Tft2 Task 4 - 1387 Words

TFT2 Task 4 As the chief information security officer for VL Bank, we were notified by several of our commercial customers of unauthorized wire transfers in an amount greater than $290,000. This is very concerning since we take pride in our information security. As soon as we were notified of the fraudulent transactions my security team, along with the network engineers, performed a thorough investigation of how such attack had occurred. Once we were able to view all logs and audit data it came to our attention that the data did not appear to be stolen from our network. All transactions performed were done so with the appropriate credentials. Once we determined that the data breach did not occur on our network we worked with the†¦show more content†¦In this case since the fraudulent transactions were reported immediately the customer will only be responsible for $50. The phishing email itself is also violating a law. This would fall under Title 18 Crimes and Criminal procedu re, part 1, chapter 4,  § 1028: Fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents, authentication features, and information†. While there has been attempts in the past to introduce and pass laws that specifically apply to phishing attempts none of these laws have made it on the books. Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act is a federal law established in 1998 that protects people from identity theft. Prior to this date there were not any specific laws to address this issue. The definition on the Federal Trade Commission’s website reads. â€Å"knowingly transfers or uses, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of Federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable State or local law;† Since this crime extends outside of the state of Georgia and furthermore outside of the country, it is considered a federal crime and we will be working with the FBI to resolve the information. In the past, collecting digital evidence law enforcement was naà ¯ve, they would grab and go. This was later deemed not toShow MoreRelatedTft2 Task 44005 Words   |  17 PagesTFT2 Cyber Law Task 4 Jordan Dombrowski Western Governors University Situation Report It has come to my attention from the security analysts of VL Bank and victims that commercial customers of VL Bank have been involved in identity theft and fraud. Multiple user accounts were created without authorization claiming the identity of our customers. These fake accounts were used to make twenty-nine transfers of $10,000 each, equaling $290,000. The bank transfers were being sent to several U.SRead MoreTft2 Task3 Essay1348 Words   |  6 PagesTFT2 Task 2 Thomas Garner Student ID: 336227 Information Security Modification Recommendations Service Level Agreement Between Finman Account Management, LLC, Datanal Inc., and Minertek, Inc. After careful review of the current Service Level Agreement(SLA) â€Å"A Service Level Agreement for Provvision of Specified IT Services Between Finman Account Management, LLC, Datanal, Inc., and Minertek, Inc.† we have determined that standard Information Technology security measures have not been

Management History - 2328 Words

Management History Modern managers use many of the practices, principles, and techniques developed from earlier concepts and experiences. The Industrial Revolution brought about the emergence of large-scale business and its need for professional managers. Early military and church organizations provided the leadership models. In 1975, Raymond E. Miles wrote Theories of Management: Implications for Organizational Behavior and Development published by McGraw Hill Text. In it, he popularized a useful model of the evolution of management theory in the United States. His model includes classical, human relations, and human resources management. Classical School The Classical school of thought began around 1900 and continued into the†¦show more content†¦This enabled the manager to break down a job into its component parts and streamline the process. His wife, Lillian Gilbreth, was a psychologist and author of The Psychology of Work. In 1911 Frank Gilbreth wrote Motion Study and in 1919 the couple wrote Applied Motion Study. Frank and Lillian had 12 children. Two of their children, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Careyone, wrote their story, Cheaper by the Dozen. One of Frank Gilbreth s first studies concerned bricklaying. (He had worked as an apprentice bricklayer.) He designed and patented special scaffolding to reduce the bending and reaching which increased output over 100 per cent. However, unions resisted his improvements, and most workers persisted in using the old, fatiguing methods. The Gilbreths believed that there was one best way to perform an operation. However, this one best way could be replaced when a better way was discovered. The Gilbreths defined motion study as dividing work into the most fundamental elements possible, studying those elements separately and in relation to one another; and from these studied elements, when timed, building methods of least waste. 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Marketing Management for The Nestle Global †Free Sample

Question: Discuss about the Marketing Management for The Nestle Global. Answer: Introduction (Source: NESTLE LANKA, 2015) The Nestle Global was established in the year 1866 and later on in the year 1906 it has grounded one of its subsidiaries in Sri Lanka. It is recognized as one of the market leaders in the Sri Lankas beverage and food industry. As per the companys tagline Good Food Good Life, it is facilitating customers across the world as well as in Sri Lanka. Presently in the Sri Lankan market, the company is keeping its entire focus over few major components such as achieving sustainability, maintaining health and wellness of the customers, cultural values, and values of people as well as on achieving competitive benefit through effective development and research to reach the untapped regions and for developing Nestle effectively stabilize and strategize its market position (Nestle, 2012). The vision and aim of the organization is to get recognized as the key leader in the beverages and food industry through offering the wellness, health and nutritional products to the customers as well as by achi eving the trust of the stakeholders. In last few years the company has positioned itself as a differentiated organization from the competitors as the company always offers the nutritional, safe and supreme quality food products and that has became its USP. And thus Nestle is regarded as the behemoth in the industry of beverages and food worldwide (NESTL LANKA PLC, 2015). STP Analysis Segmentation, Targeting and positioning The products of Nestle Lanka are mainly segmented on the basis of the behavioral and demographic aspects. In the demographic segmentation there are two products which are highly recognized i.e. Milo and Nestomalt. Nestomalt is considered as an energy drink which is mainly for the feeble and the aged people as well also for the common people as a healthy beverage while Milo is identified as an energy booster that is majorly famous to be used by the sportsperson. There is another product named Nespray mil powder which is segmented for the various age groups for example for the kids who are under age group 3. There are varied flavors of Nestle Maggi noodles which are made available to the customers just to satisfy all type of customers and their taste buds (Ranaweera, 2015). There are available in vegetables, meat, spicy etc. so that people can have as per their preferences. The market targeting is varied for all these products as the market targeting is completely based on the various substitutes which are present in the market as well as on the industrial rivalry. For instance, Nescafe incorporates a market strategy which is undifferentiated where the product which is marketed is common for all the customers. Milo, Nestomalt and Nespray have a different market strategy whereas Baby Me, Lactogrow and Nangrow have their emphasis over a highly concentrated niche market. As the people of Sri Lanka are more familiar to take use of the homemade food products for the children and so with great buyer power the segment of infant nutrition is recognized as a niche market. Whereas the segment of breakfast cereals is facing a tough competition from its opponent Kelloggs as the products of Kelloggs are highly recognized and thus Nestle do not capture a large share in its target market. While on the other hand, in the segment of condensed milk, milkmaid is identified as the market leader and has captured a very significant percentage of the market share (NESTLE LANKA, 2015). Because of the increased sugar and high calories, the customers are making a distance towards buying these products but the market does not have any robust substitute and thus it is strongly ruling the target market. Milo and Nestomalt holds a competitive positioning in the industry as the price and the availability of these goods are considered as very much customer friendly in comparison with the other products. There was increased number of customers were attracted by the ready to drink bottled packs of the products like Milo, Nescafe and Nestomalt because of the present weather conditions. From the various past versions of the products the company has developed a strong mindset for the brand to provide innovative things to the customers (IUF, n.d). But again there was one issue regarding the durability of those packed drinks but Nestle has developed tetra packing which was beneficial in keeping the drinks safe for longer time frame with no concern with the change in the weather conditions. But there are still present numerous grocery stores in Sri Lanka which no dot have a refrigerator and thus there is a need that Nestle must keep a high concentration to market the products in these areas by managing and increasing the freshness and durability of its products in spite of the scorching and burning weather conditions (DAILY MIRROR, 2016). (Source: NESTLE LANKA, 2015) Recommendation to incorporate change to enhance the market share For improving the market share, the first step in the developing approaches should be the understanding of the companys capabilities and the resources. There are four major elements on which the competitive positioning of the Nestle products is depended i.e. companys financial stability, reputation, technology and human resources. The people of Sri Lanka are very much pricing sensitive because of the culture and the economy in which they have been residing (SENEWIRATNE, 2016). By considering this aspect, the segmentation of the Maggi noodles can be provided an innovative and new approach by developing an introductory characteristic or element in the packaging. Because of the variations brought up in the packaging of noodles there will be drawn attention of the customers because of the convenience and there will be increased sales of the noodles in the market. As well as the consumers are now approaching for those products which are healthy and safe for their health and fitness thus t he company should develop more and more healthy and nutritious products to facilitate the youth and the health conscious customers. There is a need that the brand image and reputation which is owned by the major food and beverages companies must be protected among the customer base (Nestle, 2000). By introducing several bottled and packed drinks it is essential to maintain the durability and freshness of those drinks irrespective of the weather and the environmental conditions. There is a requirement that the shops lor the grocery stores which sell these type of products of Nestle must have a storing capacity or refrigerator so that the freshness doesnt get impacted but if it is not affordable for the shopkeepers then in that case nestle must provide a small refrigerator to those grocery shops so that they can keep those products. These can be returnable in nature or can be kept with the sellers if they have covered a curtained budget off sales of Nestle products. It will safeguard the goodness and quality of the products and the freshness will be delivered to the consumers as the company wants as swell as there will be the loyalty will be retained among the suppliers and the customers (Nestle Annual Report, 2011). The effect of Environmental Influence and the Buying Behavior Competition The dairy products are one of the Nestls key product segments. The domestic customers are very much concerned regarding the nutritional value of the products as well as the dairy industry is highly competitive in nature. In the portfolios of the opponents they have a similar range of products. There are products like Anchor Plus and Anchor PediaPro which gives a robust competition to the Nestle products in the milk powder industry such as Nangrow range, Nespray 3 Plus and Nespray 1 Plus directly. For achieving the competitive benefit, the manufacturers are forced to deliver more customized and enhanced product range in the market. Whereas milkmaid stand as market leader because of the absence of substitutes or the rival products in its category. Presently there are chances that few imported and local condensed milk products but because of the strong brand recognition the impact over the market share of Nestle will be very squat (Clifford, 2012). Emerging Trends There has been an up surged internet penetration because of the developed and improved technological infrastructure. For facilitating the youths, the organizations are more and more trying to adopt online marketing techniques and social media campaigns for the promotion. As well there are huge investments made in the development t and research sector so that the different needs of the consumers can be met by offering them with the improved products. One such product is drinking yoghurt which is highly consumed by the people of Sri Lanka but still Nestle havent introduced this product in its portfolio. On the other hand, the competitors such as Ambewela, CIC and Cargills have introduced varieties of drinking yoghurts in their respective portfolios. Because of the extreme weather conditions people are attracting towards these kinds of products. The positive implications of such healthy drinks have made them popular among different age groups of customers. As well as the price is also v ery much consumer friendly which makes them more facilitating to buy (Steel, 2010). PESTEL Factors There are various other factors other than the mentioned above such as