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

Sunday School for PSAT Prep

On a Sunday morning, what would you want to do most? 


A) Sleep in
B) Eat pancakes
C) Play video games
D) Go to school 


Definitely not D, right? I mean, who wants to go to school on a Sunday?

York School juniors do. In fact, over thirty of them came to school on a Sunday for a day long PSAT Boot Camp. 

My thanks to Ellen Masten and the York School administration for putting on this event. Pictured here are the students in action as we go through the steps to success for the reading, math, and english sections of the PSAT they are slated to take on Wednesday. 

It may have not been the students first choice of activities on a Sunday but everyone got a lot of out the session. No doubt the test-taking experience on Wednesday will be a bit easier for all the students. Additionally, as long as they keep doing what we talked about on Sunday, they can improve their test-taking performance on the SAT and ACT in the years to come. 

For information on scheduling a group Boot Camp at your school, contact CROSSWALK today. CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for SSAT, PSAT, SAT and ACT prep.  
Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Conquer SAT & ACT Math with Math Toolbox (Part 4)

This is the fourth part in a series of how to conquer SAT and ACT Math by utilizing a Math Toolbox. For the complete list of the tools in the Math Toolbox and Part 1, visit here. 

Your pencil, calculator and mental math tools will help solve math problems on the SAT and ACT more quickly and accurately. But there are more tools to add to your toolbox. 

This post is dedicated to the translation tool. 


Your translation tool will help you work through word problems and other math problems that contain a bit of reading. 

Truth be told, these types of questions are more reading problems than math problems. If the test writers were to provide the equation along with the word problem, the work would be easy. Since the equation is not provided, the challenge with these types of problems is sifting through the words to come up with the equation. 

Thus, your translation tool will come in handy. 

The translation tool is the tool that helps you convert words or written expressions into mathematical expressions. For example, if the problem says “the total” or “increased by”,  then this would likely be an addition problem. If there is an expression like “amount per serving” the “per” means division (amount divided by servings). Words like “was” or “yields” means equals. 

Many reputable SAT or ACT guide books include a table of the mathematical operations that correspond to specific words. If you struggle with word problems, it may be a good idea to spend some time learning how to translate certain words into mathematical expressions. 

For further assistance, contact CROSSWALK. Our tutors work in SAT, ACT, PSAT, SSAT and other areas to help students feel more confident and comfortable. 


Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Upcoming Boot Camp (PSAT, ACT, SAT)

Exciting news: I will be hosting a Test Prep Boot Camp on the campus of the York School on October 9th from 9am-3pm. 

While this

Boot Camp is offered to York students, the event represents a great crash course in how to get ready for the PSAT with some SAT and ACT testing topics covered. 

So if you have a small group of students that could use a PSAT, SAT or ACT prep course, consider a CROSSWALK Test Prep Boot Camp for your students. I have conducted similar workshops for years and would be happy to work with you to set one up for your school, team, club or circle of friends.

One-day Boot Camps are a great introduction to test content and strategies. Most students will need more practice than what we do in a Boot Camp so we conclude each Boot Camp by preparing individualized study plans for each student. 

Feel free to contact me about setting a Boot Camp. 

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s test prep and academic tutoring go-to resource. Learn more by visiting www.crosswalkeducation.com. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

ACT vs SAT: Testing Wars Heat Up

The college admissions testing war is heating up. 

The College Board recently launched the new SAT which included pretty significant changes to the test format. Gone is the funky scoring system in which the raw score is calculated by the formula of one point for a correct answer, -0.25 points for an incorrect answer and no points added or subtracted for an omitted answer. Also gone are the Sentence Completion questions that were fill-in-the-blanks to test vocabulary. 


Truth be told, the new SAT seems to be a bit more like the current ACT. Perhaps over the years, the College Board saw many students migrate to the ACT so they felt a rebranded test would lure students back to the SAT. 

But the College Board is not the only one engaging in some friendly competition. 

In an effort to capture some of the practice test market, the makers of the ACT have recently launched the PreACT. The PreACT is designed for high school sophomores to gauge potential ACT scores and prepare students for the ACT in the future. 

The College Board, and its PSAT, have dominated the practice test market for years. Typically administered by schools for sophomores and juniors, the PSAT is a practice SAT. Most schools use the PSAT to get their students ready for the SAT. 

Now that the makers of the ACT have the PreACT, they too seem positioned to target schools and enter the practice test market. 

What does this mean for students? Not much, really. Perhaps some friendly competition between test makers will drive prices down. But in all reality, the strategy does not change: take both tests, find out which one you like better, focus on preparing for one of them and book the best score possible. 

For more test prep news, advice and tips, subscribe to this blog at www.crosswalkeduction.com. CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s go-to resource for test prep and academic tutoring. Contact CROSSWALK here. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

PSAT Prep for FREE

The PSAT is approaching quickly. In fact, there is likely less than a month to prepare for the PSAT since schools that administer the test will do so on October 14 or 28.  


