Hubble space telescope Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hubble space telescope - Research Paper Example this brief analysis will consider the initial need and desire for such an instrument, development of the telescope, launch and operation use, breakthroughs in astrophysics and astronomy that have since been able to be uncovered by means of the Hubble Space Telescope, and future outlook for the Hubble as well as other planned space telescopes. Although certainly not the first astronomer to note the need for a space based telescope, Hermann Olberth formerly iterated his desire to see such a plan put into implementation as early as 1923. The ultimate reason behind such a bold and technologically challenging plan was the need to get beyond earth’s inner atmosphere as a means to reduce the level of light and environmental pollutants and/or dust that so strongly influenced the quality of astronomical work that could be performed with traditional earth based telescopes. Recognizing these limitations, astronomers such as Hubble began to lobby funding entities for the means to design and build a non-earth based telescope (O’Dell 265). Unfortunately however, as is often the case with scientific visionaries, the work of actually building the space telescope was not completed until long after Olberth and many others instrumental in the formulation and development of such an idea were dead. After years of delays, a near continual struggle for available resources and review and oversight by nearly every imaginable entity, the Hubble Space telescope was finally launched in 1990. It should be noted that regardless of the delays or the budgetary overruns and issues that have herein been discussed, the Hubble Space Telescope represented the very cutting edge of optical technology; so much so that it has continued to be relevant over 20 years after being in service. This is a seemingly impossible feat of engineering and design due to the fact that the computer revolution, the age of the internet, fiber optics, and a litany of other technology breakthroughs have occurred

Demonstrated in sports Essay Example for Free

Demonstrated in sports Essay Sportsmanship can not only be seen and demonstrated in sports, but also in our daily lives in many ways. I believe that the values learned in sports are also applicable to everyday life. Interaction with my siblings is one example. We should not fight over small things like who shall have what or who shall lead who. Everyone should have a part and each of us should enjoy the activities we are doing. I won’t tease them and won’t lose my temper with them. I will put them before myself. In school, even if I am not the star, I should still enjoy and have fun with my classmates. I will not cheat during quizzes and exams just to be on top. I will just try my best in getting good grades. I will also acknowledge my classmates’ good performances, congratulate them for getting an A when tests are handed back to us. When my friends have goals, I won’t tell them that it’s impossible to reach. Instead, I will help them achieve their goals by supporting them. Although the high levels of competition and the pressures from family and school can put a strain on maintaining sportsmanship, it is still the more important characteristic. Winning is not everything. Sportsmanship is more important than winning. It is treating people with respect. It includes small gestures like shaking hands and acknowledging good works. A child like me who practices good sportsmanship is likely to carry the respect and appreciation of other people into every other aspect of life. Through this, I am also gaining new skills, new friends, and attitudes that can help all through life. Everyday many opportunities occur that one can put into practice sportsmanship.

Deep Sea Vents: Origin of Life Theory

Deep Sea Vents: Origin of Life Theory Assess one hypothesis of the origin of life:  Life may have emerged from deep sea vents Introduction Fossil evidence confirms that life on Earth existed at least 3.5 billion years ago (Orgel 1998). This rapid appearance of life is considered to be a remarkable event after the late heavy bombardment 100 million years before, which had the potential to destroy any possible habitats suited to living organisms (Abramov Mojzsis 2009). All life today can be phylogenetically linked to a last universal common ancestor (LUCA) whose closest known relatives are present day hyperthermophiles (Abramov Mojzsis 2009, Glansdorff Labedan 2008). This suggests that the earliest form of life on Earth may have originated from a single cell which emerged spontaneously in a high temperature environment. It is assumed that the development of the first living protocell occurred through a stepwise accumulation of necessary components (Mirazo et al. 2014). Experiments have shown that the simple prebiotic molecules required can be made under various conditions independent of a biological system (Orgel 1998, Mirazo et al. 2014) and it is often hypothesised that these reactions could have occurred near hydrothermal vents (Huber Wachtershauser 2006, Dai 2012, Budin et al. 2009). The ways in which these prebiotic molecules assembled into a self-sustaining cell have not yet been elucidated. This has led to some ambiguity regarding which prebiotic materials and chemical processes are required for the initiation of life (Mirazo et al. 2014). Assessing the ways in which life may have originated could provide insight into the possible locations of extraterrestrial life in our solar system (Spiegel Turner 2011). While current research aims to identify a single origin of life, it is important to observe multiple possibilities to ensure continued progress. Defining life – the cell To determine the point at which life first emerged, it is important to identify the features which separate living biological entities from non-living chemical building blocks. This paper will therefore conform to the assumptions that the universal unit of life is the cell (Palmer 2013) and that all living organisms are autonomous and self-replicating (Bich Damiano 2012). With these definitions in mind, it can be seen that all life on Earth shares three major cellular properties: a genetic code for information storage and replication, metabolism for the acquisition of energy and nutrients, as well as selectively permeable membranes that separate them from the surrounding environment (Mirazo et al. 2014). These components are made up of complex organic molecules that are commonly synthesised from within the cell itself. Life today uses nucleic acids for their genetic code, amino acids make up metabolic proteins and lipids form cell membranes (Mirazo et al. 2014). If we assume that th e first living cell from which all life ascended also consisted of these types of molecules, we must consider how they formed independently under early Earth conditions. Starting materials and chemical evolution Similar to how multicellular organisms emerged through increasing complexity and natural selection from the environment, the building blocks for life are thought to have developed through a process of chemical evolution. The Miller-Urey experiment in 1953 showed that amino acids can be formed quite readily from simple materials such as hydrogen, methane and ammonia when subject to an electric charge (Orgel 1998, Mirazo et al. 2014). While is it commonly suggested that the strongly reducing conditions used in the experiment may not have been analogous to the true early Earth conditions, it was the first of its kind to prove that complex organic molecules can be made without the help of a living system (Mirazo et al. 2014). Many experiments since then have shown similar abilities of simple molecules to reach prebiotic complexity under a variety of different conditions (Keller et al. 2014, Longo et al. 2012, Novikov Copley 2013). Research in 2006 showed the possibility of producing ÃŽ ±-hydroxy and ÃŽ ±-amino acids from simple molecules under high