legal, technological, economical, political, social and environmental. In the buying behavior of the customers there has been analyzed a fluctuation because of the political influences. The prices of the commodities are increasing day by day as the government has imposed several new tax rates on the services and goods. Additionally, the economic stability of the country has also been impacted because of the various policies introduced by the Sri Lankan government (Kelly, et al., 2015). For the first time in the history of Sri Lanka, during March end of the year 2016, the US Dollar exchange rate was enhanced up to 150 Sri Lankan Rupees and depreciated the value of the Rupee in the international market. Seen from the social aspect it is identified that the individuals who reside in the rural regions and the suburbs they possess different cultures and lifestyle. Therefore the geographical segmentation is one of the m ajor aspects for improving the life styles of the consumers as well as matching their needs and requirements (Ibrahim, et al.,1999). Recommendations for meeting the variations in the buying behavior of the consumers Before offering the products to the customers or implementing the strategies there is a need that the companies must perceive and analyze the consumers buying behavior model. The people are very much pricing sensitive because of the present cost of living prevailing in the nation and thus there is a need that Nestle must offer the products at lower prices so that there can be implementation of the low cost differentiation strategy and can gather increased consumer market. At the time of price deriving, the company should have a concern regarding the price competitiveness prevailing in the market. The products which are ready to drink are leading the market but the company must develop contingency plans and strategies as the people living in the suburbs are more conscious regarding the nutritional level of these packed drinks. There are opportunities for the Nestle to introduce some new and fresh flavor of yoghurt so that it can capture that segment also with its strong brand recognit ion and blissful flavors. In the rural areas the people are more concerned regarding the prices of the products in comparison with the nutritional value of those products (Alhawsawi, n.d.). Thus the company must consider revising its prices to increase its sales. Therefore the people can be facilitated by small packs and lesser prices as it will be friendly to their pockets. Because of the increased depreciation of the rupee value there will be a hard time for the imported products to get retained in the domestic market. The company can have a competitive benefit by offering the products which are new to the consumers and were never introduced before in the domestic market of Sri Lanka. For example, Soya milk is one of such products which can be introduced in the market. There are various soya products which the consumers are preferring to buy because of the higher nutritional values but these products are imported and thus the prices are too high and this generally give a buying po wer to the higher class customers only. Nestle must offer these soya products on a lower cost so that it can have an expanded customer base in this segment. This initiative of Nestle can give a competition to the foreign products too (Geissel, 2012). Product Life Cycle Analysis Life Cycle of the Products and the Recommended Innovations There are several products of Nestle which covers under the companys portfolio and they all are at different stages in the life cycles of the product. It is not necessary that every product will experience each and every stage of the life cycle but it can be possible that in the portfolio the product can be established at different stages wherever possible (PORTER, 1998). In the product mix of Nestle there is one new product named. Nestle Sjora which is made by combining milk and fruit and is very much based according to the hot weather seasons. There is another product named CoolPro which has been introduced with it as the beverage provision solution. It helps in automatic identification of the portion size where it can be used by the minimum staff at the various food outlets (Khan, et al., 2013). There is a need to introduce and promote this product effectively because it is at its introduction stage thus strong promotional campaigns are required to advertize this product. There is a need to inform the suppliers about the various benefits associated with the products so that they can influence the customers to purchase it. The pricing of this product will matter a lot as it will decide the future market share of the product (Shocker, Srivastava and Ruekert, 1994). In the Sri Lankan market, there are products which are recognized as the stars of the product mix of Nestle such as the drinking packages Milo, Nestomalt and Nescafe. As per the Ansoff matrix, these products capture a huge growth and market share. Therefore the more investments on these products will lead to the entrance in the maturity stage of life cycle of these products (HANLON, 2013). As per the discussion in the segmentation, targeting and positioning part, it is analyzed that the suppliers are striving hard for safeguarding the freshness and durability of the packed drinks in the extreme weather conditions. By taking use of CoolPro for such drinks with the involvement of the innovative product named, Nestle Sjora, the suppliers will be confident in introducing the new beverage similar to those products which have already won the trust of the customers. It will help Nestle to compete the products like drinking yoghurt as discussed in the emerging trends. Thus as an outcome the both categories of the product will help in moving the products towards their next subsequent stage in the life cycle of the products (FME, 2013). The product milkmaid is providing huge returns to the subsidy of Nestle operating in Sri Lankan market and now it is presently in its maturity stage. It is significant for the company to rebrand milkmaid otherwise it will reach to its declining stage. Therefore it is important that the product that is in maturity stage must be provided a new brand image so that the consumers can have a fresh look over that product and keep on buying that for years to come. As discussed in the competition part, there should be a significant consideration by the company over the health issues related to the high sugar levels found in the drinks. The company can promote these products at the time of the festival seasons of Sri Lanka where there is a demand for this for the preparation of the desserts and sweets. The company can also contribute by providing various tips and recipes which can be used while taking use of milkmaid. There is one more product which is at its maturity age i.e. Maggi Noodles. By introducing the various packaging sizes it has already won the hearts of the customers as mentioned in the recommendations provided to incorporate change for increasing the market share. The company has also added various flavors, minerals and vitamins in the noodles for satisfying the needs and requirements of all the customer groups. And this strategy will surely increase the life cycle of the product and help to sustain in the market for a longer time frame (Johnston, 1997). In the Sri Lankan market of Nestle, the Nespray milk powder is one such product which is at its declining stage of product life cycle. Majorly in the suburbs regions, the competitors have introduced the liquid milk and UHT and thuds it decreases the demand for the milk powder. Thus for increasing the life cycle of Nespray milk powder it is important to introduce the liquid milk. And the company should reduced the packet size of milk ponder so that it can be delivered in the rural areas where there are still inefficient facilities to store liquid milk. This strategy will benefit the company in building loyalty and trust among the targeted customer groups (Monson, 1991). There is another product of Nestle which is at the declining stage i.e. Maggi coconut milk powder as it has been very less consumed by the customers because of the processed form. At the time of preparation of meals in Sri Lanka most probably every household takes use of the coconut milk. Therefore it is better for the company to re-launch the product in the form of liquid coconut milk in the canned or tinned pack. It will help in saving a lot of time of the people which they exercise in scraping coconut and extracting milk from that. Thus bit will be a better strategy to offer tinned or canned coconut milk in the Sri Lankan market (Bordenave, 2012). Digital Marketing Plan Present Market Strategy There is very much dependency over the mass media advertising of the product s of Nestle in Sri Lanka. There is robust competition in the advertising industry. The usual practice adopted is taking sue of a television or sports personality in the advertisements. But the youth is not facilitated by these advertisements as they spent less time in reading newspapers and watching television. With change in time people adopt products which are good and beneficial for them instead of getting influenced by the famous personalities. The other concern is health as in present time consumers prefer products which are healthy for them instead of the processed food products. Most of the supermarket chain facilitates consumers by offering buy one get one free offer or other discounted offers but in todays time the people are not attracted by these offers except when they actually need that product. But in Sri Lanka where there is increased price sensitivity, people still get influenced by these off ers. The older age group is one of the targeted customer bases of Nestle for the activities related to the post-sales marketing. The scratch cards or the gift vouchers do not attract the youth and thus the company must change its marketing strategies (NESTL LANKA PLC, 2011). Projected Digital Marketing Plan While introducing any strategy there is a need to comprehend the mindset of the customers. To be inventive e there is a need to consider all the age groups as well as enhance the awareness regarding the nutritional value of the products such as Nestomalt and Milo. The emphasis of Milo can be on the school children by making them understand the importance of having breakfast. Similarly for middle age a cup of Nestomalt will be a good option to keep them healthy and fit. All these activities must include a digital component for attracting increased number of customers. The youth who spend large amount of time on mobiles amid internet are the perspective buyers of online selling. Hence it is significant for Nestle to sell its products through e-commerce (Salleh, n.d.). As well as there should be an initiative to offer and suggest products whiles the customers are going through the site. For extending the product life cycle of milkmaid, the company should increase its online presence by creating a page or website where there has been take use of milkmaid while preparing dishes or by the chefs in developing innovative dishes as well as through blogs and several recipes. There can also be an online competition where housewives can participate by introducing their dishes by taking use of milkmaid and winning prizes for the most innovative dishes. There can be in-house promotional activities if the supermarkets introduce various fun activities and games sponsored by milkmaid (Oberholster, 2007). To involve youngsters there can be posting of pictures and comments on the social media of the participants of those activities. There can be also a campaign where customers can post there selfies while buying the Nestle products. It will increase the engagement of the youth in the buying of the Nestle products. There can be use of the QR codes that is the Quick Response codes. It will help in sharing the information in one click to the customers (Matzler, et al., 2013). Another way to attract the consumers is to have a recognized presence over the various search engines so that customers can have a look over the pages and blogs of Nestle as compared to its competitors. It will help in retaining the present customers and also aid improving promotions and products as per the needs of the customer groups (Kemper, 2001). Expected Outcomes The recommendations provides above regarding the marketing plan, enhancements and products will help Nestle to achieve its organizational objectives in the upcoming years. By emphasizing more concentration on the rural regions the company can have a significant increase of 10 percent in its sales by the end of the year 2016. It can be an impact of the up increased sales of Nescafe, Milo and Nestomalt (Nestle, 2015). There is also expected a significant increase in the sales of milkmaid and magi noodles because of the initiatives adopted by the company. If we analyze from the qualitative point of view it will be realized that there will be an increase in the product life cycle of milkmaid and Maggi because of the several tactics and innovative product enhancement strategies incorporated by the company. There can also be identified an increase in the brand loyalty and equity in this year and majorly in the youth who take use of social media robustly. There can be up surged sales becaus e of the effective digital promotions. There are opportunities in the segment of soya products and yoghurt products. There are possibilities that Nestle would capture the competitors market by introducing drinking yoghurt and other dairy products such as coconut milk. There are predictions that Nestle can experience a significant revenue generation and increased customer base by the year 2018 with its several innovative strategies and improved products (Nestl Global, 2010). References Alhawsawi, R., Marketing Mix in FMCGs leading Companies: Four Ps Analysis. Bordenave, R., 2012, January. Blind spots in the early testing of Consumer Packaged Goods innovation. InISPIM Conference Proceedings(p. 1). The International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM). Cherry, K., 2011. Nestl. Strategic marketing management. Clifford, M.N. ed., 2012.Coffee: botany, biochemistry and production of beans and beverage. Springer Science Business Media. DAILY MIRROR, 2016. Nestl launches Sri Lankas first smart cool beverage solution. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.dailymirror.lk/107366/Nestle-launches-%20Sri-Lanka-s-first-smart-cool-beverage-solution%20 FME, 2013. Porters Five Forces Strategy Skills [online]. