Admissions & Testing Blog

When to Start Preparing for the SAT & ACT Tests | Expert Advice from PrepMatters

Posted by: Ned Johnson on September 26, 2024

Renowned French scientist Louis Pasteur observed that “Fortune favors the prepared mind.” There’s not only a what and a how…

Understanding the ACT Math Section – Questions, Strategies & More

Posted on August 2, 2024

About the ACT Math Section In many ways, the ACT Math section is the most straightforward section on the whole…

Understanding the SAT Reading Section – Questions, Strategies and More

Posted on August 2, 2024

About the SAT Reading Section Unlike the ACT, which features separate English and Reading sections, the SAT has only one…

Test Prep: How Soon is Too Soon?

Posted on April 5, 2024

We get tons of questions from sophomores about when to start preparing for the SAT or ACT. Most…

6 Tools of Curiosity

Posted by: Maureen Delaney on April 3, 2024

A very useful skill for all of us to possess is the ability to direct our curiosity. To…

Making Sense of Your Early Applications to College: Accepted, Not Accepted, Deferred? 

Posted by: By Maureen Delaney on December 19, 2023

Early Decision 1 and Early Action notifications will arrive soon—and will be ongoing through the month of December/January,…

Digital vs. Paper SAT: What you need to know

Posted by: Ned Johnson on December 4, 2023

Goodbye, Scantron sheets and #2 pencils. Hello, test-taking tablets, adaptive testing, and graphing calculators. After nearly a century as…

Do Senior Year Grades Matter?

Posted on November 28, 2023

No matter how often we get this question, we are still perplexed. We think, “Of course they matter!” Still, it’s…

How much do SAT/ACT scores matter for my college application?

Posted by: Sierra Leickert on October 9, 2023

In a test-optional environment, many families are unsure how much weight is given to test scores during the…

How to Write a College Application Essay That Stands Out

Posted by: Maureen Delaney on September 29, 2023

The college essay is growing in significance these days, and this is an exciting opportunity for students. Essays…

Top 10 Reasons to Work with an Independent College Counselor

Posted by: Maureen Delaney on September 15, 2023

Over the last three years, the college admissions process has been shaped by significant changes in our world…

Test-blind vs. Test-optional: A breakdown of the six significant admissions policies

Posted by: Maureen Delaney on August 15, 2023

As we enter the 2023-2024 college admission year, over 1800 colleges remain test-optional. In addition, more than 80…