pressure and temperature with nickel and iron catalysis (Huber Wachtershauser 2006). These conditions and reactants were likely to be present in concentration and temperature gradients at volcanoes or hydrothermal vents in the early acidic ocean (Huber Wachtershauser 2006). Later simulation experiments have also shown that polynucleotides have the potential to be produced near alkaline deep sea vents and that protocell-like vesicles can form in thermal diffusion columns (Dai 2012, Budin et al. 2009). The typical materials used in these experiments are likely to have been present on Earth before the emergence of life and are listed by Mirazo, Briones and Escosura (2014): The main starting materials in prebiotic chemistry are one-, two-, and three-carbon atom molecules, such as hydrogen cyanide, cyanate, cyanogen, formaldehyde, formamide, formic acid, ammonium formate, ammonium cyanide, urea, acetaldehyde, cyanoacetylene, and cyanoacetaldehyde (p. 289). These molecules can be produced from gaseous mixtures of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrogen, ammonia and water through UV radiation, shock waves or spark discharge (Mirazo et al. 2014). Given appropriate conditions, the resulting materials can then combine further through redox, photochemical or hydrolytic reactions (Mirazo et al. 2014). The origins of prebiotic monomers are often debated (Orgel 1998, Mirazo et al. 2014). It is proposed that the required quantities of starting materials were not being produced in the vast oceans of the early Earth. It is therefore speculated that they were unable to achieve sufficient concentrations for further synthesis (Mirazo et al. 2014). An alternative source of starting materials to their formation on the early Earth is their possible delivery from space during the late heavy bombardment (Mirazo et al. 2014, Orgel 1998). Meteorite analyses show that they can contain a wide variety of organic materials, including those which are used by living organisms (see table 1). The amount of organic matter deposited during this period is estimated to be two to four orders of magnitude higher than the current mass of the biosphere. It is therefore possible that a significant portion of the staring materials on Earth were of extraterrestrial origin (Mirazo et al. 2014, Orgel 1998). This als o suggests that organic synthesis is a universal process (Longo et al. 2012). Source: Mirazo, Briones and Escosura 2014 p. 289. Genes, metabolism and membranes The origin of more complex prebiotic structures such as membranes, polypeptides and genes are significantly less distinct. The agreement that living organisms require the ability to replicate imposes that the first form of life probably emerged from an RNA world (Vasas et al. 2009). However, the abiotic production of RNA has been shown to be remarkably difficult. While a metabolism first model addresses this issue (Novikov Copley 2013), it is uncertain if the process adheres to the definition of life (Vasas et al. 2009). Huber and Wà ¤chtershà ¤user (2006) theorise that life emerged stepwise from a â€Å"pioneer metabolism† to a fully functioning organism. Whereas Budin et al. (2009) suggest that the spontaneous formation of amphiphilic membranes in rock microchannels of deep sea vents may have provided suitable housings for the initial polymerisation of nucleotides. An all-encompassing view is held by Mirazo, Briones and Escosura (2014), stating that: When these various difficulties are considered, it is unlikely that scientists will ever know which exact synthetic itinerary led to the first forms of life. A nonhistorical point of view might be more fruitful, the target of research turning to be the general physicochemical processes that could trigger the transition from a nonliving chemical system into a protoliving one and, finally, into a living organism (p. 287). Nonetheless, there is a significant absence of evidence suggesting that any collection of chemical processes will lead to a living entity (Spiegel Turner 2012). To reject the discrete steps that may have led to the emergence of a cell could limit our understanding of how life is formed. Why hydrothermal vents? Hydrothermal vents currently support dense and diverse communities of organisms, indicating that their wide-ranging chemical and physical gradients have a remarkable capacity for supporting life (Novikov Copley 2013) (see figure 1). Their internal and nearby structures have the potential to provide microenvironments for concentrating organic materials and catalytic minerals. They can provide both high and low temperatures which can assist in the production of high activation energy and low thermal stability materials, respectively (Novikov Copley 2013). Hyperthermophilic microorganisms have been reported to exist in temperatures between 80 °C and 100 °C and many species are the closest living relatives to the last universal common ancestor (Glansdorff Labedan 2008). It is speculated that the thermotolerance of the early descendants of LUCA was an adaptive deviation from the original protocell (Glansdorff Labedan 2008). Nonetheless, evidence suggests that LUCA was moderate the rmophilic (40 °C to 80 °C) to mesophilic (20 °C to 45 °C), possibly signifying a broad preferred temperature range (Glansdorff Labedan 2008). If life originally emerged from a hydrothermal environment, it can be expected that it would require a potential for adaptability to survive in such varying conditions. Figure 1. Diagram of the chemical and physical interactions that occur in and around hydrothermal vents. A wide variety of temperatures and chemical products exist in the vicinity of a deep sea vent. Source: Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory 2013. Issues and important considerations As previously mentioned, there is currently no experimental evidence of a transition from prebiotic organic material to a fully replicating autonomous system. It is therefore possible that the conditions applied in simulation experiments still do not replicate those of the early Earth. The first life on Earth may have been introduced from elsewhere during the late heavy bombardment (Abramov Mojzsis 2009) and may therefore have been in conditions that are completely unlike those considered in the literature. Additionally, the earliest organisms may have been incomparable to the life that exists today. Alternatively, the models which are applied to define life may be inhibitory to our understanding of its origin. Vlaardingerbroek (2012) suggests that the separation between biological and chemical evolution and a specific origin of life is problematic, advising instead to observe the emergence of life as a gradual and detailed process absent of a single impartial event. Conclusions and future possibilities Although the theory of life emerging from hydrothermal vents is convincing, we should maintain a broad perspective on the possibilities of the origin of life until more information is acquired. Many of the current hypotheses are plausible – the abiotic production of building blocks has been proven in a multitude of different instances. However, evidence that can confirm the possibility of making a cell abiotically from these building blocks is needed to reinforce this idea. If abiogenesis is found to be common and rapid given appropriate conditions, it is likely that it is occurring on many other locations in space (Spiegel Turner 2011). Such possibilities would lead to a plethora of exciting research opportunities into the discovery of extraterrestrial life. References Abramov, O., Mojzsis, S. J. (2009) Microbial habitability of the Hadean Earth during the late heavy bombardment, Nature, 459(7245): 419–422. Bich, L., Damiano, L. (2012) Life, Autonomy and Cognition: An Organizational Approach to the Definition of the Universal Properties of Life, Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, 42(5): 389–397. Budin, I., Bruckner, R. J., Szostak, J. W. (2009) Formation of Protocell-like Vesicles in a Thermal Diffusion