SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

Allen Cheng

As co-founder and head of product design at PrepScholar, Allen has guided thousands of students to success in SAT/ACT prep and college admissions. He's committed to providing the highest quality resources to help you succeed. Allen graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude and earned two perfect scores on the SAT (1600 in 2004, and 2400 in 2014) and a perfect score on the ACT. You can also find Allen on his personal website, Shortform, or the Shortform blog.

Recent Posts

How to Get 800 on SAT Reading and Writing: 9 Strategies From a Perfect Scorer

Are you scoring in the 600-750 range on SAT Reading and Writing? Do you want to raise that score as high as possible—to a perfect 800?

Getting to a perfect SAT Reading and Writing test score isn't easy. It'll require perfection. But with hard work and my strategies below, you can do it. I've consistently scored 800 on Reading and Writing on my real SATs, and I know what it takes. Follow my advice, and you'll get a perfect score—or get very close.

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How to Get a Perfect 1600 SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

The maximum score on the SAT is a 1600. Out of the two million students who take the test every year, only about 500 get the highest possible SAT score. This elusive perfect score catapults you to the top of high school academic achievement and can be a big boost to your college applications.

I scored perfect scores on the SAT. I actually scored two perfect scores—a 1600 in 2004 when I was in high school, and a 2400 in March 2014 when I took it ten years later.

Most of the advice out there about how to get a perfect score come from people who didn't get perfect scores. In this exclusive article, I'll be breaking down exactly what it takes, and the ruthless techniques I used to get a perfect score.

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How to Get 800 on SAT Math, by a Perfect Scorer

Are you scoring in the 600-750 range on SAT Math? Do you want to raise that score as high as possible—to a perfect 800?

Getting to an 800 SAT Math score isn't easy. It'll require perfection. But with hard work and my strategies below, you'll be able to do it. I've scored 800 on Math on all my SATs, and I know what it takes. Follow my advice, and you'll get a perfect score—or get very close.

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Complete Official ACT Practice Tests, Free Links

No matter how you prep for the ACT—whether you have a tutor, take a class, or study by yourself—you must get access to official ACT tests. These tests are released by ACT, Inc. and contain real questions given to actual students on previous test dates. These questions have been removed from circulation (so you won't ever see them on a real test), but their quality is second to none when it comes to ACT realism.

In this post, I'll tell you how to find all currently available official ACT practice tests. We'll also discuss how to use these tests to improve your ACT score.

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Printable ACT Practice Tests PDFs: FREE and Official

No matter how you prep for the ACT—whether you have a tutor, take a class, or study by yourself—you must get access to official, online and printable ACT tests. The official ACT practice test provided below—released by ACT, Inc.—is the exact format you’ll see on test day.

In this post, I'll tell you where you can find the official, online or printable ACT practice test with the answer key. I'll also give you key strategies and resources to help you make big improvements while you prep for the ACT.

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Printable SAT Practice Tests PDFs: 22 FREE Official Tests

In this article, I'll tell you where to find all official, printable SAT practice tests and answer keys. This comprehensive guide gives you access to more SAT practice tests than any other online guide. In addition, you'll learn key strategies that'll help you make big improvements on SAT practice tests you can print out.

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Average SAT Scores by State (Most Recent)

More than a million students across the country take the SAT each year. So what do SAT scores by state look like? How do you stack up against other test takers in your state? Finally, what are some interesting state facts—for example, which state has the highest SAT score? The lowest SAT score? The highest rate of participation?

It's the battle of the states, SAT edition. Find out your state's average SAT scores and other fun facts in this article!

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When Do SAT Scores Come Out? SAT Score Release Schedule

The SAT score release dates are always tense for students. Did you get the score you were aiming for? Do you have to take the SAT again? Checking scores immediately when they come out gives you the most time to plan ahead.

In this article, find out when you'll receive your SAT score report depending on your test date, and learn the fastest way to check your SAT score.

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Complete Official SAT Practice Tests, Free Links

Official SAT tests released by the College Board are the absolute gold standard for SAT practice questions. Each official practice test contains real questions given to actual students at previous administrations of the SAT.

In this article, I'll show you where to find all official SAT practice tests online. This comprehensive guide gives you access to more practice tests than any other guide out there. Most of these tests are free and are great practice to get started with your SAT prep. We'll also discuss how to use these practice tests to help you get the most improvement possible out of them.

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Best SAT Prep Books 2024

There are a lot of "Best SAT Books" lists out there, but we think that most of them aren't very good or thorough. As a result, I've tried to write a much better guide here.

In this article, you'll learn which books are absolutely critical for your SAT prep, which books you can use to improve your individual section scores, and which books you'll need if you're aiming for a top score. More importantly, you'll learn how to use these SAT prep books for effective studying.

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Best ACT Prep Books 2023

There are numerous "Best ACT Books" lists out there. But we think most of them aren't very good or thorough, so I've tried to write a much better guide here.

In this article, you'll learn which books are absolutely critical for your ACT prep, which focus on improving individual sections, and which you'll need if you're aiming for a top score. Most importantly, you'll learn how to use these top-notch ACT prep books for effective studying.

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Step-by-Step Guide With Pictures: SAT Registration

Registering for the SAT sounds like the easiest part of the process. But signing up is actually much more convoluted than you might think—and some things matter a lot more than others do. Most of all, you want to avoid classic registration mistakes that can cost you dearly.

In this article, we’ll discuss step by step how to sign up for the SAT. We’ll also cover what parts of the 30-minute process really matter and what parts don’t. Finally, we’ll give you some key tips on how to choose the best location and how to save money.

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What Is the Average SAT Score?

If you've taken the SAT, you're probably curious about how your score stacks up against the average SAT scores. There are lots of different ways to look at averages on the SAT. What is the average SAT score overall? How many types of average SAT scores are there? And which SAT score averages are important for you?

We'll answer all of these questions and more to tell you which SAT average scores actually matter for your future. We'll review the most recent data available, from 2022.

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What Are the Easiest Colleges to Get Into? List of 100+ Schools

Applying to colleges is stressful. You often don't know whether you've gotten accepted until well after you've submitted your application; therefore, it's useful to have safety schools as a backup. These are colleges you're almost certain that you'd get into if you were to apply.

We've compiled a thorough guide of the easiest colleges to get into in the United States. Find out which schools have the highest admission rates, which ones guarantee admission if you meet certain requirements, and which ones have the lowest average SAT/ACT scores.

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SAT Cost, ACT Cost, and How to Save Money

If you're deciding between taking the SAT and the ACT and you have a tight budget, this guide will help. We'll cover the registration costs, reporting costs, and how you can save money no matter what test you choose.

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