SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

ACT Score Ranges: Understand Your Score vs. Class Grades

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Posted by Dr. Fred Zhang

ACT

 

Are you wondering what the highest and lowest possible scores you can get on the ACT are? And, once you receive your score, what does it mean? Many people find it difficult to understand their ACT score because the exam doesn't use the same kinds of grades your classes do. In this guide, we've converted ACT scores into class grades to make them easier for you to understand.

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What Is the ACT Fifth Section? Answers From ACT, Inc.

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Posted by Dora Seigel

ACT

If you took the ACT on April 9th or if you had friends who did, you might have heard there was a fifth section, which is abnormal. Usually, the ACT has four sections plus an optional writing section: Math, Reading, English, and Science. However, on April 9th, at certain test centers, there were five sections plus an optional writing section: Math, Reading, English, Science, and additional Science. What was this fifth section? Why was it there? I talked to the Director of Public Relations at ACT, Inc., and got the answers!

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Best Summary and Analysis: The Great Gatsby, Chapter 8

In Great Gatsby Chapter 8, things go from very bad to much, much worse. There’s an elegiac tone to half of the story in Chapter 8, as Nick tells us about Gatsby giving up on his dreams of Daisy and reminiscing about his time with her five years before. The other half of the chapter is all police thriller, as we hear Michaelis describe Wilson coming unglued and deciding to take bloody revenge for Myrtle’s death.

Get ready for bittersweetness and gory shock, in this The Great Gatsby Chapter 8 summary.

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How to Become a Teacher: Expert Career Guide

What's more exciting than educating a new generation of students? If you're interested in becoming a teacher and want some information about how to succeed in this profession, you're in the right place. Here, I'll walk you through how to become a teacher, explaining the steps you need to take in high school, college, and beyond.

First, though, I'll touch briefly on the occupational outlook for teachers in the US—this way, you'll be informed about projected job availability and income levels before jumping in.

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The 11 Best SAT Snacks to Help You Get Through the Test

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Posted by Dora Seigel

SAT

Snacks are one of the most overlooked yet most necessary parts of your SAT planning. Snacks can be an energy fueler, helping you to power through the SAT. However, the wrong snacks can be energy drainers, making you crash during the marathon that is the SAT. In this guide, I’ll talk about the importance of snacks, what makes a good snack and provide 11 SAT snack options. I’ll also let you know what snacks to avoid.

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How to Use College Scorecard: Find the Right School for You

Figuring out which colleges to apply to and selecting a college to attend can feel overwhelming. How do you narrow down your college search from the thousands of college options? How do you figure out if a school is preparing its students for future success? How do you determine whether a college is worth its cost?

College Scorecard is a website developed by the government to help you answer these questions. It provides extensive information on colleges to help you evaluate them and aid you in your college search.

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How to Find Scholarships for College: Expert Guide

Paying for college is already stressful and a bit overwhelming - applying for scholarships shouldn’t be too. To help you navigate the process of finding (and applying for) this helpful type of financial aid, we’ve put together this strategy guide with everything you need to know about how to find scholarships that are right for you.

You’ll learn about searching for awards in the right places (perhaps the most difficult part of the whole process), selecting the right scholarships, and putting together high-quality applications.

Let’s get started!

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Can You Write in the SAT Booklet?

After you take the SAT, your score will be determined by the little bubbles you fill in on your scantron sheet - a sheet where there’s no place to show your work.

It’s normal (even important) to want to take notes and work through problems. Since you won't receive any extra scratch paper in the testing room, your SAT booklet is the place to do it. Here, I’ll go over what, how, and even why you should write in your test booklet. That little stack of paper might end up more helpful than you expected.

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The 8 Best Scholarship Websites and Search Tools

Searching for relevant scholarships is perhaps the most frustrating part of the scholarship application process. There are so many awards out there, but it’s hard to know which ones are worth applying to without carefully sifting through an overwhelming amount of information.

To make your search just a little bit easier, we’ve compiled some of the best scholarship websites (and offline search tools!) you can use to find scholarships. Of course, some are better than others - I’ll also go into the strengths and weaknesses of each scholarship search method.

At the end of the post, you’ll find tips for getting the most out of these scholarship search tools. They’re only helpful if you know how to use them effectively and efficiently - these strategies will help you navigate the (sometimes confusing) world of scholarship search tools.

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What Is the New SAT Like? Student Reactions to the Test

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Posted by Dora Seigel

New SAT

The newly redesigned 2016 SAT debuted on March 5th. If you haven't taken it yet, you may be wondering what to expect: What is the New SAT like? What did students think of the exam? Was it easier or harder than the old SAT? How did it compare to the ACT?

In this article, I’ll discuss the reactions to the new SAT and talk about what it means for you. 

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Process of Elimination on the SAT: 11 Key Tips

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Posted by Ellen McCammon

SAT

With the guessing penalty eliminated for the redesigned SAT, you should guess on any question you can’t answer, because you won’t be penalized for wrong guesses. However, that doesn’t mean that guessing completely randomly is a good idea. You should always use the process of elimination as much as you are able to increase your chances of getting the right answer.

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Low PSAT Score? Here's What to Do

Did you get your PSAT score back and it was lower than you expected? The good news is that PSAT scores aren’t sent to colleges, so your low score will have no impact on your future applications. However, you’ll need to make some changes if you want a higher score when it comes time for you to take the SAT. 

This guide will walk you through the steps you need to take to get on the right path, including how to identify what errors you made on the PSAT, how to avoid them on the SAT, and how to develop the best study plan going forward. 

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What Do SAT Subscores Mean? Expert Guide

On first glance, your SAT score report may look completely confusing. Altogether, you’ll get a total of 15 distinct scores, or 18 if you take the essay section! While the scores are numerous, they're also helpful. They put your results under the microscope and give you detailed feedback about your performance.

This guide will demystify all these test scores, cross-test scores, and subscores so you can make the most out of your SAT score report. Let’s start with a glossary to help you keep track of all the different score types.

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How to Ace SAT Writing/ACT English for Math and Science People

Are you a math or science person who feels intimidated by SAT Writing or ACT English? Do you think that your natural abilities will prevent you from doing well on the Writing and English sections? This article should alleviate your concerns.

I'll let you know how you can excel on Writing or English even if you're more skilled in math and science. Furthermore, I'll provide you with important tips and strategies that will enable your success.

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Book Review: Princeton Review's "Cracking the New SAT"

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Posted by Vero Lecocq

SAT

Standardized test preparation has spawned a booming business. Stepping into the vast sea of available resources that have resulted can be overwhelming. What follows is a considered review of one particular resource, Princeton Review's Cracking the New SAT, Premium 2016 Edition. The hope is that this review will help you decide whether that particular book is worth your time—and how to approach it if it is.

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