Column, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 131(28): 9628–9629. Dai, J. (2012) Novel molecular fossils of bacteria: Insights into hydrothermal origin of life, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 310: 249–256. Glansdorff, N., Xu, Y., Labedan, B. (2008) The Last Universal Common Ancestor: emergence, constitution and genetic legacy of an elusive forerunner, Biology Direct, 3(1): 29. Huber, C., Wachtershauser, G. (2006) ÃŽ ±-Hydroxy and ÃŽ ±-Amino Acids Under Possible Hadean, Volcanic Origin-of-Life Conditions, Science, 314(5799): 630–632. Keller, M. A., Turchyn, A. V., Ralser, M. (2014) Non-enzymatic glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway-like reactions in a plausible Archean ocean, Molecular Systems Biology, 10(725): 1–12. Lal, A. K. (2008) Origin of Life, Astrophysics and Space Science, 317(3-4): 267–278. Longo, L. M., Lee, J., Blaber, M. (2013) Simplified protein design biased for prebiotic amino acids yields a foldable, halophilic protein, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(6): 2135–2139. Novikov, Y., Copley, S. D. (2013) Reactivity landscape of pyruvate under simulated hydrothermal vent conditions, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(33): 13283–13288. Orgel, L. E. (1998) The origin of life – a review of facts and speculations, Trends in Biochemical Sciences, 4(98): 491–495. Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (2013) Vent Fluid Chemistry. Retrieved from http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/eoi/chemistry/fluid.html Palmer, B. S. (2012) A review on the spontaneous formation of the building blocks of life and the generation of a set of hypotheses governing universal abiogenesis, International Journal of Astrobiology, 12(01): 39–44. Ruiz-Mirazo, K., Briones, C., de la Escosura, A. (2014) Prebiotic Systems Chemistry: New Perspectives for the Origins of Life, Chemical Reviews, 114(1): 285–366. Spiegel, D. S., Turner, E. L. (2011) Bayesian analysis of the astrobiological implications of life’s early emergence on Earth, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(2): 395–400. Vasas, V., Szathmary, E., Santos, M. (2010) Lack of evolvability in self-sustaining autocatalytic networks constraints metabolism-first scenarios for the origin of life, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(4): 1470–1475. Vlaardingerbroek, B. (2012) The Sorites Paradox, ‘Life,’ and Abiogenesis, Evolution: Education and Outreach, 5(3): 399–401. Barco NV Analysis: SWOT, Position and Product Life Cycle Barco NV Analysis: SWOT, Position and Product Life Cycle Barco NV is one of the top three global manufacturer, focused on expensive, high-quality products in a niche market. It focuses on the graphic projector, projector market has the greatest growth and income. Barcos market share of 4%, a video projector, 23% and 55% of the data projector graphics projector. Barcos main competitors, Sony, Electrohome and NEC. In my opinion, scrap the BD700 and star new high-end projector is the smarter choice. His strongest competitor, Sony develops a new product 1270 super data projector and trade show in the Boston. It is a high-performance graphics applications and low price. From the Table A Product Segment Growth, 1988, we can find that Graphics predicted annual growth, 1989-1994 were 40.2% from 1988 4% units. Data only grows 12.3% from 1988 33% units. Its mean graphics market growth is more than Datas market growth. The BD700 is BarcoData700. Datas market is growing slowly. That means new product BD700 is fail product and fail in the market. Thats why I agree scrap the BD700. I will show more analyze in my product life cycle. And BG400 (BarcoGraphics400) is old model. If 1270 go in the market, BG400 will be kick-off from the market, because BG400 is the high price and low benefit product when 1270 come in. To star new high-end projector it is the smarter choice. Barco can develop new-product like as BG800 or upgrading BG700. In the Niche marketing, Barco need to keep pursuing top of the line in the high-end niche market and declining the prices, and Barco can win back the competitive edgy. Mission Statement High quality, high technology, popular, and five stars customers service, are all in ours product. Three levels of product Projector is popular in the world, especially graphics projector. Projector is used in the class by the professors and very important in multimedia instruction. Thats the core customer value. Its customers needs. And in these customers, when they chose the projectors they are care about the brand name, features, quality level, packaging, and design, its customers wants, these are actual product. And most customers are actually care about the band name, features, quality level, packaging, and design, and these are actual product. The features are the points Barcos new high-end projectors positioning, and also it is customer wants. In the Actual product, I will focus on the features, Barcos BG800 projector is new scanning frequency and new tubes than the 1270 the BG800 with at least 90kHz of scanning frequency and new tubes (p 249). Barco is famous brand name in the worldwide. Sony, it is not a profession projector brand. Customers will choose the professional brand-Barco. However, in the augmented product, customers want a good after-sale service and product support. In that part, Sony has good after-sale service and product support. That also is a good point for Barcos customer future cost, and collect customers information for the new-products. Also, it will become the point that customers care about when they chose the company. Barco need to improve that part, because thats customer wants. And its customer future cost, and researcher can collect customer information and wants from the new-products in the test marketing. Barco and Sonys strengths and weaknesses. First, Barcos products have a better scan speed is higher than the Sony. Barco dealer for 20% of the box distributors and 80% of the dealers and the dealer of Sony were 50%, tank dealers, and 50% of the system dealer. And we clearly can see customer needs and wants of three levels of product. Positioning is important part of customer wants. Positioning New high-end products are very important for Barco, its positioning on the high-performance graphics applications and middle high price like as BG800. Because Barcos strong competitor, Sonys 1270 is high-performance graphics applications and low price. Keeping high technology, appropriate price cut, and doing market research are the good way for the new-products. The BG800 in type of consumer product is classified the shopping products. Customer would like to compare these product, features, design, brand name, quality level, and packaging. The BG800 is the one Barco develop and position for the high-end products. Product life cycle In the product life cycle, BD700 are almost developed. But BD700 is the fail product like what I said in the beginning. But Barco already paid for the BD700 development fee and that was the sink cost. And Barco cannot take this money back. In the product life cycle, if BD700 is the right product, it can run like the curve, keeping to spent money for introduction. But the problem is BD700 is the fail product, its wrong product. In the development, its the sink cost. Sony is in the product development area, and they can stop and decline the loss, but Barco. Right now Sonys product 1270 is passed the product development area and they will keep to following the product life cycle curve, introduction, growth, maturity, and Decline. The profits will between the end of introduction and the end of decline. Barco can start to develop BG800 and also follow the curve, because BG800 is the right product right now. Possible Value Propositions From the upper, we can find that BG400 is in the more prices and more benefits area. But when 1270 are come in the market. BG400 will go down to the more prices and less benefits. And the 1270 will go to the less prices