3 Things Introverts Do to Screw Up Their Career and What to Do Instead - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / 3 Things Introverts Do to Screw Up Their Career â€" and What to Do Instead - Introvert Whisperer 3 Things Introverts Do to Screw Up Their Career â€" and What to Do Instead The reason we study history is to learn from both the good and bad things others have done. We try to repeat the good things and avoid repeating the bad ones. Generally, that history lesson is isolated to leaders of nations and sometimes business leaders. Why not history lessons for those of us Introverts coming up through the ranks? I’m here to help introverts avoid some of the more common problems they create in their careers driven primarily by their personality tendencies. I see these thing Introverts do to screw up their careers almost daily. Yes, these issues can be avoided we are all capable of changing without compromising who we really are. Issue #1: Under-Developed Social Skills Granted, not all Introverts are socially underdeveloped, but many are. It’s easy, especially if you’re in Introvert, to slip into a mode of simply not interacting with others enough to build your social skills. Let’s face it: it’s hard to develop the all-important Know-Like-Trust recipe with someone who is difficult to interact with. (Tweet this!) Do this instead: If you aren’t sure if this is you, find out immediately. You need to get some feedback. Ask your boss who is apt to give you the most unvarnished view of your behavior. Ask an HR representative, coach or therapist. (This may have been something your mother never told you but should have.) Consider taking classes in speaking, emotional intelligence, communication or even sales to help build your social skills. Without adequate social skills, you are in for a career and life of disappointment. Issue #2: Lack of Strategic Relationships This is related but separate from #1. You won’t get far by your good looks or skills alone. Your career growth is dependent on whom you know and who knows you. As you climb the ranks, your ability to reach new levels will increasingly become about the relationships you have made. Think about it this way: Do you think Bill Gates got to where he did solely on his computer genius? No, he had equal prowess figuring whom to be aligned with. And yes, he is a big time introvert. Do this instead: You may need to practice to get your relationship-building mojo going, but building skills is what career growth is all about. Start by thinking through 2 or 3 people who you think would be good for you to know both now and in the future. Start slowly getting to know these people and forming reciprocal relationships. A good place to start is with a group “rising star.” They are always easy to pick out and get to know on their way up. Issue #3: Adapt to Your Situation As Darwin said, adapting is central to our existence. Change is a constant even though it’s an urban myth that we resist change. If you aren’t figuring out how to adapt your style of interacting or performing your job on an ongoing basis, you will quickly become a problem. This is the best way to become obsolete or difficult to work with. Yes,, you are an Introvert, but is all of that tendency serving you well in all situations? Probably not. Do this instead: Be conscious of the situations that don’t turn out as well as you would like. For those that tend to repeat, think about alternate behaviors and interactions you can have that might reshape the outcome the next time. Look at how and what others do as possible models for what you could do. Obviously, you won’t adapt behaviors that make you cringe. Keep in mind that the definition of insanity is doing things the same way but expecting different results. If you need additional ideas, comb the Internet for ideas or find books to help you develop solutions. Go to top Which of these three pitfalls have you observed in your own career? Share your survival stories in the comments! Image: Flickr Let me emphasize that Self-Promotion doesn’t have to be obnoxious to be effective. But, if you don’t Self-Promote you, who will? If you ever want to get ahead, you have to learn how to Self-Promote. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my video that shows you simple, yet effective ways to Self-Promote. Start watching now: CLICK HERE Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleash your professional potential.

