the PSAT is next week. Oh, great. Here comes the College Board to put its big, fat, number two pencil-stained thumb on the scale and throw everything out of whack again.

Congratulations! It is officially fall and the PSAT is behind you. What do you do now? Forget it and walk away? Bide your time until the holidays? Take some time before then to make the most of the experience.

The #1 test-week “do” is a straightforward one: get plenty of sleep! Research has proven time and time again that a lack of sleep raises the level of the stress hormone cortisol, impairs cognitive functioning, and even negatively impacts our physical health.

One aspect that the SSAT and ISEE have in common is the writing sample. Naturally, parents are concerned about how to best prepare students for the essays. Here are the major points to keep in mind.

At this point, junior year is in full swing, and you now understand what all your upperclassmen friends have been warning you about. You’ve likely got a test or paper under your belt in each of your classes and are in the process of finding the balance of managing a heavier workload and more responsibility in your extracurriculars. And now you realize that the PSAT is next week. Oh, great. Here comes the College Board to put its big, fat, number two pencil-stained thumb on the scale and throw everything out of whack again. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way if you keep the PSAT in perspective. Here are a few things to think about as you prepare to run the first of the gauntlet of standardized tests coming at you this year.

We encourage students to find the test – SSAT or ISEE – that works for them and to prepare for that test. However, sometimes students will perform about the same on both tests or will simply want to give both the SSAT and ISEE a try.

Another school year is about to wind up. Many of you might have already got your schedules for the coming year and, if you’re like many other rising juniors and seniors, it’s just chock-full of AP courses. Taking AP courses is de rigueur for most college-bound students these days...

Law students have always come from a variety of backgrounds. The typical incoming class has its fair share of political science and history majors, but it also includes scientists, artists, and business experts, among many others. As diverse as their paths to law school might have been, however, these students always had one thing in common: they all took the LSAT. Not so very long ago, every law school in the US required the LSAT for admission, and none accepted anything else.

This year’s PSAT tests are on October 10 and October 13. The PSAT contains the same sections and types of questions as does the SAT, but it’s just a little shorter. Some junior-year students and parents wonder if it is wise to prepare for the test as fully as they likely will later on for the SAT or ACT.

The ACT has revised its time limits for extended-time students. Learn more here about these changes.