Thursday, April 2, 2020

How to Design a Periodic Table Puzzle

How to Design a Periodic Table PuzzleA periodic table is a collection of chemical elements, from which there are many varieties of the elements listed. Many of these elements were described in great detail by ancient Greek philosophers and scientists. Their theories and descriptions are what gave birth to the periodic table of elements.The periodic table of the elements is not a puzzle, but it is actually quite fun to design. Here are some ways to solve the periodic table:* Identify all the elements of the periodic table. Learn how to use the various symbols that appear on the table. Use these symbols to figure out which elements are being named. This can be done by linking together the different groups of elements. This creates a ladder like structure that you will have to figure out as you look at the periodic table.* If you want to really get some practice at solving the periodic table, create a mathematical model that depicts how the different elements form and move through their different states. Construct this with the help of the pieces that you will have available. When you are done, you will need to print off some of the periodic table puzzles to use as practice for your problem solving skills.* You can also create a puzzle that uses the periodic table as the theme. One way to do this is to build a puzzle out of wood. This will give you a pretty sturdy puzzle to work with, since the table is made of metals. Using colors or paper make this a more fun puzzle to solve.* After you learn how to use the periodic table to find the different elements, you can do some other things to help you learn chemistry. You can make a periodic table quiz, which will test your knowledge of the elements. You can also print out the periodic table and give it to your child to use for homework.* Make a periodic table puzzle using just regular, old-fashioned paper. Start with the regular table, and try to match up the letters of the element with the corresponding number in the periodic table. For example, if you used an element from elements three in a puzzle for element two, you would match the letter 'u' with the number two. Matching the colors for all the elements is much harder.There are many ways to create a periodic table puzzle. You will be able to solve this project successfully if you use some of the tips above.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Great Black Friday Technology Deals for Students

Great Black Friday Technology Deals for Students Whether you decide to brave the crowds at your local mall or snag deals from home, Black Friday is an exciting time to do some major shoppingand, of course, saving. Usually, though, people arent waiting in line to save 40 percent on a t-shirt. The best Black Friday savings come from deals on big-ticket tech items, like tablets and laptops. For students on the go, technology is a life saver. To help parents and students prioritize their shopping list, we bring you great Black Friday technology deals for studentsand where to find them. For Black Friday steals on high-end to low-end tablets and phones, shop at Walmart If youve had your eye on a brand new tablet, Walmart is the place to shop, as it will have a range of price points. For example, the RCA 7 inch Voyager 2 Android Tablet is on super sale for only $28.88 (it usually costs $50). Spend the $20 you saved to invest in a two-year care plan for your tablet. Plus, buy a case for just $8, and you are ready to work. If youre looking for a higher-cost option, Walmart has deals on both top-of-the-line Android and Apple tablet devices. One option is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite Tablet, which will cost you $79 on Black Friday. With a seven-inch screen and 8GB of internal memory, this tablet is the perfect companion to take to class. If youre a lover of all things Apple, check out Walmarts deal on the iPad mini 2 at a steeper cost of $199, but with $69 in savings. Dont forget to look at Walmarts specials on iPhone and Android phonesyoull save $200 on the iPhone 6s and $250 on the Samsung Galaxy S6 (plus youll receive a free Bluetooth speaker). Looking for a new computer or laptop? Shop at Office Depot Office Depot is boasting deals up to 70 percent off on Thanksgiving Day, but the real steals are their sales on computers and laptops. For just $119.99 (more than 50 percent off), you can snag a Toshiba Satellite CL45 14-inch laptop with Intel Inside. Other computers on sale include the Dell Inspiron 15 3000 Series Laptop (about $200, a $150 savings) and a variety of HP laptops ranging from $120-220 in savings. There are also higher-level (and costlier) options available, so be sure to investigate what would work best for you. Are you looking for something lightweight that can be carried easily from class to class? If the laptop will run processor-intensive programs like Photoshop or Adobe Audition concurrently, you might consider a computer with higher RAM and a multicore processor (check out the deal at Staples). These are features that will cost more, but they will benefit you in the long term. Really consider what you need from a new laptop before jumping into any purchase. If you do end up snagging a new computer, Office Depot does offer a great discount on Office Home Student 2016. Buy it Friday for only $79.99 with any PC purchase$70 off! Other deals at Office Depot include Logitech Wireless Mice for $8.99, and printers for as low as $19.99. Stock up on school supplies (and skim Black Friday iPad Air deals) at Staples So far, the deals have been largely focused on Android mobile devices and laptops operating on Windows software, but if you love Apple, Staples is the place to visit. Get the iPad Air 2with 64GB of storage for $449thats $150 in savings and a ton of available memory. If you need power behind your computer, many of the low-cost steals may not benefit you in the long term. Great deals on powerful laptops are availablebut may require more investment. Staples also offers slashed prices on laptops, but if youre looking for a laptop that needs to run several programs at once and can last for several years, consider Staples deal on the Toshiba 15.6 Laptop with Intel Core i7. While the cost may be steeper ($599), you still save $250 while gaining 12GB RAM. If you simply need a computer for taking notes and writing essays, sticking with one of the cheaper doorbusters from Office Depot may be a better option for you. Keep yourself or your student focused on success by investing in any of these Black Friday technology deals. However, also keep in mind that a brand new laptop, while helpful, cannot buy the understanding that comes from a personally tailored approach to learning. Whats better than 50 percent off? Free access to hundreds of learning toolsand test prep guidance, which you can easily get by downloading the free Varsity Tutors ACT Prep Book. With the right tools and support, this holiday season can lay the foundation for a successful school year. Happy shopping! Black Friday deal information from BGR.COMs Black Friday Hub. Check out BGR for an expanded listing of the offers mentioned above, as well as many other deals.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Why Students Are Choosing Online High Schools

