Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Test Prepping in 4 Different Counties!

Spring is always the busiest time of year at CROSSWALK since many juniors are gearing up for the SAT® and ACT®. 

And this spring marks a momentous accomplishment for CROSSWALK: we are now delivering group test prep classes in four local counties: Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Benito. 


CROSSWALK calls the Monterey County home with group programs at the Stevenson School, York School, and Alisal High School along with private tutoring throughout the peninsula.

In March, CROSSWALK will return for a fourth year to Santa Clara and San Benito Counties as a part of the CAL-SOAP program headquartered at Gilroy High School. CROSSWALK will host workshops at Anzar High School, San Benito High School, Live Oak High School and Gilroy High School.

And new this year is Santa Cruz County. As part of the Upward Bound program, CROSSWALK is hosting two test prep workshops at Pajaro Valley High School.

What a privilege to work with so many great students across the four local counties! Check the calendar for details on when CROSSWALK will be near you. Feel free to contact us to set up your own test prep group workshop or private tutoring. 

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for standardized tests, like the SAT® or ACT®, and academic tutoring. Contact us today to set up your group or private tutoring. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

7 Deadly Sins of SAT® and ACT® Test Prep

Sometimes, what NOT to do is often more important than what to do. 

For test prep, you could call what NOT to do the Seven Deadly Sins of SAT® and ACT® Test Prep. Make sure these seven things are not part of your test prep: 


Pride: To perform your best, take this test seriously. Don’t be too proud to do the dirty work of reading regularly, practicing constantly, reviewing your errors and learning from your mistakes. Learning a new skill is humbling. Take your lumps, learn from mistakes and keep plugging. Hard work pays off. 

Envy: To attain your desired test score, focus on what you, personally, need to do. Not what your neighbor, friend or cousin is doing. You control your test preparation. Keep the singular focus on what you hope to achieve. Any time spent envying other’s performance is wasted effort. You can look for inspiration in other’s performances, just avoid the envy of comparisons. 

Greed: Greedy people are never satisfied. Avoid greed and focus on what is important and crucial. Satisfaction comes from working hard, seeing improvement and achieving realistic goals. Realize that there are many schools out there that want you for you, not your test score. Greedy people stress and stress is the enemy of test performance.

Lust: Passion should be your focus, not lust. Lust is the desire for something unattainable or inappropriate. Passion is the pursuit of something positive or beneficial. Lust leads many to choose an immoral path. Choose passion, not lust. 

Gluttony: There is such a thing as too much good stuff. The glutton continues to consume and is unable to stop consuming at the expense of other things. Put down your cell phone, turn off social media, unplug from the gluttony of consumption and you will have plenty of time for test prep. 

Wrath: What good comes from being angry about the SAT® or ACT®? Sure, you can be upset that the test exists, that the test is biased, and that the test is unfair. But will that anger improve your score? Of course not. Understand the rules of the game and go out and play the game with a calm, cool and disciplined approach. This will improve your score. 

Sloth: Maybe the worst sin of all for anyone preparing for a test. Laziness is rarely the answer. Get off the couch and get to work! 

If you are ready to NOT do the above, and do some test prep, contact CROSSWALK today. CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for SAT®, ACT®, PSAT®, and SSAT® preparation. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Winter SAT® & ACT® Prep Group Classes

Sign up today for one of two Winter SAT® and ACT® Prep Workshop Series by CROSSWALK. One series will be Monday evenings at the Stevenson School and the other will be Thursday evenings at the York School. 

The Stevenson six-week program runs on Monday nights from 7-8:30pm starting January 13th and wrapping up February 17th (note: due to the holiday, the January 20th class will be held January 21st).

The York six-week program runs on Thursday nights from 6-7:30pm starting January 16th and wrapping up February 20th. 

Conducted by CROSSWALK founder Brooke Higgins, these programs are a highly efficient and effective way to get ready for test day. High school juniors and sophomores learn the ins and outs of both tests and how to achieve their goal score. Students walk away with an individualized game plan and a detailed study plan to maximize success. 

Each week of the program targets a different component of the tests. Students have the option to attend just the class(es) they need or they can sign up for the whole program. 


For more information and to sign up for the Stevenson program, click right here. 

For more information and to sign up for the York program, click right here. 

CROSSWALK Test Prep & Tutoring is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for academic tutoring and test prep for the SAT®, ACT®, SSAT®, PSAT® and more. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

The Sunset of the ACT® and SAT®?

