SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

The mission: a perfect score on the PSAT. The method: serious test prep. Achieving a perfect score is no easy feat, but with the right study plan and materials, you can master this important exam.

This guide will go over what makes for a perfect score on the PSAT and how you can prep to conquer the test. Read on to learn how to succeed in your mission to get a perfect PSAT score, should you choose to accept it.

If you took the PSAT in October of 2016, then you got your scores back in mid-December, just before winter break.

Your PSAT score report gives you a few different score types, including your total scores, section scores, and Selection Index. With all this data, how can you sort through the numbers to figure out what is a good PSAT score?

This guide will go over the full scoring system of the PSAT so you know exactly what makes a good score. Let’s start with a quick glossary explaining the various types of PSAT scores  on your score report.

If you keep improving every time you take the ACT, should you take it as many times as you can to get the highest score? Even though you can take the ACT up to 12 times, that doesn't necessarily mean that you should. Let's look at when you should retake the test, and when it's time to pack up and call it a day.

Timing is everything, especially when it comes to the SAT. Besides managing your time on each section of the test, you also have to plan your day around this long exam.

Since latecomers won't be admitted to the testing room, when should you plan to arrive on test day? For that matter, what time can you breathe a sigh of relief and, all finished with the exam, head back home? This guide will go over the exact start and end times of the SAT so you can plan your schedule for that special SAT-urday.

While the best recommendation letters are unique to each student, they all share certain key features that make them effective. This guide provides you with a structure to help you produce an outstanding letter of recommendation.

Not only will this recommendation letter template guide you through the writing process, it'll also assist you in determining whether you’re able to truly recommend a student for admission to college. Before outlining the steps, let’s consider what goes into a good letter of recommendation.

Studying hundreds of fancy words from big lists has long been a mainstay of SAT prep. But with the redesigned SAT focusing on medium-level words in the context of passages, do you still need to drill yourself on little-used vocab words?

Before you expend superfluous energy to bolster your cognizance of recondite terminology (or waste time learning lots of obscure words), read this guide to learn what vocabulary you need for the new SAT. First, what changes are being made to the SAT in terms of vocabulary?

While the test-taking part of the ACT is strictly timed at 2 hours and 55 minutes, the actual time you'll spend in the testing room is longer due to breaks, check in, and other factors. This guide will take a closer look at how long the ACT is with breaks and the amount of time you can plan to spend at your testing center.

First, let's consider how long the exam itself is versus how long your whole test-taking experience will be.

How many times can you take the SAT? Is there a limit if you're retaking it to achieve your ideal score? Why would you want to keep sitting through this high stakes test, anyway?

There are several compelling reasons to take the SAT more than once, but you also shouldn't go totally overboard. Let's go over when you should retake the SAT, and when it might be time to move on.

Alexander Hamilton, Lucretia Mott, Frederick Douglass, and Rosa Parks—these are a few of the important historical figures you might encounter on the SAT US History Subject Test.

This complete study guide will tell you everything you need to know for SAT US History, how you can prepare, and where to find the best practice questions to start prepping.

Are you taking the ACT? You're in good company! Barack Obama, Marilyn Monroe, and Steve Jobs all took the ACT, too, along with several other celebrities. We've compiled their scores so you can see how these successful people performed back when they were in high school.

We've also converted the SAT scores of famous people to the ACT scale so you get a sense of how their scores compare. Now if you ever run into Barack Obama, you'll have at least one conversation starter to fall back on...

With all the scoring changes on the redesigned College Board exams, what counts as a "good score" on the PSAT these days? There are a few factors you can use to define what's good: score percentiles, National Merit criteria, and your own personal goals for the PSAT and the SAT. First, it's critical to understand how the PSAT is scored. 

This guide will review the scoring scale of the PSAT, along with National Merit Scholarship Corporation's Selection Index, so you know what counts as a good PSAT score. To start off, let’s go over a few key PSAT terms that will help you understand the rest of this guide.

The PSAT test dates of 2015 have come and gone, but they are not forgotten - especially for students aiming to become National Merit Finalists. This guide will go over the exact PSAT test dates in 2015, as well as discuss how test-takers can make the most of their PSAT score reports today.

If you’re looking for future PSAT test dates, then check out this guide instead. If you’re in the right spot, then read on to learn about how the PSAT testing schedule works for participating students.

Many students take the PSAT in the fall of their junior year. What a lot of students may not notice is the full name of the test is PSAT/NMSQT, or Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Thus, the PSAT is not just good practice for your SATs. It's also the first step in becoming a National Merit Finalist and hopefully, earning a $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

In this article, we'll discuss what steps you need to take to become a National Merit Finalist and compete for a scholarship. We'll also give you advice on how to write a strong application and maximize your chances of becoming a National Merit Scholar.

If you're an international student or non-native English speaker applying to college in the United States, then this guide is for you! To get into college, you'll likely have to take two admissions tests: the TOEFL and the ACT.

This guide is specifically geared toward students interested in taking the TOEFL and ACT (if you're taking the SAT, then check out this guide instead!). Read on to learn what colleges require, how the TOEFL and ACT compare, and what you can do to prepare for both.

"Before anything else, preparation is the key to success."

While Alexander Graham Bell may not have been referring specifically to the SAT or ACT, his words ring as true for these tests as for anything else. Scoring highly on the SAT/ACT is all about preparation, and luckily you have plenty of time to prepare if you start early. If you haven't started already, let's discuss some reasons why it's useful to start prepping as a freshman and the best ways for doing so.