Score At The Top Blog

For most high school juniors, spring semester is a busy season filled with events and exams. Often, students are beginning to make college plans that include scheduling the SAT and/or ACT, even in this “test-optional” era. The process of registering for one of these tests is easy enough: go to CollegeBoard.org or ACT.org, and click on the test registration link. Answer a few questions, ask for mom and dad’s credit card, and you’re all set. However, before you register for a test date, a few words of wisdom….

Topics: ACT, ACT/SAT, Test-Prep

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There’s no other way around it when it comes to prepping for the SAT or ACT Tests. To properly prepare, you have to practice — and most importantly, practice properly. What we do mean?

If you were an actor, you wouldn’t show up on opening night without first having rehearsed the script and completely familiarized yourself with the play’s staging, lights, and sound issues. Similarly, by taking several practice SAT or ACT tests and simulating the testing environment and timing as closely as you can, you will walk onto the testing “stage” feeling more confident and prepared. Sure, there are always jitters on test day, but with proper practice, you minimize the unknown and maximize your chances for doing your best.

Topics: ACT/SAT, Test-Prep, Simulations

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We understand that Return On Investment can go hand-in-hand with risk: no pain, no gain. But how would you respond to a proposed investment of $2,000 that could result in saving between $7,392 (a 370% return on your money) and $28,416 (a 1,421% return on your money) over roughly four years? While this investment isn’t risk-free, it is low risk, assuming you have a student willing to work hard and follow instruction. Simply put, this investment is in test preparation for the SAT and ACT! When paired with a motivated student (and the right test-prep tutor), the result is a hefty scholarship from Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarships (BFSs).

Topics: ACT/SAT, Test-Prep, Financial Aid, Investment

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

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All three reasons share one key element, time.

Reason #1: There are two upcoming GREs in the near future. 

The next two test dates are September 12^th and October 17^th. Students who miss those administrations – or sit for them but don’t do well (possibly due to lack of proper preparation) will have plenty of time to work on practice test questions, and sit for full simulations, which we can provide, in order to learn where you most need to improve. Identifying your weaknesses is critical to improvement; both learning and improvement work take time.

Topics: Study Tips, Test-Prep, College Counseling, Coronavirus, College Tips, GRE

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In response to COVID-19, the College Board recently announced significant updates to content, structure, and administration for its upcoming Advanced Placement (AP) exams, with reassurances that it will continue to update school counselors, teachers, and students throughout the month of April, leading up to May’s at-home exam administration. Testing dates are May 11-15 and May 18-22, with a make-up period of June 1-5. View the schedule and content for all exams. Recognizing educational disruption as a result of school closings, College Board is also posting its own free, daily lessons covering all exam subjects.

Topics: AP Exams, Study Tips, News, Test-Prep, College Planning, College Board, APUSH

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First, some definitions: Virtual tutoring differs from in-person tutoring because the tutor and student(s) will be communicating via the internet via Skype, Zoom, or some other, similar program; Synchronous means that the tutoring/teaching is happening in real time as opposed to, for example, the tutor responding to a student’s work at some later time with a grade and/or comments.

Topics: Test-Prep, Tutoring, Virtual

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We concede that there can be some overlap between tutoring and academic coaching: Tutors focus on helping students with specific academic-related tasks – such as helping students learn how to solve quadratic equations – but, in doing so, the very best tutors sometimes use techniques that deal with learning skills; Academic coaches focus on helping students with more general, learning-related skills but might do so in the context of specific academic-related tasks – again, such as helping students learn how to solve quadratic equations.

Topics: Test-Prep, Tutoring

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Florida Senate Bill 190, dealing with higher education, became effective on July 1 of this year and makes several changes to the Bright Futures Scholarship program. Among the most important of them are:

Topics: ACT/SAT, Test-Prep, Bright Futures

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These lists were compiled just before the 2019-2020 school year.
Because colleges can change their admission testing requirements during the school year,
it’s important that you double-check these requirements with each college to which you are applying.

Topics: Test-Prep, ACT Essay, SAT Essay

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