and more benefits area. Its very bad for BG400. Because no one want to buy a expensive and less benefits product. Barco will lose that market. From the positioning, BG800 will go in to the more prices and more benefits area. Thats good to fight with 1270 in the market. Customers really need the less prices and more benefits product, but some customers want more of the product, like they want and compare different brand name, features, and after-sale service. So they will choose BG800. The New-Product Development Process In the idea generation, Barco has many ideas. I will talk about three ideas from Barco; finish the BD700, scrap the BD700 and start new high-end projector, and improve BD700. In the idea screening, I suggest Barco scrap the BD700 and start new high-end projector. If that idea is passed, Barco will continue the next part-concept development and testing. BG800 is show up in the concept development and testing of the new-product development process. And then, Barco can do the marketing strategy development and business analysis. In the marketing strategy development, Barco can follow the Niche market to find what they fit. Following the Niche marketing, Barco can position the BG800 to the high-performance graphics applications and middle high price. So their marketing strategy will fit at high-performance and high price or middle high price. In the Business analysis, Barco need to do more market research and collect more information from the customers, price, needs, and wants. The third step will go in to the product development like as the graph of product life cycle, beginning the product development and products introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. The test marketing is beginning on the products growth. That means in the test marketing, it is beginning on the products growth and test the new product whether or not fit in the market growth and market share. And the last part, it will star the commercialization. SWOT Analyzing the Barcos superiority from the case, its show that Barco has two big markets: the United States and Western Europe. From the Table B Geographic Segment Growth, Barco has 50% units in the United States and 36% units in the Western Europe 1988 and the predicted annual growth of each are 9% and 11.5% from 1989 to 1994. And the weakness part is the relationship with dealer. Barco hasnt the system dealer who know-how of integrate and install equipment packages. From the Table D BPSs Pricing Index, BPS has 41% direct cost and 59% gross margin, and this is the high margin. Existing dealers liked to sell BPSs products. But BPSs product is complexity. In 1989, few dealers could survive without the Sony volume; an estimated 80% to 90% of professional audiovisual dealers worldwide Sony products because of reliability and low price among dealers (p. 244). Sony has a lot of dealers and good for his product selling. The opportunity of Barcos products are high technology and famous brand in the worldwide of projectors. Barco can develop high-end product BG800 or upgrading BG700. The threat is Barco need to scrap BD700 production. It means they lose a lot of money and need more time for the new high-end product development. And they will lose a lot of market share from their competitors. If the BG800 are not fit in the market, Barco will lose and never come back. Line stretching and Line filling Barco need to fill in the gap of Sony. Keeping the high quality and dropping the price, its the good way to fill the line of product line decisions. Right now Barco is in the high quality and high prices. And Sony is in the low prices and low quality. Sony keeps the low price and develops high quality product, 1270. If Barco develops BD700, the low price and low quality, will lose the market. If Barco scarp the BD700 and develops the high-end product BG800, it would be keep their high quality. Barco havent low price product, so he has no line filling. Barco have high price and high quality product. Barco will have line filling when he drop the price and keep high quality. Finding the gap of Sony is the good way to win the battle. Summary Surviving in the competitive market is not easy. To scrap BD700 and start a new high-end product, BG800, is the smarter choice. From the analysis, Barco need to find their new product whether or not fit in the market. Finding the customers needs and wants, its very important. Barco need to redefine its target market from collecting customers feedback and competitors strategic. To position new-product, its still important for Barcos line filling. Positioning also use to the Possible Value Propositions, to find where the area is and where is the competitors. Understanding the product life cycle is good for losing money and scraping the fail products. The right product will follow the product life cycle curves. Understanding the SWOT, Barco has two big markets: the United States and Western Europe. the weakness part is the relationship with dealer. The opportunity of Barcos products are high technology and famous brand in the worldwide of projectors. Barco can develop high-end product B G800 or upgrading BG700. The threat is Barco need to scrap BD700 production. In the line stretching and line filling part, Barco need to find his line, high prices and high quality, dropping the prices and keeping high quality are go way to filling the line of product line decisions.

The Role of Women in the Caholic Church :: essays research papers

Role of Women in the Roman Catholic Church   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Women in the Catholic Church take on many roles, from parishioner to laywoman to nuns. Women parishioners help prepare for the mass. They can be lectors, choir members, CCD instructors, etc. Laywomen â€Å"†¦are the Catholic women traditionally permitted certain ministerial responsibilities (Wessinger, 244).† They work in churches, schools, prisons, etc. Nuns dedicate their lives to religious devotion. They take three vows; poverty, chasity, and obedience. They are to live simple lifestyles. They live their lives teaching others and helping others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1995, at the Fourth World Conference on Women, in Beijing, the pope stated: â€Å"Today I appeal to the whole Church community to be willing to foster feminine participation in every way in its internal life. This is certainly not a new commitment, since it is inspired by the example of Christ himself†¦.nevertheless, he also involved women in the cause of his kingdom; indeed he wanted them to be the first witnesses and heralds of his resurrection. In fact, there are many women who have distinguished themselves in the Church’s history by their holiness and hardworking ingenuity.† The pope also stated that the feminine presence could be seen through, â€Å"†¦theological teaching, the forms of liturgical ministry permitted, including service at the alter, pastoral and administrative councils†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A year later, according to a research project, The Notre Dame Study of Catholic Parish Life, many women have assumed parish responsibilities. â€Å"†¦The following percentages of ministerial activities done by women reveal: alter preparation 85 percent, teaching 80 percent, social caring and justice ministries 85 percent, parish council leadership 52 percent (Wessinger, 246).†. Church practice is - to a large extent - women's practice. Without the unpaid cooperation of women, important pastoral activities would stop. A fair number of women choose to give their time and efforts to the church, rather than take paid employment. Many times these women are over looked.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many questions as to why women can not become priests. Women can not receive the Sacrament of Orders and cannot fulfill the function of ministerial priest hood. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, â€Å"Only a baptized man validly receives the sacred ordination.

