Category: Test Prep

Test Prep: How Soon is Too Soon?

Posted by: admin on April 5th, 2024

We get tons of questions from sophomores about when to start preparing for the SAT or ACT. Most years, we advise students to hold off on any test prep until sophomore year is in the books. Why? Well, the number one indicator related to college options is grades, so taking care of grades and coursework […]

Late to the ACT/SAT Party? Why Junior-Year Students Still Have Time to Prepare and Improve Scores

Posted by: Kim on March 14th, 2023

If you are the parent of a junior-year student who hasn’t taken the ACT or SAT yet, you might feel a sense of panic this spring. Your student has been busy with school, sports, extracurriculars, and driving lessons. However, they haven’t had time to take or prepare for standardized tests.   We get it, and you […]

11 Things We Know About the Digital SAT

Posted by: admin on February 9th, 2023

Here we go again. For the third time in less than 20 years, College Board is bringing to market, er, to students, a new version of its flagship exam, the SAT. This time, it’s digital. This is a long anticipated change, accelerated by (and perhaps given cover) by COVID-19, when 700,000 fewer students took the […]

PSAT Scores are coming…are you ready for the results?

Posted by: Kim on November 28th, 2022

A chill may blow through your home next week, sending shivers down the spine of your high schooler and possibly yours. The winds carry news of PSAT scores to be released on December 5 and 6. Are you ready for the results, reactions, and conversations? In the 20 years of counseling students and families we […]

SAT Math: What You Need to Know

Posted by: admin on May 6th, 2021

Your SAT math score is composed of two sections: a 25-minute no-calculator section with 20 questions and a 55-minute section with 38 questions that allows the use of approved calculators. Together, these two sections make up half of your overall SAT score. While SAT math certainly presents a few hurdles, in both content and structure, […]

SAT Writing: What You Need to Know

Posted by: admin on April 6th, 2021

by John Jones with Ian Lekus and Natalie Lempert The Basics The SAT’s Writing & Language section is one of the four scored sections on the test. The point totals from this section are combined with those from the Reading section to give the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score. This score, which has a […]

What to Make of the Test-Optional Movement

Posted by: admin on March 11th, 2021

What to Make of the Test-Optional Movement (2022 edition) One of the biggest question marks in college admissions has become, “What does ‘test-optional’ really mean?” And the answer, like many things in the higher education landscape, seems to be rapidly evolving as we get further from the pandemic-linked rush towards test-optional pilot programs. In this […]

SAT Reading: What You Need to Know

Posted by: admin on March 4th, 2021

If you are like many students, the Reading section of the SAT is your least favorite and, oftentimes, the most difficult one to improve. As for the first part, I don’t blame you. The SAT begins with a grueling 65-minute Reading section. When our tutors first took this version of the test in 2016, even […]

College Board Subject Tests Discontinued

Posted by: admin on January 19th, 2021

Today, the College Board announced the end of the Subject Test program, effective immediately. We’ve long seen this change coming, since fewer and fewer colleges required subject tests, culminating in 2020, when they were no longer required for admission at any schools. The College Board spent the last decade overhauling both the SAT and all […]

Taking a Sophomore PSAT: How and Why?

Posted by: admin on January 18th, 2021

You might have noticed that the PSAT that usually happens in the fall didn’t happen this year. As of now, the rescheduled date is January 26, though actually hosting the test remains at the discretion of your school. If you’ve already been notified about the test happening, that’s great! If not, PrepMatters is hosting a […]