Why Students Are Choosing Online High Schools Stanford is putting its name behind an online high school, the Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY). EPGY has been in existence for many years now, but Stanford will now lend its name to the high school diplomas its students recieve. More than 275,000 students across the country are currently enrolled in online high schools. Some of them soley take online classes, while others use online classes to supplement the education they receive at their local school. Many take online classes to fit their busy schedules as aspiring actors or world-class athletes. For some, an online high school is a much better alternative to the schooling offered by remote school districts. Whatever the case, the enrollment figures for online high schools are increasing yearly. In EPGY's program, students take classes via video-chats and instant messaging. A typical class has 15-20 students, and technology allows for class discussions as if everyone were in the same room. Tests are administered by EPGY approved proctors, and the program even allows for group projects. For more about the online high school trend, read this article in the New York Times.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Effective and Interactive Tutoring By Expert Tutors. Right Away

Effective and Interactive Tutoring By Expert Tutors. Right Away 0SHARESShare Online tutoring websites provide tutors, who are well qualified and have considerable experience in the educational field. They know how to interact with students for the best results. Tutor Pace takes this responsibility sincerely and takes specific care in the selection of our tutors. Our process of tutor selection begins with initial interviews and checking the background of each candidate.  We then try to learn about the tutors experience and areas of expertise.   The candidates who pass through the initial stage go through a formal training. This step is followed to help teachers to provide effective online tutoring. Online tutoring is little different from the normal classroom session and it is hence important that the tutors are professionally equipped to proffer the best. The tutors need to assure that they have a sound understanding of our undertaking and our outlook. Our tutors are expected to demonstrate: Ability to handle all sessions efficiently and proficiently Have admirable knowledge of their subject area Can handle students patiently and act in a friendly manner Well experienced with the technology used in online tutoring Have adequate knowledge of current teaching strategies Have the ability to identify weaknesses of each student Tutor Pace teachers make learning fun and interesting! [starbox id=admin]

