Posts

How to maximize your test score

Making a test prep plan

You need to allow yourself 6-9 weeks ahead of a test date to do focused preparation, whatever that’s going to look like for you.

Picking the right test dates

You don't have to take every test until you get the score you're looking for. With a little planning, you can cut the tests down to 2, and maybe even just 1.

How to figure out which test is right for you

The old wisdom used to be that you should register to take each test once then compare your scores on focus on that test. In some ways, the old wisdom still works except now you don’t have to wait until an official test date.
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The First Step in Test Prep

The first step in planning your test prep is understanding what score you're going to need in order to get into the school you want. The key to getting accepted into a specific school has as much to do with staying out of the “No” pile as anything else. The easiest way for an admissions officer to stamp “Denied” on an application is if a student’s GPA and test scores don’t match what they’re looking for.
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Here’s the only way your SAT or ACT score is important

I get to work with a couple of hundred students every year. One of the most frequent conversations we have goes something like this. "I only got a 1260 on my SAT." "That's a great score." "But everyone else is getting better scores." No,…

Should you take the SAT or the ACT?

"Should I take the SAT or ACT?" It's by far the most frequent question we get asked. That makes sense. It's also the most important question to answer. Before the SAT changed in 2016, the logic was to take each test once, see which one…

What happened with the June 2018 SAT?

If you have a Junior or Senior in your house who took the June 2018 SAT, you might have had to deal with some tears on the morning of July 11th. If you've been investing time and money into test prep, you might have felt a little frustrated…
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SAT & ACT Prep can have a huge ROI

Most schools' scholarships are tied to a combination of test scores and class rank or GPA, and the relationship is inversely proportional. GPA continues to be the most important factor in your application, so the higher your GPA the more you can qualify for and the lower your test score has to be to qualify.

Are you making this simple mistake on percentage problems?

Students make 1 simple mistake on the harder percentage problems. It's easy to fix, and I'll show you 2 ways to work with these problems.