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.free-management-ebooks.com/dldebk-pdf/fme-five-forces-framework.pdf Geissel, S., 2012.Creating Breakthrough Innovations at Consumer Packaged Goods Companies. Lulu. com. HANLON, A., 2013. Using the Ansoff Matrix to identify growth opportunities [online]. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.smartinsights.com/marketing-planning/create-a-marketing-plan/ansoff-model/ Ibrahim, M.N.M., Staal, S.J., Daniel, S.L.A. and Thorpe, W., 1999. Appraisal of the Sri Lanka Dairy Sector volume 2: Main report. IUF, n.d. IUF Dairy Division. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.iuf.org/sites/cms.iuf.org/files/NESTLE%20.pdf Johnston, A.G., 1997, December. What do forward looking companies consider in their plans and developments?. InNext Generation IT in Manufacturing (Digest No: 1997/315), IEE Colloquium on(pp. 4-1). IET. Kelly, B., Vandevijvere, S., Freeman, B. and Jenkin, G., 2015. New media but same old tricks: food marketing to children in the digital age.Current obesity reports,4(1), pp.37-45. Kemper, S., 2001.Buying and believing: Sri Lankan advertising and consumers in a transnational world. University of Chicago Press. Khan, R.S., Grigor, J., Winger, R. and Win, A., 2013. Functional food product developmentOpportunities and challenges for food manufacturers.Trends in food science technology,30(1), pp.27-37. Matzler, K., Bailom, F., Friedrich von den Eichen, S. and Kohler, T., 2013. Business model innovation: coffee triumphs for Nespresso.Journal of Business Strategy,34(2), pp.30-37. Monson, V., 1991. The Story of Nescafe.Nutrition Food Science,91(1), pp.8-9. Nestle Annual Report, 2011. The Worlds leading Nutrition, Health and Wellness Company. Pp.53. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.nestle.com/asset-library/Documents/Library/Documents/Annual_Reports/2011-Annual-Report-EN.pdf Nestl Global, 2010. Corporate Business Principles [online]. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.nestle.com/asset-%20library/documents/library/documents/corporate_governance/corporate-business-principles-en.pdf NESTL LANKA PLC, 2011. Nestl Road Map Annual Report 2011 [online]. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.nestle.com/asset-library/Documents/About_Us/Nestle_Roadmap.pdf NESTL LANKA PLC, 2013. Annual Report 2013 [online]. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.nestle.lk/asset-library/documents/annual-reports/nestle-annual-report-2013.pdf NESTL LANKA PLC, 2015. Annual Report 2015 [online]. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.nestle.lk/asset-library/documents/annual-reports/nestle-annual-report-2014.pdf NESTLE LANKA, 2015. Nestle Lanka Products [online]. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.nestle.lk/asset-library/PublishingImages/news/nutrition/tastire-article.jpg NESTLE LANKA, 2015. Nestle Logo [online]. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.nestle.lk/asset-%20library/PublishingImages/About%20us/nestle-logo.jpg Nestle, 2000. Products and brands. Pp.36. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://bib.kuleuven.be/files/ebib/jaarverslagen/Nestle_2000(2).pdf Nestle, 2012. Nestl in society. Pp.304. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.nestle.com/asset-library/documents/library/documents/corporate_social_responsibility/nestle-csv-full-report-2012-en.pdf Nestle, 2015. Nestl Lanka PLC Annual Report 2015. Pp.128. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.nestle.lk/asset-library/documents/annual-reports/nestle-annual-report-2015.pdf Oberholster, T., 2007. Green energy.Journal of Marketing, pp.10-11. PORTER, M. E., 1998. Competitive Strategy Techniques for analysing industries and competitors with a new introduction. New York: The Free Press. Ranaweera, N.F.C. 2015. Sri Lanka: Opportunities for dairy sector growth. Pp.87. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/011/i0588e/i0588e01.pdf Salleh, A.M., Posts Tagged Nestl Kit Kat. SENEWIRATNE, H. H., 2016. Sri Lanka Rupee weakening steadily; Economic reforms urgently needed. The Island [online]. Accessed on: 9th October, 2016. Accessed from: https://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=home Shocker, A.D., Srivastava, R.K. and Ruekert, R.W., 1994. Challenges and opportunities facing brand management: An introduction to the special issue.Journal of marketing research,31(2), pp.149-158. Steel, E., 2010. Nestl takes a beating on social-media sites.The Wall Street Journal,29.

Term limits Essay Example For Students

Term limits Essay Franklin Roosevelt was not wrong to violate the no third term tradition. The no third term tradition was set as a standard when Washington was in office. After Washington refused to run a third time, there were many other presidents who followed his lead. There should be no other president to lead the country at a time of strife, than the president that was in the office at that time. There was no written law that stated that a president could not run for a third term.The no third term policy was just a precedent waiting to be broken. We will write a custom essay on Term limits specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Informal amendments arent written in stone, therefore, people have the right to ignore them. The decision of President Washington to refuse a third term as President of the United States started a precedent that persisted stubbornly until 1940 (Permet 1). Washington felt that even one term was a lot, however, he was pressured by everyone to finish his second term. He could have run again, but he was getting old, and his health and spirit were diminished. Washington was no longer able to tolerate the quarrelsomeness of the factions within the government (Tugwell 45). Jefferson thought the third term was evil. He and many other men during his era had seen too much of the absolute monarchy in Europe, and they feared that under the US Constitution, a Chief Executive could be elected from four years to four years until it became a life term (Permet 4). Jefferson was asked, and many of his closest advisers nominated him for a third term. He declined the offer. Most people believed that he declined because he was losing support in the government and public due to failure in foreign policy. Now that a second president turned down the third term nomination, it was an unwritten law, and no one would even think of breaking the tradition. The next president who turned down the third term nomination was Jackson. Grant and Teddy Roosevelt followed him. They all had the same things in common. They were either burnt out, their policies didnt fly with the opposition, or they just couldnt cut it anymore as a president. Calvin Coolidge was nominated for a third term, but Herbert Hoover got the overall nomination. Coolidge didnt receive the final nomination due to fatigue.FDR made a gutsy move to run in the 1940 elections, moreover, it was a key move to get the US back on track. In 1940, Franklin Roosevelt was re-elected for a third term over Wendel Willkie. With much past opposition to the third term policy, FDR was a sure shoe in for the third term. Other than Wendel Willkie, it was very hard to imagine anyone else taking over the responsibilities at the time (Parmet 287).There was still much opposition to the third term policy, but at that time Roosevelt was the right person to lead the country. The war time emergency helped FDR win the election. Rexford G. Tugwell, FDRs good friend and advisor, said, There is never a convenient time to change horses in the middle of the stream (Tugwell 178). Willkie wasnt the right one to carry out the New Deal. Republicans loathed the New Deal, and Willkie would have destroyed the rebuilding of the countrys economy. Also Willkie surely wasnt going to get the U. S. out of WWII.FDR and Churchill provided the leadership that led to a great victory. The war in Europe was over, and the end of the pacific conflict was less than six months-away (Parmet 289). Also, Roosevelt basically saved the world from Hitler (Parmet 290).Mr. Willkie didnt have the experience compared to FDRs previous two other terms.Alexander Hamilton said in the Federalist Papers, in Paper number 72: It was essential for the Chief executive to have the feeling that he would be able to finish what he had begun lest to hesitate to undertake a project for the public benefit because, together with his own reputation, it might possible be committed to hands which might be unequal or unfriendly to the task. .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f , .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f .postImageUrl , .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f , .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f:hover , .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f:visited , .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f:active { border:0!important; } .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f:active , .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3677186db2e71c478d376147ae76268f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Language Usage in the Catcher in the Rye Essay (Parmet 2)I believe that it was morally right for FDR to sever the age old no third term tradition. There wasnt any law that barred him from running for his third term. Roosevelt was even backed by some of his old opponents. The big money men hated him when he came into office in the early 30s, but in 1940 the big corporations loved him, and backed him for all he was worth (Parmet 5). Also, democracy is based on the people and for the people. The people of the 1940s wanted FDR back in office. The only thing that might have kept him back were the supporters of the old no third term policy. Somebody was bound to break the verbal law. It was not written in stone, and the country needed someone to take them out from rock bottom. FDR felt that he needed to go back into office. He knew he could win. Other informal amendments are also not written in stone, and they too could be broken tastefully. The no third term policy was broken in taste. The country needed a president who could lead them in a time of need. The U.S. needed a man who could finish what he started and more. I believe that if the country would succeed without the informal amendments, and they should be abolished. However, if a single person or groups of people are going to deliberately break the verbal amendment for a negative reason, then the government should enforce it. It is all a judgement call when it comes to the demolition of informal precedents. Bibliography:

Free Essays on What Its Like To Be A Black Girl

An Explication: From transition to disappointment. An explanation in its purest form of â€Å"What it’s like to be a Black Girl (for those of you who aren’t)† by Patricia Smith, is just that, an explanation. From the first three syllables â€Å"First of all,† the author gives a sense of a story being told. She also uses irregular sentence structure and strong dynamic language to present the reader with the seriousness of her topic. Smiths poem gives the audience an insider’s view into a young black girl’s transition into black woman-hood at a time where both being a black girl and a black woman was not as welcomed. Puberty is usually defined by the biological changes a young boy or girls body undertakes around the age of 9 up until about 14. â€Å"It’s being 9 years old and feeling like you’re not finished,† writes Smith, â€Å"like your edges are wild, like there’s something, everything, wrong.† (Smith, 4) These thoughts have run around the minds of almost all puberty stricken youngsters. However, Smiths subject seems to also have the added pressures of a racially jagged society. This â€Å"black girl† she refers to in her poem is feeling the awkwardness of her newly changing body and the hope of something different and maybe better to come. The poem tells the story of a young black girl exploring and experiencing what it is to become a black woman in her changing social circle. â€Å"it’s dropping food coloring in your eyes to make them blue and suffering their burn in silence. It’s popping a bleached white mophead over the kinks of your hair and primping in front of the mirrors that deny your reflection.† (Smith, 9) The food coloring in her eyes, and the bleaching of her hair can only symbolize her need to grow into the more â€Å"accepted† form of society, the white skinned, blue eyed, blonde haired men and women of the 1960’s. Where for her, â€Å"it’s flame and fists and life according to Motown† (Smith, ... Free Essays on What Its Like To Be A Black Girl Free Essays on What Its Like To Be A Black Girl An Explication: From transition to disappointment. An explanation in its purest form of â€Å"What it’s like to be a Black Girl (for those of you who aren’t)† by Patricia Smith, is just that, an explanation. From the first three syllables â€Å"First of all,† the author gives a sense of a story being told. She also uses irregular sentence structure and strong dynamic language to present the reader with the seriousness of her topic. Smiths poem gives the audience an insider’s view into a young black girl’s transition into black woman-hood at a time where both being a black girl and a black woman was not as welcomed. Puberty is usually defined by the biological changes a young boy or girls body undertakes around the age of 9 up until about 14. â€Å"It’s being 9 years old and feeling like you’re not finished,† writes Smith, â€Å"like your edges are wild, like there’s something, everything, wrong.† (Smith, 4) These thoughts have run around the minds of almost all puberty stricken youngsters. However, Smiths subject seems to also have the added pressures of a racially jagged society. This â€Å"black girl† she refers to in her poem is feeling the awkwardness of her newly changing body and the hope of something different and maybe better to come. The poem tells the story of a young black girl exploring and experiencing what it is to become a black woman in her changing social circle. â€Å"it’s dropping food coloring in your eyes to make them blue and suffering their burn in silence. It’s popping a bleached white mophead over the kinks of your hair and primping in front of the mirrors that deny your reflection.† (Smith, 9) The food coloring in her eyes, and the bleaching of her hair can only symbolize her need to grow into the more â€Å"accepted† form of society, the white skinned, blue eyed, blonde haired men and women of the 1960’s. Where for her, â€Å"it’s flame and fists and life according to Motown† (Smith, ...

