Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT continue to evolve, trying to capture how well prepared today’s students are for the academic challenges of 21st century higher education. While some of these changes are widely publicized, some are quietly adopted with little fanfare. Anyone familiar with the ACT math section has likely noticed one of these silent shifts in the …
The SAT’s Latest Efforts to Prevent Cheating
In late February, the College Board (makers of the SAT), announced it would be taking additional steps to crack down on cheating. Organized efforts to buy your way to a better score have become big business globally, and after a slew of cheating-related cancellations in 2016 the College Board is hopeful their latest round of security updates will help keep …
SAT vs. ACT Reading Tests
In the last few years, both the SAT and the ACT have revised their sections designed to test reading comprehension. Although both tests are intended to measure a student’s ability to interact with text and “read between the lines” there exist subtle-yet-significant differences between how each approaches the task. Because these differences can impact what tactics will be most successful …
Avoid SAT Test Prep Scams
There’s a lot at stake when it comes to standardized test scores, including college admissions and access to scholarships. With what may feel like the entire future on the line, it’s no wonder many parents and students are willing to do whatever it takes to help raise test scores and potentially open doors. And while there are many legitimate test …
SAT II Subject Tests
Who in their right mind would choose to sign up for extra standardized tests? In the case of the SAT II Subject Tests, the answer is lots of students, for lots of different reasons. What are the SAT II Subject Tests? The SAT II Subject Tests are an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding in specific subjects. While AP tests measure …
Understanding Your PSAT Score
If you’re a junior in high school, it’s likely you took the PSAT this past fall. Scores for those tests will be arriving soon, and here’s what you need to know about them: When Will You Get Your Score Unlike the SAT and other standardized tests you may take, scores for the PSAT are delivered first to your school and …
What You Need to Know About the New Pre-ACT
While the SAT has had an official pre-test for decades (the well-known PSAT/NMSQT), the ACT is just now getting into the younger-grades testing game. Starting in the fall of 2016 the ACT will offer a brand new exam, known simply as the Pre-ACT, designed specifically to help high school sophomores gauge where they’re at in terms of college-readiness and to …
What To Do if You’re Accused of Cheating on the SAT
For an SAT-test taker, it’s a worst-case scenario no one wants to encounter: having your test flagged for possible cheating. Each year, roughly 2500 students are informed that their scores are considered suspicious. Knowing what to do if your legitimately-earned numbers are flagged can be the difference between keeping your scores and starting from scratch. Why You Were Flagged Being …
Zeros and Factors of Polynomials
Reading over the list of topics included on the math section of the new SAT can seem like slogging through a knee-deep vat of jargon. Buried in that list is the phrase “understand the relationships between zeros and factors of polynomials.” Although it sounds like the sort of thing writers on a sci-fi show dump in to make a scene …
Why Your New SAT Score May Seem Higher than Your Old SAT Score
You’ve received your latest SAT score in the mail and feel ecstatic when you read the number–it’s significantly higher than what you expected based on scores from when you took the test a few months ago before the new format was released. While some of that bump is undoubtedly due to your diligent studying, this week the CollegeBoard  released data …