Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Winter 2019 Test Prep Series: Only Four Spots Left!

Four spots remain for CROSSWALK’s Winter Test Prep Series. Hosted by Brooke Higgins, this six-week course is a great way to kick off 2019 with focused and individualized SAT and ACT test prep. 


Sign up today! Only four spots remain! You can attend in person at the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach or via Skype.

All sessions meet on Tuesday evenings from 6-8pm. Here is the schedule:

  • 1/8: SAT and ACT Test Overview and General Strategies
  • 1/15: Reading Strategies for Success
  • 1/23: Math Strategies for Success
  • 1/29: Writing Strategies for Success
  • 2/5: Science Strategies for Success
  • 2/12: Essay Strategies for Success

Sign up or get more information via the following form. 

And don’t forget, new this year: Students who sign up for the entire six-week program receive a FREE one-on-one coaching session. 

Questions? Or need further information? Contact CROSSWALK here.

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for SAT, ACT, PSAT, SSAT prep and academic tutoring. 
Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

SAT & ACT: It’s Not the Content, It’s the Process

Most tests in school are content-based: vocabulary memorization, chapter reviews, math problem sets, comprehensive exams, etc. 


After years of content-based tests, students learn how to memorize facts and regurgitate them on an exam. Students develop keen ways of cramming content the night before in order to succeed on a test. 

Content learning is a useful skill in school, for now. Education is undergoing a massive shift as content is simply a search engine or finger swipe away. Students in the future will likely not have to memorize as much. Instead, they will be faced with the process of learning. 

One such learning process is how to succeed on the SAT or ACT. 

On the surface, the SAT and ACT tests look like content-based tests. But dig deeper and find that both tests assess a student’s ability to process more than a student’s ability to memorize. 

For example, the reading tested on the test is about comprehension, not knowledge. Test makers select reading passages that will challenge students to process how a writer uses evidence, states an argument, persuades an audience or tells a story. A student cannot memorize the passage the night before. 

Even math, though seemingly content-based, assesses the process of getting through a litany of different math problems in a defined set of time. Memorizing math content might help here, but it is more about the process of navigating algebra, geometry, word problems, trigonometry and more. Math is a mash up of content which means the process is more important. 

So if the SAT and ACT are more process-based than content-based, how do you perform better? 

Simply embrace the process.

Understand that test success is a journey. It is not something you can cram for the night before. Prepare your game plan, practice and make test prep part of your normal routine. 

Consider a group class like CROSSWALK’s upcoming Winter Test Prep Series. 

Above all, approach the SAT and ACT with the process in mind. These are not tests based on strict content memorization. These are tests that take trial and error. 

Start your process today by contacting CROSSWALK, the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for test prep and academic tutoring. 
Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Winter 2019 ACT & SAT Test Prep Series

Kick off 2019 with a focused and individualized SAT and ACT test prep program by Brooke Higgins of CROSSWALK.


Starting Tuesday, January 8th, CROSSWALK is hosting a six-week winter ACT and SAT test prep series.

Attend in person at the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach or via Skype.

All sessions meet on Tuesday evenings from 6-8pm. Here is the schedule:

  • 1/8: SAT and ACT Test Overview and General Strategies
  • 1/15: Reading Strategies for Success
  • 1/23: Math Strategies for Success
  • 1/29: Writing Strategies for Success
  • 2/5: Science Strategies for Success
  • 2/12: Essay Strategies for Success

Drop in for the session you need and pay by the class or sign up for the whole program and save.

Sign up via the following form. 

New this year: Students who sign up for the entire six-week program receive a FREE one-on-one coaching session. 

Questions? Or need further information? Contact CROSSWALK here.

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for SAT, ACT, PSAT, SSAT prep and academic tutoring. 
Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Time as a Currency on SAT and ACT

On standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, time is money. Not money in the sense of cash but money as a currency to be saved or spent. 

Make no mistake: the SAT and ACT are strictly timed tests. For a student to maximize a score, a key approach is to know when to spend time and when to save time. 


Let’s take the ACT math section as an example: 

The ACT math section is 60 questions in 60 minutes. In other words, each question should take one minute. ACT math questions are also organized so that easier questions are found in the beginning of the set while harder ones are found towards the end. 

Easy questions are perfect opportunities to save time. If you can solve a math problem in less than 30 seconds, you save 30 seconds to use on a harder problem. Save 30 seconds on five or six problems and you now have an extra 2-3 minutes to spend on hard problems that require more time. 

You can even save time on the really hard problems. If you were to come across a problem that seems impossible, save time on this one by guessing the answer and moving on. The 2-3 minutes you would have spent on an impossible problem is now saved time that you can use to score points in other areas. 

This approach works on the other sections as well: time saved is time you can spend in other areas. 

