SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

Mary Ann Barge

Mary Ann holds a BA in Classics and Russian from the University of Notre Dame, and an MA from University College London. She has years of tutoring experience and is also passionate about travel and learning languages.

Recent Posts

June 6th SAT Scores Have Been Released - How Did You Measure Up?

Scores from the June 6th SAT have been released, and they have served to increase the controversy around the test.

Put simply, the scores may be much less accurate than usual tests because the College Board was forced to throw out two of the sections.

Read on to see how students have reacted, how the scores vary from other administrations of the exam, and what your options now are.

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The Big Secret to SAT Writing: Strategies to Excel

If you've noticed that the SAT Writing section seems to be confusing, that's because it's intentionally designed to be that way.

But we're going to let you in on something that the College Board doesn't want you to know: there are a few key secrets that will help you understand this part of the SAT, and knowing them makes it much easier to crack. Read on to learn how to take this section of the SAT into your own hands.

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June 6 SAT Takers: Here's How You Can Retest for Free

The College Board is going to allow students who were affected by the mistake on the June 6, 2015 administration of the SAT to re-take the test for free in October. Read on for more information and to see what your options are.

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The Best Approach for Improving Paragraphs on SAT Writing

Every SAT test has 6 special questions in the writing section that test not just your grammar skills, but how well you are able to use them in context. Can you tell which correct version of a sentence best suits the paragraph that it’s in? Are you ready to tackle one of the most unique parts of the SAT?

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Complete Parts of Speech for SAT Writing and ACT English

“Parts of speech” is a fancy way of saying that every word in the English language can be put into one of eight categories, depending on how it is used. Of these eight parts of speech, only 7 are tested on the Writing SAT and on ACT English. 

Understanding the different parts of speech is absolutely essential to having a firm grasp of English grammar, and in succeeding on the SAT and ACT. Unfortunately, nowadays many schools no longer focus on teaching this type of grammar.

Are you a bit unsure about what, exactly, a preposition is, or can’t tell the difference between an adjective and adverb? Feeling a bit rusty after learning this years ago? This article will provide the foundational information you need before moving on to more complex grammatical concepts. I'll also go over a few important SAT/ACT grammar rules.

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Sentence Fragments and Run-ons in SAT Writing: Tips and Questions

 

Can you recognize a sentence when you see one?

Most people will automatically answer that they can. But correct sentence structure is one of the most commonly-tested grammatical concepts on the SAT Writing section.

What does it take to make a sentence complete? How can you recognize a fragment or a run-on? Read on to figure out how the SAT manages to trick so many students with this seemingly easy concept.

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The College Board Made a Huge Mistake on the June 6th SAT - Here's the Worst that Can Happen

If you took the SAT on June 6th, 2015, you may have noticed something different about the test. And now the College Board is dealing with a controversy that is affecting test-takers across the country.

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The 10 Hardest SAT Writing Questions Ever

You’ve been studying hard, and now the time has come to really test what you have mastered! Are you ready to try out 12 of the toughest questions to grace the digital SAT’s Reading and Writing section

I've combed all the official practice tests to find the absolute hardest SAT Writing questions. If you get all of these right, you're truly a master of this section.

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