SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

SAT scores for the past few years have shown a marked decline, particularly since 2006, which can be attributed to various causes. In this article, we provide you with some charts showing the average SAT trends from 1972 to 2023 as well as the variation in SAT scores by ethnicity.

In recent years, more and more students have been taking the ACT than ever before. But what does this change in participation rate mean for the average ACT score?

As you'll learn in this article, while ACT scores have been fairly stable in the last few years, there have been some dips and peaks in scores in the last 30 years. Let's take a look at what's happening.

If you've taken an ACT practice test, you've probably wondered how the questions you answer on each test section translate to a final score out of 36 points. What is a raw ACT score? What about a scale score? How does one score affect the other?

In this article, we explain what the equating process for the ACT is and give you info on how your raw scores translate to scale scores for each section of the test.

SAT Summer camps are cram school for the SATs. They include long hours and intensive sessions, promising students increases in their SAT scores or their money back. They range from online tutoring programs held over the summer (there are a lot of these), day camps like Elite's Summer Test Prep, and month-long residential camps where students live and breathe SAT prep and college admissions, like Columbia University's SummerFuel.

They all promise score increases, and some even guarantee them. But how do you know if you even need an SAT summer camp? Keep reading to find out!

You registered for the SAT, but as test day draws near, you find that you don’t want to take the test anymore! You may want to take the ACT instead, or maybe you decided to opt out of the SAT altogether and apply to colleges that don’t require you to report SAT scores. But what can you do?

Well, first, don't panic!

We at PrepScholar noticed how hard it was to find this information online, so we put it all together for you in one place.

Here are some things you need to consider:

1. Can you cancel the SAT test?
2. Can you get your money back?
3. Will this go on your permanent record?
4. Do you need to cancel your SAT to change your test date?

If you've registered for the ACT, you may have noticed that you'll need to enter a school code. But what code do you put if you're homeschooled? How can you make sure your scores get to you? We answer your questions in this guide!

What are SAT Prep Summer Programs and should you use them?

There are a lot of variations in SAT summer programs and the hours of study they offer. Other than time, the greatest variation in SAT summer programs is through price. There are commercial and noncommercial options and they vary by price and hours offered, as well as the material used. No matter the course, a good program will offer at least once a week test.

The Code

The universal SAT Home School Code, needed to register for the SAT and applicable anywhere in the USA, is 970000.

When you use this, it means that the score results will be sent directly to your home. Using this code simply indicates, for the sake of data gathering, that you are a home schooled student. Home schooled students, on average, score higher on the SAT than their public school counterparts. This code is the College Board's way of tracking the results accurately. Also, the SAT compares you to the local average, but as a home schooled student, you won't provide an accurate representation of the local district scores.

However, if you want to, you can use the local high school's code as well.

What registration code to you use to register for the SAT as a homeschooled student, and what considerations should you remember? Read our guide to get the details.

How do homeschooled students register for the ACT, and what is the ACT homeschool code? What important considerations should you keep in mind? Find out here.

What can you do if you took the SAT already but you decide you want to cancel your test scores?

First, stop and take a step back. Ask yourself if you’re sure. Once you cancel your test scores, there's no going back.

Second, figure out - can you still cancel your scores? CollegeBoard has a very strict deadline about this and if you miss that deadline, then they won't budge.

So what can you do? Well, I'm here to help you 1) assess whether you should cancel; 2) know what steps you need to take to cancel; and 3) know what to do if you miss the deadline to cancel, but still need to deal with a poor score.

There are 3 types of SAT reading passages that you, as the test taker, need to be familiar with. The 3 types of passages mainly differ in length, but also somewhat in content. Therefore, the strategies for tackling them need to be different.

Below, we'll go over the different types of reading passages on the SAT and what you can expect from the questions that follow them. 

NOTE: This article was written about the old SAT Critical Reading section. For more information about passages on the current SAT Reading, we recommend instead reading this article.