SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

Samantha Lindsay

Samantha is a blog content writer for PrepScholar. Her goal is to help students adopt a less stressful view of standardized testing and other academic challenges through her articles. Samantha is also passionate about art and graduated with honors from Dartmouth College as a Studio Art major in 2014. In high school, she earned a 2400 on the SAT, 5's on all seven of her AP tests, and was named a National Merit Scholar.

Recent Posts

Complete List: Colleges With No Application Fee (Updated)

Trying to save money on college applications? Good news! There are actually quite a few colleges that allow you to apply for free. In this article, I'll provide some general information about application fees along with a comprehensive list of all the schools that offer free applications.

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The Best Digital SAT Reading & Writing Practice Tests

When preparing for SAT Reading & Writing, it's crucial to use high-quality practice materials that accurately reflect the content of the real test. In this article, I will go through the best resources for SAT Reading & Writing practice materials, both online and in printed prep books.

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What's the Difference? Weighted vs Unweighted GPA

Most students think a lot about their GPA in high school. There's no doubt that GPA is one of the most important pieces of information colleges will consider in your application. However, GPA can vary drastically in the way it's calculated at different schools. Some high schools use unweighted GPAs and some use weighted GPAs. I'll give you an overview of the differences between the two and what each type of GPA might mean in the context of your personal experiences.

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Complete List: The Smallest Colleges in the United States

You might be interested in going to a small college, but just how small is "small," exactly? In general, schools that are considered "small" have fewer than 5,000 students in total. However, quite a few schools are actually less than 1/10 that size!

In this article I'll describe the characteristics of small colleges and then provide a list of the smallest colleges in the nation by category. That way you can decide if going to a small school really is the right decision for you.

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When Is the PSAT? 2023 PSAT Test Dates

If you're coming up on your sophomore or junior year, you're probably wondering when you'll be taking the PSAT and how you should prepare. In this article, I'll tell you when the PSAT is offered this year, how to get ready, and how this relates to your future plans for the SAT.

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What Is PSAT 8/9? Should You Take It?

The College Board now offers the PSAT 8/9 to eighth graders and high school freshmen as the first hurdle in the group of tests they call the "SAT Suite of Assessments." The PSAT 8/9 is a precursor to the PSAT 10, the PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT.

But when is the PSAT 8/9 offered? And should you even bother taking it? In this article, we'll give you all the details!

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Is AP Psychology Hard? 5 Key Factors Discussed

Before you sign up for any AP class, it's helpful to get an idea of whether you'll be able to handle the workload (and the exam!). AP Psychology is a popular AP class that's offered at many schools, so you might have the chance to take it at some point in your high school career.

But is AP psychology hard? Or is it a walk in the AP park? I'll tell you which factors go into judging the difficulty of an AP class and examine what they tell us about the AP Psychology class and exam specifically.

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Is AP Biology Hard? An Expert Discussion

AP Biology is a popular AP class, and many students are curious about the challenges it presents. Is AP Biology hard? Will you spend hours upon hours studying for the class? Are you likely to fail the exam? Or are AP tests much easier than they seem?

In this article, we'll look at statistics, course material, and student perceptions to present you with a clear picture of the difficulty level of the AP Bio class and exam. We'll also give you some tips for figuring out how challenging AP Biology will likely be for you based on your academic strengths and weaknesses.

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Is AP US History Hard? Expert Discussion

AP classes are typically more challenging than regular high school classes, but did you know that some APs are harder than others? Based on testing statistics and an examination of the curriculum, we can come up with accurate assessments of the true difficulty level of each AP class.

In this article, I'll analyze AP US History exam scores, student testimonials, and course content to give you a clear picture of how hard this popular AP class really is!

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The Most Selective Colleges, Why, and How to Get In

It's tempting to judge the quality of a school based on its admissions rate. Although this is a reasonable way to assess schools in most cases, there are some special circumstances that might result in extremely low acceptance rates at less academically demanding colleges.

In this article, I'll list the most selective colleges in the United States, tell you why they accept so few applicants, and provide you with some advice on how to apply successfully.

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Why You Shouldn't Trust US News College Rankings

US News is probably the most popular source out there for college rankings. While US News rankings of colleges purport to be highly accurate, they can be misleading in certain important respects. If you make decisions based purely on the US News college rankings, you might end up being miserable.

In this article, I'll go over why you shouldn't make judgments about colleges solely based on their rankings in US News.

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The Best SAT and ACT Test Dates for Senior Fall

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ACT, SAT

Senior year is coming up, and you're ready to take a last shot at the SAT or ACT before applying to college. But when should you take the test? And how can you ensure that your scores make it to colleges on time?

Read on to see a list of the fall and winter test dates as well as a detailed guide on how to choose the best date for your situation.

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The Expert's Guide to the AP Psychology Exam

Taking AP Exams can be stressful, but if you know what to expect on test day, you can eliminate a lot of that anxiety. The AP Psychology exam is one of the more popular AP tests, and it has a pretty straightforward format and scoring system. In this article, I'll tell you what's on the AP Psychology test, how it's graded, and which prep methods you should use to get a great score.

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The Expert's Guide to the AP Human Geography Exam

AP Human Geography is an investigation of how the human species has populated the earth and developed different cultures, political systems, and means of production. This is a subject that can be a little hard to pin down because it represents an intersection of lots of different information.

How does the College Board test such a wide range of topics? Continue reading to gain a better understanding of the lay of the land (so to speak) on the AP Human Geography exam!

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The Ultimate Guide to the AP US History Exam

The AP US History exam involves critical reading, writing, and in-depth analysis. It's not just about memorizing names and dates, but rather interpreting historical evidence quickly and accurately, recalling outside information on a topic, and synthesizing your ideas into a coherent argument.

In this guide, we'll give you a rundown of the format and structure of the AP US History test along with a brief content outline, sample questions, and some tips for a great score.

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