How to Get a Perfect 1600 SAT Score, by a 2400 Expert Full Scorer

How to Get a Perfect 1600 SAT Score, by a 2400 Expert Full Scorer SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Updated for the New 2016 SAT! The maximum score on the SATis a 1600. Out of the 1.7 million students who take the test every year, only about 300 get the highest possible SAT score. This elusive perfect score catapults you to the top of high school academic achievement and can be a big boost to your college applications. I scored perfect scores on the SAT. I actually scored two perfect scores- a 1600 in 2004 when I was in high school, and a 2400 in March 2014 when I took it ten years later. Most of the advice out there about how to get a perfect score come from people who didn't get perfect scores. In this exclusive article, I'll be breaking down exactly what it takes, and the ruthless techniques I used to get a perfect score. Quick Disclaimer Let me start with a few disclaimers. I'm a humble person, and I don't like talking about my accomplishments without good reason. I know a lot of you are looking to score the highest SAT score possible, so I've written this guide to help you get there. So whatever I say here, please take it as advice from a mentor eager to help, not as a braggart strutting his stuff. Also,a last note:I co-founded the company PrepScholar- we create online SAT/ACT prep programs that adapt to you and your strengths and weaknesses. I want to emphasize that you do NOT need to buy a full prep program to get a great score. If you follow the principles below and are very driven, you'll do just fine. I do believe, however, that PrepScholar is the best SAT program available right now, especially if you find it hard to organize your prep and don't know what to study. I'll refer to decisions we made in creating the program to flesh out principles I discuss below. What Perfect SAT Scores Look Like For full transparency, let me show you my personal score report. This is a screenshot from my College Board SAT Organizer: I took the two SATs 10 years apart. The 2004 test was in an old format of the SAT and was scored out of 1600. I took the new test in 2014 and scored a 2400. (Yes, I took the SAT as an adult. Besides getting funny looks from high school students, I wanted to go through the experience anew so I knew what my students at PrepScholar were going through.) So that you can see in bleeding detail how I got the 2400, I've attached my unofficial detailed score report from the College Board. You can see exactly how many questions I missed and read my essay (my handwriting could use some work). Using my score report as an example, let's examine what it takes to get a perfect SAT score. While this score report talks about the Old 2400 SAT, the principles are still the same. In the new SAT, there are still Reading, Math, and Writing sections, and you still need to do EXTREMELYwell on them to get a perfect score. What It Takes to Get a 1600on the SAT At the top end of the scoring range, the SAT is not forgiving. You need to aim for perfection. Specifically, here's what you need to do in each section: In Reading, you can only miss 1 or 2 questions. This depends on the curve for that test. It's best to aim for missing 0 or 1 question. In my test, I missed 1 reading passage question. In Math, you need to get every question correct. No question about it.The curve is unforgiving for Math. Miss 1 question and you won't get an 800 on this section. In Writing, you can sometimes miss 1 question at most.In some tests, you have to get a perfect Writing and Language score to have a shot at an 800. Essentially, you need to aim for perfection during your prep. If you're consistently missing one or more questions on each section, you're not performing consistently enough to be safe for a 1600. We'll go into more detail about this below. If you want to confirm my statements here, check out the College Board score charts for official SAT practice tests. One last question to answer before my actual advice: But Wait...Are You Just Smart? Will This Advice Work for Me? You may have heard about top scoring students who just rolled out of bed, strolled to the SAT test center, and scored the highest possible SAT score without any prep. This was not me. Some people like the above may in fact exist, but they're rare.In high school, I was naturally stronger at math- I participated in math and science competitions- and I could reliably get 800's on the math section. But my reading and writing needed work. When I started off, I consistently got in the 700 range. Now, this is already pretty high, but it wasn't enough for the top schools I was aiming for. I just wasn't that accustomed to the SAT reading passages and the types of questions they asked. It took a lot of hard work for me to learn how the SAT works, how it tries to trick students, and how to find a strategy that worked for myself so I could reliably get top scores.My co-founder at PrepScholarhad a similar story. Since I'm older, I also have the benefit of seeing whether my methods worked over time, or just on the SAT. Emphatically, the principles below have worked throughout my academic career. Here's another example. As an undergraduate in college, I planned to attend medical school, so I had to take the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test). In my view, this is a much harder test than the SAT. It covers many more topics: general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, biology, and verbal reasoning. Furthermore, you're competing with pre-med's across the nation, people who are naturally driven and competing to get into medical school, not just the average high school student. When I started studying for the MCAT, I scored around the low 30's. The test is scored out of 45, and it's curved very aggressively. Again, this was already well above average, but it wasn't enough for the top medical schools I was going for. So I worked hard. I put in the time, covered all the subjects I needed to know, and was ruthless about my prep. In the very end, I scored a 44: As the testing organization notes, this is in the 99.9 percentile rank, with 0.0% achieving this score (this figure is rounded). I had multiple medical advisers tell me that they had never seen a score this high before, and there might indeed be fewer than three people per year- or none at all- who get a 44.Scoring this high definitely helped me get into the MD-PhD program at Harvard Medical School and MIT. I wish I were talented enough to get these test scores naturally without hundreds of hours of hard work. That would be the cooler thing to say. But it wasn't true for me, and it probably won't be true for you either. With this foundation laid, here's the meat of what I want to say: What Do You Need to Do to Get a Perfect 1600 SAT Score? In broad strokes, it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of smart work, and some amount of luck. But you've heard this before so just this alone isn't helpful. Let's dig deeper. You have to want it. Really, really want it. You need the motivation to push yourself. You need to put SAT prep as one of your top priorities in life, overcoming watching Youtube or hanging out at the mall. In the darkest of days, when you take a practice test and drop 100 points inexplicably, and your parents are freaking out, and you're worried you're never getting into your top college, you need the inner fire to not get depressed. Instead, you need to pull yourself up and objectively rip apart your mistakes so you don't repeat them. People don't often mention motivation, but in my view this is one of the most important pieces that differentiate successful people from not, in all aspects of life. It's much more important than just being smart. Make a list of all the reasons you want to get a perfect score. Write them down. Stare at them when you lose faith. Want to get into Harvard or an Ivy League school? Want to make up for a bad GPA? Want to prove to your parents that you can beat their expectations? Want to compete with your friends?Want to show up your 3rd-grade teacher who said you would never amount to anything? That's all good. Anything that drives you from within is a valid reason to work hard. You'll need this to combat procrastination and laziness. You'll need this to push yourself to execute every strategy I tell you below. If you're not motivated, it's just too easy to brush aside failure and be sloppy about your weaknesses. In my personal case, beyond the academic benefits, I thought the SAT was a dumb test that was impeding my life. I was angry at test writers who devised tricks to fool students. I approached it like a video game- the SAT and the College Board were bosses that I needed to dominate. Plus, my brother had a near-perfect score, and I wanted to one-up him. Write down all the reasons you want a perfect score and use it to fuel yourself every study session. Exclusive Blog Bonus: We've written a popular free guide on 5 tips to improving your SAT score by 160+ points. Get a free download here. Step 1: Do High-Quality Practice and Avoid Low-Quality Materials The SAT is a weird test. It's unlike tests that you've taken throughout school. It presents simple concepts in bizarre ways. This is essentially how the College Board makes the test hard- it takes concepts most students have seen before, twists them to be unfamiliar, and counts on students to screw up. To excel at this test, you need the highest quality practice materials. Because the SAT has questions that are twisted in a particular way, you need to train in exactly the way they're twisted so you learn the patterns. As we've said before, by far the best practice material comes directly from the College Board in the form of official SAT practice tests.When I was studying, I devoured every SAT practice test I could find. I took over 15 full-length practice tests and was ruthless about finding my mistakes, as I'll talk about soon. Just like the mantra about your diet and body, what you put in is what you get out. Trash in, trash out. If you train yourself on questions that don't reflect what's on the SAT, you're going to learn the wrong patterns. Using bad materials is like training for baseball by playing tee-ball. Yes, if you spend 1000 hours practicing tee-ball, you'll be a tee-ball pro. But when someone pitches a real baseball at you, you're going to freak out- "why is the ball traveling so fast? Why's it so close to my face? Ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod." And then you strike out. To be frank, most of the books available on the market are trash. They boast about having a lot of questions, but they're written by people who aren't truly experts on the test. This means the questions don't test concepts in the same way; the answers are sometimes ambiguous; the questions don't trick you in the same way the SAT does. In my company PrepScholar, we hire only SAT full-scorers and 99 percentile scorers to craft our thousands of test questions. You need to have mastered the test to really understand the intricacies of how the SAT works. We've turned away dozens of applicants who scored below a 2300since they really don't understand the test well enough. If you likestudying with books, here's my list of the top SAT prep books available. There are some pretty high-quality books written by true experts, though they can get pricey- buying the top five books will cost you at least a hundred dollars. Collect good prep materials and study using only these. Step 2: Focus on Quality First, Quantity Second Now you have a lot of materials. Some students focus hard on getting through every single page of every book they have. They might not know why they're studying what they're studying, but at least they sure put in a lot of time and effort! This is the wrong idea. You don't want to pound your head against the wall and use a brute force approach. Improving your SAT score is about quality first, and quantity second. It's so tempting to just focus on getting work done, because that's the easy part. Understanding your weaknesses, as we discuss below, is what takes real energy and insight. Think about it this way- let's say you're learning to throw a football with a perfect spiral. You can pick up a football and, by trial and error, if you throw it 1,000 times, you'll make some progress. Now imagine you have New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady standing by your side. You throw the ball once, and he corrects your technique. Move your foot back this way, have your hand follow a certain motion, and follow through. You try again, and it's way better. In throwing 50 balls this way, I'm certain you'd end up doing better than 1,000 by yourself. I'm not suggesting that Tom Brady is a tutor, and you must have a tutor. You can be your own Tom Brady, and we discuss below how to do that. But you need to make sure you get the most out of your studying and make it as efficient as possible. You need your own SAT Tom Brady. Step 3: Be Ruthless About Understanding Your Mistakes On the ground level, when you're actually studying, this is by far the most important way you'll succeed over other students. EVERYmistake