How to Give Drum Lessons Without Qualifications

How to Give Drum Lessons Without Qualifications How You Can Become a Drum Teacher Without Qualifications ChaptersThe Basics of Teaching DrumsWhat You Need to Get StartedWhere and How to Give Drum LessonsEstablishing Yourself as a Drum TeacherThe propensity of every employer demanding degreed candidates for every job has little to do with deeper subject matter knowledge...And everything to do with demonstrating an ability to commit to a course of action long-term!You must agree that obtaining a four- or six-year degree is most certainly a commitment, especially considering you have to spend thousands of pounds to meet it!The fallacy is that not everyone has the ability, means or opportunity to make such an investment of time and money into proving they can commit long-term.Yet businesses the world over insist on a degree before even considering applicants for any position, sometimes even the most menial!You, dear Drummer, have made and kept a commitment: to playing drums.You may not have had the money, time or indeed the inclination to formalise your knowledge of drumming; that does not make you any less qualified to drum or to teach others how to play the drums.Let Superprof show you how you can pass on your knowledge to the next generation of drummers; knowledge you gained in the school of hard knocks and have retained by sheer desire to be a qualified drummer.If you intend to tutor school children how to play the drums in support of their formal music classes, you will have to be familiar with their curriculum.You may also need to know if they are learning drumming for marching band, orchestra or a percussion ensemble.In which case, your ability to read music â€" not just drum notation!, would come into play.Such scenarios would call on your expanded knowledge of percussion instruments: xylophone, timpani, gongs... the proper way to handle mallets and choosing the right drumstick to create the desired sound.If you want to be a teacher of merit, know your limits.You may have covered songs by the world’s hottest bands, served as a studio drummer for some big-nam e acts and even gone on tour and enjoyed a measure of fame as a drummer.None of that guarantees that you will be a drum teacher of merit for every student, at every level, be they beginner, intermediate or more advanced.If you excel at one style of drumming exclusively, you may bill yourself as a specialist in that area and accept students who want to learn drumming for that type of music exclusively.Being honest about your abilities; pointing prospective students to a teacher more apt to help them will... not put money in your pocket, but will earn you the esteem of the teaching community.Who knows? Because of your integrity, other teachers may refer students to you, which will put money in your pocket!Impress your new students with your kit, but don't overwhelm them! Source: Pixabay Credit: Dmaland0What You Need to Get StartedObviously, you cannot teach the drums without anything to drum upon or with.Thus it would be a good idea to have at least one drum set; having more than one practice pad wouldn’t hurt either, and a metronome is essential!You may add a spare snare drum or two to your inventory, if only for your beginner drummers to get the feel of beating an actual drum without feeling overwhelmed by your double bass drum kit!Having an assortment of sticks, brushes and mallets would further provide your students with a well-rounded learning experience.You could explain the difference in sound between a barrel-shaped drumstick head and an oval one, and let them try each type of stick out (provided you have the right size for them!)Or you could let them feel how responsive nylon heads are in comparison to wooden ones...You might consider the size of the students you wish to teach: perhaps their smaller stature would demand a junior drum kit.And, because students come in all sizes, you must provide hearing protection for little ears and big ones.Become the teacher who insists on safety first and always!Have some grip exercisers and squeeze balls scattered around your teaching area. While your students listen to your instruction, encourage them to work their hands and arm muscles before they pick up a pair of drumsticks.All too often, even professional drummers fail to warm up; a serious deficiency that could lead to injury over the long term.Don’t let that happen to your students! Indoctrinate them early in the habit of warming up prior to playing.Now that you’ve got all that figured out, you need someplace to conduct your lessons.Where and How to Give Drum LessonsIf you are so lucky as to have a space in your home, maybe an actual studio or even just a room dedicated to the pursuit of drumming perfection, all is well.You may stock it with books about drumming, hang posters of famous drummers; even partition it off so that you have a waiting room for your next student while your current student practices drum beats.If you are not so lucky as to have all that spare room, talk to music stores in your area.It is possible that they could rent a bit of space in their store; perhaps they even have booths set up specifically for drum teachers like you, who have no other place to conduct lessons.Do you have children in school?You might talk to their principal: perhaps s/he might permit you the use of a classroom after hours. You may even be granted access to their band room, already fully outfitted for teaching the drums!You may offer your services as the school’s premier drum tutor, while you’re at it!Are you a member of a church?You might speak to the pastor or vicar about using a room in the church’s basement or teaching building on those afternoons and evenings there is no worship. The acoustics might be fantastic!Lugging your kit here, there and everywhere might make you feel like you’re on tour again, so arranging for storage of your teaching materials where you conduct your lessons might be a good idea.Failing that, you should have a vehicle capable of transporting everything you need to give lesson s and, most importantly, you should arrive in plenty of time to set up and tune your kit before your first student arrives!Keeping on hand a few snare drums would help your marching band students Source: Pixabay Credit: FlokineEstablishing Yourself as a Drum TeacherOutside of seeking a teaching position in formal education, anyone who can play the drums can bill themselves as a drum instructor.However, unless you’re on par with Phil Collins in notoriety, you might encounter a bit of trouble attracting clients.Getting your name out there, establishing a solid reputation as a knowledgeable drummer and finding students wanting to learn from you...Have you thought about hosting drum clinics or workshops?For one, an open class such as that will demonstrate the breadth of aspiring drummers you might work with individually.Beyond that, hosting such a seminar would serve to prove your teaching skills, as well as the fact that you know how to play drums.You may feature select aspects of dr umming in your workshop, such as drum fills: what they are and how to play quarter note fills, eighth notes... all the way up to sixteenth notes.Or you could teach the first 15 or 20 of the basic 40 rudiments.What about tuning a drumset? Would you care to bet on how many beginners out there have no idea that drums need tuning?What about an introduction to  jazz drumming? Or metal? Or hip-hop?Towards the end of the session, you should pass out business cards or fliers identifying you as a drum teacher.You should have researched the cost of drum lessons in your area so that your brochure advertises competitive rates!You might offer only beginner drum lessons â€" so you have no bad drumming habits to unteach, or promote your services to anyone who wants to learn to play!Set your prices right.If you are intent on teaching anyone who wants to learn to play the drums, marketing yourself is only the first step.Giving drumming lessons will give you a heady sense of independence, one enjoyed by many who share your dedication to your music instrument.Rest assured that plenty of avid drummers have proven, time and again, that it is entirely possible to provide drum instruction without a teaching certificate or any higher education.Who knows? You may prove yourself adept even at giving online drum lessons or other online tutoring jobs!

