ago we received a happy message from Debra B., a mother who had just signed up her two teenage sons for smsPREP. She was happy, and relieved, that smsPREP was different from other test prep programs:
“I looked through a lot of test prep sites and programs, and was really discouraged by how many of them looked exactly the same and seemed…well, a little predatory, often confusing, priced beyond the ability of many families in this country (if the price is even published) and with teaching techniques that make me want to go take a nap!…I am so glad to see a program that is clearly geared for students, intended to be fun and enjoyable, without ‘dumbing down’.”
Receiving emails like this really makes my day (hint, hint…), since it reminds me that there are a lot of parents and students out there who just aren’t satisfied with the whole idea of test prep. Test prep programs are often viewed as a necessary evil, and that really doesn’t help students or parents feel good about shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars for their services.
I actually blame the test prep companies, themselves, for this widespread belief. If you look out there, they really do look the same, right down to their websites, as Debra points out. Why is that? I’d suggest that, at heart, many test prep programs really are the same: they all offer some combination of teaching the basics (vocabulary words, algebra, science) and familiarizing students with the test. Some will throw in secret test-taking strategies or nifty learning tricks, but at bottom they’re all about fundamentals and practice.
Fundamentals and practice. That’s the common denominator of all test prep programs. And that’s all we try to offer with smsPREP: receive a practice question, answer it, find out why you’re right or wrong. Simple, right? Yeah, it is. For us, test prep shouldn’t be about score gains; it should be about learning, and learning should be fun and enjoyable.
That’s what we’re trying to do with smsPREP. And like Debra B., I’m happy even if that makes us a bit different. So how would you make learning more fun and engaging for students?
Happy studying!
Kellam
Happy studying,
The smsPREP Team
