Post by Brittany V. Generally speaking, it’s not that uncommon to see a decrease in your composite ACT score, assuming that the drop is not substantial (4 or more points). Several factors can contribute to a lower composite score on a retest, but there are steps that you can take as a student to help avoid a drop in your …
What is a Good SAT or ACT Score?
Guest blog post by J.K. Halsted I’d like to propose an experiment. Bring a representative from each college to the Museum of Modern Art and sit them in front of Jackson Pollock’s One: Number 31 (1950). Readers dabbling in art history might recognize Pollock as one of the premier abstract expressionists, and One: Number 31 as the quintessential example of …
Does Retaking the SAT or ACT Look Bad to Colleges?
Guest blog post by J.K. Halsted It’s a feeling that every high school student dreads: opening the results of your SAT or ACT and not seeing the perfect score you wanted. Whether that goal was a 1500 or a 1250, there’s an inevitable swell of disappointment, insecurity, and worry. Your mind somehow conjures up the harrowing image of your college …
How much does your SAT/ACT score matter?
A lot has changed in the last 20 years when it comes to applying for colleges: SAT/ACT tests continue to evolve; teacher recommendations aren’t the differentiator they once were; and now more than ever, we accept that a student’s abilities can’t be measured solely through GPA and SAT/ACT scores. So, where does that leave college-bound students in 2018? To help …
ACT vs SAT
ACT vs. SAT: Six Differences Between the Two Tests The ACT and SAT are both recognized in the US as standardized tests for college admission. The exam measures the proficiency of high school students in several critical areas. These are Mathematics, Science, English, and Reading Comprehension. They might also include an essay writing section; however, it will not have any …
Why Taking Practice Tests Will Increase Your Score
Taking one SAT seems boring enough, right? So why would you want to take one, two, or even eight more? Well, as it turns out, there are plenty of reasons you should. Whether you’re gearing up to take the SAT or the ACT, you’re probably wondering what the best way to prepare is. Rather than trying to tackle a ton …
How ACT Math is Getting More Difficult
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 …
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 …
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 …
What To Do If Extreme Weather Impacts Your Test Date
While “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” will stop a determined mail carrier, Mother Nature can definitely wreak havoc with SAT testing. The recent Winter Storm Jonas that shut down schools up and down the east coast is a perfect example of how weather can interfere with test taking. Here’s a look at what you need …