When Is A Number A Prime Number

When Is A Number A Prime Number What Are Prime Numbers And How To Use Them? ChaptersHow Do You Define A Prime Number?What Are The Prime Numbers?How To Calculate Prime NumbersCool Math Games To Memorize Prime Numbers Easily?Cool Math: Prime Fact That You May Not Get In Your Math ClassGames On: Learning Fun With MathsGreat Ideas To Bring Math Fun Back Into Your Learning:Have you ever heard a mathematician speak? It is like they are speaking another language. Pythagorean theorem, equivalent fractions, differential equations, probability, algebra, geometry, square roots, trigonometry (trig.), decimal places, negative numbers. Wow!! Sounds like they are having word problems but they certainly don’t need math help. But any serious learner of maths will understand at least some of what they are saying. To all the non-math enthusiasts or those who know just basic math; however, it may just sound like gibberish.The number of sense behind those words opens up to you if you just take the time to study a little bit of their background. Math is full of rich and vibrant history, where the special number Pi, the e of Euler, the history number i, and of course the golden ratio. Where discovered and expanded upon by the greatest mathematicians of the time. Building upon the principles of Addition and subtraction, multiplication and division. The great masters created mathematical concept, formulas, sequences and number systems to bring logic to the world as we know it.These discoveries are the pillars of the world as we know it today. Maths has laid the foundations for the modernity that we have come to know and love. Computers, cars, the internet, banking, trade, telling time, and all numbers as we know them to include our own DNA is working based on equations and formulas as discovered by genius mathematicians.As a math student, you have to understand that your acquisition of mathematical concepts isn’t just arbitrary information. But you are learning what is essentially an ancient language, one which is used to make sense of the world around us. Your math learning during your mathematics education should be seen as a discovery.The math curriculum is full of opportunities to learn from kindergarten when you have introduced to your times tables, dividing, adding and subtracting. To high school when you continue to develop with math problems made up of sequences, fractions algebraic equations and other number systems. College math opens up your understanding further with advanced quadratic equations, Exponent numbers, Graphing, Inequalities, Algebra trigonometry, Quadratic equation and more.If you are serious about your math practice, you will be aiming for mastery. While this can be stressful especially when a concept seems difficult to grasp. It is important to remember how much you have learnt already, math concepts like whole numbers and even counting were once foreign to you but given time you had success and risen above the core standards of the curriculum.Let’s Learn math and some more of its number patterns, let’s take a look at the prime numbers.Have you ever heard a mathematician speak? Photo Source: Unsplash MyriamMaths Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £200/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Dr parikhMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KamalMaths Teacher 5.00 (9) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PetarMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GowsikaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RubenMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ConorMaths Teacher 4.75 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsHow Do You Define A Prime Number?A  prime number  is a natural number that is only divisible (equally without creating decimals or rounding) by 1 and itself.  According to this definition, 0 and 1 are not prime numbers since 0 is divisible by all positive numbers, and 1 is only divisible by a single positive number.For example:2 is a prime number because the factors of 2 are 1 and 24 is not a prime number because it can also because dividing it by 2. Therefore the factors of 4 are too many - 1, 2 and 4Prime numbers are considered a key foundation of arithmetic and mathematics.   This is due to the fact that all numbers are either a prime number or they can be calculated by multiplying prime numbers with each other.For example:84, is not a prime number but can be made by 2x2x3x7.What Are The Prime Numbers?Thanks to  Euclid's theorem  on prime numbers, we know that prime numbers. Like many special numbers continue infinitely, so there is no finite exhaustive list of prime numbers. However, it is possible to recite the  prime numbers  by defining an opening and a closing point.For example:There are 25 prime numbers from 0 to 100: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97.This list is short enough for you to memorise it and look like a math master to your math tutor when they next ask you about the numbers. If you can remember this list, it will also give you an easy foundation to create the rest of the prime numbers.The great masters created mathematical concept, formulas, sequences and number systems. Photo Source: UnsplashHow To Calculate Prime NumbersTo find out if a number is a prime number you can