SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

There’s no denying it: higher education is pricey. As a college-bound student, you might be concerned about how you and your family can pay for tuition, fees, room, board, and textbooks. The great news is that if you’re a high-achieving student, you might qualify for one or more merit-based scholarships.

But what is a merit scholarship? And how do you qualify for this kind of award? In this article, we’ll answer your questions in detail. We’ll also cover how to find these opportunities and some tips for applying so you can put your best foot forward.

You may have heard that the College Board is getting ready to make the SAT a fully digital exam. But when will the SAT go digital? How will it affect your SAT testing plans? 

In this article, we’ll answer the question, “When is the SAT going digital?” and walk you through all the changes to the exam. We’ll explain when the digital SAT will be available, who can take the digital SAT, and upcoming SAT exam dates to help you plan your testing schedule. 

If you aren’t sure whether to take the SAT before or after it goes digital, we’ve got you covered with three factors to consider before registering for the SAT.  

Are you ready? Let’s get started!

Affirmative action is one of the most hotly debated topics in college admissions today. With the recent filing of two lawsuits against elite colleges in the US, people are reconsidering how affirmative action affects college admissions—and whether colleges should change their affirmative action policies. 

If you’re applying to college and wondering how the affirmative action debate will affect admissions, keep reading! In this article, we’ll answer the question, “What is affirmative action in college admissions?” and go over real examples of affirmative action in education today. 

We’ll also explain how to plan ahead for changes to affirmative action in higher education, and how to put together stellar college applications no matter what happens.  

So let’s get started. 

As you’re scouring college admission websites, you may have noticed that many universities are going test optional. That may come as a surprise: for decades, standardized exams such as the ACT have been required components of U.S. college admissions. Schools use your test scores—in addition to other parts of your application—to gauge how prepared you are for the rigors of college academics. 

If these tests are such a conventional part of the admissions process, then what does test optional mean? Is the ACT optional? Which portions of the ACT are optional? Who exactly is it optional for, and who is required to take it? And if the ACT isn’t mandatory, are there reasons you should consider taking the test and submitting your scores anyway? 

Let’s dig deep so you can decide whether you should be registering for the ACT as you prepare for the college application process.

As you research colleges and universities and consider their admissions requirements, you’ll inevitably notice that many schools require you to submit your SAT scores as part of your application. Admissions staff often consider your standardized test scores to confirm your GPA or to determine whether you demonstrate strengths beyond what your high school transcripts can reveal. And according to the College Board, which administers the SAT, the exam specifically assesses the knowledge you’ve learned in reading, writing, and math—skills that also help measure how prepared you are for college and career.

Given its purpose, it’s no wonder that colleges and universities have been requiring the SAT for decades. But as you peruse school websites and the brochures you collected at college fairs, you might also notice a term pop up when it comes to SAT scores: test optional. But what does test optional mean? Is taking the SAT itself optional, or does it mean submitting your scores is optional? Are standardized tests optional for every applicant or just specific individuals? And is the SAT optional in reality, or are students who submit their scores secretly more likely to be admitted than those who don’t? 

Here’s what you need to know so you can decide whether the SAT should be part of your college application process.

Generally, the better your grades, the more college options you'll have. However, some students a re under the false impression that you need straight As in order to get into a wonderful college. Students stress and worry that a few Bs will sentence them to an inferior university.

Fortunately, getting Bs won't prevent you from being able to go to a good school. There are a number of excellent colleges that admit B students. We'll provide a list of 29 of the best colleges for B students and explain how to find a good college if you're a B student.

If you’re gearing up to take the SAT, you’re probably wondering about how your scores compare to other college applicants. Are your scores high enough to get into your dream school? And what should you do if your scores need an extra boost? 

In this guide to SAT scores 2023, we’ll give you all the info you need to evaluate your SAT scores and determine if they’re good enough for you! We’ll answer the question, “What is a good SAT score 2023?” by breaking down this year’s overall average SAT scores. Then we’ll show you how to figure out the SAT score you need to meet your goals. 

Let’s get started!

If you’re gearing up to take the ACT or have taken it recently, you might be wondering how your scores compare to other college applicants. What’s a good ACT score 2023? And how do you know what ACT score you should be aiming for to get into your dream schools? 

In this article, we’ll explain how to figure out if your ACT scores qualify as “good.” Most importantly, we’ll tell you how to set a target ACT score so you can earn an ACT score that’s good for you and your college admissions goals. We’ll also take a look at how the definition of a good ACT score has changed over the years. 

Ready? Let’s go. 

Google is one of the world's software and technology powerhouses—it's not surprising that they offer several scholarships for students interested in pursuing computer science and engineering.

Because Google has the resources to offer very generous awards, applicants come up against serious competition when gunning for one of their scholarships. If you're interested in a Google scholarship, you should be as prepared as possible if you want to submit a successful application.

In this post I'll explain every major Google award in detail before giving you tips and strategies for submitting an awesome application.

Paying for college can be challenging for many students. College is expensive and the financial aid process isn't always transparent or easy to navigate.

Fortunately, if you're willing to spend some time looking, there are many different resources out there that can help you figure out how to pay for college. If you're a first generation college student, there are many first generation scholarship opportunities that you can apply for.

In this article, we'll explain what first generation college student scholarships are and give a list of scholarships for first generation college students that you can apply for.

The eight schools in the Ivy League are among the most well-known and selective universities both within the US and in the world at large. Because of this, Ivy League (and similarly selective non-Ivy) schools have tens of thousands of students from whom to choose their class of 2026.

But what are Ivy League schools' acceptance rates, and how have those rates changed over time? In this analysis, we'll look at Ivy League admissions, from the number of applicants to the number of students who ultimately end up attending.

In addition to the eight Ivy League schools (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, and Yale), we'll also consider eight equally selective non-Ivy League national universities: Caltech, Duke, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Northwestern, Stanford, UChicago, and Vanderbilt.

People love ranking lists. There are tons of TV shows and articles ranking something, from the prettiest celebrities to the best songs of the 1980s. The fascination with college ranking lists has been around for over 30 years, ever since the U.S. News & World Report debuted its list in 1983. There are quite a few college ranking lists out there, but which ones are the best ones? Which ones should you look at?

Honestly, all overall college ranking lists are flawed, and you should spend more time researching and visiting colleges than obsessing over college rankings to determine which college you should attend. However, in this article I will detail the pros and cons of different college ranking lists and of college ranking lists in general. You can obtain some worthwhile information from these lists, so don't completely dismiss them.

One of the most complicated parts of transferring colleges is determining what the requirements are, especially when it comes to standardized tests. Unfortunately, there's no simple answer to the question of whether you need to take the ACT as a transfer student, but this guide will walk you through how different school policies vary and explain how much SAT and ACT scores count when applying as a transfer.

For SAT Math prep, no matter your strategy—whether you're doing self-study, taking a prep class, or working with a tutor—you need to be working with real SAT Math practice materials. The SAT Math test will be different from any other math test you've taken. You need to work with the real material to get used to the pacing and style of this unique test.

In this guide, I'll show you where to find official SAT Math practice tests and questions, and go over what materials to avoid.

Located in Ithaca, New York, Cornell University is a member of the Ivy League and one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

Every year, Cornell accepts several thousand new students as members of its incoming freshmen class. If you're hoping to be one of them, you'll need to make sure that your application is up to snuff. In this article, we'll teach you exactly how to get into Cornell and talk about Cornell admission statistics so you know how you measure up against other applicants.