Effect of Technology and Network Security Support on Information Security Essay

Introduction Information security has become one of the challenges in ripping benefits of information technology. It has been found out that most people fear using modern information and communication technology due to fear of the privacy of their personal details. Information technology has supported the growth of online services like e-commerce, e-banking, e-governance, and many others which required people to give their sensitive personal details. However, practice like hacking and others which breach security of information have eroded personal confidence in use of ICT service. Information security can be described as the act of giving protection to information and systems by denying unauthorized access, use, disclosure or modification. The effect of Technology on information security The following are the technological methods that are used in ensuing information security; Authentication Authentication is the process through which a person or any other things undergoes through a verification process to determine whether it is the one. It is the way through which something or someone is confirmed to establish whether the claim made is actually true (McNab, 2004).   Authentication may involve confirmation of personal identity, origin of any artifact or basically making assurance that computer programs is trusted. Authentication is one of the commonly used methods of ensuring information security. It may be implemented through different methods including; Password A password can be defined as private information that is only known to the owner. A password assigns a user identity which is associated with the password. The password therefore becomes the gateway for the user to access that particular identity (Information Resources, 2009).   Passwords are personal and therefore the standard of the password is very important. Strong passwords are difficult to guess as compared to weak passwords and therefore they offer more security to private information. It is important that user safeguard their password and once they suspect that someone else has accessed their passwords they should consider changing them to ensure security. Token A security token is a hardware device that is used by the owner to authenticate their identity.   Once the device is recognized by the network, the user is given access to the system.   A token can be in different forms ranging from smart cards, key fob, and many others (Erin, 2005).   Tokens provide high level security through two-factor authentication method. First, the owner has a personal identification number or PIN which authorizes them to access the device. Second the device displays that PIN number of the user to the system which allows them to access the system. Unlike passwords, token are more secure since even if the device falls in wrong hands, it will be difficult to guess the PIN.   The four types of tokes include static password, synchronous dynamic password, asynchronous password, and challenge response. Biometrics Biometric is one of the most advance authentication techniques that are used when dealing with many people. It will be observed that today, everyone enters in a baseball match after their physical characteristics have been recorded in a system while in school kids use their thumb to access meals. These represent the commonly used biometric techniques where the emphasis is one authentication using personal physical characteristics (Down and Sands, 2004).   Biometric uses different physical characteristics including eye, face, voice, fingerprints, shape of the hand, and many others. These characteristics are quite unique to every individual and they are one of the strong proofs to the personal identity.   However, biometric authentication devices are very costly to buy and maintain and therefore they are used in very sensitive situations. One of the greatest weaknesses of this method is that it is very easy to attacked stored comparison images than to copy those physical traits.   In most cases, biometrics is used as a two factor authentication methods where a password is combined with personal physical appearance. Software There are a number of softwares that have been developed to protect information in any network. The following are common software used in information security; Antivirus Antivirus are software developed to protect information from virus, spy ware, and malware. Antiviruses are used mostly in internet connected network where there is a high risk of spread of virus (Dhillon, 2007). Antivirus software mostly used includes MacAfee, Karspasky, NOD32, and many others. Content filtering Content filtering is also known as information filtering.   It encompasses the use of software to screen information on computers. It is also used in internet firewall especially by corporations to guard some information considered private. Content filtering helps to include or to exclude some information which can be accessed by a person and excluding information which is deemed objectionable (Dhillon, 2007). Content filtering is also used at home and at school in order to filter information that can be accessed by children. In this case, it is used to filter out pornographic materials and violence oriented materials.   In the internet content filtering can be classified into web filtering where some WebPages are filtered out and e-mail filtering where e-mails are screened for spam. However, content filtering is criticized on the ground that some important information may be filtered out of the accessible content such that the information accessed does not really help the user. Encryption With the increased use of the internet, a great deal of sensitive personal information is sent from one person to another or to an organization. This raises serious questions regarding the safety of that information and the confidence that only the intended receiver receives and understands the information. To raise this level of confidence, data encryption method has been developed (Biham and Shamir, 1991). Although encryption has been used since the time of Roman Empire, it has become more complicated and with diverse use today. Encryption mainly involves conversion of a readable data to another form which can only be read and understood by a specified person or computer. This information is regarded as ciphered or encrypted data since it cannot be understood easily. It is recovered back to its original form through decryption. The level of protection and integrity in encryption is enforced by the use of message authentication code or digital signature. Message authentication code creates a secret key for the sender and receiver of the information which makes it more secure and authentic. Today, there are many softwares that are used in encrypting data. However, encryption is not one of the most secure methods of ensuring data security since there are various methods like traffic analysis, brute force, TEMPEST, and many others which can be used to crack the encrypted data (Biham and Shamir, 1991). It has been found that even some of the most complex algorithms like RSA, DES and others can be broken using these softwares. iii. Hardware Firewalls have also played an important role in enhancing information security.   They can be used either in hardware or in software or when the two are combined.   In day to day uses, firewalls are important in protection unauthorized access to a private network which is connected to the internet especially in the cases of intranets (Whitman and Mattord, 2007).   Firewalls filters all messaging entering and leaving the intranet to ensure that it blocks those messages which are devoid of the set security standards.   There are four major types of techniques used in implementing firewalls including Packet filter This is one of the most effective and transparent firewall techniques. Under this technique, each and every packet entering and leaving the network is filtered and only those which meet user defined criteria are allowed while the rest are blocked.   However, the technique is quite difficult to configure and is more susceptible to IP spoofing. Application gateway Application gateway applies a defined security mechanism to some specific applications like FTP, Telnet servers, and others.   Although it is quite effective, it can also lead to degradation of performance. Circuit level gateway This technique applies firewall security only when a TCP or UDP connected has been made. Once the connection is established, packets of data continue to flow without being checked since a secure connection has been made. Proxy server Proxy server technique intercepts in and out of a network. The server is quite effective in hiding the network addresses and hence cannot be obtained easily. The effect of Network Security Support on information security Although technology has been effective in deterring cyber crime, it is clear that technology alone cannot work. Even with the advanced technology and application of the various information security methods we have reviewed above, human support is still needed. There are various ways that have been employed in supporting technological method to fight cyber crimes. The following are some of these methods: Hacker Hunters Hacker hunters are special branches that have been set up in police department aimed at tracking down cyber criminals.   