first divide it by 2. Which is easy to do for almost all numbers that you will come across. If the answer is a whole number, then it can’t be a prime number.If the number is not even then follow the same procedure with the prime numbers 3, 5, 7, 11For example:Let's check if 13 is a prime number using this method.13/2=6.5 (the answer is not a whole number therefore we continue)Let’s following the sequence with 3, 5, 7, 11It is safe to say that 13 is a Prime number as we know.Let’s check with a number we don’t know891 looks like a good number891/2= 445.5 then 891/3=297Well, it is not a prim e number since when divided by 3 it became a whole number.When I check the Prime number chart the last prime number in the 800’s is 887 so It works.So this is an easy way to work it out.Learn more easy ways around maths problems from a reputable maths tutor near me. MyriamMaths Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £200/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Dr parikhMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KamalMaths Teacher 5.00 (9) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PetarMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GowsikaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RubenMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ConorMaths Teacher 4.75 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsCool Math Games To Memorize Prime Numbers Easily?This is a bit of mental math that will not require much of your math ski ll, but it will need you to use your memory. While you can get this on printable worksheets and keep them with you in a discrete place. It is always better to actually learn your math facts so that when you are in the classroom, you can be actually learning math and not searching for your notes or placeholders in textbooks. This can be used to memorize anything.It has been recognized that in order to retain a memory of anything that the thing should have some meaning to you. Words often have much more meaning than a series of numbers.For example, we can develop a personalised memory system by associating numbers with words if you can make them somehow related to the number this can help you to remember their meaning:0 to Zara,1 to Hun2 to blue,3 to tree,4 to poor,5 to hive,6 to sticks7 to heaven,8 to gate,9 to peg.By saying the primes aloud, you will see that you will associate the sound with the corresponding number.Give free rein to your imagination by using this math game, creati ng stories from the names and objects. Now let's see what the first example will give us:Blue tree hive heaven = 2, 3, 5, 7,A blue tree with a hive grew to heavenIf you repeat this, then you would have created a great memory system that will help the math skills that you can use for any complex numbers sequence in math. Just multiply the exercise to cover high numbers or work out a system for 1-9. There are many memory techniques like this that you can use to help you remember long sequences of numbers.These discoveries are the pillars of the world as we know it today. Photo Source: UnsplashCool Math: Prime Fact That You May Not Get In Your Math ClassAll prime numbers end in 1, 3, 7 or 9 apart from 2 and 5. Each of these endings has a 25% chance of showing up, and if you know the previous number in the prime sequence, you should also know that these numbers do not like to show up in doubles. So if you have 11, you would get another number ending in 1 again for a few digits. Easy to understand? I hope so, why not take a look and try to find your own pattern.Games On: Learning Fun With MathsHaving fun and mathematics don’t sound like they go together, but When you are having happy, you retain knowledge longer and learn faster. If you can remember your first math teacher may have used math games, singing or videos to help you enjoy solving your time's tables, basic sums, calculus, adding and subtracting. As we grow up, we get much more serious about math and somehow lose the fun aspect of the subject.Solving math problems the fun way with jigsaw puzzles and quizzes. Is an engaging way to study math.Great Ideas To Bring Math Fun Back Into Your Learning:Don’t study alone. Tutoring other students at school in exchange for credit to be tutored could be a great way to study with other budding mathematicians.Math online: Watch fun math videos, search for free online math blogs, join math forums on facebook,Mobile maths: Play online math games via mobile apps. Sudok u is funMeet up with your friends: create a free math study group.Download: free math worksheets or math sheetsHire a math tutor: develop a lesson plan with them to meet your needs and have fun.Record: the Math tutorials that your teacher give you and listen to it later when you are more relaxed.Have fun mathematically, take lots of math courses, ignore the decimal places, call your tutors, experiment with square roots, check for symmetry, divide negative numbers, sing your homework, solve problems, think outside of the triangles and above the number line.Follow the math curriculum or core standards but don’t be glued to them. It is ok to be creative, it how all of the most famous mathematicians in history discovered modern day maths. Learn all you need to know and invent the rest.You can read more about the special and rare perfect numbers next