What is a Lute, and How is it Different From the Guitar

What is a Lute, and How is it Different From the Guitar Shanika As a guitar player, I rarely had to deal with the issue of explaining what my instrument was to people I met. Even non-musicians are generally familiar with the guitar and the many forms and shapes it takes. When I made the transition to playing the lute, however, this changed significantly, due in no small part to the odd-looking case that I have to carry the instrument around in. People will often ask me, “What is a lute?” In truth, the history of the lute is a long one and I often simply explain that it’s like a guitar with more strings. If I have the time, though, I really do love to give a more complete answer. Read on to learn a brief overview of the history of the lute, and some comparisons between the lute and its more famous cousin, the guitar. The lute is a descendent of the oud, which was most likely brought to Western Europe by the Moors in the 9th century, when they occupied Spain. While the Spanish would seem a likely conduit for the instrument to enter the rest of Europe, they generally rejected the instrument, and the oud instead traveled with merchants through Sicily and up into Italy. The oud is a fretless melodic instrument, double-strung in courses, that is perfectly suited to the subtle tunings, systems and scales of the Middle East. In order to better integrate the instrument into Western European music, a few changes were made; adding frets was the first of these changes. Because Western European music was harmonically-driven and used precise tuning systems to harmonize multiple notes at the same time, the oud needed the addition of frets to comfortably play in tune with other musicians. This simple addition of frets marked the change from oud to lute. Despite the obvious harmonic implications that frets allow, the lute remained largely a melodic instrument until the beginning of the 16th century. Like oud players, the new European lute players continued to play the instrument with a plectrum or a bird quill. Through paintings and other iconographic sources, we have been able to reconstruct much of this early picking technique and determine that it is remarkably similar to modern mandolin and even electric guitar playing. The pinky of the plucking hand rests on the body of the instrument and acts as an anchor and a reference point for the rest of the hand. This allows for very fast and accurate diminutions. The fretting hand seems to have been very similar to modern technique. Depending on the size of the instrument, the thumb of the fretting hand could hang over the neck and even fret notes when needed, or if the instrument was too large, the thumb remained relaxed behind the neck. The end of the 15th century marked an amazing change for the lute, one that helped make it the most popular instrument for more than 200 years. A group of German lutenists discovered that by using the fingers to pluck instead of a plectrum, they could play entire polyphonic works. The hand position itself remained largely the same, but the instrument could now play solo material of remarkable complexity. The addition of a low sixth course (double string) also increased the gamut of the instrument, allowing for full bass lines. A few years later, the very first lute publications were printed by Ottaviano Petrucci. First came Francesco Spinacino in 1507, and then Joan Ambrosio Dalza in 1508. What becomes quickly apparent from these early publications is the high level of lute playing that is present so soon after the development of a polyphonic technique. The lute then exploded in the 16th century. Courts like those of Henry VIII, Francois I and the Pope in Rome hired lutenists as personal musicians and as means of cultural competition, pitting lute players against each other in contests that often impacted a rulers status amongst his peers. The highest-level lute players were paid in amounts comparable to modern NBA stars. Alberto da Ripa of Mantua, for example, was hired by the French court of Francois I, as the royal lutenist. In addition to earning the second-highest salary at court (of everyone, not just musicians!), he was given land and yearly stipends of food and alcohol. Intense competitions for these lucrative jobs produced musicians of unbelievable capability. The lute was easily the most dominant instrument of the 16th century, its regard only increased by the fact that it was linked (erroneously) to the Greek lyre of legend. The Florentine Cameratas influence on the arts in the 1570s and 80s helped propel a deep interest in reviving Greek culture, a culture that many considered the peak of human civilization. In fact, it was this invented connection to the legendary Greek instrument that may have allowed the lute to survive as long as it did. Despite its popularity during the 16th century, the lute began to lose ground in the early 17th century. The addition of more and more bass strings, up to 11 total courses (or 20 strings total, with two single strings), and the increased popularity and manufacturing of keyboard instruments, started to alienate the lute from the general population. The instrument was getting more difficult to play and more costly to maintain, and simpler instruments like the guitar were becoming more readily available. Thomas Mace, in his “Musicks Monument” (1676), tried to defend the lute and uphold it as the supreme instrument, but ultimately his argument showed that the lute was on a decline, and one from which it never quite recovered. Despite this decline, great players of the lute continued to produce amazing music and hold the highest positions at important courts. For example, the great German lutenist Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1687-1750) was the highest paid musician at the Dresden court and was reportedly so talented that another musician, jealous of his abilities, tried to bite his thumb off! The lute survived the 18th century, often playing continuo in orchestras, including Mozarts, and filling the second violin position in string quartets. Ultimately, the lute died out in the first decades of the nineteenth century. The beginning of the 20th century also marks the beginning of the lute revival. While early players and researchers like Diana Poulton did much to expand our knowledge of the lute, it wasnt until the virtuoso guitar player Julian Bream began playing the lute in concert that audiences and players started to become aware of the beauty and complexity of the instrument and its repertoire. The generation since Bream has elevated lute playing to very high levels. Players like Paul ODette, Robert Barto, Nigel North, and Hopkinson Smith tour the world and often have fanatical followings. The large body of music (60,000+ pieces) and its predisposition to added embellishment hopefully guarantee the lute a new life in the 21st century. Some students may be interested in how the lute differs from the modern classical guitar, an instrument that has come to share some of its repertoire. In terms of the actual instrument, even the largest lutes are significantly lighter in build than the average guitar. This lighter construction means that the lute is much more responsive, but produces less volume. The lutes double strings, or courses, tuned in octaves and unisons on the higher strings, produce a different timbre than the guitars thicker, single strings. The strings of lutes today are also generally either made of animal gut, nylgut (a synthetic gut), or nylon, while the classical guitar generally uses only nylon strings (wound and unwound). Depending on the type of the lute strings, the sound can be crisper and brighter than the modern guitar. The most obvious difference between the lute and the guitar is the pear-shaped body of the lute, which is produced by gluing ribs of wood together and then gluing the soundboard on top. This “tortoise shell” shape is descended from the oud, and some other instruments today, like the mandolin, have also retained this body shape. The lute can be a fickle, even difficult instrument, but when well-played, it produces some of the most beautiful and powerful music ever written. Perhaps one day it will regain its stature and stand beside the guitar as not only one of the most beautiful instruments, but also as one of the most popular. Laudon S. teaches music theory, guitar and classical guitar lessons in Baltimore, MD. He specializes in classical and early music, as well as bluegrass and folk. Laudon has been teaching for over 10 years and he joined the TakeLessons team in January 2011. Learn more about Laudon or search for a teacher near you! Photo by Kevin Kenny Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Finding Your Voice Type

