The Matrix Analogy - What Neo and Morpheus have to do with acing tests?

posted by WyzAnt tutor: Nilay S.

If you have not seen the movie Matrix – Please stop reading, go watch the movie and then come back. Your life is incomplete.

With that out of the way, let see what we can garner from treasure trove of wisdom that the movie Matrix is. I always tell my students that the student-tutor relationship is kind of like the relation between Morpheus and Neo. Like Morpheus, a tutor has to believe that his student (Neo) is the one (who can Ace the tests with proper guidance). He has to tell Neo about the ins and outs of the Matrix that modern day test taking is. He has to tell him what tricks it contains, how there are agents on every corner (you know the tough questions that every test taker is scared of…) and how Neo need not even dodge bullets once he achieves his full potential. But no matter how much Morpheus believes in Neo, how much Kung- Fu training (ahem….tutoring) he does with Neo – it is Neo who will have to beat the agent (take the test). Morpheus cannot do that for Neo. All he can do is train Neo as hard and as best as he can and tell him all he knows.

He always has to remember that “there is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path”. He can only show the path to Neo – Neo has to walk the path by himself.

In my opinion, the turning point in Matrix is when Neo starts believing himself. The progression of Neo from being scared of even jumping across buildings (being scared of even most simple questions just because they look tough to solve) to when he looks at the agent and decides to fight rather than run (you know what….. I am not going to be scared of the problem anymore, let me take a look at it and try to solve it before I assume that I cannot solve it at all). The turning point for my students has always been when they stop getting scared of questions and try to attack them no matter how difficult they appear to be.

You remember the scene in subway, when Neo looks at the exit, looks back the agent and decides to stay – that is the point which every test taker needs to seek. That is the point where the student starts to believe – and that is the point where matrix unravels before Neo’s belief and will. Morpheus can wax eloquent about Oracle’s predictions (diagnostic tests anyone), how limited agents are by the system (every test question as to be easy enough so that students can solve it within given time limits – generally less than 1 minute per question) and how Neo is only limited by what skill level he believes he is at – but when there is a choice between an agent and an exit – it is Neo who has believe and stay and fight. Morpheus cannot make that decision for Neo (Neo gets to take the test all by himself). The Path is Neo’s and only Neo’s to walk.

So next time, when you are taking a test and thinking how tough a question looks – remember Morpheus, Neo and that it is your decision to make – run to the exit or stay and fight the agent.

Essay Writing for Tests

posted by WyzAnt tutor: Nilay S.

Essay writing is one of the Test Sections which is almost always neglected by students. The irony is that this is the one Test section where a little bit of early work will make a significant difference on test day. Students tend to under-prepare for Essay section because it generally does not add up on the score. Just because Essay scores do not make up part of 800 on GRE or GMAT section does not mean they are any less important.

Any time there is a tie between your test score and any other score, guess what will be the tie-breaker?: the essay section.

Moreover, a great essay score lets your future school be confident with granting you admissions since they know you are able to coherently put together your thoughts on any topic- which is a big part of getting through higher learning.

* Think before you type - Take the first 5 minutes to put down your essay thoughts and plan on scratch paper. This will help you organize your thoughts and you will know exactly how to put your essay together. This will also eliminate errors resulting from free-flowing (disorganized) essay. Save last 5 minutes for proofreading.

* Structure, Structure, Structure - Clearly divide your essay into the introductory paragraph, two to three content paragraphs, and a conclusion. Use you structure wisely, introduce you intent in introduction, save the reasons for the content paragraphs and always summarize the essay in conclusion.

* KISS (Keep it simple stupid) - It is not vocabulary or grammar test. Keep it simple. Save your grammar and vocab chops for those sections. The more complex you make things, the higher your chance of making errors. It is a computer rating your essay so high flowing fancy words are not going to impress it.

* Be a conformist - The E-rater is not programmed to appreciate individuality, humor, or poetic inspiration; it will be comparing the style and structure of your essay to that of other high-scoring essays. If your essay looks like the high-scoring essays in the E-rater's memory banks, you will get a high grade; if not, you will get a low grade.

* Clearly state your side in the Analysis of Argument essay - Pick a side and work your critique for that side. Yes, you can think of things to agree with them as well as disagree with them. It is human nature. You are not there to explore your nature - you are there to get the best grade. Best analysis gets the best grade, simple. The Analysis of Argument question will generally show you an essay full of holes, point those holes out in your essay with words like the unwarranted assumption or fallacy of equivocation. This lets the E-rater know that you have correctly identified the argument's logical flaws.

* Know the topics - You can always download a current list of essay topics from the GRE or SAT test sites. Review them and try to get an idea of the topics. Check out some sample 6.0 rated essays. Try to find some topics you are not familiar with in that list and practice writing essays on those topics.

* Time yourself - Try to do the essays in the 30-minute time frame. Take first 5 you organize, 20 minutes to type it out and last 5 to edit. That practice will give you a better feel of things and the challenge of getting done with your work within time since there is no thing worse on an essay test as an incomplete essay.

Nilay S.'s Blog at WyzAnt.com

The Matrix Analogy - What Neo and Morpheus have to do with acing tests?

Essay Writing for Tests