you make on a test happens for a reason. If you don't understand EXACTLYwhy you missed that question, you will make that mistake over and over again. If you're performing at the 700 level, you're missing around 10% to 15% of all questions. This means you have some consistent errors that are holding back your score. This is what you need to do: On every practice test or question set that you take, mark EVERYquestion that you're even 20% unsure about. When you grade your test or quiz, review every single question that you marked, and every incorrect question. This way even if you guessed a question correctly, you'll make sure to review it. In a notebook, write down the gist of the question, why you missed it, and what you'll do to avoid that mistake in the future. Have separate sections by subject and sub-topic (reading- passages vs sentence completion, writing- sentence errors vs improving paragraphs). It's NOT enough to just think about it and move on. It's NOT enough to just read the answer explanation. You have to think HARD about why you specifically failed on this question. By taking this structured approach to your mistakes,you'll now have a running log of every question you missed, and your reflection on why. Everyone who wants to get to an 800 on a section has different weaknessesfrom you. It's important that you discover for yourself what those are. No excuses when it comes to your mistakes. Go Deeper- WHY Did You Miss It? Now, what are some common reasons that you missed a question? Don't just say, "I didn't know this material." Always take it one step further- what specifically did you miss, and what do you have to improve in the future? Here are some examples of common reasons you miss a question, and how you take the analysis one step further: Content: I didn't learn the skill or knowledge needed to answer this question. One step further:What specific skill do I need to learn, and how will I learn this skill? Incorrect Approach: I knew the content, but I didn't know how to approach this question. One step further:How do I solve the question, and is there a general rule that I need to know for the future? Wrong Guess:I was stuck between two answer choices, and I guessed wrong. One step further: Why could I not eliminate one of the last answer choices? Knowing the correct answer now, how I can eliminate it? Does this suggest a strategy I can use for the future? Careless Error: I misread what the question was asking for or solved for the wrong thing One step further:Why did I misread the question? What should I do in the future to avoid this? Does this seem hard? It is- you have to think hard about why you're falling short and understand yourself in a way that no one else can. But few students actually put in the effort to do this analysis, and this is how you'll pull ahead. By the end of my studying, I had notebooks filled with practice questions that I'd missed, and when eating breakfast I could thumb through them to review them, like flashcards. Adopt a no-mistake-left-behind policy toward your mistakes. Letting one slip through can mean you make the same mistake on your real SAT. Five Why's Here's another useful trick when reviewing mistakes: ask yourself "Why?" five times? This is a revolutionary technique developed by Toyota to figure out the root cause of manufacturing problems. The point is that when you ask yourself "Why?" five times, you'll dig deeper and deeper to understand what the underlying cause is, and how to fix it. Here's an example. Let's say you miss a Reading passage question. Everyone does this. Starting point: I missed a Reading question about the big picture summary of the passage. Why? I picked the wrong answer choice, out of the two I had left. Why? The wrong answer choice had a phrase that was in the passage, but otherwise the meaning was wrong. I got tricked. Why? I didn't fully understand the passage when I was reading it. Why? I read the passage too quickly. Why? I was scared about running out of time. Wow- you see how a single question can give you a TON of information about where you went wrong? Now you have a lot of opportunities to improve- on how you read passages, how you eliminate answer choices, and how to process big picture questions. Again, very few students actually have the discipline to go through this reflection. And this is why YOU'REgoing to get a better score. Step 4: Find Patterns in Your Weaknesses, and Drill Them to Perfection Now that you're collecting mistakes in a notebook, you'll be able to start finding patterns to your weaknesses. This might be a content area- like problems with math circle problems, or a specific grammar rule. Or it might be a personal habit of yours, like misreading the passage or eliminating the wrong answer. Focusing on your weaknesses is CRITICALbecause you have a limited amount of time to study, and you need to spend that precious time on the areas that will get you the biggest score improvement. I've worked with students who just love drilling their strong points because it's comfortable. Of course, this is a waste of time- you have to confront your demons and pick at where you're weak, which is uncomfortable and difficult. When I was studying for the SAT and MCAT, I kept track of my mistakes in an Excel spreadsheet. I found, for example, that I consistently missed Reading passage questions about inferencesbecause I was reading too far into what the author was saying. I then focused on drilling those specific types of questions until I had developed my own strategy for solving the questions. As another example, back when the SAT emphasized vocab more, I needed to study thousands of vocab words, any of which could show up on the test. I developed my own method onthe best way to study SAT vocab words- what I call the Waterfall Method. This method forces you to review words you don't know over 10x more than words you already know- efficient studying. You don't need to use this for the New 2016 SAT, but you may still find it helpful for any class you need to use flashcards for- foreign language, history, or English. Find the weak link in your chain. When you find your weakness, you need to find resources to drill that content area. If you're weak in Trigonometry questions, you need to find a lot of SAT Trig questions to really drill those skills. If you're weak in subject/verb agreement, you need to find grammar questions to drill. Doing all of this well is tough for many students, because you have to at once: Do practice questions Diagnose your weaknesses Find more practice questions Understand whether you're improving or not Adjust your plan continuously This is the backbone of every effective study method, but it takes a lot of mental energy to do well. This is actually why we started PrepScholar- we wanted to build an online prep program that would do all the heavy lifting for you, so that you can concentrate on learning.In our PrepScholar program, we detect your weaknesses andautomatically organize your quizzes by skill so that you can focus on learning and not on the higher-level activities of analyzing your own progress. By the way, a quick side point- be suspicious of any content-level strategies that promise you results. By content-level, I mean strategies that tell you how you must solve a type of question. At your level, you need to focus on what works best for you. For example, people approach reading passages differently. Some read the passage first, then answer questions. Some skim questions first, then go back to the passage. I know what works best for me, but that's not necessarily what works best for you. What you will have to do is aggregate strategies for your weaknesses, then test them out yourself to see if they work for you. Specific strategies for each weakness is out of scope of this article, but we'll post examples later. Step 5: Eliminate Careless Errors These types of mistakes are by far the most frustrating. You know the content, you know how to solve it, but because of a misreading of the question, you don't get the question right. This can already disqualify you from an 800 on Math. In my own SAT, I made careless errors because I was trying to finish early and save time for the end, so I would rush through questions too quickly. I hated myself every time I made a careless error. But when I focused on the two things below, I was able to claim back my lost points. #1: Double-check that you're answering the right question.The SAT is designed to ask you tricky questions.You might find the area of the square, but the question actually asks for the perimeter. To eliminate this, always underline what the question asks you to solve for. Don’t stop your work until you solve for the correct thing. Another strategy is to write what the question is looking for in your scratch area. For example, if it asks for seconds instead of minutes, write â€Å"= ____ seconds† and circle it before you start your work. This might sound like extra work, but how you defeat careless errors is by having a reliable, failproof system. #2: Be wary about choosing the "No Change" option.For Writing, a common careless error is choosing "(A) NO CHANGE"in grammar questions. That's because when you read the question, it seems grammatically correct to you because the grammar rule just isn't ringing a bell. Whenever this happens, make sure you double check the other answer choices to make sure that NO CHANGEis absolutely the best answer choice. You should check especially for grammar rules that are easy to overlook, like Subject-Verb Agreement and Misplaced Modifier. By analyzing your mistakes, you'll be able to find patterns in grammar rule weaknesses that you have. You can then build your own system for grammar rules that you often miss- for example, for Subject-Verb Agreement, identify the subject and the verb, and then make sure they match. Step 6: Develop AmazingStudy Habits If you're highly motivated and aiming for a top score, you're likely to spend at least 200 hours studying for the SAT. Your job is to get the most out of every hour you can. Learning how to study more effectively has huge returns on your time. Think about it- if you can learn some techniques to improve your study efficiency by 20%, this will effectively give you back 40 hours of your life. Here are my best recommendations on great study habits, all of which I follow myself. Habit 1: Create a Schedule and Force Yourself to Stick to It It's important to have a plan. You need to understand when you're going to do what, and then you need to follow that plan. Here are questions to ask yourself: How much time do I have until my next test? How much time will I spend studying every week? How many practice tests should I take before then? When will I take them? During each week, what specific times and days will I be studying? What will I actually be studying each day? Why? How should my schedule change based on the info I receive from practice tests? Do NOT approach SAT prep without a plan like this. You'll wander aimlessly from book to book, test to test, without actually focusing on what is going to get you results. We designed PrepScholar to take care of all this hard work for you. Every week, we create customized lesson plans so you know exactly what to study and when. We schedule practice tests for you at the best moments leading up to your test date. We ask you for your weekly study schedule,then text you reminders to study. We send you progress reports so you know how well you're doing and whether you need to study more. If you feel like you don't know how to create your own study schedule or aren't confident you can stick to one, you might like PrepScholar's SAT program. Habit 2: Eliminate All Distractions You have so many distractions at your fingertips- Snaps, texts,YouTube, games, and more. All of these are super fun and super easy to consume for hours on end. All of these will improve your SAT score by ZERO. If you're studying and you glance at your phone every 3 minutes, you are NOT STUDYING. The brain is actually terrible at multitasking, and every time you lose attention, you take minutes to go back to full concentration. I know how tempting it is to stay up to date with everything your friends are doing. There's major Fear of Missing Out. You don't want to miss a hilarious joke or be late to a scandalous story. The thing is, in the long term, these little interactions don't actually make a big difference. Think about the last time responding to a text within 3 minutes was VITAL to your friendship. You are not missing out on anything important if you text back an hour later.Maybe you'll call me an old man and just claim I don't get it, but a friend who gets mad at you for not replying within a few minutes doesn't sound like a good friend to me. I once sat in a coffee shop next to a girl who was trying to study chemistry. Every few minutes she would look at her phone, laugh, and return a text. She got through two pages in an hour- I kid you not. Instead, here's what you need to do: Go to a quiet place where you won't be interrupted. Wear earplugs if it helps. Turn your phone off or leave it another room. Don't listen to music where you actively have to listen to words. Don't study with