Finding Your Voice Type How Do You Know Which Musical Register Corresponds to Your Voice? ChaptersWhat Is Tessitura?Practise Singing According to Your Voice TypeLearning About Voice Type from a Singing TeacherWhat Type of Song Should You Choose if You Can’t Hit the Notes?Common Types of Voice“Music is the greatest communication in the world. Even if people don't understand the language that you're singing in, they still know good music when they hear it.” - Lou RawlsMusic and singing are universal disciplines. After just a few lessons, the world of music will be within your reach!Most people sing regularly. However, not everybody knows how to sing. After all, your voice type will dictate the types of songs you should choose.So how do you know what your voice is capable of? What songs work with each voice type?In this article, we're going to see what tessitura is, how you can practice according to your voice type, how a singing teacher can help you get the most out of your voice type, the songs you should be choosing, and the most common voice types.Find out about th e best singing lessons near me here. TraceySinging Teacher 4.92 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PortiaSinging Teacher 4.91 (11) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolaSinging Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JazzSinging Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PerrineSinging Teacher 5.00 (3) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TiemSinging Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TomSinging Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MiriamSinging Teacher 5.00 (4) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhat Is Tessitura?We all have our favourite songs and artists. However, our favourite artists aren’t the best resources for getting your voice right. Once you work out your voice type, you can sing more appropriate to your abilities. (Source: Free-Photos)This is all down to tessitura, which refers to your voice type and the range of notes you can hit. Once you’re outside of your range, you’ll struggle to regularly hit these notes.  You don’t need to repeatedly sing Mariah Carey songs.For women, there are four main tessiture:Contralto. The deepest range.Alto. Slightly higher but still a deep range.Mezzo-soprano. The deeper of the two high ranges.Soprano. The high range and the most common female voice.For men, there are also four main types of voice:Bass. The deepest male range.Baritone. The higher of the two deeper ranges and also the most common.Tenors. The lower of the higher chest voices.Countertenors. The highest range of male voices.Whether you’re a man or a woman, an amateur or a professional, you need to know what type of voice you have. Imagine getting ready for a concert with a list of songs that are outside of yo ur vocal range.  If you like a particular song but it isn’t in your tessitura, you’ll struggle to master it.Practise Singing According to Your Voice TypeOf course, practice makes perfect and regularly singing songs for your voice type will help you to improve. With a bit of practice, you’ll see that there are songs suited for different voice types and start to see the different registers.Here are popular singing lessons near me. Different types of voices work better with different styles of music. (Source: Uschi_Du)The natural voice is also known as your chest voice.Passagio is the bridge between the two main registers.Finally, there’s the higher register which is known as “falsetto” for men and “head voice” for women.These three registers aren’t technically different ways to sing but rather vocal techniques with particular timbres.  You’ll need to try out the various registers. We can all sing, but we can’t all sing in tune and breathe correctly when we sing. TraceySinging Teacher 4.92 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PortiaSinging Teacher 4.91 (11) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolaSinging Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JazzSinging Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PerrineSinging Teacher 5.00 (3) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TiemSinging Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discov er all our tutors TomSinging Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MiriamSinging Teacher 5.00 (4) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsLearning About Voice Type from a Singing TeacherThe perfect solution is to have a second set of ears. After a few sessions, a singing teacher will be able to tell you what type of voice you have and the type of singing and register you should adopt.  