Hacker hunters are prowling cyberspace with an aim of tracking down and arresting professional cyber criminals who are motivated by big profits made online.   Hacker hunters are employing gumshoe techniques to track down cyber crime suspect (Grow and Bush, 2005). They are employing various methods including infiltration of hacker groups, monitoring the hackers through underground networks, and when possible, intercepting the hackers before they can cause any damage. Most important, hacker hunters are relying on intelligence in order to track cyber criminals. They are using informants inside hackers group to get vital information regarding their operation. For example in 2004, Hacker Hunters in Washington unleashed Operation Firewall in which they targeted members of the ShandowCrew tracking them through their website shandowcrew.com with the help of an informant from the group.   Hackers Hunters must therefore seek inside information from individuals in these groups in order to fight deter them. They are applying the same principles that were used in the 1960s to fight organized crime since both are similar in many aspects. Police Operations Police operations work in the same manner as hacker hunters.   In most cases, police operations are carried out by a special group within the police force and reinforce the work of hacker hunters.   For example in the above case, the Special Agents in the operation firewall got assistance from the local police forces.   Therefore police operations are important in pursuing cyber criminals to ensure security of information (Leyden, 2004). Unlike hacker hunters, police operations are carried out as fighting of routine crimes. This means that although there may be a special group carrying out police operations, it may not be entirely specialized in fighting cybercrime. In most countries, there are special internet police departments which are used in fighting internet crimes.   These police departments are entrusted with carrying out important functions like fighting cybercrime, censorship, propaganda, online scams, manipulation of online opinions, and others. However one of their most important duties is to work closely with hacker hunters in intervening and apprehending cyber criminals. Internet police departments also collaborate with other police departments in other countries in enforcing internet security laws and apprehending cyber criminals.   In the international front, Interpol has been important in enforcing international crimes. iii. Network Security Service Companies For many companies, proving information security is an expensive endeavor. Companies are not only required to install hardware and software devices, but they must also collaborate with authority to ensure information security. However, the growth of corporate resources in provision of secure business environment has made many information security methods inefficient and expensive (Lighthouse Security Group, 2009). For this reason, most companies are finding it appropriate to outsource comprehensive and streamlined network security services from Network Security Services Company. Network Security Service Companies have also become important in enforcing information security. These are companies which are specialized in providing services to enforce information security.   These companies offer Managed Security Services (MSS) which are security capabilities mostly outsourced by other companies. These services vary from supplementing of an existing security system to offering a complete new MSS where the Network Security Service Company is entrusted with information security. However, MSS is just one of the different types of managed services others including routing, hosting, LAN, VPN, and others.   Network Security Service Companies therefore offer specialized high quality network security services ensuring for many enterprises. Conclusion The increased incidence of breach of privacy of information has had negative impact on adoption of ICT services.   The emergence of e-commerce, e-banking, e-governance and other online services which required input of sensitive personal details have been affected by increased hacking of information. There are different methods that have been developed to increase information security mainly through the use of technology and network support on information security. Technological methods include authentication through password, token, biometrics; software including antivirus, content filtering, or encryption; and hardware through use of firewall techniques.   Network security support includes hacker hunters, police operations, and security services offered by network security service companies. Reference: Biham, E. & Shamir, A. (1991). Differential cryptanalysis of DES-like Cryptosystems. Journal of Cryptology, Vol. 4(1): 3-72 Dhillon, G. (2007). Principles of information systems security: text and cases. NY: John Wiley & Sons Down, M. P & Sands, R. (2004). Biometrics: An Overview of the Technology, Challenges and Control Considerations. Federal Computer Week, 21(13) Erin, B. (2005). Information security: Token. Boston, Technology Press Grow, B. & Bush, J. (2005). Hacker Hunters: An elite force takes on the dark side of computing.   Retrieved 28th April 2009 from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_22/b3935001_mz001.htm Information Resources, (2009). Security tips: Password protection. Retrieved 28th April 2009 from http://www.utdallas.edu/ir/security/STpassword.htm Leyden, J. (2004). Enforcement is key in fighting cybercrime. Retrieved 28th April 2009 from http://www.crime-research.org/analytics/473/ Lighthouse Security Group, (2009). Enterprise security solutions. Retrieved 28th April 2009 http://www.lighthousecs.com/Practices/Enterprise-Security-Solutions/ McNab, C. (2004). Network Security Assessment. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Whitman, M. & Mattord, J. (2007). Management of information security. Boston, Technology Press

How SAT Practice Got Me a Perfect Score

How SAT Practice Got Me a Perfect Score SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Can taking official SAT practice tests improve your SAT score dramatically? It can if you do it right. Most students practice the SAT incorrectly and are then surprised when their scores don’t increase. I myself essentially practiced my way to a perfect SAT score, and I’m convinced you can do it, too! I've developed an SAT practice method that has worked for thousands of students- and I'll describe it right here. Overview: How My Method Will Raise Your SAT Score Take official practice testsand apply the methods I'm about to go over. Do this, and I guarantee your SAT score will go up hundreds of points. What do this mean for you? In a couple of weeks, you mightnever get a disappointing score on the SAT again. You might decide to throw away all those other strategies that don't seem to work, the ones that get you the same (not-quite-high-enough) score over and over again. Anytime you think you want to improve your SAT score even more, you'll know exactly what to do. Just take out a fresh practice SAT test, sit down, and apply my method. With my method, wrong answer marks on your score sheet will disappear like smoke in the wind. You'll start to take the SAT confidently and get the score you want.You'll apply to the school of your dreams and get accepted. I know this sounds too good to be true. Practice SAT tests? Don't I need a five-figure course from a college consultant to get the improvement I want? Yet this method is real.It's been proven on thousands of our own students, and I'm making it available to you right here, for free. But why should you trust me? And why is my method so effective? Allow me to introduce myself. Why You Can Listen to Me, a Perfect SAT Scorer I'm Fred Zhang, PhD, and I'm the cofounder of PrepScholar, the site you're visiting now. Though I eventually got a perfect score on the SAT, I personally struggled with improving my score and mastering SAT practice tests. When I first took the SAT, I got a full 200 points lower than what I was aiming for.I knew this wasn't the score I could achieve. There had to be some way to improve, right? So naturally, I did what all great athletes do: I practiced the real deal- the actual SAT. At first, there was very little improvement, but I quickly realized what I was doing wrong. Bit by bit, I built up an SAT practice test strategy that catapulted my score to perfect! Here's the proof: Screenshot of my perfect SAT score report. This score got me into every single college I applied to:Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and Caltech. It also let me meet some of the most interesting and intellectually curious classmates I'm honored to call friends today. Lastly, it opened up invitations to some of the most competitive firms, such as Goldman Sachs (I ended up turning them down, though, along with all of finance). Screenshot of my acceptance into Harvard, which was due in