SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

There are several options for students who wish to accelerate to college-level learning during their high school years. Besides AP classes and the IB program, there's the AICE Diploma.

If you're not very familiar with the AICE program, never fear—this article will bring you up to speed. Here, we'll cover what the diploma is and how you can get it as well as the benefits of pursuing this program (including scholarships and college credit).

For many students, the SAT is one of the biggest stressors to come up during high school. Few anticipate, though, that it may still be a concern during college. Occasionally, however, you might find that you need new SAT scores after high school. 

So can you take the SAT in college? Yes, you absolutely can. There is no regulation that forbids it. In fact, the College Board's website specifically discusses non-high school testers.

This article will discuss why you might need to take the test as a college student and cover some solid information about that process—and what makes it both unique and challenging.

Standardized testing isn't most people's idea of fun—quite the opposite actually. Why take the ACT, then? And is it a better choice than the SAT? You may have heard that many colleges have become test optional (either temporarily or permanently) because of the coronavirus pandemic and are wondering if it's still worth it to take the ACT. Read this article to help you decide if taking the ACT is the right choice for you.

Standardized test scores are an important part of college admissions, but they also have value beyond that: taking the ACT can earn you tens of thousands of dollars in financial aid or help you get a job! Below are the five key reasons why to take the ACT.

Taking the SAT can be both stressful and boring, and sitting in a testing center is no one's idea of a fun Saturday morning. Why take the SAT, then? You may have heard that more and more colleges are becoming test optional, so is it still worth it to take the SAT? In this article, we'll talk about all the reasons to take the SAT, including why it might be a better test for you than the ACT.

Standardized test scores are an important part of college admissions, but they also have value beyond that: taking the SAT can earn you tens of thousands of dollars in financial aid or help you get a job! Below are the five key reasons why to take the SAT.

A huge number of books exist out there, ready and waiting for you to read them. Whether you prefer manga or ancient, epic poems, reading is great for all sorts of reasons.

What follows is a list of highly beneficial books to read in high school (or after!). These are remarkable books—books that made history, books that challenge societal perceptions of the world, and books that are quite simply interesting and moving. The books are presented in alphabetical order, and a short description is given for each book, as well an explanation of why it is worth reading.

In the increasingly competitive atmosphere of high school, you may be wondering how you can best all your classmates with a 5.0 GPA. It's a lofty goal, to be sure. In this article, we'll discuss why that goal is often impossible, or at least impractical, to meet, ways in which it may be possible to earn a 5.0, and what's really more important than a 5.0 GPA.

If you're interested in attending an independent school, you may have heard the term SSAT being batted around and may now be wondering how to study for the test. In this article, we'll briefly cover the basics of what the SSAT is and does, list the best study materials to use, and offer key SSAT prep strategies and tips.

Most students are faced at some point with deciding which foreign language to pursue. Some high schools offer many options while some offer only a few. Whatever the situation at your particular high school, the decision can feel very weighty: you're going to commit years of your life to learning a new form of communication, after all.

In this article, we'll explain how to determine the best foreign language to learn for you, such as your motivation and goals, along with some basic information on a few of the more common languages to learn.

Attending a tough high school can certainly affect some of your performance statistics. It's natural to wonder whether these shifts in your numbers are going to affect your chances of college admission. In this article, we cover what colleges are really concerned with when they look at your record, and we explain why you don't need to be worried if your high school is especially hard.

What on earth is a CEEB code anyway? As you may know, it's really just an identification number, though there's a bit more to it than that. So the real question becomes: why do I care about CEEB codes? Well, CEEB codes are the identifiers that help get SAT (and other) data communicated to the correct high schools, colleges, test centers, etc. In fact, they're a crucial part of the SAT process.

Now, while CEEB codes are necessary to register for the SAT and to get your scores reported to the right schools and scholarship programs, most online forms have an automatic CEEB code lookup and fill-in feature that lets you skip that process yourself. There are still a few reasons you might need to look up your CEEB code, though. For instance, not all forms are online, and not all online forms have the auto-fill feature, so you may find yourself in need of that number as you communicate with the College Board or a college.

The ACT is quite possibly one of the most important tests you'll take in high school; it's vital to go in prepared. With so many sources offering the solution to your test preparation needs, how are you supposed to know which path to take?

What follows is a summary of the best advice I have to offer on how to study for the ACT, based on my extensive experience as a tutor. I'll cover when to start studying, where to find practice materials, and how to approach the process itself. This guide will give you a complete plan for studying for the ACT.

The SAT is an extremely important test for those planning to attend college. It's definitely not one to neglect or ignore until the last minute. Preparing for the exam is the only way to make sure you're doing your best on test day. 

Well, that's all well and good, but how exactly do you study? It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the prospect, or else overloaded by information from a number of different sources all claiming to have the answer to every one of your testing woes.

Read on for my very best suggestions on how to study for the SAT, based on my extensive experience as a tutor. I'll cover each step you need to take to improve your score, from finding the best SAT practice tests to setting a goal to fine-tuning your section strategies. After reading this article, you'll know exactly how to prepare for the SAT.

There's the PSAT, there's the SAT. There are even a few other assessments, as it turns out. There's a lot of jargon out there when it comes to the tests offered by the College Board, so it's important to know exactly what you're signing up for—and how each test is different.

The SAT suite of assessments is designed to work together. All tests are fundamentally similar, and you can use any one to prepare for any other. That being said, the PSAT vs SAT isn't a perfectly equal match-up. In reality, there are some differences—both major and minor—between them. We take a look at these below.

Worried about exponents or coordinate geometry on the SAT? Never fear, this guide is here!

I'll explain everything you need to know about SAT Math's trickiest subject area: Passport to Advanced Math. This topic tests all the algebra skills you must have firmly in place before you move into the study of more complex math, including systems of equations, polynomials, and exponents. Of course, the questions are presented in a uniqely SAT way, so I'll walk you through exactly what you can expect from this subsection of SAT Math.

ACT Math questions can be confusing. Many leave readers wondering what's being asked and where to start. That's why it's such a good idea to have a reliable method for dissecting these questions in your back pocket. That way, whenever you sit down to a confusing ACT Math problem, you know where to turn.

In this article, I outline four fool-proof steps to clearing up what a question is asking, as well as offering a few other tips for attacking ACT Math.