Be it a ballad, heavy metal, or opera, there are plenty of genres to sink your teeth into.On Superprof, you can find qualified and experienced private tutors to help you with musicality and singing, analysing your voice, and finding where it lies in the range of voice types.They’ll also work out the type of singing that’ll work for you. It’s pretty simple.What Type of Song Should You Choose if You Can’t Hit the Notes?“If everyone started off the day singing, just think how happy they'd be.” - Lauren MyracleEveryone can struggle to hit a note. Every voice can hit all t he notes within its range. You just need to be able to harmonise with any given note within your range. Before you start filling up stadiums, you need to work out how to get the most out of your voice. (Source: Free-Photos)You need to learn how to use your larynx, articulate your vowels and consonants correctly, and manage your stress. With the help of singing exercises and a teacher, you’ll soon start mastering your voice.From there, you’ll start asking about register and key when you start to become aware of your strengths and weaknesses. A singer with a higher tessitura can’t sing songs for a lower voice type.Your repertoire should reflect your voice type and include artists with the same voice type. Training is key to mastering your voice type.Imagine taking your stabilisers off for the first time. You need to go for it.Common Types of VoiceFor some, having a certain voice type will limit the songs they can sing. Very high or very low voices have a smaller repertoire to work from than the more common voice types. (Source: Pexels)Firstly, whether you’re a man or a woman will already dictate which songs you can and can’t sing due to the range of notes. Baritones and tenors (for men) and altos and mezzo-sopranos (for women) tend to have the advantage of a larger range when it comes to singing.We can’t promise that you’ll be singing operas but you’ll feel more comfortable with most songs. You don’t want to feel threatened by a song, after all.Similarly, the extreme ends of the spectrum will struggle with songs designed for the other end. A bass will struggle singing something for a tenor, for example. Whereas baritones and tenors should be more comfortable with it.  The idea is to learn what you’re capable of and don’t set unreachable goals.You also need to ensure that singing remains enjoyable. If it isn’t and your vocal cords are tired and you’re struggling with your breathi ng, you might need to change to a different song.In short, your voice is your instrument and you need to take care of it. Getting help from a voice coach or tutor is always a good idea. We can all sing as long as we respect our voices. While butchering a song is bad, butchering your vocal cords is even worse!The rest is up to you!Each voice range is different and just because you can't hit certain high notes, it doesn't mean that you can't become a great operatic singer. With a bit of vocal training and guidance from a voice teacher, you'll see which songs and pieces work well with certain vocal ranges.You can also learn more about registers from a singing coach or tutor. They can even show you artists with the same tessitura as you. Again, a tutor can help you work out the best repertoire.  If you'd like to learn more about singing, consider getting help from one of the talented tutors on Superprof. There are three main types of singing tutorial and voice coaching and each type has several advantages and disadvantages so what's right for one student may not be right for another.In face-to-face tutorials, there's just you and the tutor. This means that the tutor can focus on helping you to improve your voice and will put together a bespoke programme for you to follow. These are usually the most costly type of private tutorials since you're paying for all the tutor's time both in and out of class but they're also the most cost-effective.There are also online tutorials where the student is taught via webcam. With the tutor not having to travel to their lessons and being able to schedule more lessons per week, these tend to cost less per hour than face-to-face tutorials. Since the tutor isn't in the room there with you, these tutorials are better for academic subjects rather than vocational ones. If you both have a good microphone and a good internet connection, online tutorials are a great option for those wanting to learn to sing on a budget.Finally, there are also tutors offering group tutorials. If you and a group of friends are interested in learning how to sing, you could hire a tutor together and divide the cost of the tutor's time. Of course, you won't get as much individual attention from your singing coach as you would in the other types of tutorials but you will pay less per hour per student.No matter which type of singing coach you go for, they'll be able to help you work out your voice type, plan lessons that can help you improve your voice, and suggest songs and activities that work best with your tessitura.