part to my perfect SAT score. Today, I’m certified to be a college professor, and my main job is tohelp thousands of students succeed using the strategies I developed (along with the aid of many other brilliant SAT experts). Most importantly, through PrepScholar, I've helped thousands of studentsget the SAT scores they want. I'm not saying this to brag. Rather, I want you to have full confidence that what I'm about to tell you will work, as long as you do it right. How NOT to Take SAT Practice Tests Many test takers and self-studiers (mistakenly) believe in the Marathon Fallacy for SAT practice. The usual advice to those training for a marathon is to run more, run longer, and run to your limit. This works for marathons because running requires primarily one adaptation of your body. As you run more- no matter how you run, when you run, or where you run- your circulation should start to improve and your muscles should slowly strengthen. This, in turn, makes you a better runner. Students who believe in the Marathon Fallacy for SAT practice believe in the myth that all they need to do is pick up a practice test and churn away. More specifically, they tend to think the following: SAT skills are a generic muscle that gets stronger as long as you put time into practice, no matter what that practice looks like. The version or year of an SAT practice test doesn't matter. You can do a few practice problems on your phone or iPad while chatting with friends. You don't need to think deeply about the practice SATs after you take them. After churning through a bunch of practice SATs, students who believe in this myth take the SAT again and are shocked that their scores are the same or barely 10 points higher.Who would have guessed, but the brain is not a single muscle that responds to blind practice. Instead of comparing SAT practice to a marathon, it's better to think of the test as being similar to baseball. When you practice baseball, technique matters. Swinging a bat a thousand times will make you swing stronger and harder, but it won’t guarantee you’ll be a good player. That’s because so many other techniques matter more, such as your stance, the angle of your swing, your follow through, and your strategy after you hit the ball. In short, you have to practice baseball to get good at it, but you need to practice carefully. It’s the same with SAT prep: you need to prep for the SAT by taking realistic practice tests, but you need to also make sure you're preppingthe right way. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! The Best Way to Prep for the SAT: 4 Expert Tips Now, let me show you how to best prep for the SAT so that you, too, can get a perfect score! #1: Use Official SAT Practice Tests I see students get this method wrong the most. Students will pick up a generic set of practice SATs, not check the version or quality of them, and just use them from start to finish. The problem with almost all SAT practice tests that are not official (I call them cheap knockoff SATs) is that only a minimum amount of work has been put into them to make them look like the SAT. With cheap knockoff SATs, publishers tend to throw all kinds of trash into multiple-choice format and then call it "SAT practice." Some of the biggest sins I've seen include the following: One popular test-prep company wholesale recycled their GRE questions and called it SAT Practice.I’m not even kidding- I opened up their GRE questions on one screen and their SAT ones on another screen and saw the same questions, word for word! My jaw dropped. One book of SAT practice tests by one of the top test-prep companies had some questions with multiple right answers or no right answers at all. Have you ever taken a cheap knockoff SAT practice test, looked at an answer, and said, "That can't be right"? Well, now you know why! The worst SAT questions are those free problems that float around on websites that clearly have no specialization on the SAT.Usually, these sites have a ton of ads and prey on beginners. But even SAT books from the biggest test-prep publishers- books that look perfectly legit and are even on shelves in stores such as Barnes Noble- suffer from this issue, too. Publishers of cheap knockoff SATs are often under tight deadlines and take advantage of students. They know most students are novices and might be gullible enough to believe that anything in a multiple-choice format is similar to an actual SAT question. This wouldn't be horrible if all there was to the SAT was its multiple-choice format. But the test is much more complicated than this and asks certain questions in certain ways. These ways are very specific and take a lot of work by high-scoring experts to figure out. If you're training with bad SAT practice questions, it's like training with a softball for a baseball game. You'll spend all your time optimizing your skills for the wrong thing. I believe in this concept so much that in my program, PrepScholar, we use onlySAT practice tests released by the College Board for our full-length tests. Even when we design drill-problems, we have three sets of experts carefully review each question to ensure they adhere to every detail and the overall format of the SAT. #2: Take Each Practice Test in a Realistic Setting Many students are tempted to take shortcuts when doing SAT practice tests. Got five minutes before Mom picks you up from sports? Then why not do two SAT math questions on your iPhone? The problem here is that you're training in an environment that differs significantly from that of the real SAT. Let's take the five-minute-on-your-iPhone example above to demonstrate exactly why a realistic setting matters: Giving yourself five minutes for two math questions is way too much time. You’ll be training for the wrong timing and will fall into bad habits, such as grinding out a solution in a way that you could never, ever hope to do on the real SAT. You won’t have scrap paper or a pencil to write down notes and ideas. To do well on the SAT, you must take advantage of the space in the test to jot down ideas, your work, and any notes. Doing SAT practice on an iPhone trains none of these critical skills. You're not taking the SAT inthe normal four-hour context.Regardless of whether you're physicallyfatigued after hours of playing sports or are feeling totally mentally refreshed, the environment simply isn't realistic. Studying hard or hardly studying? Practicing the SAT in bed is a bad idea. Now, five minutes of practice on an iPhone might be an uncommon example, but it's very easy to slack off, even when you're taking a practice SAT at your desk. Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine how realistic your SAT practice session is: Did you take the entire test in one sitting (good) or split it up into several chunks (bad)? The more chunks you split a practice SAT into, the worse your practice will be since you won’t learn how to prepare for the fatigue of the test. Did you give yourself an extra long break or take breaks between sections where none are scheduled? On the actual SAT, you don't get to eat a two-hour-long dinner in the middle of the test, so don't do it during a practice test, either! Do you sometimes peek at answers? Peeking at answers is a cardinal sin. Looking at the answer sheet even once during a practice SAT can easily boost your score 100 points. This not only screws up the entire vibe and sequence of the test but can also make you think you're doing better than you actually are. Do you give yourself a couple of extra minutes on a section, maybe to bubble in a few answers? Giving yourself extra time is much worse than it seems at first glance. Knowing how to time yourself so you can finish each section in time, while challenging, is a critical skill you'll need to build up. Part of time management training involves knowing to stop taking the test a few minutes before time is up and also knowing how to deal with last-minute troubles. The best way to prep for the SAT is to take each SAT practice test under as realistic a setting as possible.So what should you do? Get out a table in a quiet room. Have the tests printed in front of you with bubble sheets. Use a real timer to give yourself scheduled breaks, andnever give yourself even a minute more. Once you're all set, take the entire test as if you were at an SAT test center. I believe in using a realistic test setting so much that our SAT prep program encourages this to the fullest extent possible. We have timers exactly like those on the real test, and automatically watch out for any noncompliance that can jeopardize the studying process. #3: Put In Enough Time This might seem obvious, but it's definitely worth repeating the process described in the first two tips. You need to put in time to improve on the SAT. While I'm against chugging practice test after practice test, at the end of the day the chugger will still do better than the test taker who puts in nearly zero time. Improving on the SAT takes hard work. Unwillingness to accept this is the quickest route to stagnation. In fact, in this guide, I am assuming that you will be putting in at least 10 hours of SAT study time in total. If you're studying fewer than 10 hours, nothing can help you