friends. It's more fun but everyone does a crappy job of studying. If you're using a program like PrepScholar on a web browser, use tools like StayFocusd to keep yourself off of distractions. Treat this seriously.One hour spent studying at full concentration is better than three hours at 50% concentration. Habit 3: Have a Positive Mindset. Your Job Is to Grow. When you're trying to get a perfect 1600 SAT score, you'll get frustrated when you make mistakes. I was the same way, and I got mad at myself for making careless mistakes or for forgetting something I used to know. The important thing is to channel that frustration into learning and growth. Treat every mistake as a learning opportunity. Every mistake tells you exactly where your weakness is, and what you need to do to fix it. You are allowed to get upset, but not so much it paralyzes you. Instead, treat your primary goal as getting better- not as getting a specific score. Step 7: Get Fast Enough to Always Double Check Your Answers Now that you’re aiming for a top score, you need to finish each section ahead of time to give yourself time to double check your answers. A good rule of thumb is to finish the section with at least 5 minutes to spare. As you get better at the SAT, this will be easier to accomplish since you’ll solve each question in less time. When I took the SAT, I reliably finished each section with 5-10 minutes to spare. I would mark any questions that I felt I had to return to and double-check. I had enough time to review all my answers twice. The real time-killers are questions you get stuck on. It’s very easy to get sucked into a question for five minutes, frustrated that the SAT is taking a point away from you. Avoid this temptation. Follow this rule: if you’ve spent 30 seconds on a question and can’t see how you’re going to get to the answer, circle the question, and skip it. You’ll have time at the end to come back to it. For now, you need to work on the other questions.How do you double check effectively? It varies between sections. For math, you should try to re-solve the question quickly in a different way. For some questions, you’ll be able to plug the answer back in. For others, you’ll just need to check your steps you took the first time around.For writing, confirm that the sentence has the error you think it does. Again, for No Error answer choices, make sure you aren't missing something in the question.For reading, confirm that there is no other better answer ch oice than the one you picked. For passage questions, make sure you rule out four incorrect answers. For sentence completion questions, plug the words back into the blanks to make sure they fit perfectly. As you get better at the test, you'll have more time left. Aim for at least 5 minutes left after each section, and use that time to double-checkyour answers. Stay calm during the test, even if you get confused on a question. Step 8: Don't Get Inside Your Own Head During the Test If you're vying for a perfect 1600 score, you'll face pressure during the test. You know how little room for error there is. This means that if you're having trouble with a question, it's easy to psyche yourself out. "Oh no! I'm having trouble with this math question. If I don't get this right, my 800 in math is gone!" This will make you nervous, which makes you even less likely to answer the question, which makes you more nervous, and so forth. This vicious spiral can suck you down for the rest of the test. Controlling your mental status is important during the test. Just like a pro athlete or performer, you need to be confident about your skills. You already put in a ton of work, and you've learned most of what the College Board has to throw at you. The last thing you want to do now is ruin more of the test. So it's a single question you're unsure about- this doesn't affect your performance on any other question. Try your best and clear your head, then move on. Does All of This Really Work? I can say from personal experience that these are the principles that I used to excel in academics. If you follow these principles for your own classes and in college, you'll do an amazing job. I would also be hard-pressed to find any top scoring student who doesn't agree wholeheartedly with the advice above. This advice also works if you're not aiming for a 1600. If you want to improve from a 1200 to a 1500, you can use these principles to power your learning. These principles also work in life. As a startup founder, I adhere to lean principlesto constantly analyze where my weaknesses are, how to build them, and how to focus on what's really important for our company. While the SAT tests specific skills that you may not use in everyday life, the process of preparing for it can teach you a lot about yourself, your limits, and your ambitions. This sounds a little hokey, but take it from this old man, you can learn a lot about yourself. Finally, keep in mind that you don't need a 1600to get into top colleges! A 1520+ will make you more than competitive for top schools like the Ivy League. If you get a 1540, your time is better spent building up the rest of your application than eking out a few more points. Quick Plug:I've mentioned my company PrepScholar a few times. If you agree with what I say above, you'd like my course. I designed our SAT course around the principles above, knowing that most students don't have the energy or expertise to diagnose their own weaknesses. PrepScholar automatically figures out what you need to work on and focuses your learning by drilling your weak skills. It also builds in motivational features so you're up to date on your progress and commit to more study time. Check out our SAT program here. What's Next? If you liked this article, you'll also like my expert guides on getting an 800 in each of the SAT sections. Each one goes further into deeper details on how to ace each section. Check out: How to get an 800 in SAT Math How to get an 800 in SAT Reading How to get an 800 in SAT Writing Aiming to get into Harvard and the Ivy League? Read my How to Get Into Harvard guide. Youmight learn that you're headed straight to the rejection path. Finally, check out our online SAT prep program.We have a 160+ point money back guarantee: if you finish our course and don't improve by 160 points, you get all your money back, no questions asked. I designed the PrepScholar program around the principles in this article. Thousands of students have used PrepScholar to improve their score by hundreds of points, which is why I'm confident it'll work for you too. Try our program with a 5-day free trial today:

How to Get a Perfect 1600 SAT Score, by a 2400 Expert Full Scorer

How to Get a Perfect 1600 SAT Score, by a 2400 Expert Full Scorer SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Updated for the New 2016 SAT! The maximum score on the SATis a 1600. Out of the 1.7 million students who take the test every year, only about 300 get the highest possible SAT score. This elusive perfect score catapults you to the top of high school academic achievement and can be a big boost to your college applications. I scored perfect scores on the SAT. I actually scored two perfect scores- a 1600 in 2004 when I was in high school, and a 2400 in March 2014 when I took it ten years later. Most of the advice out there about how to get a perfect score come from people who didn't get perfect scores. In this exclusive article, I'll be breaking down exactly what it takes, and the ruthless techniques I used to get a perfect score. Quick Disclaimer Let me start with a few disclaimers. I'm a humble person, and I don't like talking about my accomplishments without good reason. I know a lot of you are looking to score the highest SAT score possible, so I've written this guide to help you get there. So whatever I say here, please take it as advice from a mentor eager to help, not as a braggart strutting his stuff. Also,a last note:I co-founded the company PrepScholar- we create online SAT/ACT prep programs that adapt to you and your strengths and weaknesses. I want to emphasize that you do NOT need to buy a full prep program to get a great score. If you follow the principles below and are very driven, you'll do just fine. I do believe, however, that PrepScholar is the best SAT program available right now, especially if you find it hard to organize your prep and don't know what to study. I'll refer to decisions we made in creating the program to flesh out principles I discuss below. What Perfect SAT Scores Look Like For full transparency, let me show you my personal score report. This is a screenshot from my College Board SAT Organizer: I took the two SATs 10 years apart. The 2004 test was in an old format of the SAT and was scored out of 1600. I took the new test in 2014 and scored a 2400. (Yes, I took the SAT as an adult. Besides getting funny looks from high school students, I wanted to go through the experience anew so I knew what my students at PrepScholar were going through.) So that you can see in bleeding detail how I got the 2400, I've attached my unofficial detailed score report from the College Board. You can see exactly how many questions I missed and read my essay (my handwriting could use some work). Using my score report as an example, let's examine what it takes to get a perfect SAT score. While this score report talks about the Old 2400 SAT, the principles are still the same. In the new SAT, there are still Reading, Math, and Writing sections, and you still need to do EXTREMELYwell on them to get a perfect score. What It Takes to Get a 1600on the SAT At the top end of the scoring range, the SAT is not forgiving. You need to aim for perfection. Specifically, here's what you need to do in each section: In Reading, you can only miss 1 or 2 questions. This depends on the curve for that test. It's best to aim for missing 0 or 1 question. In my test, I missed 1 reading passage question. In Math, you need to get every question correct. No question about it.The curve is unforgiving for Math. Miss 1 question and you won't get an 800 on this section. In Writing, you can sometimes miss 1 question at most.In some tests, you have to get a perfect Writing and Language score to have a shot at an 800. Essentially, you need to aim for perfection during your prep. If you're consistently missing one or more questions on each section, you're not performing consistently enough to be safe for a 1600. We'll go into more detail about this below. If you want to confirm my statements here, check out the College Board score charts for official SAT practice tests. One last question to answer before my actual advice: But Wait...Are You Just Smart? Will This Advice Work for Me? You may have heard about top scoring students who just rolled out of bed, strolled to the SAT test center, and scored the highest possible SAT score without any prep. This was not me. Some people like the above may in fact exist, but they're rare.In high school, I was naturally stronger at math- I participated in math and science competitions- and I could reliably get 800's on the math section. But my reading and writing needed work. When I started off, I consistently got in the 700 range. Now, this is already pretty high, but it wasn't enough for the top schools I was aiming for. I just wasn't that accustomed to the SAT reading passages and the types of questions they asked. It took a lot of hard work for me to learn how the SAT works, how it tries to trick students, and how to find a strategy that worked for myself so I could reliably get top scores.My co-founder at PrepScholarhad a similar story. Since I'm older, I also have the benefit of seeing whether my methods worked over time, or just on the SAT. Emphatically, the principles below have worked throughout my academic career. Here's another example. As an undergraduate in college, I planned to attend medical school, so I had to take the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test). In my view, this is a much harder test than the SAT. It covers many more topics: general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, biology, and verbal reasoning. Furthermore, you're competing with pre-med's across the nation, people who are naturally driven and competing to get into medical school, not just the average high school student. When I started studying for the MCAT, I scored around the low 30's. The test is scored out of 45, and it's curved very aggressively. Again, this was already well above average, but it wasn't enough for the top medical schools I was going for. So I worked hard. I put in the time, covered all the subjects I needed to know, and was ruthless about my prep. In the very end, I scored a 44: As the testing organization notes, this is in the 99.9 percentile rank, with 0.0% achieving this score (this figure is rounded). I had multiple medical advisers tell me that they had never seen a score this high before, and there might indeed be fewer than three people per year- or none at all- who get a 44.Scoring this high definitely helped me get into the MD-PhD program at Harvard Medical School and MIT. I wish I were talented enough to get these test scores naturally without hundreds of hours of hard work. That