Volunteer Day at Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills

Volunteer Day at Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills AJ Tutoring’s first volunteer days were great successes! Over two days, 25 tutors came out to work on the organic farm at Hidden Villa, an educational non-profit based on 1600 acres of land in Los Altos Hills. Hidden Villa’s mission is to inspire a just and sustainable future through its programs, land, and legacy. We were happy to volunteer our time to help that happen!One day’s crew was put to work in the CSA (community supported agriculture) plot to transplant crops for the growing season. In three hours, we were able to plant 2,000 onions, 800 heads of lettuce, and 80 fennel bulbs. Our transplanted spinach and tomatillos will provide nearly 500 pounds of food! We finished the hot afternoon by digging 500 “homes” for tomato plants that will soon be transplanted in the field.Our second day’s crew worked in the olive grove near the CSA lot. Hidden Villa’s half-acre olive grove produces hundreds of gallons of olive oil each year. We worked to cover the grove with mulch, which helps the soil around the trees retain moisture and nutrients. This group also took a farm tour, which included baby pigs, baby goats, and chicks.A big thank you goes out to the team at Hidden Villa for helping us coordinate these volunteer days!

U.S. Supreme Court Rules on Same-Sex Marriage

U.S. Supreme Court Rules on Same-Sex Marriage June 26, 2015 was a historic day in the United States, as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the constitution guarantees the right to same-sex marriage.Before today, 36 of our 50 states allowed gay marriage, which covered 70 percent of all Americans.This is probably the most quoted part of todays  decision,  â€œNo union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family,” he wrote. “In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.  It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage.  Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”Same-sex marriage has long been a cont roversial topic in the United States,  even President Obama, who spoke today praising the decision, was quoted in 2004 as saying, marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.Below is a 2 minute segment from President Obamas speech today. Watch it and see if you can answer the questions below.Answer the questions in comments and we will respond.1. _ ___ __, theyve reaffirmed that all Americans are entitled to the equal protection of the law.2.  The statement above addresses the constitutional reasons for this decision. What does it mean?3. Why do you think he called our current system a patchwork system?4. What uncertainty does this remove for same-sex couples?5. How does Obama think this decision will affect marriage?6.  Do you think this change in U.S. law will have an effect in other countries?