Online Macroeconomics Tutoring

Online Macroeconomics Tutoring Get Macroeconomics Help from Online Tutors Understanding the big picture when it comes to Macroeconomics can be a daunting task. The influences that cause changes in large-scale economies can be difficult to master, but it doesnt have to be overwhelming. Tutor Pace has certified online tutors that are experts in Economics and who can supply your demand for one-on-one tutoring. Personalized Attention for Maximum Results Every interaction between our online Macroeconomics tutors and students is a private tutoring session customized to the needs of the individual. Personal strengths and weaknesses are assessed, allowing the tutor to spend the appropriate amount of time on each subject. Rather than group students together in a study session like many other online tutoring companies, Tutor Pace ensures your student gets the attention they need to excel in class and on tests. Our interactive classroom makes online learning intuitive and easy, giving students a technologically advanced option for studying. Anytime Online Access to Macroeconomics Tutors Tutor Pace understands that your study schedule has to be flexible in order to get the most out of your time. Thats why we offer 24/7 access to tutors who can help you understand the intricacies of supply curves, monetary policy, and the various schools of Economics. Sign in after work or before school and get the help you need the moment you need it. No matter what you need to cover in your studies, Tutor Pace has an online Macroeconomics tutor available to walk you through each question step-by-step until you are ready for your next assignment or test.

