Score At The Top Blog

Your extracurricular activities play a significant role on your college application. In fact, for most selective colleges, they’re the next most important factor after your academic record and test scores. And without test scores, your activities play an even greater role!

Topics: College Admission, Extracurricular Activities

Although many selective colleges have temporarily gone test-optional because of the pandemic, test-optional doesn’t mean “test-blind.” Not only will test-optional colleges consider your scores if you submit them, but submitting competitive scores that are well into a college’s mid-50% range for admitted students has the potential to improve your admission chances. For students who don’t submit scores, colleges will place far more emphasis on other crucial admission factors, such as your academic record, extracurricular commitment, essays, and recommendations. So, if you’d like to improve your potential for admission, here’s our advice about your junior-year testing calendar. This means YOU, members of the class of 2022:

Topics: ACT, ACT/SAT, Test-Prep, Tutoring, Educational Consulting, SAT

When your GPA is NOT your GPA

Topics: AP Exams, College Admission, AICE, ib

The Bright Futures Scholarship program rewards Florida high school graduates for their academic achievements – and isn’t need-based. Money is available for use at almost all undergraduate schools in the state of Florida.

Topics: Florida Public Schools, ACT/SAT, Financial Aid, Bright Futures

Most schools in October offer the PSAT (a “preliminary” SAT) to their freshman, sophomores, and/or juniors. Regardless of your school’s official testing policy, here are some good reasons why a student should take the PSAT, whose scores are NOT reported to colleges:

Topics: Test-Prep, PSAT

What is the SAT Superscore?

Let's begin by briefly explaining how to superscore the SAT. As an example, we will assume you took the SAT three times and obtained the following scores:

Topics: Test Scores, ACT/SAT, SAT

We bring to your attention this blog published in early May of this year on cnbc.com concerning students who take AP tests:

Topics: AP Exams, Test Scores, College Admission, College Application, College Planning

Now that the wait’s nearly over and you’re soon going to get your PSAT scores, there seems to be only three alternatives: Your score’s going to be so good that every school’s going to want you, so bad that no school will ever want you, or so middling that you’ll wonder why you even bothered. And because your score’s going to be whatever it’s going to be – the die have been cast, and you now have no control over what numbers will come up when they stop bouncing – you don’t need to do anything else, right?

Wrong, and wrong in almost every respect. In fact, there are multiple things that you need to do, and we can walk you through the first three.

Topics: Test-Prep, PSAT

If your third grader is a struggling reader, you may be on pins and needles about the upcoming FSA (Florida State-wide Assessment) in the spring. Worrying about whether or not your child will pass the standardized test creates stress at home and in school. Assisting your child with weekly tutoring is one option. There’s also another that your local school may fail to share with you.

Topics: College Planning, Educational Consulting

Deciding to find a tutor is intimidating. Recognizing that your child has reached a point where outside academic help is necessary can sometimes evoke mixed feelings. Certainly a recent test that produced a failing grade makes the need obvious. So, too, does your child’s expressed anxiety about the English assignment that looks like ancient Greek. When you try on your own to provide parental help but improvement simply doesn’t follow, your thoughts may turn to tutoring.

Tutoring options are not always obvious. Should you go to a learning center, or should you inquire into private tutoring at your home? While there are arguments in favor of both, when it comes down to it, learning centers have the clear advantage for three reasons:

Topics: Tutoring