As December approaches, high school students across the United States are gearing up for one final opportunity to take the paper and pencil version of the SAT. This iconic standardized test, administered by the College Board, has been a staple in the college admissions process for decades. With this December SAT being one of the […]

Parents often ask whether I recommend class or private lessons for their child. There are 3 (or 4) criteria to consider. (1) What is the student’s PSAT/SAT/ACT baseline score? If the student’s score is too low, the class will move too quickly. If the student’s score is too high, the class will run too slowly. […]

Students can find out whether SAT or ACT is better by taking a mock test of each. While mock tests are official, released tests, taking one does not count towards college admissions. Oftentimes, parents want to use the PSAT to compare to the ACT, but the PSAT is out of 1520, not 1600, and is […]

Do the following for a week leading up to the big test so your body has time to adjust: Sleep at least 8 hours per night for at least a week. Use any means necessary to get to bed by 10:45  and wake up by 6:45. This will give you the rest you need. Also—the […]

Last weekend I had the opportunity to present at the National Test Prep Association, alongside such esteemed colleagues as Mike Bergin of Chariot Learning in Rochester, NY, Amy Seeley of Seeley Test Pros in Cleveland, Ohio, and Janet Godwin, CEO of ACT, Inc. At the conference, Angela DelBrocco, Executive Director of SAT Program Management and […]

After a parent posed the aforementioned question to me for the 100th time, I decided it was a good topic for this column. The answer is…maybe. The March SAT may have also been “easier.” Each SAT, just like every other standardized test (the NJGPA, the ACT, the GRE, the LSAT, and the MCAT) is “equated.” […]

“Put Down Your #2 Pencils. Forever” quipped the New York Times in their January 25th article. It is true. The SAT is going digital. This new test will be available outside the US in 2023. Current freshman will get their first taste of the new format as a PSAT in October 2023 before they take […]

1900—twelve university presidents form the College Entrance Examination Board in order to create a uniform college admission test in essay format. This allowed students to take one test for several universities instead of a test for each university. In World War I the first IQ test is given to a large group of Americans—the Army […]

Parents often ask me the best time for their child to take the SAT. I usually counter by advising them to sign their child up for a mock SAT and a mock ACT before deciding which test to move forward with. When a student takes a mock test depends (mostly) on what math class the […]

I recommend all students and parents start activities for the college admissions process in 9th grade. At first glance, this may seem ridiculously early, but in truth, it is the time to create a plan which will allow for flexibility and changes to the program. Believe it or not, there is much a student can […]