If you want a perfect score, then be sure to spend time on all of the problems. But if you don’t need a perfect score, determine where to spend time and where to save time on the ACT and SAT. 

Learn how to spend or save your time on the SAT and ACT with help from CROSSWALK. Contact us today to get prepared for test day. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

SAT and ACT Reality Check

“Stress is the enemy of test performance” is the mantra my students hear repeatedly. Much of my test prep work is about reducing the stress that surrounds SAT and ACT test day. 

By familiarizing students with the content and strategy of the tests through practice sessions, the goal is to make test day routine and comfortable. 

Along with test practice, students are routinely reminded that there are over 1,000 schools that do not place substantial weight on SAT and ACT scores in the process of admission. Thanks to FairTest, this fact provides great stress relief for students who realize there are many potential college opportunities regardless of test performance. 

Further, students learn that test scores are just one piece of the pie. Colleges consider GPA, admission essays, interviews, letter of recommendations and more when reviewing applications. 

So do test scores actually matter?

Reality check time: yes, they do. 

Let’s assume, like most students, you wish to apply to a competitive school. Competitive schools receive many applications. With so many applications, schools need a quick and easy method to identify top prospects. Test scores provide such a method.

Schools do not want to discourage applicants. Along with the financial gain of the application fees, schools want as many applications as possible so as to keep their admission rates low. 

The lower a school’s admission rate, the better its ranking on the US News and World Report list. The better its ranking, the more competitive the school. The more competitive a school, the more applications received. More applications means a lower admission rate and the cycle continues. 

But admission rate and rankings are not the only reasons schools continue to use test scores in the process of admission. An article from the Wall Street Journal earlier this year cites several researched-backed reasons colleges continue to consider test scores in the process of admission. 

The reality is that the SAT and ACT, particularly for the more competitive schools, are not going anywhere. 

So as long as these tests are here to stay, you may as well find ways to navigate the process. Reduce your stress around the testing experience. Familiarize yourself with the content and strategies. And above all, read, read and read some more. 

CROSSWALK is here to support you in the process. Contact CROSSWALK today and we will be happy to come alongside your journey. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Your Summer ACT and SAT Prep Plan

Is school out for summer? Maybe not yet but we are getting close.


With summer around the corner, now is a good time to map out a test prep plan, particularly for current juniors in high school. Hopefully you already have a program, like CROSSWALK’s Summer SAT/ACT Test Prep Series. If not, here is plan you can do on your own over eight weeks:

Week 1: Start with the End in Mind

Take the first week of summer to do some research into potential universities. Most importantly, as it relates to ACT and SAT prep, find out the score you need to get into the school(s) of your dreams. This score represents your Goal Score and your Goal Score is the key to your entire test preparation and strategy.

Week 2: Take a Practice Test

You may have already taken the PSAT or PreACT. If not, download a practice SAT and/or a practice ACT and take the test according to the directions and timing. Be sure to recreate the testing environment as realistically as possible so your practice experience is comparable to test day. For example, ignore your cell phone while taking the practice test.

Week 3: Run the Numbers

If you have a detailed score report from a PSAT or PreACT, be sure to access it. If you took a practice test, score your test according to the instructions. Running the numbers means determining the test score in your practice and comparing it to your Goal Score. Take the time to calculate your score so you can see the difference between your current score and the one you need. 

Week 4: Dig Into the Data

Once your have compiled your test score results, now you have to dig further into the test results. Turn over all stones and determine what kinds of questions you missed and what kinds of questions you aced. A strong understanding of your strengths and weaknesses is a major part of developing your preparation and strategy going forward.

Week 5: Get Better

Simply put, take your weaknesses and put a plan together to improve. For example, if you find you always miss graphing function problems, ask a friend, find a teacher or even access some videos on Khan Academy to get better at this skill. 

Week 6: Prepare a Game Plan

After working on your weaknesses, fine tune your Game Plan, or your strategic approach to test day. For example, map out your timing so you know exactly how much time you have to spend on each section. Similarly, determine which problems to guess on and which ones to spend time on. Your Game Plan is the path towards your Goal Score. 

Week 7: Test. Learn. Repeat.

Take at least a week to work your plan. Do practice sets and maybe even a full length practice test. Score them and learn from your mistakes. Adjust your plan accordingly and repeat the process. It’s an iterative process but the more you do it, the better you will score. 

Week 8: Set Your Mindset to Growth

Students who believe they can learn anything with hard work, effort and determination will learn more. It’s a scientific fact. If you are stuck in a rut and don’t think you can learn anything new, get out of the rut of a fixed mindset and adopt a growth mindset. Tell yourself you can get better at anything with time and effort and you will. 

