If there is one factor that can make a huge impact on your grades, it’s studying and studying often. But what happens when you study and your grades still fall short of expectations? In that case, it may be more about how you study. If your study skills could use a makeover, or even if you’re uncertain, you can benefit from these five tips.

• Test yourself. Then test yourself again. After reviewing material on a test, it’s a good idea to quiz yourself and see how well you know the information. This can give you insights into how well you’re studying. If you score low on a personal quiz, keep studying until you can quiz yourself and know everything inside and out.

• Combine independent and social studying. It’s great to study on your own but sometimes you need the support of several friends or a study group. Then again, distractions are your enemy, so a fine balance of independent study and focused peer groups will give you the maximum benefit of both worlds. Better yet, several sessions with a qualified math or English tutor provide both the independent and social element together.

• Make it personal. When you’re reviewing material, is there a way you can connect it with your personal life? Maybe your cool uncle shares his first name with the name of a scientist or politician on an exam. Whatever the case, finding ways to connect the material with your personal life will improve your memory at test time.

• Study comfortably and distraction free. Keep your study space clean, neat, and free of distraction. You’ll get more value out of your study sessions that way.

• Don’t forget to take periodic breaks!

Follow these steps and you’re on your way to becoming a superior studier.

The days are getting warmer and you’re counting down to summer vacation. Don’t rest on your laurels yet: there’s still the matter of finals and those all-important AP exams. Hopefully, you’ve been studying diligently throughout the school year, maybe with the help of an AP exam tutor. Of course, like many of us, we get busy with extracurricular activities and (God forbid) a social calendar.

Don’t worry. Fortune Tutoring is going to help you get ready for your finals and your AP exams. If you follow these guidelines, you stand a great chance of passing your tests with great grades if you’ve been studying; and a good chance of passing if you’ve been less than studious. Follow these steps and be ready for your exams:

• Go through your notes and highlight key points, persons, dates, places, and events. Study their significance. No notes? Start highlighting these same variables in your textbook.

• Create flashcards or visual aids to help you remember these key terms. You can create them by hand or try using any of the web-based flashcard tools on the ‘Net. Go through your flashcards over and over again until memorized.

• Consider making a mock quiz from your notes and flashcards so you can test yourself. Going through the motion of a test can ease anxiety at the actual test.

• Get someone to help you study, like a friend, family member, or AP exam tutor.

• The night before the test you can review the materials expected to be covered, but don’t try to cram. Make sure you have everything you need for the exam tomorrow. Get a good night’s sleep before the test and have a nutritious breakfast when you wake up.

Best of luck to you on your exams. You’ll do great!

Fortune Tutoring Group Receives 2011 Best of Beverly Hills Award

U.S. Commerce Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement

NEW YORK, NY, December 14, 2011 -- Fortune Tutoring Group has been selected for the 2011 Best of Beverly Hills Award in the Tutoring Instructors category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2011 USCA Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

Here are step-by-step instructions in the writing process of the typical college admissions essay.

We will divide the process into three easy to understand sections: Before You Write, As You Write, and After You Write.

Before You Write

Before even putting down a single sentence to the page, it’s vital to begin by gathering your thoughts and eventually come up with an outline. Start by brainstorming. Take a piece of scratch paper. On this paper, make two columns. Down the first column, write down descriptive words that you feel best reflect you, such as driven, responsible, and charismatic. Now down the second column, write specific examples for each of these character traits. Once you have a good list, you can begin to form an outline.

As you form your outline, select two or three topics from your brainstorm list and assign them a paragraph each. This will form the body of the essay. In the outline, your introduction will contain the main argument of your essay and the conclusion will tie everything together, often reciting the most important facts from the body of your essay.

You may find that as you are compiling your list, some points make work well together. In this case, don’t be afraid to group facts, for even stronger points. Just make sure you stay on your single topic.

As You Write

Write your essay with three components: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. The introduction tells the reader the essay’s topic. If the admissions personnel were to simply skim your first paragraph, they should have a clear idea what your essay will be about. The body contains all the main points of your essay, including specific facts and examples to support each point. The conclusion succinctly uncovers the meaning behind all the facts you have showcased in your essay and wraps things up nicely.

For shorter essays, you may wish for the body to only focus on a single point, with plenty of examples cited to illustrate that point. Another alternative for your essay is a narrative essay, which tells a brief, yet very visual story that serves as an expanded introduction. After the story, a narrative essay features a few paragraphs explaining what the story says about you and why this is important.

After You Write

Got a draft written? Congratulations! Now it’s time to take a break. Walking away from the essay is a great way to give your brain a refresher, giving you a renewed critical lens for the editing portion of the writing process. Once your draft is complete, you will want to review it over to see if any revisions are necessary. Edit down your sentences to be as clear as possible and make sure all paragraphs support the main idea. You may also wish to give your essay to an objective reader you will give you their honest opinion, not tell you what you want to hear.

Finally, as you are editing… DON’T FORGET TO PROOFREAD! (Sorry for the caps, but we can’t stress that enough.)