Time Management on the GMAT

Time Management on the GMAT GMAT MBA Admissions Blog How can you manage your time while taking the GMAT? I often get asked this question. For most people, the Quantitative and Integrated Reasoning questions pose the most significant time pressures, so in this post I will be focusing on those two sections. Perhaps surprisingly, my number one piece of advice is usually to worry less about time. I consistently see people make small mistakes when they get stressed about time and start trying to rush their work. If you do this throughout the entire test, you are likely to get more questions incorrect than you would if you go more slowly and don’t make it to the last few questions. It is more important to take your time and try to get all the questions you answer right than it is to answer every question. That being said, there are still a number of techniques â€" from guessing strategically to plugging in the answers â€" that can help you save time without feeling rushed. First of all, be aware of how much time you have. The Quantitative section has 37 questions, which you are given 75 minutes to complete. This means that you have about 2 minutes per question. The Integrated Reasoning section has 12 questions, which you are given 30 minutes to answer. This means you have 2 ½ minutes per question â€" not a lot of time, considering that most questions have 3-4 parts. In the Integrated Reasoning section, rushing can be especially detrimental to your performance, because if you get just one part of a question wrong, you will miss the entire question. On many standardized tests, the best time management strategy is to skip questions that confuse you and then return to them later if you have time. Unfortunately, that technique does not work on the GMAT, because you are not allowed to skip around and answer the questions out of order. Therefore, you must be able to quickly determine whether you can solve a problem or not so you can move on if necessary. If you encounter a problem you have no idea how to solve, guess and then move on to the next problem immediately. You do not want to waste valuable test time stressing over a problem that you cannot solve. If the problem seems difficult, but you do have an idea of how to solve it, try it. It is okay if you spend a little more than 2 minutes on a math problem (or 2 ½ minutes, for Integrated Reasoning). Some questions may take less than 2 minutes to solve, and the questions you quickly guess on will also give you a little bit of extra time. However, if you are still struggling when you hit the 2-minute mark and you are nowhere close to finding the answer, it is probably a good time to guess and move on. When you do have to guess, using strategic guessing techniques (as opposed to random selection) can help increase your chances of getting questions right. Watch out for trap answers; wrong answers are carefully chosen based on mistakes that GMAT test takers expect you to make. When guessing, use estimation and critical thinking to your advantage. For instance, let’s say a problem involves combining two mixtures â€" one solution that is 1/4 bleach and 3/4 water and another that is 1/3 bleach and 2/3 water. The bleach content in the resulting solution will be between 1/4 and 1/3 of the total volume. Knowing this will probably help you eliminate many, if not all, of the wrong answers, increasing your chances of getting the question right. As GMAT Mantra states, sometimes, instead of seekingthe correct option, eliminate the wrong to arrive at the right. Another important guessing strategy is to watch out for questions that begin with the phrase “Which of the following…?” The answers to these questions are almost always D or E. For instance, a sample question might read “Which of the following cannot be equal to X when Y?0?” This is because the test writers want you to spend time working through all the wrong answers before you finally reach the correct one. The Two-Part Analysis questions in the Integrated Reasoning section often follow a similar pattern. For example, if you have a column of possible X values on the left and a column of possible Y values on the right, the correct X value is almost always one of the last two choices in its column. The correct Y value is usually the first or second choice. Knowing this, you can save time either by working through the X values backwards (starting from the bottom) or by plugging in possible Y values first. All these techniques can help you save time on test day, but the most helpful strategy for learning to manage your time on the GMAT is to take a lot of timed practice tests before test day. When you are prepared, you will manage your time more effectively â€" and you will feel less stressed about time on test day! If you're interested in hearing more GMAT tips like these from our Director of Online Tutoring during our free GMAT skills webinar, click here to learn more and sign up.

