LI Regents Prep will be at Suffolk Spring College Fair on May 5th

Long Island Regents Prep is excited to be participating in the Suffolk Spring College Fair, sponsored by Western Suffolk Counselors’ Association. The College Fair will take place on Monday, May 5, 2014,  from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM. Students will be able to visit representatives from dozens of colleges and register for SAT and Regents review courses offered by Long Island Regents Prep. In addition, we'll be offering on-site registration discounts and raffling off a free SAT Crash Course and Regents Review Course!  Please stop by our booth to find out more about our courses! Here are the details:

Suffolk Spring College Fair

Monday, May 5, 2014

5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Huntington Hilton Hotel, Melville NY

Directions: Take Long Island Expressway East to Exit 49S (Rte 110 South / Broadhollow Rd.) Turn Right at end of ramp onto Rt. 110 S / Broadhollow Road. Proceed 2 miles to the corner of Spagnoli Rd and Broadhollow Rd and the hotel is on the right.

Long Island Regents Prep teams up with College 101 to offer AP and Regents Review

We have some exciting news for our students living in central/eastern Suffolk County! Long Island Regents Prep has joined forces with College 101 to offer one-day, 4-hour review sessions for AP Calculus, AP Statistics, Regents Geometry, and Regents Algebra 2/Trigonometry. Classes will be held at 290 Main Street in East Setauket. Those interested in registering can contact Maryann at College 101. See the information below, and read about Ms. Butkevich's positive impact on the local Three Village School District in this Three Village Patch article.

AP and Regents Review Classes in Suffolk County

Are SAT Review Classes Worth the Cost?

It's easy to get carried away with SAT test preparation, and it's not unusual for a typical family to spend over $1000 per child on SAT review. So, is it worth it? In other words, do costly tutors, review books, and review classes result in better test scores and, thus, admission into elite colleges? This question is difficult to answer.

The best research indicates that "test preparation efforts yield a positive but small effect on standardized admission test scores," according to a report released in 2009 by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. In fact, although many of the best-known test prep companies (e.g., Kaplan, Princeton Review, and Sylvan Learning) claim to increase test scores by over 100 points, the "average gains are more in the neighborhood of 30 points." 

The College Board, which creates the SAT exams, has conducted its own research, which shows that test preparation courses offer limited benefit. In fact, Laurence Bunin, senior vice president for the College Board, "recommends free and low-cost College Board Materials, including a $22 study guide," according to the Wall Street Journal. 

Moreover, SAT prep companies like Kaplan and Princetown Review reap billions of dollars in profits annually, while charging students thousands of dollars to enroll in their comprehensive review courses. This may put students from lower-income families at a disadvantage. According to a Washington Post survey, students who come from families earning over $200,000 a year have an average SAT score of 1714, while students whose families make less than $20,000 a year have an average score of 1326.

Unfortunately, these figures sometimes force families to spend beyond their means in hope of sending their kids to better colleges, and the results can be disheartening. According to long-time SAT tutor Allison Kade, expensive SAT tutoring and review courses aren't for everyone. She says, "you may not need to fork over tons of cash for test prep if: 1) Your kid is extremely self-motivated, already understands all the core concepts and has been successful with self-study for other standardized tests like AP exams or the PSAT; 2) Your kid doesn’t care, won’t put in the work and will potentially be a distraction to the rest of the kids taking the test." On the other hand, she writes, you may want to spend a few bucks if "your kid cares about her score, but may not be self-motivated enough to do the studying on her own; your teen is a nervous test-taker...; or your child is struggling with core concepts and would benefit from extra help."

But there is an alternative to the expensive tutors and review courses. Long Island Regents Prep, a teacher-owned and -operated company, offers one-day SAT Crash Courses the weekend before each SAT Reasoning Test. These courses, held at Farmingdale State College, offer students confidence, skills, knowledge, and strategies they need to excel on their SATs, all at a fraction of the cost of tutors and other courses. For more information and to register for upcoming classes, visit www.liregentsprep.com.

Take practice Regents Exams online, for free!

As the end of the school year approaches, you might want to start studying for your final exams and taking some practice Regents tests.  Fortunately, you don't have to go out and buy review books to prepare.  There are plenty of practice questions online, in all subjects, and they're free!

To access every New York State Regents Exam that's ever been given (they go back to the 1930s), check out the NYS Education Department website.  There you can find exams, answers, and scoring rubrics, so you'll know exactly how the tests are graded in June.

If you're interested in studying course content and practicing Regents questions, then check out http://regentsprep.org, which is run by the Oswego City School District.  This is a wonderful, nonprofit service that offers help in every subject.

We hope that you find these sites helpful.  Good luck as you prepare for the end of the school year!

The June Regents Exam schedule is available (finally!)

Well, it's been a while since our last post, but we've all been waiting anxiously for the final version of the June 2011 Regents Exam Schedule, which you can access here.

The release of the exam schedule has allowed us to finalize our 2011 Regents Review classes.  The courses, which are listed below, will be offered at Farmingdale State College on June 12th and June 18th.  You may register for classes at any time by visiting http://www.liregentsprep.com/register_now.php.

June 12
Global History and Geography
United States History and Government
Comprehensive English
Geometry
Integrated Algebra
Algebra 2/Trigonometry
Physics
Earth Science
Chemistry
Living Environment

June 18
Spanish
Geometry
Algebra 2/Trigonometry
Chemistry
Living Environment

Charging schools for Regents Exams?

Due to the current budget crisis in New York State, the legislature may decide to charge schools for each Regents exam that they administer. The cost to school districts would be approximately $6 per student. While there are no plans to charge students directly, the districts could conceivably pass the expenses to taxpayers. Watch the video below, or check out related articles in Newsday and the Daily News.

A new blog for a new year

Well, we've decided to enter the blogosphere and leave an even bigger digital footprint on the Internet.  In addition to maintaining our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube pages, we will update our blog periodically with relevant news articles, practice Regents questions, helpful test-taking tips, and information about the Regents exams.

The January Regents dates are just around the corner, with the Comprehensive English exam coming early this year, on January 11.  The rest of the exams will be administered January 25 through January 28.  For a complete examination schedule, visit the January 2011 Examination Schedule.

If you're looking ahead, the June 2011 schedule is Wednesday, June 15, through Friday, June 24.  Although the specific tests are not listed yet, you can find the schedule here.

For more updates, click "Follow" on the right side of the screen and check back often.

In the meantime, visit our other web presences:

http://www.liregentsprep.com

http://www.facebook.com/longislandregentsprep

http://www.linkedin.com/company/long-island-regents-prep

http://twitter.com/RegentsPrep

http://www.youtube.com/user/LIRegentsPrep