Not excited about the idea of starting another year of school in the fall? What if you could instead take a break from school and spend a year backpacking around Europe, volunteering for a cause you care about, or getting paid to work on a cruise ship? With a gap year all those things possible!

Have you heard of gap years but aren't sure what they are? Do you know other people taking gap years but aren't sure if they're a good idea for you? What are the benefits of taking a gap year anyway? In this guide, I use my own gap year experience to explain the major benefits of gap year programs and why they're such a great choice for many students. I end with some tips to ensure you get the most out of your own gap year.

The ACT Science is like a double rainbow: unique, complicated to understand, and people freak out when they see it. Unlike a double rainbow, which tends to freak people out because of its awesomeness, the ACT Science section tends to freak people out because of the crazy time crunch with only 35 minutes to answer 40 questions.

Even so, if you want to do well on the ACT Science, you can't avoid it. You have to buckle down and create a great study plan. The good news is there are several easy steps to take to make sure you are studying for the ACT Science section in the right way.

Here is an overview of what this guide covers:

• Which study materials to use
• The importance of using realistic timing
• How you should be reviewing your practice tests
• Memorizing what the ACT Science expects you to know

Because all US colleges accept scores from either the ACT or SAT, picking the test on which you’ll perform better is critical to your admission chances. But when parents and students ask whether the ACT is easier than the SAT, it can be hard to give a good answer. You might not know how the tests compare with each other or which one you're more likely to do better on.

There are differences between the SAT and ACT that can make one or the other legitimately easier or harder for test takers. So how do you know whether the SAT or ACT is easier for you? Keep reading to learn the eight key factors that'll help you determine whether the ACT or SAT is easier.

In 2016, the SAT changed drastically from the old SAT. In terms of content, no other SAT changes in the past few decades have been this dramatic. If you're familiar with the old SAT, here's what you must know to do well on the 2016 version of the SAT.

Update: The SAT is now fully digital. As such, much of the information in this article is no longer relevant. You can learn more aboutthe digital SAT changes here.

A solid vocabulary is essential to getting a high SAT score. But what methods can give you the quality SAT vocab practice you'll need to succeed on test day? After all, just reading a lengthy list of vocab words doesn't necessarily mean you'll know how to use them in a sentence or be able to remember what they mean on during the exam.

We explain how important vocab is on the SAT and how it’s tested. More importantly, we give you our top four vocab study methods as well as our picks for the five best resources to use for quality SAT vocabulary practice. Read on to learn what these are!

Whether you're taking the SAT, the ACT, the PSAT, an AP exam, an IB assessment, a final, or any other test for high school, it's essential to know what to do beforehand so you can give yourself the best shot at getting a high score.

In this guide, we introduce our top 11 tips for what to do before a test, from how to study for a test the night before to how to relax before a test using deep breathing.

Law is one of the toughest trades to break into—there's a lot of competition out there, and there's a lot at stake (law school isn't exactly cheap). If you're interested in entering the legal profession, you should be well-informed about everything it takes to become a lawyer.

Here, I'll go through all the steps of how to become a lawyer. Before I jump into that, however, I'll begin by touching briefly on what the job market looks like for lawyers both now and in the future.

Khan Academy has recently partnered with the College Board, the makers of the SAT, to produce free and official SAT prep materials. Unfortunately, there's currently no official Khan Academy ACT prep; however, students can still use Khan Academy’s resources to help them prepare for the ACT.

This guide will go over what materials Khan Academy offers, why you should consider using them, and exactly which resources will be most helpful and which topics you will need to use additional review materials for so that you can be as well-prepared for the ACT as possible.

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.

Say you have done the near-impossible, and gotten an amazing SAT score of 2200 or higher or an ACT score of 32 or higher. Many high school students across the country are probably jealous of you!

But what if your GPA is much lower – a 3.0, or even a 2.0? Do you still have a shot at top colleges? What will admissions officers think about you?

Read on to find out what to do with a low GPA, high SAT/ACT score application. That high score could be worth a lot more than you think!

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.

Of the many question types on SAT Reading, "big picture" questions are the ones that require the most thorough comprehension of large amounts of text. You'll be asked to discuss and examine the main claim or purpose of a paragraph, passage, or even multiple passages.

But how do you identify these "big picture" questions on SAT Reading? And what are the best ways to approach answering them?

Below, I’ll discuss the three primary types of big picture questions you’ll encounter on the SAT, along with common ways the SAT will ask you about each. I'll also give you expert SAT Reading strategies to answer these questions, illustrated with examples from real practice questions.

Let’s get down to business to defeat...the SAT Reading. How can you practice for the SAT Reading? Where can you find SAT Reading practice questions? Is it even possible to practice for the Reading section? Read on for the answers to these questions.

Preparing for the SAT a second or third time is common. Back when I studied for the SAT, the first couple of strategies and study approaches I tried didn't actually work. It took me a few times before I finally found the method that bumped up my SAT score 200 points to a perfect score.

If you're retaking the SAT and want to ensure you improve this time around, this guide will show you how to do just that!

You've just taken the SAT. Congratulations! Once you get some rest, you'll probably start to wonder when your scores will come out and how to access them on the College Board website. In this post, we tell you exactly what time of day scores appear and how to check your SAT scores online.

NOTE: Have you been out of high school for more than a year and not taken the SAT in that time? Then you should read our article on how to get old SAT scores instead!