That the test is on the horizon should not create any stress for test takers. As my students and readers of this blog can attest, stress should not be part of any test preparation. 

First and foremost, the PSAT is an opportunity to understand how a student performs on standardized tests. Scores can be used to qualify students for scholarships or national recognition, but are generally used as just a pulse check for the SAT. 

With this in mind, students should approach test day free of worry, concern or stress. 

Should a student want to get a sense of what is on the test, the College Board provides a couple of free resources. And since the PSAT has a new format, it may behoove students to take a gander at either of the following links before test day: 

  • Practice Test: click here for full-length practice test. Download the test and get a feel for the directions, timing, question types, format, etc. 
  • Practice Sets: click here for some practice sets and practice quizzes. You will have to sign in via Google or Khan Academy but that should stop you since the practice sets are very helpful. 

Above all, be sure to get plenty of rest leading up to the test. Cramming a bunch of test prep the night before, or even the weekend before, will actually hurt your score. 

Best of luck, PSAT test-takers. Should you need some support, don’t be afraid to contact CROSSWALK, Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for test prep and private tutoring. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

What NOT to Tell Your ACT or SAT Tutor

At CROSSWALK, we pride ourselves in our ability to work with just about any student. For this reason, we remain flexible in our approach: we can tailor a test prep plan for just about any situation.

However, there are a number of situations that create challenges for us. While there is no doubt that all of our tutors can handle almost any challenge, there are some situations we hope to avoid.

As you prepare for the PSAT, ACT, SAT and/or the SSAT, try and ensure that you don’t approach your tutor by saying any of the following:

1) “I’m too stressed to do this.” My students and followers of this blog know that I consider stress as the number one enemy of successful test performance. A little positive stress to keep a student motivated and on task is good. However, the moment negative stress enters into test prep is the moment scores drop. Approaching test prep in a stressed manner will only hurt your score. I recently chatted with a parent whose daughter performed poorly on the June SAT test. When I probed for more details, it turned out that her daughter spent the last two weeks of May studying for APs and final exams while balancing a loaded social schedule. Her daughter was overwhelmed with stress by the time June rolled around and her scores showed the same.

2) “I am taking the test next week.” It still baffles me that new clients will call with a week before the test to schedule tutoring. There is very little we can do in a week. We can get started on a couple of things, but test preparation takes time. The more time we have, the more we can improve. Cramming test prep into the last week before the test only creates stress. And stress–as detailed above–is the number one enemy of successful test performance.


3) “My parents made me do this.” When a student blames a parent for signing him or her up for test preparation, it shows me that the student is not engaged and involved in the process. Even if your parents force you to do test prep, consider the opportunity to learn a new skill. Instead of assigning blame of the drudgery of extra academic work, take ownership of your chance to improve yourself. The more ownership a student takes in his or her preparation, the greater the potential for a score increase.

When considering test prep options, be sure to reduce stress, give yourself time and view the chance to learn a new skill in a positive light. Staying motivated, dedicated and engaged will make a major difference in the final score. 

Avoid approaching your tutor with too much stress, too little time and not enough ownership of your opportunity. 

To learn more about how CROSSWALK prepares its students for the SSAT, PSAT, ACT, SAT, academic subjects and lifelong learning, contact CROSSWALK today. CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for test prep and academic tutoring. 

Contact CROSSWALK today and schedule your private tutor at the location you choose or via Skype.

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

How to Really Read Your PSAT Score

Now that PSAT scores have been received by students around the country, it is worth a moment to really understand what these numbers mean.


First and foremost, unless you are pursuing a National Merit Scholarship, PSAT scores should be taken with a grain of salt. Since most students do not qualify for the National Merit Scholarship, there should be little stress or anxiety over PSAT scores. 

Unfortunately, many students and parents view PSAT scores negatively. They place great emphasis on student performance and subsequently find areas of concern. This pessimistic view is the wrong lens to use for PSAT scores. 

Instead of a pessimistic lens, parents and students should view the scores with a lens of opportunity. Much like a doctor would use a diagnostic test to identify a health plan, parents and students should use PSAT scores to determine a plan of attack for the SAT. 

For example, consider Dylan’s recent score of 54 on the PSAT Critical Reading. This would translate to a 540 on SAT Critical Reading which is a score just above average. Instead of being concerned with an average score, Dylan can look under the hood of this score and get to the details. Specifically, Dylan’s score report shows that he was strong on the Sentence Completion questions but weak on the Passage-Based Reading questions. 

Instead of doom and gloom for Dylan, there is great opportunity. Dylan now knows that he needs to work on his Passage-Based Reading. Instead of being negative about his performance, Dylan has a specific area that requires dedicated focus. Armed with a plan to improve his reading, Dylan has months to work on it. 

PSAT scores represent evidence of what you can do to get a better SAT score. They are not an indication of concern for a student, but rather an indication of opportunity. 

Learn more about PSAT, SAT and ACT prep from CROSSWALK. Read 2400 SCORES: 24 Life Lessons to Demystify the SAT and Boost Your Score by Brooke Higgins.