The writing may be on the wall for the ACT® and SAT®. It seems the University of California system is considering dropping ACT® and SAT® scores in its process of admission.

This is big news. 


Or is it just the same old story?

Forgive my cynicism but I’ve heard the talk now for some time. For years, The National Center for Fair and Open Testing has led the charge to remove standardized tests from the college admission process. It has cited various studies that show how the ACT® and SAT® are only marginally effective in predicting student performance in college. 

So why are these tests still a big part of college admission process for many universities? 

Because—arguably—large, competitive and selective universities need a standardized measurement to identify those students more qualified to succeed at large, competitive and selective universities.

Some universities are considering the Smarter Balanced test as an alternative. Perhaps this test will offer a better assessment or maybe it will just be more of the same: those with access to test resources will perform better than those without. 

The cynic in me says the sunset of the ACT® and SAT® is still far off in the distance. Too much is at stake for everyone involved, most notably the companies behind the tests. The College Board (SAT®) generates about $1B annually, about half of which comes from the SAT®. ACT, Inc. (ACT®) generates about $350M annually. With so much money at stake, odds are these two organizations will fight to hold onto their tests as they have for years. 

But if the UCs indeed drop ACT® and SAT® scores in the admission process, perhaps the National Center for Fair and Open Testing will have pushed the entire U.S. university system to a tipping point. Maybe the end is near for the ACT® and SAT® and the future is the Smarter Balanced test. 

In which case, CROSSWALK will start working on how to prepare students for the Smarter Balanced test in an effort to do our part to help students achieve their academic goals. 

In the mean time, feel free to contact CROSSWALK for your ACT® and SAT® preparation and other academic tutoring. CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for test prep and academic tutoring. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Test Prepping in Hollister

On Saturday, CROSSWALK kicked off a four-week SAT® and ACT® prep program at San Benito High School. 

This program is fast, furious and effective. With four sessions, each three hours long, the students are making the most of their time. 

The first part of Saturday’s session was spent defining why the SAT® and ACT® are different tests from traditional, content-based school tests. 

Students then did a deep dive into the strategies for the reading portion and the writing/language portions. 

Next week we will jump into math strategies and practice. Subsequent weeks include a session on the essay as well as a final session to review and practice all strategies. 

Many thanks to all of students who decided to spend their Saturday morning doing test prep! It is an honor to spend Saturdays with dedicated, motivated and focused students. Go ‘Balers! 

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for SAT® and ACT® prep. With school workshops, group classes and private tutoring, CROSSWALK is here to help you get ready for test day. Contact CROSSWALK today for more information. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

SAT® & ACT® Test Day Horror Stories

With Halloween around the corner, I figured it was a good time to remind students of the horrors that can come with SAT® and ACT® test day.

The following stories are true. Only the names have been changed. 

They are not meant to scare students or create more test anxiety. On the contrary, these stories provide real life examples of what can happen on test day so students are prepared to face the tricks and treats that may come their way. 

Miniature Desks:

Grace is a dancer. Standing at 6’0″, Grace is long and elegant. When she arrived at the elementary school that served as the test site for the ACT®, she found herself in a 3rd Grade classroom with, you guessed it, desks designed for smaller people. Needless to say, she was pinched into a tiny desk, and after just two hours of the test, she started getting back cramps.

The Waiting Game:

Due to overbooking a site, students had to wait two or three hours to start their test. As some students started their tests, many students waited outside for hours just to start. The last group of students didn’t start their test until 10:30, nearly three hours after they originally arrived.

Power Washing:

Ivan settled into his SAT® ready to rock and roll. The proctor started the test and he got to work. Not fifteen minutes into the test, a loud whirring noise echoed throughout the room. As it would turn out, the school was power-washing the building next door. Every fifteen minutes, the machine whirred, sprayed and then stopped. Then it fired up again, whirred, sprayed and stopped. This went on for the entirety of the test.

Exchange Student Drama:

Danielle was hosting an exchange student from Germany who arrived the day before the test. When Danielle woke up, she told her exchange student that she had to take a test and she would be back in the afternoon. The exchange student was eager to explore her new home, so the exchange student asked if she could tag along. Danielle didn’t feel that it was safe for the exchange student to be all alone in a new place so Danielle asked the exchange student to stay behind. The exchange student pressed, “Can I come?” Danielle responded, “I don’t think it is a good idea.” The exchange student got aggressive, “You have to let me go.” Danielle dug in, “No, I will be back soon.” Needless to say, Danielle had to ditch the student in a mad huff and scramble out of the house. She arrived to the test center late, frazzled and stressed out.