Not too hard of a plan, right? It’s totally doable. Now just map out the weeks and dates on your calendar and get your summer test prep plan going. If you need help, contact CROSSWALK. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

How to Guarantee Admission to a UC

Getting into one of the University of California schools is a competitive process; one that requires strong grades and a good test score. And even if you have good grades and a good test score, admission is not guaranteed. 

Or is it?


Good news because if your dream is to attend a UC, there is a way to guarantee admission. 

As of August 2017, six of the nine UCs (Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz) offer a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) for California community college students who fulfill all transfer requirements. Proper coursework and credits at the community college along with an application submitted on time are the main requirements.

There are some restrictions to TAG, like an exclusion on certain types of degrees at particular colleges. Business Administration at UC Irvine, for example, is a major excluded from this program. Similarly, TAG is not available for students who already have a bachelor’s degree or a graduate degree.

Also, you can only request a TAG for one UC and most UC schools only offer TAG for the fall semester. For complete details, check the admission information at the University California website here. 

TAG offers an excellent way to guarantee admission into highly selective and competitive colleges. And students would potentially save thousands of dollars starting first at a community college. Yet another reason to not stress about SAT and ACT scores during high school. 

For test prep tips on the SAT and ACT, contact CROSSWALK. The Monterey Peninsula’s primary resource for test prep, CROSSWALK specializes in SAT, ACT, PSAT, SSAT and academic tutoring. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

FREE Test Prep Resources for ACT and SAT

Back in the day, only the ACT provided a FREE downloadable guidebook with a full-length practice test and test prep tips. The SAT did not provide much in the way of free resources.

The tides changed when the College Board redesigned the SAT in 2016. Upon launching a new test format, the College Board also launched a partnership with Khan Academy to create an entirely new and FREE test prep platform with FREE full-length practice tests and tons of study resources.

Now the ACT has pushed to be king of the free resource hill with the recently launched ACT Academy, a FREE online platform full of practice tests, test prep tips and more.

With so many free resources available, this is a glorious time to be prepping for the SAT and ACT.

I am hopeful that free resources will even the playing field. Test scores on standardized tests have historically shown that students who have access to resources will outperform students who don’t have resources. Put differently, standardized tests are biased towards those students who had the money to buy guide books, the time to take practice tests or the resources to hire tutors.

Free resources may not completely remove this bias, but they are a good start.

If you need help navigating the resources for the SAT or ACT, contact CROSSWALK today. We offer free resources too, like this this blog, as well as financial assistance or pro bono work for many of our programs.

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Test Prep Radio Hour Update

What a joy it has been to host the Test Prep Radio Hour on KSPB 91.9FM. For the past two months I have been on the radio from 4-5pm every Thursday with test prep advice and fun music. 

Weekly themes have included the test prep mindset, test content vs test context, how to play the numbers game, the math toolbox and more. 


Even though we have covered some great stuff, we have barely scratched the surface of many major test prep topics. 

I am excited to continue to host the Test Prep Radio Hour but the show will be on hold starting today until we are back on the air March 15th. 

Tune into KSPB91.9FM or stream the show at http://www.kspb.org starting March 15th and every subsequent Thursday from 4-5pm. 

Also, feel free to contact me via this blog or my twitter handle (@brookewhiggins) to send me questions, comments or suggestions for test prep advice and music. I would love to hear from you and we can likely get your question or suggestion on the air. 

In the mean time, feel free to contact CROSSWALK to find out how we can help you prepare for the ACT, SAT, PSAT, SSAT and all academic classes. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

1,000 Reasons to NOT Stress on ACT & SAT

Almost two years ago I wrote a blog post about 850 reasons to NOT stress about the SAT and ACT.

Now there are more than 1,000 reasons. 

Check out this list produced by FairTest of over 1,000 colleges that “do not use SAT and ACT scores to admit substantial numbers of students into bachelor-degree programs.”

Cue the sound of a valve turning and pressure releasing.

Do you hear that? That is the sound of the release of any stress and pressure around the SAT and ACT. With over 1,000 schools that don’t care about your test score, why should you stress?

Stress clouds the brain. An unstressed brain learns better than a stressed brain. Walk into the SAT or ACT stressed out and your score will drop. 

The first step in any test prep is to remove as much stress as possible from the process. My students repeat the following mantra over and over: “Stress is the enemy of test performance.”

It’s okay to use a little stress to get focused and prepared but too much stress will lead to miserable testing experiences and performances. So use this latest update from FairTest as confirmation that you need NOT stress. 

Sure, you may be interested in schools that are not on this list. Schools not on this list still weigh SAT and ACT test scores heavily in the process of admission. However, at a minimum, the schools on the FairTest list offer terrific alternatives. 

So don’t stress. Let your brain work and learn to its full capacity. Consequently, your confidence and your score will improve.

For studying advice on the SAT, ACT, PSAT, SSAT and academic subjects, contact CROSSWALK.