SAT/ACT

Juniors – Plan Now, Relax Later

By Grace Chee / 06/05/2026

Summary: Junior year is an important time during a students’ high school career, but it can also be a busy and demanding season because they’ll be juggling rigorous coursework with early college preparation. Students should create a testing timeline for the SAT or ACT and begin preparing for these standardized exams. Juniors should also begin…

How to Improve Your ACT Score: Updated for 2026

By Solomon Team / 05/22/2026

Many students take the ACT for the first time during junior year, often in the winter or spring. It is common not to reach your target score on the first attempt, and many students improve after retaking the test with a more focused preparation plan. Rather than taking the ACT repeatedly without a strategy, students…

SAT vs. ACT: Which one should I pick?

By Grace Chee / 04/24/2026

College entrance examinations have existed for decades. The SAT, first administered by the College Board in 1926, has since undergone numerous changes to its content, duration, and scoring. Its popular counterpart, the ACT, was first introduced in 1959 and has also changed significantly over the years.  Do colleges care which exam I take? Good news…

What Is A Good SAT Score For The Ivy League?

By Peter Zimmerman / 01/06/2026

Because of the Ivy League’s level of prestige and highly esteemed academics, competition for its coveted few freshman class spots is fierce. Hundreds of thousands of students apply each year to the Ivy League from around the world. In a typical application cycle, over 400,000 students apply across all eight Ivy League schools. This Article Will Discuss…

Do Colleges Look Differently On the ACT and the SAT?

By Solomon Team / 11/07/2025

The short answer is No. In most cases, colleges do not prefer the SAT over the ACT or vice versa. Virtually all U.S. colleges accept both exams, and admissions committees evaluate them equally. Students should choose the test that best reflects their academic strengths. However, standardized testing policies have evolved significantly in recent years.During the…

Beyond the Numbers

By Jessica Sibbing / 07/25/2025

Are Good Test Scores Enough to Get You Into a Top College? Every college and university seeks to cultivate a class. Academically, it is common to hear that at top schools, more than 75% of admitted students have straight A’s. Or that more than 30% of admitted students have a 1570 or higher on the…

SAT vs ACT vs PSAT

By Matthew Tatelman / 06/06/2025

In the world of college admissions, there are nearly infinite methods and rubrics that universities use to evaluate applications. While the review process is holistic, considering academics, extracurricular activities, and more, many schools feel the need for a universal measure or evaluation tool. Is an ‘A’ at your high school equivalent to an ‘A’ at…

Why College Admissions Are Unfair

By Anoi Hindle / 02/19/2025

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room: College Admissions are unfair. Yep, we said it. In this article, we will outline some of the historical reasons for that, and also describe ways in which you (and all students) can submit your strongest applications within this context. This Article Will Discuss The Following: Imagine…

Why Are Some Colleges Test Optional?

By Solomon Team / 01/13/2025

The Common Application and Coalition Application have helped mainstream and simplify the application process for students allowing them to apply to multiple schools using the same form versus decades past when students filled out single paper applications for each college. Despite using one (or only a few) platforms to submit your college applications, you still…

Understanding the Digital SAT: Key Features and Prep Tips

By Jessica Sibbing / 12/27/2024

The College Board transitioned to the fully digital SAT format in 2024, making it the standard for students worldwide. You’ll find that the structure and content of the new test is different than the paper-based version that most people are familiar with. No longer will the test be the same for all students on a…