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Some General Advice on the GRE

By , 11/30/2010 at 1:20 pm

The following, which originally appeared in the Sigma Tau Delta Fall 2010 Newsletter, was written by Stephen Heiner, who I did not know before reading recent press on the GRE. Stephen brings the kind of no-nonsense approach to GRE prep that we respect at Brainscape. BTW: it can be hard to find much written WELL about the GRE on the web. Seriously, google it. 9 out of 10 links are to sales pages or bad advice.  Anyway, Stephen, thanks for good advice!

The GRE? No Sweat.  By Stephen Heiner

Standardized testing is a blight on our educational system. It exists simply because of the overwhelming number of applications to undergraduate and graduate programs. (more…)

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Brainscape moves into the Varick St. Incubator!

By , 11/16/2010 at 12:13 pm

Few things are as defining and exciting for a young startup as moving into a fresh new office space.  I am proud to announce that Brainscape’s latest space is one that brings even more excitement and growth opportunities than usual.  On October 1, we moved from a shared corporate suite in Midtown NYC to our new office at the bustling Varick St. Incubator in Soho.

The Varick St. Incubator is a joint effort of NYU-Poly and the NYC Economic Development Corporation to create jobs and foster a stronger startup culture in New York.  It is currently occupied by 36 of the hottest young companies in the city, out of nearly 400 that have applied so far.  Companies are chosen to move into this space both because of their strong teams and because of their proven organizational visions. (more…)

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Brainscape & the National Education Technology Plan

By , 11/15/2010 at 2:29 pm

This month the U.S. Department of Education released its National Education Technology Plan (NETP), highlighting the necessity of applying the latest technologies to all aspects of learning. Brainscape is excited by this plan because it promotes the use of cutting-edge technology to make learning accessible around the clock, and because someday every kid and adult will be able to learn anything, anywhere, all the time.

Along with improving access to technology, the NETP also emphasizes the importance assessment plays in learning. When assessment accurately measures what matters, as they put it, it can be of paramount importance to learners.  It is obviously crucial to understand what we know and don’t know to maximize our learning efficiency. The fact that too many forms of assessment are quite flawed, well, we’ll leave that for another post! (more…)

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Perfect One-Hour SAT Vocab Cram

By , 11/1/2010 at 4:37 pm

Looking for a quick way to add points to your (or your students’) SAT/ACT score?  This post, which provides a free tool for learning vocabulary, is for you!

If you know my background as well as what we’re up to at Brainscape, you know that we may be able to help.  We can, so I whipped up a really simple, fun, and effective tool: the attachment below includes both a short vocabulary quiz (not in SAT question format; just a vocab quiz) AND free access to a web or iTunes study app that will help you (or anyone) learn words fast!  Click on the link below and get rolling.  If you’re already using Brainscape, take the quiz and enjoy how well you learned the first 50 words in your vocab deck!  For those who need a bit more info, read on.

Vocab Quiz and Study Instructions

I’m generally not a fan of cramming for anything, so I’m using the term somewhat facetiously.  The best way to prepare for standardized tests is (more…)

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