SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

If there’s one writing skill you need to have in your toolkit for standardized tests, AP exams, and college-level writing, it’s the ability to make a persuasive argument. Effectively arguing for a position on a topic or issue isn’t just for the debate team—it’s for anyone who wants to ace the essay portion of an exam or make As in college courses.

To give you everything you need to know about how to write an argumentative essay, we’re going to answer the following questions for you:

• What is an argumentative essay?
• How should an argumentative essay be structured?
• How do I write a strong argument?
• What’s an example of a strong argumentative essay?
• What are the top takeaways for writing argumentative papers?

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepped and ready to write a great argumentative essay yourself!

Now, let’s break this down.

At some point, you’re going to be asked to write an argumentative essay. An argumentative essay is exactly what it sounds like—an essay in which you’ll be making an argument, using examples and research to back up your point.

But not all argumentative essay topics are created equal. Not only do you have to structure your essay right to have a good impact on the reader, but even your choice of subject can impact how readers feel about your work.

In this article, we’ll cover the basics of writing argumentative essays, including what argumentative essays are, how to write a good one, and how to pick a topic that works for you. Then check out a list of argumentative essay ideas to help you get started.

If you’ve tuned into the news lately, you’ve seen the checks and balances system of government at work. Whether it’s courts striking down executive orders or governors vetoing legislation, checks and balances are constantly working to keep the United States government functioning.

But what are checks and balances, exactly? And how do they help make democracy work?

Although it’s important for everyone to understand the checks and balances system, it’s especially critical for you to understand if you’re taking a government course. Additionally, since a system of checks and balances plays an essential role in the U.S. federal government, the concept will also be a heavy contender for an AP exam free response question.

That’s a lot to cover, huh? Not to worry, though! By the end of this guide, you’ll have all the information you need to

• Answer the question, “What are checks and balances?”
• Write your own checks and balances definition
• Identify pros and cons of a checks and balances government
• Explain various checks and balances examples
• Analyze real-life examples of checks and balances

Let’s get going!

You’ve probably learned a lot about shapes without ever really thinking about what they are. But understanding what a shape is is incredibly handy when comparing it to other geometric figures, such as planes, points, and lines.

In this article, we’ll cover what exactly a shape is, as well as a bunch of common shapes, what they look like, and the major formulas associated with them.

Chemistry is an important subject that you’ll definitely need to know if you’re planning to pursue a chemistry or other science major in college. One thing you should be familiar with is the law of conservation of mass. What is it? And how is it used in chemistry?

Keep reading to learn what the law of conservation of mass is and how it came to be. We will also give you some law of conservation of mass examples to help you understand the concept better.

It’s estimated that there are anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 different language dialects currently spoken around the world.

If you’re a world traveler or just interested in other cultures, you might be interested in learning to say hello in different languages. While we won’t cover all 5,000 here, we will teach you how to greet people in 60 different ways.

If you want a career as a chef, just trying out new recipes at home isn’t going to cut it. You’ll need to hone your skills through education, experience, or both.

One of the ways to become a chef is by attending culinary school. In this article, we’ll outline what culinary schools are, who should attend them, and provide a list of the ten best culinary schools for prospective chefs.

When you’re learning a new language, politeness is key. You’re almost guaranteed to make mistakes when speaking, but a lot of the confusion and awkwardness can be smoothed over with a few simple courtesy phrases. In this guide, we explain the most common way to say thank you in German, then give nearly a dozen other ways of expressing thanks so you always have the right phrase to use for every situation. We end with other polite phrases in German that you should know.

The AP Literature exam is designed to test your ability to analyze literature. That means you’ll have to know how to use analytical tools, like literary elements, to uncover the meaning of a text.

Because literary elements are present in every piece of literature (really!), they’re a good place to start when it comes to developing your analytical toolbox. In this article, we’ll give you the literary element definition, explain how a literary element is different from a literary device, and look at the top nine literary elements you need to know before taking the AP Literature exam.

So let’s get started!

Who’s and whose both come from the pronoun who. While both words sound the same, they have very different meanings. These homophones can be tricky for even the most seasoned writers.

In this article, we’ll discuss whose vs who’s, explain when to use whose or who’s, and give you tricks for remembering proper usage.

Before we jump into this list of the easiest college degrees, let’s get one thing straight: there’s no such thing as an easy bachelor’s degree. Whatever degree you choose to pursue, you’ll have to work really hard to complete it.

With that caveat out of the way, this article outlines the easiest majors, why they’re easy, and what your career outlook will look like if you choose one of these college degrees.

In 1898, the US was fighting the Spanish-American War and occupying Cuba as part of its involvement in maintaining the island’s newfound independence. Once the war was over, the US still wanted to maintain influence in Cuba. In order to achieve this, the Platt Amendment was passed. Read this guide to learn what the Platt Amendment includes, why it was created, what important dates are associated with it, and how its impacts live on today, including how it led to the creation of Guantanamo Bay.

Understanding how the United States government works is critical to succeeding on the AP United States Government and Politics exam. That includes having a solid understanding about how each piece of the federal government works together.

One of the key components of this is the checks and balances system, which is where each branch of government checks--or limits--the power of the others. And unfortunately, understanding how those checks work can be a little confusing.

That’s where this article comes in. Today, we’re going to investigate how the executive branch of the U.S. government checks the judicial branch. To do this, we’ll:

• Define the three branches of government
• Examine how the judicial and executive branches operate
• Answer the question, “How does the executive branch check the judicial branch?”

So let’s get started!

If you have a goal of becoming a K-12 teacher, there are a number of ways to become licensed. Depending on where and what you want to teach, you can pursue a degree from an approved teacher education program or a means of alternative certification.

In this article, we’ll cover how and where you can get a teaching degree, as well as which type of certification is best for your situation.

One of the best ways to practice a language is to read it. It’s even better when you read idiomatic phrases that don’t always translate directly into English. That helps you learn more than just vocabulary--it teaches you to unlock the meaning behind the words, too. It’s definitely a skill you’ll definitely need to ace your AP Spanish Language exam or your AP Spanish Literature exam! (It’s also pretty great practice for the SAT Spanish Subject Test, too.)

Today, we’re going to introduce you to 9 of the best inspirational Spanish quotes about life. Reading through these will help you practice your advanced reading and comprehension skills...and it might just give you some food for thought, too. For each quote, we’re going to give you:

• The Spanish quote 
• The English translation of the quote
• A short discussion of why the quote is inspirational

¿Listos? ¡Bien, empecemos!