significantly improve your SAT score. Not a book, not some cheap tricks, not me- not even a five-figure "college consultant." If you're studying fewer than 10 hours, throw this entire guide away.In this case, the best way to improve your score is to simply put in more study time. Similarly, if you're studying around 10-30 hours, putting in more time will help you substantially. In this range, putting in time is just as important as doing the right kind of SAT practice. We at PrepScholar believe in this time factor so much that our program records the time you study each week, and then predicts your progress based on this time.We also regularly tell you whether the time you spend is enough to get the improvement you want on the SAT. All in all, definitely carve out enough time for SAT practice! #4: Identify and Fix Your Weaknesses The most important part of taking a practice test is to have a clear grasp of what questions you're getting wrong and why you're getting them wrong.Too many students fall into this trap and think thatas long as you've taken a practice SAT, you've gotten all you can get out of it. This is completely wrong. The reality is that analyzing your performance on each practice test is the key to score improvement.Taking practice SATs in realistic settings can only get you so far. What you really need to do isanalyze your mistakes and look for patterns in your weaknesses. Again, SAT practice is like baseball practice. If you keep on swinging your bat wrong, you have to think hard after each swing. What felt off about that swing? What did your coach say about your swings? Are you swinging too hard, too lightly, or at the wrong angle? You need to think before you retry to get the most out of your practice. To analyze your SAT weaknesses, start by looking at each problem you got wrong on a practice test. Then, list the reasons you think you got it wrong. Here are some examples: Didn't know the math formula needed to solve it Ran out of time Made a careless mistake Next, tally up all the reasons for your mistakes on the test and look at the top three. These are the three big weaknesses you'll need to work on the most in your SAT prep. If you got mostly wrong answers, it's OK to take a sample of them instead. For example, you could look at every other question or every third question. Even though you won't get to analyze all your answers, in the end your results should be roughly the same. After, you'll want to eliminate your weaknesses by thinking carefully about how you can fix them.For timing issues, try a number of time-related strategies that have worked well for experts on practice tests to see what works best for you. For weaknesses in a certain topic such as reading or math, you might want to drill specific problem types or review lessons using high-quality tutorial resources likeKhan Academy. "But wait," you might say. "Isn't this guide supposed to be about SAT practice? Didn't you say you can improve a lot with SAT practice?" SAT practice is still the core to your improvement on the SAT. You're spending a large fraction of your time on it to train your muscle memory and diagnose your issues. In fact, you're spending even more time on focused practice SAT problems to drill (and thus fix) your weaknesses. However, there are definitely times when the best way to improve your score is toreview specific content and consider what could be the causes of your weaknesses. The Easy Way to Do SAT Practice Right In this section, I’m going to talk about our SAT prep program, PrepScholar, a bit. First off, you don’t need to use PrepScholar to benefit from the advice above. However, usually when I’ve given this talk in the past, the students most adamant about improving their scores asked me to talk a little more about how PrepScholar uses the tips above. You can feel free to skip this section, as the advice will still help you study even without our program. I used the SAT study strategy above with little external help during high school. In fact, I still have annotated practice tests with detailed notes explaining the reasons I got each question wrong. I also remember keeping a ledger of all my practice tests, a list of all my practice test sources, and a paper tallying all my mistakes. All you need to do is put in the work, be careful, and you'll be able to use this process successfully, too. However, what if instead of reinventing the wheel, all you had to do was log in every few days, do the practice SATs assigned to you, and see your score skyrocket?That's exactly what happens when you use the PrepScholar Complete SAT Prep program. Our program offers the following features: Automatically sources the most up-to-date official practice SATs for you,directly from the College Board website Tests you with an accurate timer, and gives you warnings if you take the practice SAT in a way that might jeopardize its effectiveness Encourages you to put in ample study time, and tells you when you need to put in more Automatically analyzes all the problems you got wrong, explainsthe top reasons you got questions wrong, and generates a curriculum for improving your biggest weaknesses These four steps are where SAT magic happens. You find out what you're getting wrong. You work on these issues until they go away. Your scores climb to your goal. Finally, you get into the colleges of your dreams. No messy self-tracking- just easy, immediate guidance that improves your SAT scores. You can see why our customers think this program is a great tool: "I love the practice tests!""Yes, I can definitely feel improvement. I love the practice tests. Would definitely like 2 or 3 more before I do the real thing.I like how you guys personally interact with me on a daily basis. Makes me feel like I am gettingmore of a personal experience. I love it." - Brian P. North Carolina"He did much better on this test!""You are the absolute best! My son was so happy when he came out. He did much better on this test than he did on the previous test.When my son came out of the previous test, he seemed down in the dumps. We knew right then and there, that the results were probably not going to be what we had hoped for, and that we would be exploring other options. After taking Prepscholar, he came out of the test with a huge smile on his face and told us right away that he did so much better." - Eileen H. VirginiaRead more customer stories here! And you won't believe the price. College costs around $10,000-$100,000 for most students. What's more, a regular cycle of visits to a college counselor or SAT tutor can easily run you over $4,000. Chances are, they might not even know how to improve your score in your specific case! At this rate, a program that figures out your specific issues and targets the exact SAT practice that you need would be a steal for even $1,000. After all, this is how much the most common one-size-fits-all courses by the test-prep dinosaurs charge. Yes, you can buy inferior programs at dirt-cheap prices, but they'll likely mess up your strategies. If you've got hundreds of hours to figure things out and make tons of mistakes, you could self-study, too. But we're talking about your college future here. I'll gladly admit that our PrepScholar Complete SAT Prep package is not the cheapest program on the market. That's because it uses only real SAT practice questions for tests, andall questions have passed three levels of scrutiny by top SAT scorers. We could easily charge more, but there's a simple reason we try our best to keep prices down: we want you to score higher. We want you to get into the school of your choice. After all, that's why we've even given you our top strategy in this guide for free. So why not accept our offer for our Complete SAT Prep program for just $399 and get started today? You're Protected Two Ways When you buy PrepScholar Complete SAT Prep, you're protected two ways. We want you to know that we're taking out all the risk through our double guarantee: Five Day Trial: If, for any reason, you don't like our program in the first five days, just contact us and we'll give you your money back. You get access to the whole program, not some walled-off piece. And in the unlikely chance you don't think it fits you, you get your money back, no questions asked. Some extreme students have worked full-time to finish our entire program in the five-day period, and they got their money back- something we applaud! 240+ Point Guarantee: If you finish our program and don't improve 240 points, you get all your money back as well. It's win-win- you either get the score you need, or you get free prep! What's Next? Studying for the SAT entirely on your own?Get tips on the best SAT prep books to useand learn how to come up with a foolproof SAT study plan that works well for you. Not sure what SAT score you should be aiming for?In this guide, we explain what scores are good and bad on the SAT, and go over how to determine what score you should shoot for based on the schools you're applying to. We've also got another in-depth guide to getting a perfect SAT score.Here, one of our expert full scorers teaches you how to identify your weaknesses and build a study plan guaranteed to get you that elusive 1600 on test day!