would be the cooler thing to say. But it wasn't true for me, and it probably won't be true for you either. With this foundation laid, here's the meat of what I want to say: What Do You Need to Do to Get a Perfect 1600 SAT Score? In broad strokes, it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of smart work, and some amount of luck. But you've heard this before so just this alone isn't helpful. Let's dig deeper. You have to want it. Really, really want it. You need the motivation to push yourself. You need to put SAT prep as one of your top priorities in life, overcoming watching Youtube or hanging out at the mall. In the darkest of days, when you take a practice test and drop 100 points inexplicably, and your parents are freaking out, and you're worried you're never getting into your top college, you need the inner fire to not get depressed. Instead, you need to pull yourself up and objectively rip apart your mistakes so you don't repeat them. People don't often mention motivation, but in my view this is one of the most important pieces that differentiate successful people from not, in all aspects of life. It's much more important than just being smart. Make a list of all the reasons you want to get a perfect score. Write them down. Stare at them when you lose faith. Want to get into Harvard or an Ivy League school? Want to make up for a bad GPA? Want to prove to your parents that you can beat their expectations? Want to compete with your friends?Want to show up your 3rd-grade teacher who said you would never amount to anything? That's all good. Anything that drives you from within is a valid reason to work hard. You'll need this to combat procrastination and laziness. You'll need this to push yourself to execute every strategy I tell you below. If you're not motivated, it's just too easy to brush aside failure and be sloppy about your weaknesses. In my personal case, beyond the academic benefits, I thought the SAT was a dumb test that was impeding my life. I was angry at test writers who devised tricks to fool students. I approached it like a video game- the SAT and the College Board were bosses that I needed to dominate. Plus, my brother had a near-perfect score, and I wanted to one-up him. Write down all the reasons you want a perfect score and use it to fuel yourself every study session. Exclusive Blog Bonus: We've written a popular free guide on 5 tips to improving your SAT score by 160+ points. Get a free download here. Step 1: Do High-Quality Practice and Avoid Low-Quality Materials The SAT is a weird test. It's unlike tests that you've taken throughout school. It presents simple concepts in bizarre ways. This is essentially how the College Board makes the test hard- it takes concepts most students have seen before, twists them to be unfamiliar, and counts on students to screw up. To excel at this test, you need the highest quality practice materials. Because the SAT has questions that are twisted in a particular way, you need to train in exactly the way they're twisted so you learn the patterns. As we've said before, by far the best practice material comes directly from the College Board in the form of official SAT practice tests.When I was studying, I devoured every SAT practice test I could find. I took over 15 full-length practice tests and was ruthless about finding my mistakes, as I'll talk about soon. Just like the mantra about your diet and body, what you put in is what you get out. Trash in, trash out. If you train yourself on questions that don't reflect what's on the SAT, you're going to learn the wrong patterns. Using bad materials is like training for baseball by playing tee-ball. Yes, if you spend 1000 hours practicing tee-ball, you'll be a tee-ball pro. But when someone pitches a real baseball at you, you're going to freak out- "why is the ball traveling so fast? Why's it so close to my face? Ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod." And then you strike out. To be frank, most of the books available on the market are trash. They boast about having a lot of questions, but they're written by people who aren't truly experts on the test. This means the questions don't test concepts in the same way; the answers are sometimes ambiguous; the questions don't trick you in the same way the SAT does. In my company PrepScholar, we hire only SAT full-scorers and 99 percentile scorers to craft our thousands of test questions. You need to have mastered the test to really understand the intricacies of how the SAT works. We've turned away dozens of applicants who scored below a 2300since they really don't understand the test well enough. If you likestudying with books, here's my list of the top SAT prep books available. There are some pretty high-quality books written by true experts, though they can get pricey- buying the top five books will cost you at least a hundred dollars. Collect good prep materials and study using only these. Step 2: Focus on Quality First, Quantity Second Now you have a lot of materials. Some students focus hard on getting through every single page of every book they have. They might not know why they're studying what they're studying, but at least they sure put in a lot of time and effort! This is the wrong idea. You don't want to pound your head against the wall and use a brute force approach. Improving your SAT score is about quality first, and quantity second. It's so tempting to just focus on getting work done, because that's the easy part. Understanding your weaknesses, as we discuss below, is what takes real energy and insight. Think about it this way- let's say you're learning to throw a football with a perfect spiral. You can pick up a football and, by trial and error, if you throw it 1,000 times, you'll make some progress. Now imagine you have New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady standing by your side. You throw the ball once, and he corrects your technique. Move your foot back this way, have your hand follow a certain motion, and follow through. You try again, and it's way better. In throwing 50 balls this way, I'm certain you'd end up doing better than 1,000 by yourself. I'm not suggesting that Tom Brady is a tutor, and you must have a tutor. You can be your own Tom Brady, and we discuss below how to do that. But you need to make sure you get the most out of your studying and make it as efficient as possible. You need your own SAT Tom Brady. Step 3: Be Ruthless About Understanding Your Mistakes On the ground level, when you're actually studying, this is by far the most important way you'll succeed over other students. EVERYmistake you make on a test happens for a reason. If you don't understand EXACTLYwhy you missed that question, you will make that mistake over and over again. If you're performing at the 700 level, you're missing around 10% to 15% of all questions. This means you have some consistent errors that are holding back your score. This is what you need to do: On every practice test or question set that you take, mark EVERYquestion that you're even 20% unsure about. When you grade your test or quiz, review every single question that you marked, and every incorrect question. This way even if you guessed a question correctly, you'll make sure to review it. In a notebook, write down the gist of the question, why you missed it, and what you'll do to avoid that mistake in the future. Have separate sections by subject and sub-topic (reading- passages vs sentence completion, writing- sentence errors vs improving paragraphs). It's NOT enough to just think about it and move on. It's NOT enough to just read the answer explanation. You have to think HARD about why you specifically failed on this question. By taking this structured approach to your mistakes,you'll now have a running log of every question you missed, and your reflection on why. Everyone who wants to get to an 800 on a section has different weaknessesfrom you. It's important that you discover for yourself what those are. No excuses when it comes to your mistakes. Go Deeper- WHY Did You Miss It? Now, what are some common reasons that you missed a question? Don't just say, "I didn't know this material." Always take it one step further- what specifically did you miss, and what do you have to improve in the future? Here are some examples of common reasons you miss a question, and how you take the analysis one step further: Content: I didn't learn the skill or knowledge needed to answer this question. One step further:What specific skill do I need to learn, and how will I learn this skill? Incorrect Approach: I knew the content, but I didn't know how to approach this question. One step further:How do I solve the question, and is there a general rule that I need to know for the future? Wrong Guess:I was stuck between two answer choices, and I guessed wrong. One step further: Why could I not eliminate one of the last answer choices? Knowing the correct answer now, how I can eliminate it? Does this suggest a strategy I can use for the future? Careless Error: I misread what the question was asking for or solved for the wrong thing One step further:Why did I misread the question? What should I do in the future to avoid this? Does this seem hard? It is- you have to think hard about why you're falling short and understand yourself in a way that no one else can. But few students actually put in the effort to do this analysis, and this is how you'll pull ahead. By the end of my studying, I had notebooks filled with practice questions that I'd missed, and when eating breakfast I could thumb through them to review them, like flashcards. Adopt a no-mistake-left-behind policy toward your mistakes. Letting one slip through can mean you make the same mistake on your real SAT. Five Why's Here's another useful trick when reviewing mistakes: ask yourself "Why?" five times? This is a revolutionary technique developed by Toyota to figure out the root cause of manufacturing problems. The point is that when you ask yourself "Why?" five times, you'll dig deeper and deeper to understand what the underlying cause is, and how to fix it. Here's an example. Let's say you miss a Reading passage question. Everyone does this. Starting point: I missed a Reading question about the big picture summary of the passage. Why? I picked the wrong answer choice, out of the two I had left. Why? The wrong answer choice had a phrase that was in the passage, but otherwise the meaning was wrong. I got tricked. Why? I didn't fully understand the passage when I was reading it. Why? I read the passage too quickly. Why? I was scared about running out of time. Wow- you see how a single question can give you a TON of information about where you went wrong? Now you have a lot of opportunities to improve- on how you read passages, how you eliminate answer choices, and how to process big picture questions. Again, very few students actually have the discipline to go through this reflection. And this is why YOU'REgoing to get a better score. Step 4: Find Patterns in Your Weaknesses, and Drill Them to Perfection Now that you're collecting mistakes in a notebook, you'll be able to start finding patterns to your weaknesses. This might be a content area- like problems with math circle problems, or a specific grammar rule. Or it might be a personal habit of yours, like misreading the passage or eliminating the wrong answer. Focusing on your weaknesses is CRITICALbecause you have a limited amount of time to study, and you need to spend that precious time on the areas that will get you the biggest score improvement. I've worked with students who just love drilling their strong points because it's comfortable. Of course, this is a waste of time- you have to confront your demons and pick at where you're weak, which is uncomfortable and difficult. When I was studying for the SAT and MCAT, I kept track of my mistakes in an Excel spreadsheet. I found, for example, that I consistently missed Reading passage questions about inferencesbecause I was reading too far into what the author was saying. I then focused on drilling those specific types of questions until I had developed my own strategy for solving the questions. As another example, back when the SAT emphasized vocab more, I needed to study thousands of vocab words, any of which could show up on the test. I developed my own method onthe best way to study SAT vocab words- what I call the Waterfall Method. This method forces you to review words you don't know over 10x more than words you already know- efficient studying. You don't need to use this for the New 2016 SAT, but you may still find it helpful for any class you need to use flashcards for- foreign language, history, or English. Find the weak link in your chain. When you find your weakness, you need to find resources to drill that content area. If you're weak in Trigonometry questions, you need to find a lot of SAT Trig questions to really drill those skills. If you're weak in subject/verb agreement, you need to find grammar questions to drill. Doing all of this well is tough for many students, because you have to at once: Do practice questions Diagnose your weaknesses Find more practice questions Understand whether you're improving or not Adjust