If you feel as though the student in your life could benefit from working with professional Regents tutors, Varsity Tutors can help you find a private instructor who meets your scheduling and academic needs in as little as 24 hours. The Regents exams are a series of high-stakes tests administered to high school students in New York State in order to determine whether they have absorbed enough academic knowledge to graduate and move onto the next phase of their lives. Earning a score of at least 65 (out of a 100) is required to pass each exam, and students must pass a certain number of Regents exams in order to graduate from high school.
How many Regents exams your student needs to pass depends on whether they want a Regents diploma or a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation. To earn a Regents diploma, students must earn 22 credits in applicable courses and pass one English Regents, one Mathematics Regents, one Social Studies Regents, and one Science Regents. If your student is considered "Checkpoint A," they also need to pass a Regents in a language other than English.
If your student wants to earn a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation in order to pursue their future plans, they need to take everything above plus two additional Math Regents exams, one extra Science Regents, and a foreign language Regents if they are considered "Checkpoint B." If you have any questions about graduation requirements or the advantages of earning an Advanced Designation, the knowledgeable Regents tutor we refer to you can answer any questions you have.
How can Regents tutors help my student a fuller understanding of academic concepts?
Classroom teachers do their best to meet the needs of every student, but they can only do so much in a room filled with kids. Working with a private instructor allows your student to receive individualized instruction that revolves around their needs. If they are comfortable with American history but less sure of themselves with Algebra II, their study sessions can concentrate on mathematics even though they are taking Regents exams in both subjects to enhance their study efficiency.
A private Regents tutor can also design study sessions around your student's preferred learning style. If your student is a visual learner, their instructor may use charts, flashcards, and other visual media to make it easier to visualize key concepts. If your student is more auditory by nature, Q&A discussion formats may be the best way for them to retain information. Finally, a kinesthetic learner might engage in hands-on activities during their study sessions to make it easier to remember important information.
Your student is also their instructor's only priority during their study sessions. If your student is nervous about asking for assistance, their instructor can create a learning environment where questions are encouraged to help them ask for clarification as needed. All of your student's work can also receive prompt feedback since their instructor doesn't need to grade two dozen other papers before returning something, allowing them to address any mistakes while the material remains fresh in their mind.
Many students also develop study skills during Regents tutoring sessions that they can apply in college and beyond. For example, many students could do a better job of expressing their ideas in writing. Your student's instructor may demonstrate how to outline writing assignments to make them feel more approachable. Not only can following an outline save time, but it also serves as a point of reference to remind your student of all of the details they wanted to include.
Similarly, many students could retain more of the information they read. A knowledgeable Regents tutor can show your student active reading techniques such as taking notes to promote more engagement with the material. If your student has any questions as they read, they can jot them down as well so that they remember to ask them later.
Can Regents tutors help my student prepare for a specific test?
Absolutely. Currently, New York State has Regents exams for the following high school classes: High School English Language Arts, Comprehensive English, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and Trigonometry, Global History and Geography, U.S. History and Government, Living Environment, Physical Setting/Earth Science, Physical Setting/Chemistry, Physical Setting/Physics, French, Spanish, Latin, Hebrew, German, and Italian.
Each exam has a unique format, though most of them are administered in one testing session of three hours or less. The one exception is Earth Science, which has a timed laboratory component taken two weeks before the rest of the exam. Your student can take practice exams during their Regents tutoring sessions to get a sense of what to expect on test day. Time management is a key skill on virtually every standardized test, and experiencing the time available firsthand is one of the best ways for students to learn how to budget it.
If your student has dealt with test anxiety in the past, understanding an exam's formatting may also help them calm their nerves. Regents exams contain a variety of question types, including multiple-choice, essays, constructed response, and open-ended items. Multiple-choice questions are probably the most student-friendly, as it's possible to figure out the correct answer by eliminating incorrect responses even when you aren't sure of an answer. Some questions also contain enough information to answer something else on the test, potentially providing a jolt of self-confidence if your student leverages an exam against itself to answer a tough question.
Essays are fairly self-explanatory, especially if your student uses outlines. One proven test-taking tip is to leave enough time at the end to proofread your work, as it's better for your student to cross out a mistake than lose points for it. Constructed response items are essentially fill-ins that require test-takers to provide the correct answer after reviewing a graph or other provided data. Extended response items relate the answer to the real world in some way, but are otherwise the same. Finally, open-ended items require students to show the reasoning that produced their final answer. It is sometimes possible to earn partial credit even if the final answer is incorrect, so students should get in the habit of showing everything they possibly can.
Here is a closer look at how Regents tutors can help students prepare for a few specific exams:
Algebra II and Trigonometry
Trigonometry, logic, and graphing problems require the use of a TI-83 graphing calculator or equivalent, a machine capable of doing a lot with an interface that many students find confusing. Your student's instructor may provide a tutorial on how to get it to do what your student wants it to and then allow them to complete practice problems until using it feels like second-nature.
U.S. History and Government
Most students agree that the most challenging part of this test is the Document-Based Question, or DBQ. Students are provided with a combination of primary and secondary sources and asked to incorporate them into a persuasive essay, combining organization, reading comprehension, writing, and argumentation into a single question. Your student's instructor can provide sample DBQs to help your student feel more comfortable with the unique format and provide constructive criticism on where they could improve going forward.
Foreign Language
The best way to study any foreign language is to completely immerse yourself in it, as there is no substitute for regular practice. Your student's instructor can provide solid review, and they could even conduct entire sessions in the language to help your student make quick progress.
Physical Setting/Chemistry
Students are provided with special "reference tables" to mitigate the need for rote memorization on this exam, but it can be both a blessing and a curse. While students should use their reference materials as needed, consulting them when they don't have to just makes the test take longer. A private instructor can teach your student when to use the reference materials available to them and when doing so would simply be a waste of time.
What makes Varsity Tutors such a powerful resource?
If you had to find a private instructor on your own, you would need to figure out whether a candidate has a strong knowledge of the tests your student is preparing for, whether they know how to convey that information to students, and whether your schedules jive to allow regular study sessions. Who has time for all of that?
We can match you with an instructor who meets all of your requirements quickly, taking the hassle out of finding a private tutor. Our exclusive Live Learning Platform also facilitates digital study sessions, allowing your student to attend sessions anywhere with a stable internet connection. Powerful features such as a virtual whiteboard and video chat functionality ensure that your student's sessions are just as productive as meeting in person, so you don't have to compromise quality for convenience.
If you're ready to get started or simply want to learn more, educational consultants are currently standing by to help you in any way possible. Contact Varsity Tutors today to set your student up with professional Regents tutoring as they pursue their academic goals!
