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 …
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 …
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 …
Factoring and FOIL-ing – Polynomials Techniques
When it comes to the mathematics portion of standardized tests there are at least two F-words that the test writers are actually hoping you’ll think of: “FOIL” and “factor”. In this post, we’ll take a look at these two important polynomial techniques and why they’re so useful. What are polynomials? Polynomials are algebraic terms that include a constant multiplied by a …
The Forgotten Power of Flashcards
In many ways, test prep has gone high-tech. There are practice tests online, apps to help you review vocabulary, and digital descriptions of the best way to study for each section. And yet, one of the most powerful ways to prepare for standardized tests is the same one that was probably used by your grandparents–flashcards. Why Flashcards? Physical flashcards offer …
What to do When You’re Wait listed
After months of wondering, it’s finally time for a verdict–were you accepted or rejected by the college of your dreams. Sometimes that long-anticipated envelope contains something between yes-and-no, though–the dreaded wait-listed letter. Here’s what you need to know when you’ve been put into the college-prep equivalent of purgatory. You’re Not Alone According to US New & World Report, roughly 10% …
Guessing on the New SAT
You’ve probably focused most of your test-prep time on increasing the chances that you’ll know the right answer to questions on the SAT. But what about when you don’t know the answer? Is it ok to guess? The answer is a resounding YES! In this post, we’ll look at how guessing on the new SAT works on the test and discuss …
Conquering Senioritis
Each year, shortly after second semester begins, millions of high school seniors are struck with a dangerous disease. High school diplomas and college acceptances are among the damage inflicted by this infection, and it’s a plague that’s unlikely to be irradiated anytime soon. It’s conquering senioritis. And while it’s the sort of epidemic that the CDC can’t possibly hope …