your plan continuously This is the backbone of every effective study method, but it takes a lot of mental energy to do well. This is actually why we started PrepScholar- we wanted to build an online prep program that would do all the heavy lifting for you, so that you can concentrate on learning.In our PrepScholar program, we detect your weaknesses andautomatically organize your quizzes by skill so that you can focus on learning and not on the higher-level activities of analyzing your own progress. By the way, a quick side point- be suspicious of any content-level strategies that promise you results. By content-level, I mean strategies that tell you how you must solve a type of question. At your level, you need to focus on what works best for you. For example, people approach reading passages differently. Some read the passage first, then answer questions. Some skim questions first, then go back to the passage. I know what works best for me, but that's not necessarily what works best for you. What you will have to do is aggregate strategies for your weaknesses, then test them out yourself to see if they work for you. Specific strategies for each weakness is out of scope of this article, but we'll post examples later. Step 5: Eliminate Careless Errors These types of mistakes are by far the most frustrating. You know the content, you know how to solve it, but because of a misreading of the question, you don't get the question right. This can already disqualify you from an 800 on Math. In my own SAT, I made careless errors because I was trying to finish early and save time for the end, so I would rush through questions too quickly. I hated myself every time I made a careless error. But when I focused on the two things below, I was able to claim back my lost points. #1: Double-check that you're answering the right question.The SAT is designed to ask you tricky questions.You might find the area of the square, but the question actually asks for the perimeter. To eliminate this, always underline what the question asks you to solve for. Don’t stop your work until you solve for the correct thing. Another strategy is to write what the question is looking for in your scratch area. For example, if it asks for seconds instead of minutes, write â€Å"= ____ seconds† and circle it before you start your work. This might sound like extra work, but how you defeat careless errors is by having a reliable, failproof system. #2: Be wary about choosing the "No Change" option.For Writing, a common careless error is choosing "(A) NO CHANGE"in grammar questions. That's because when you read the question, it seems grammatically correct to you because the grammar rule just isn't ringing a bell. Whenever this happens, make sure you double check the other answer choices to make sure that NO CHANGEis absolutely the best answer choice. You should check especially for grammar rules that are easy to overlook, like Subject-Verb Agreement and Misplaced Modifier. By analyzing your mistakes, you'll be able to find patterns in grammar rule weaknesses that you have. You can then build your own system for grammar rules that you often miss- for example, for Subject-Verb Agreement, identify the subject and the verb, and then make sure they match. Step 6: Develop AmazingStudy Habits If you're highly motivated and aiming for a top score, you're likely to spend at least 200 hours studying for the SAT. Your job is to get the most out of every hour you can. Learning how to study more effectively has huge returns on your time. Think about it- if you can learn some techniques to improve your study efficiency by 20%, this will effectively give you back 40 hours of your life. Here are my best recommendations on great study habits, all of which I follow myself. Habit 1: Create a Schedule and Force Yourself to Stick to It It's important to have a plan. You need to understand when you're going to do what, and then you need to follow that plan. Here are questions to ask yourself: How much time do I have until my next test? How much time will I spend studying every week? How many practice tests should I take before then? When will I take them? During each week, what specific times and days will I be studying? What will I actually be studying each day? Why? How should my schedule change based on the info I receive from practice tests? Do NOT approach SAT prep without a plan like this. You'll wander aimlessly from book to book, test to test, without actually focusing on what is going to get you results. We designed PrepScholar to take care of all this hard work for you. Every week, we create customized lesson plans so you know exactly what to study and when. We schedule practice tests for you at the best moments leading up to your test date. We ask you for your weekly study schedule,then text you reminders to study. We send you progress reports so you know how well you're doing and whether you need to study more. If you feel like you don't know how to create your own study schedule or aren't confident you can stick to one, you might like PrepScholar's SAT program. Habit 2: Eliminate All Distractions You have so many distractions at your fingertips- Snaps, texts,YouTube, games, and more. All of these are super fun and super easy to consume for hours on end. All of these will improve your SAT score by ZERO. If you're studying and you glance at your phone every 3 minutes, you are NOT STUDYING. The brain is actually terrible at multitasking, and every time you lose attention, you take minutes to go back to full concentration. I know how tempting it is to stay up to date with everything your friends are doing. There's major Fear of Missing Out. You don't want to miss a hilarious joke or be late to a scandalous story. The thing is, in the long term, these little interactions don't actually make a big difference. Think about the last time responding to a text within 3 minutes was VITAL to your friendship. You are not missing out on anything important if you text back an hour later.Maybe you'll call me an old man and just claim I don't get it, but a friend who gets mad at you for not replying within a few minutes doesn't sound like a good friend to me. I once sat in a coffee shop next to a girl who was trying to study chemistry. Every few minutes she would look at her phone, laugh, and return a text. She got through two pages in an hour- I kid you not. Instead, here's what you need to do: Go to a quiet place where you won't be interrupted. Wear earplugs if it helps. Turn your phone off or leave it another room. Don't listen to music where you actively have to listen to words. Don't study with friends. It's more fun but everyone does a crappy job of studying. If you're using a program like PrepScholar on a web browser, use tools like StayFocusd to keep yourself off of distractions. Treat this seriously.One hour spent studying at full concentration is better than three hours at 50% concentration. Habit 3: Have a Positive Mindset. Your Job Is to Grow. When you're trying to get a perfect 1600 SAT score, you'll get frustrated when you make mistakes. I was the same way, and I got mad at myself for making careless mistakes or for forgetting something I used to know. The important thing is to channel that frustration into learning and growth. Treat every mistake as a learning opportunity. Every mistake tells you exactly where your weakness is, and what you need to do to fix it. You are allowed to get upset, but not so much it paralyzes you. Instead, treat your primary goal as getting better- not as getting a specific score. Step 7: Get Fast Enough to Always Double Check Your Answers Now that you’re aiming for a top score, you need to finish each section ahead of time to give yourself time to double check your answers. A good rule of thumb is to finish the section with at least 5 minutes to spare. As you get better at the SAT, this will be easier to accomplish since you’ll solve each question in less time. When I took the SAT, I reliably finished each section with 5-10 minutes to spare. I would mark any questions that I felt I had to return to and double-check. I had enough time to review all my answers twice. The real time-killers are questions you get stuck on. It’s very easy to get sucked into a question for five minutes, frustrated that the SAT is taking a point away from you. Avoid this temptation. Follow this rule: if you’ve spent 30 seconds on a question and can’t see how you’re going to get to the answer, circle the question, and skip it. You’ll have time at the end to come back to it. For now, you need to work on the other questions.How do you double check effectively? It varies between sections. For math, you should try to re-solve the question quickly in a different way. For some questions, you’ll be able to plug the answer back in. For others, you’ll just need to check your steps you took the first time around.For writing, confirm that the sentence has the error you think it does. Again, for No Error answer choices, make sure you aren't missing something in the question.For reading, confirm that there is no other better answer ch oice than the one you picked. For passage questions, make sure you rule out four incorrect answers. For sentence completion questions, plug the words back into the blanks to make sure they fit perfectly. As you get better at the test, you'll have more time left. Aim for at least 5 minutes left after each section, and use that time to double-checkyour answers. Stay calm during the test, even if you get confused on a question. Step 8: Don't Get Inside Your Own Head During the Test If you're vying for a perfect 1600 score, you'll face pressure during the test. You know how little room for error there is. This means that if you're having trouble with a question, it's easy to psyche yourself out. "Oh no! I'm having trouble with this math question. If I don't get this right, my 800 in math is gone!" This will make you nervous, which makes you even less likely to answer the question, which makes you more nervous, and so forth. This vicious spiral can suck you down for the rest of the test. Controlling your mental status is important during the test. Just like a pro athlete or performer, you need to be confident about your skills. You already put in a ton of work, and you've learned most of what the College Board has to throw at you. The last thing you want to do now is ruin more of the test. So it's a single question you're unsure about- this doesn't affect your performance on any other question. Try your best and clear your head, then move on. Does All of This Really Work? I can say from personal experience that these are the principles that I used to excel in academics. If you follow these principles for your own classes and in college, you'll do an amazing job. I would also be hard-pressed to find any top scoring student who doesn't agree wholeheartedly with the advice above. This advice also works if you're not aiming for a 1600. If you want to improve from a 1200 to a 1500, you can use these principles to power your learning. These principles also work in life. As a startup founder, I adhere to lean principlesto constantly analyze where my weaknesses are, how to build them, and how to focus on what's really important for our company. While the SAT tests specific skills that you may not use in everyday life, the process of preparing for it can teach you a lot about yourself, your limits, and your ambitions. This sounds a little hokey, but take it from this old man, you can learn a lot about yourself. Finally, keep in mind that you don't need a 1600to get into top colleges! A 1520+ will make you more than competitive for top schools like the Ivy League. If you get a 1540, your time is better spent building up the rest of your application than eking out a few more points. Quick Plug:I've mentioned my company PrepScholar a few times. If you agree with what I say above, you'd like my course. I designed our SAT course around the principles above, knowing that most students don't have the energy or expertise to diagnose their own weaknesses. PrepScholar automatically figures out what you need to work on and focuses your learning by drilling your weak skills. It also builds in motivational features so you're up to date on your progress and commit to more study time. Check out our SAT program here. What's Next? If you liked this article, you'll also like my expert guides on getting an 800 in each of the SAT sections. Each one goes further into deeper details on how to ace each section. Check out: How to get an 800 in SAT Math How to get an 800 in SAT Reading How to get an 800 in SAT Writing Aiming to get into Harvard and the Ivy League? Read my How to Get Into Harvard guide. Youmight learn that you're headed straight to the rejection path. Finally, check out our online SAT prep program.We have a 160+ point money back guarantee: if you finish our course and don't improve by 160 points, you get all your money back, no questions asked. I designed the PrepScholar program around the principles in this article. Thousands of students have used PrepScholar to improve their score by hundreds of points, which is why I'm confident it'll work for you too. Try our program with a 5-day free trial today: