Sunday, June 28, 2020

Appendix Whats a Good Subject Test Score

The Whats a Good Subject Test Score post deals with the relationship between old SAT scores and Subject Test scores. Most students now take the new PSAT, new SAT, or the ACT. In order to work backward to old SAT scores, a concordance table must be used. The concordance table below allows students to take their ACT or new SAT scores (new PSAT and new SAT scores are interchangeable) and find the comparable old SAT score. In most cases, this translation makes only a small difference (1040 points). The principle that the pool of test takers is a good predictor of Subject Test scores still holds true. The ACT concordance table shows that an ACT Composite of 30 is comparable to an average old SAT section score of about 660 (total score of 1990). Based on the relationship observed between Subject Test scores and old SAT scores, we can expect that students scoring an ACT Composite of 30 will have a mean U.S. History score of approximately 650680. This does not predict the score for an individual student, but it does provide a way of comparing Subject Test scores or assessing where a student stands versus comparable ACT scorers. The concordance table shows that a total new SAT score of 1360 is comparable to an average old SAT section score of 640 (total score of 1920). Based on the relationship observed, we can expect that students with a 1360 new SAT score will have a mean U.S. History score of approximately 630650. This does not predict the score for an individual student, but it does provide a way of comparing Subject Test scores or assessing where a student stands versus comparable new SAT scorers. Evidence of the relationship between SAT scores and Subject Test scores The table below shows the mean old SAT scores (the only scores College Board has released to date) earned by the students taking a particular Subject Test. The data shows that there is a roughly linear relationship between average old SAT score and mean Subject Test score. An obvious outlier is World History, where Subject Test results lag SAT scores. Subject Test and SAT Means (2015) Subject TestSubject Test MeanSAT CRSAT MAverage CR and M Literature618639623631 U.S. History645642647645 World History618650655653 Math Level 1619577628603 Math Level 2690629693661 Biology-E625612642627 Biology-M652621661641 Chemistry666630695663 Physics667609701655 In order to show that the linear relationship holds for pools of students with varying scores, the changes in scores between 2010 and 2015 were calculated and plotted. Over that period, the pool of test takers shrank, and the mean SAT scores and mean Subject Test scores increased in an expected pattern. Once more, World History is an outlier. Subject Test and SAT Mean Changes (2010-2015) Subject TestSubject Test Mean ChgSAT CR ChgSAT M ChgAverage CR and M Chg Literature38413639 U.S. History44373838 World History13283230 Math Level 114-51010 Math Level 241293535 Biology-E24142520 Biology-M143128 Chemistry22151917 Physics9-252 Old SAT scoresor new SAT or ACT scores that have been concordedprovide a rule of thumb for estimating  Subject Test scores for a group of students. This comparison  is important because the population of students taking the tests varies widely.

Monday, June 1, 2020

How to Succeed in Academic Writing

How to Succeed in Academic Writing In the olden days when hand-written assignments were the norm, students with good handwriting earned more marks. Back then, instructors made it clear that good handwriting would increase the points you scored on a given paper. Today, hand-written tasks have gradually been replaced by typed assignments. Still, there are specific attributes instructors seek when they are marking academic assignments. Normally, the heads of college departments will dedicate a day or two to orientate new students. In such forums, students will be informed of key points that guarantee success in academic writing. Similarly, a lecturer will attach clear rubrics at the end of each assignment question. In this section, the student will be reminded of the main aspects that the marker will want to see in the final essay. A student is assured of passing an assignment is he/she satisfies the marker in adherence to the stated points. One of the things that help a student to succeed in any academic writing is precision. By this, it is meant that the final paper presented to the marker must fully address the task specified in the assignment. To ensure this, the student must read and comprehend the question before starting to write. Alternatively, he/she could occasionally revisit the question to check for any possible deviation. Secondly, the paper should be broad enough to cover the subject that is provided. This is achieved when the student identifies major keys to the task. Closely related to the element of breadth is depth. Unless there are explicit instructions to â€Å"mention† or â€Å"list†, the student should always provide an in-depth analysis of a given research topic. In academic writing, depth is accomplished through an inclusion of background readings and relevant but recent resources. A mistake commonly made by students when writing an academic paper is to reiterate the thoughts or opinions of other authors. Discussing a concept is different from conducting a literature review. In the former, which is what academic writing is about, it is vital to link the contentions of other authors with your own thoughts. This is where the notion of critical thinking comes in. The student must evaluate whether the background readings offer a logical position concerning the subject. When addressing an academic paper, factors that boost critical thinking are relevance and precision of other people’s ideas. A precise, broad, deep, and critically thought-out paper guarantees high quality content, but this is not enough. The instructor will want to see clarity in the writing. Thus, you must take care to articulate all the concepts properly. Though quotations are helpful, it is detrimental to use too many of them, because this negates the impression of originality and creativity. Again, you have to organize your paper well using headings as appropriate. Avoid using technical words to alleviate ambiguity. Things such as spelling and grammar must also be checked. Last, in-text citations together with a bibliography must be presented in the right format. Our academic writing service can provide you with a superior-quality custom essay, research paper, thesis or dissertation on any topic. All you need is to contact us now!