Early signs that your child is gifted - Tutor Hunt Blog

Early signs that your child is gifted Early signs that your child is gifted Early signs that your child is giftedPrimary schoolsOf course every parent knows their child is special. Sometimes other people don`t see just how perfect their little one is. Even teachers can fail to notice the true genius of their wonderful sweet darling. That is their failing though. A parent knows from the moment their child is born how remarkable they are; and if others fail to realise that, well, its their loss. Adopting a more serious tone - what if you suspect your child is truly gifted? What early signs of future brilliance would manifest in their early years? A new study form the Netherlands suggest that the signs of nascent intellectual gifts can be spotted in young children by the way they draw stick figures. Yes, you read that right: the way a child renders stick men and women can be a window into their cognitive powers All children draw stick figures - it`s almost like a rite of passage. The few extant specimens of my early `art` shows lots of smiling heads with long, spindly arms branching out. Not a torso in sight - but then many i`m a late developer. According to this new study, a child including a high number of extra details in their stick figure drawing may be a prodigy in the making. These details would include features such as freckles, make up, a moustache, a tie, hair on the arms, jewellery, and other such superfluous elements that I obviously never thought were needed in my `blob-man type` pictures. I believe I was embracing the minimalist style. Sven Mathijssen, co author of the paper ; `Identifying Highly Gifted Children by Analysing Human Figure Drawings: An Explorative Study` has responded to criticism over his study, specifically the claim that `drawing IQ` bears no relation to academic intelligence: `What is considered to be gifted goes beyond a high IQ. For example, the role of creativity in the form of generating novel ideas, thinking flexibly and out-of-the-box is widely considered to be a sign of giftedness. But these children give unusual answers to intelligence tests. Their answers are not necessarily wrong but cannot be considered correct, because they are not mentioned in the scoring manuals of the used tests.` Most schools have what is called a `Gifted and Talented` coordinator, and it is up to them to ensure the needs of exceptional children are met. In reality though, if a child is a true prodigy, the parents will have to be extremely active in ensuring these rare gifts do not go to waste. Early indicators of talent usually manifest in specific abilities, such as music, mathematics or language. A gifted child will have a far larger vocabulary than its peers, using both longer words, and constructing larger sentences than their friends. It is also likely that they will begin talking earlier, making significant forays into the world of language in their second year. Mathematical talent should be easy to spot - is your child adept at manipulating numbers? Do they know their times tables before any of their friends? Perhaps they show a focused interest in numbers and computer programming, and and attempt to express themselves through algebra and coding. Exceptional musical ability should also be easy to discern - does your child always appear to sing in tune? Can they remember many different melodies, and sing them on command? If they are learning an instrument, their teacher should be keenly aware of any signs of precociousness. Does your child process the rare gift of perfect pitch? Can they sing, without the aid of a reference tone, any single note on command? This simply means that if you ask your child to sing a C, or an F#, they can do so immediately. They will also be able to reproduce a melody (or part of it) on their instrument after hearing it just once. Perfect pitch is a very rare gift - one that cannot be learnt as an adult. In the west its incidence is as sparse as 1 in 10,000 people. In the eastern countries where the population speak tonal languages, such as mandarin, and words change their meaning depending on certain pitch characteristics, its occurrence is 30% higher. For gifted children to become gifted adults their talents must be nurtured. To even say a child is `gifted` is somewhat misleading. A more accurate labelling - if labels are needed - would be that they have potential. If a child with prodigious mathematical talents is not guided and taught, their mind stimulated and encouraged to grow to its full potential, they will only be frustrated, and their potential squandered. If a musical prodigy is not given the right kind of training, their gifts will atrophy, and the vestiges of their talent may be nothing more than knowing what tones the doorbell chimes with. 2 years ago0Add a Comment

Pearsons Language Test for English Language Leaners (PTE)

Pearson's Language Test for English Language Leaners (PTE) Hello Everyone! I hope that you are having a wonderful day! Many ESL students want to know if Pearson's English Language Test is comparable to the TOEFL? Well, many people agree that there are pros and cons to both tests; however, with the PTE test one can get his or her scores back in half the time as soon as five days! WOW! That is very quick; also, with the PTE test there is no room for human error on evaluating the Speaking section, because everything is done entirely online. However, on the TOEFL exam during the first part of the Speaking section you are actually stating your answer aloud to someone. As we all know, sometimes there can be bias without actually knowing or being aware of it. Please look at both tests before you make a decision or if you can afford it, then quite simply take both of the exams! That way you have a better shot at getting a score that you deserve. Also, remember that the older you are the harder it is to learn a second language. Please study hard for several hours a day and thoroughly prepare for either of these tests!There are study workbooks available online through Amazon or you may order from a Barnes and Noble bookstore if you prefer. Also, if you need tutoring on either of these tests do not hesitate to contact me!Yours in ESL,Tracey Pogue/ ESL Instructor