What are the new features on the Virtual Writing Tutor

What are the new features on the Virtual Writing Tutor Hooray! The BRAND NEW version of the (now) award-winning Virtual Writing Tutor is finally here. It has taken almost a year to add new features and update the code, but it is finally ready. It is a whole lot faster, and there are some very cool new features, too. So, what’s new? Self-scoring IELTS Academic Writing Tasks 1. Try each of the 5 self-scoring academic writing test tasks. The VWT automatically scores your essay on the IELTS 9-band scale. It’s experimental, but it represents a breakthrough in the provision of formative feedback and the use of artificial intelligence for the VWT. It employs what I call Latent Essay Feature Analysis (LEFA) and Model Essay Proximity Scoring (MEPS). Simply put, it uses high-scoring model essays to evaluate a students essay. How? First we extract and measure a range of latent features from a model essay,: the organization, cohesion devices, vocabulary choice, and writing quality. Those measurements are stored in the database as a series of targets. When a student submits an essay on the same topic, it measures those same features and generates a proximity score. How close is the submitted essay to the ideal essay? The feedback and band scores tell you how close you are to the ideal. Self-Scoring Pen Pal Exchange 2. You can set up a pen pal exchange so that students can get meaningful practice developing their basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) while communicating with pen pals in the same class, in the next class, in another college, or at a university on the other side of the planet. Tasks are self-scoring, and it’s 100% secure because the teacher decides who can join the exchange. Learn how to set up your own pen pal exchange. Hypertext Narrative Creator 3. The Hypertext Narrative Creator has been completely updated with Node.js. It is super-fast now! Students can create a Choose Your Own Adventure interactive story and export it to a blog using HTML, JQuery, or an iFrame. Students who create a hypertext narrative for their ESL course benefit from the automatic summary of field-related vocabulary use, target structure use, error count, and count of the number of sections and images in the HTN. Teachers can use the automatically generated feedback to inform their evaluation of students hypertext narratives. Essay Outliner 4. The VWT Essay Outliner guides students through the essay outlining process of opinion, argument, and prioritized list essays. By answering questions and filling the blanks, the student can learn to outline as a skill. The system generates and stores essay outlines for the student to print or modify. The Virtual Writing Tutor Blog 5. Visit the blog for free stuff and ideas. I announce new features, discuss research that interests me, and give away English Second Language learning materials that I have created, share glossaries, and IELTS and TOEFL resources. Check out the free board games and card games. Essay Exchange Forum 6. Post essays to the forum to get feedback from the community. When I have time, I give feedback on the essays posted there. Active community members also give feedback. Feedback and Texts 7. Review your feedback and links and recover the texts you checked in the past. When logged-in members check their writing for errors, the system keeps a copy of their text and their feedback from the grammar checker. Error Correction Games 8. Play a correction game with errors from your own essays. The ultimate review activity! When you check your text, the system isolates and saves sentences with errors to your profile. Then, you can practice correcting your sentences at random. In fact, there is a second error correction game you can play with over 1000 random sentences I have collected. Word Counter 9. Count your words. It is not complicated. The system counts your words, sentences and paragraphs. You can get encouraging messages from Voot, our friendly little robot, too. Just turn up your volume and click on him. Grammar Check 10. Check your grammar. I keep adding rules to detect common errors that I find in my students writing and in forum posts. People seem to like what it can do. Check out these grammar checker testimonials. Check Sentence 11. Check your sentence length, variability, and the strength of your claims. Varying sentence length makes writing seem more dynamic. Punctuation Checker 12. Check only your punctuation. Sometimes, you just want to know if your commas are in the right place, if you have avoided run-on sentences, and if you have a comma splice that needs fixing, right? Use the punctuation checker for that. Essay Checker 13. Essays need to be checked carefully for a range of potential essay writing problems. There is a lot to learn about good essay writing. Here is some step-by-step essay writing advice if your are interested. In the meantime, the system will check your essay for the following: · Sophistication Vocabulary profileAcademic vocabulary profileLexical density · Writing skill CohesionSentence length and varianceEmotional engagementArgument strength · Tone check Cliché checkConversational vocabulary checkExclamation check · Grammar check Grammar, spelling and punctuation checkError analysis · Length Paragraph count250-word minimum350-word minimum450-word minimum700-word minimum · Task success IELTS Academic Writing Task-2 Rubric TOEFL Independent Writing Rubric 14. Check your writing for the following: · Vocabulary profile · Cohesion · Sentence length and variability · Grammatical errors Essay Scoring Rubrics 15. Use rubrics to score and a voice recorder to score and comment on a student’s or a peer’s essay. The system allows you to coach instead of just correct. Vocabulary Checker 16. Check the sophistication of your general vocabulary and academic vocabulary. Paraphrase Checker 17. Avoid plagiarism by checking your paraphrase against the original. The system scores your paraphrase and lets you know if you need to paraphrase some more. Target Structure Checker 18. Check a text to see if it contains a list of target structures. Three settings allow for case-sensitive, case-insensitive, and lemmatized target structure checks (which means any conjugated or derivations of base forms). Cohesion Check 19. Check your text for cohesion words: coordinators, subordinators, and transition words. Checking for these words will help to determine how cohesive the text is. Transition words are organized into functional categories. Bar graphs show which transitions you are using the most and which you have neglected to use. Dictionary 20. Look up words in the Cambridge dictionary. Samples 21. Test the system with a sample of a first-person text. 22. Test the system with a sample academic opinion essay text. Spell Checker 23. Check your spelling. Speech Recognition 24. Use speech recognition instead of typing. Text to Speech 25. Hear the text-to-speech pronunciation of your text. This useful when preparing for orals, especially when your oral has words with silent letters in them. There is no reason for students to mispronounce a word again. Text-to-Speech MP3 Download 26. Download an MP3 of the text-to-speech pronunciation of your text. Use it to rehearse for an oral. Download the DOC file 27. Download your text as an MS Word document. Please follow and like us: