The Lyceum

Aristotle Circle's blog covering topics in private and public school admissions, and college and graduate admissions.

Nov
24
2010

How to take a productive holiday break from test prep

In anticipation of the biggest travel weekend of the year - here are some reading book recommendations that will help reinforce and reinvigorate concepts being studied for upcoming entrance exams. This is a great way to take a break from staring at test prep questions while still building vocabulary and reading comprehension you'll need for most tests.

ERB (Ages 3-6)
Look for books that are 1st grade reading level for your child. Story lines that accentuate colors or relative sizes are particularly useful for reviewing these concepts with your child while reading.
Some recommendations: Clifford the Big Red Dog series, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Alison McGhee's Countdown to Kindergarten are a few examples.

OLSAT for G&T (Ages 7-12)
Select a chapter book that is at or slightly above your child's current reading level. After some time spent independent reading ask your child to summarize details for you and predict what happens next. Some of the OLSAT test deals with recognizing patterns or detecting logical absurdities - you can use forward projection of the plot of the book to test your child's ability to draw appropriate conclusions.
Some recommendations: Nancy Drew Series (Grade 5 Reading Level), Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Grade 7 Reading Level) or Roald Dahl novels(Grade 6 Reading Level)

PSAT & SAT (Ages 14-17)
A great opportunity for college-bound students to read any of the classics they haven't gotten around to in school yet. Pick a genre or a time period that you've enjoyed in the past.
Some recommendations: Edgar Allen Poe, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mark Twain or Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.

GRE (college and above)
The goal is to surround yourself with well-written prose that is done at an above-average level.
Some recommendations: Magazines including The Economist, The New Yorker, Harper’s, or The Atlantic. Authors including Virginia Woolf, William Burroughs or Zadie Smith

Share your recommendations in the comment section below.

Comments

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