All of these stories come from directly from the experiences of former CROSSWALK students. Even though they are real, don’t let these stories scare you. Just be sure you are ready and prepared for test day. Tricks and treats are part of test day so make sure your mindset is ready for everything.

And if things are totally wacky, don’t forget that there are ways to appeal a test score.

If you want to make sure that your test day is not scary, contact CROSSWALK today.

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local tutoring and test prep service with private tutoring, boot camps, small groups and school workshops for SAT®, ACT®, PSAT®, SSAT® and more. We also offer academic tutoring for all subjects. Contact us today.

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

PSAT Prep at York School

Attention York School students: PSAT prep is coming to your library on October 6, 2019.

Sign up here for this one day workshop.

Students will meet at 9am and work until 1pm. The focus of the workshop is to build familiarity with the PSAT test format and learn test-taking techniques to maximize scores.

School on a Sunday probably doesn’t sound fun but CROSSWALK will work hard to make the session engaging, interactive and productive.

All sign up, pricing and other important information can be found here. Be sure to sign up and pay early to save $25.00!

Contact CROSSWALK with any questions.

See you soon, Falcons!

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Too Early for Back to School?

No joke, the local Staples had a Back to School display in June. That’s too early. 

How about the last week of July? Is that too early? Target doesn’t think so as it has an entire corner of the store dedicated to school supplies. 


Yes, back to school is around the corner. And for rising Seniors, that means time is running out to prepare for the fall tests. 


Late August and early September offer SAT and ACT opportunities respectively. Both tests are administered again October, which may be the last time some Seniors can take the test in order to get scores back in time for some early admission deadlines. 


So as much as you may cringe at the back to school advertising in July, it is a good reminder that you have some time to get some test prep done before the upcoming tests. 


CROSSWALK is available to help. While more time is ideal, we do work with students on short timeframes to get them ready for test day.


Contact CROSSWALK today to see how we can make your back to school transition, and test prep, a little easier.


CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for tutoring, test prep and academic support. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Too Early for Back to School?

No joke, the local Staples had a Back to School display in June. That’s too early. 

How about the last week of July? Is that too early? Target doesn’t think so as it has an entire corner of the store dedicated to school supplies. 

Yes, back to school is around the corner. And for rising Seniors, that means time is running out to prepare for the fall tests. 

Late August and early September offer SAT and ACT opportunities respectively. Both tests are administered again October, which may be the last time some Seniors can take the test in order to get scores back in time for some early admission deadlines. 

So as much as you may cringe at the back to school advertising in July, it is a good reminder that you have some time to get some test prep done before the upcoming tests. 

CROSSWALK is available to help. While more time is ideal, we do work with students on short timeframes to get them ready for test day.

Contact CROSSWALK today to see how we can make your back to school transition, and test prep, a little easier.

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for tutoring, test prep and academic support. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

How to Make Test Day Unlike Kindergarten

Think back to your first day of Kindergarten? Was it stressful?


For many kiddos, the first day of Kindergarten is majorly stressful. Separation anxiety, strange people, and unfamiliarity cause even the most resilient little ones to break out in tears. 

Most kiddos stress out on day one of Kindergarten because they don’t know the routine. What is new and different is hard to handle. Learning, or anything for that matter, is impossible when stress is high. 

Kindergarten teachers know this too well and use orientations, meet-and-greets or other ways ease the transition. 

The same is true for the SAT® or ACT®. If the routine is new and different, you stress out and productivity suffers. Even if you can hide your tears better than a Kindergartner, you are crying (and stressing) on the inside. 

So how do you avoid the stress of unfamiliarity of the SAT® or ACT®? 

Just like the Kindergarten teachers set up their systems to increase familiarity and comfort for their students, you too can become more familiar and comfortable with the SAT® or ACT® through routine practice before test day. 

Take practice tests. Learn the directions. Work on your timing needed to complete all test sections. Above all else, become familiar with the process so it is not new and different. 

It doesn’t take much to know the routine, just a little preparation ahead of time. 

If you need help with your preparation, contact CROSSWALK. With several summer workshops and ongoing programs, we can help make your test experience less stressful.