SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

Shockingly, catchy slogans were not a part of the original Scholastic Achievement Test. 

If you're a high school student trying to get into college, you've definitely heard of the SAT, and might already be studying for it. But have you ever wondered what "SAT" itself actually stands for? And does it reveal anything about what the SAT claims to measure?

Well, it turns out the SAT has gone through many name changes, which reveal changes in the test's design and purpose. Read on for the full story behind the SAT's name.

Few things in life are free – especially when it comes to college admissions. You have to shell out for prep books, test fees, application fees, and more. It adds up quickly! So doesn’t it make sense to save money where you can, like on those four free score reports that come with your SAT registration?

Maybe – or maybe not. We will examine the issue in depth and help you learn how to save your money and also maximize your college admission chances.

Parallel structure is a grammar rule that is often referenced yet often misunderstood. After reading this article, you’ll comprehend parallel structure and be able to correctly answer ACT English questions that test your knowledge of parallel structure.

Because you will most likely see parallel structure questions on the ACT, let’s learn this rule and raise your ACT English score.

What are SAT Prep Summer Programs and should you use them?

There are a lot of variations in SAT summer programs and the hours of study they offer. Other than time, the greatest variation in SAT summer programs is through price. There are commercial and noncommercial options and they vary by price and hours offered, as well as the material used. No matter the course, a good program will offer at least once a week test.

Imagine you take the SAT in the fall of junior year and get an awesome Reading score. Your math, unfortunately, is not so great. To bring it up, you study for the next few months and retake the SAT in the spring. Your math score shoots way up, but your Reading actually decreases from what you got in the fall. What do you do?!

Luckily, most colleges have a policy of "superscoring" the SAT, or taking your highest section scores across all dates you took the SAT. Let's break down exactly what superscoring is, why schools do it, and what this means for your SAT game plan.

The College Board is going to allow students who were affected by the mistake on the June 6, 2015 administration of the SAT to re-take the test for free in October. Read on for more information and to see what your options are.

As a high school student, you’re probably wondering whether you should take the SAT or the ACT. Which one will give you a better score? Is one easier than the other?

The answer is not as straightforward as you might think. Everyone has different test-taking strengths and learning styles. Based on these factors, it might be to your advantage to take one test over the other.

In this article I’ll go through a list of different strengths and weaknesses you might have as a test-taker and student and let you know which test you should take based on those qualities.

The SAT and the ACT are both hard pills to swallow, but one might be easier for you than the other. If you're still trying to decide which test to take, these charts will give you direct comparisons between them in terms of format, timing, and content. Then you can figure out which one sounds like the right fit for you!

Want to prep for the ACT on you own? Chances are you’ve ordered a prep book to help you study.

One of the most popular prep books around is The Real ACT Prep Guide. But how can you make sure you get your money’s worth out of the book – and make sure you actually study well enough to improve your ACT composite? Read our guide to using The Real ACT Prep Guide to find out.

Are you studying for the SAT? Chances are you've heard of, or maybe even already purchased, The Official SAT Study Guide. It's the #1 best-selling test prep and study guide book on Amazon.com, and used by thousands of students around the country to prepare for the SAT.

But before you dive into The Official SAT Study Guide, you need to make sure you're using it correctly. Read our guide to getting the most out of the nation's most popular SAT study guide.

Many SAT math questions involve the use of integers, especially in the early and middle ranges of each math section. This means that integers are a foundational element to SAT math and you should have a solid understanding of what integers are and how they work if you want to do well on the SAT math section.

This guide will cover the basics of integers—what they are, how they relate to one another, and how you’ll see them on the test. For the more advanced integer concepts (including prime numbers, absolute values, exponents, and roots), check out our advanced guide to SAT integers.

ACT English tests you on a number of specific grammar rules. Being able to understand and apply these rules will help you maximize your ACT English score. Besides knowing specific grammar rules, there are some general strategies to keep in mind that will help you correctly answer more questions. 

One of these tips is that the ACT prefers shorter sentences. Wordiness and redundancy are common errors on the ACT English section. The goal for each sentence is to express the same information in the shortest grammatically correct way.

Every SAT test has 6 special questions in the writing section that test not just your grammar skills, but how well you are able to use them in context. Can you tell which correct version of a sentence best suits the paragraph that it’s in? Are you ready to tackle one of the most unique parts of the SAT?

Oftentimes, if I make an outlandish comparison, someone will turn to me and say, "You can't compare apples and oranges, Alex."

Grammatically speaking, however, you absolutely can compare apples and oranges—they're both fruits! However, it's true that some comparisons are nonsensical, like a comparison between apples and eating apples.

This kind of construction is called an illogical comparison, and it's one of the most unusual concepts on SAT Writing. Though essentially simple to spot, illogical comparisons are unfamiliar for most students because they rarely come up elsewhere. 

A general rule to follow when answering SAT Writing questions is that the given sentence should be written in the most concise grammatically correct way. Often, especially in sentence improvement questions, the error in a sentence is only that the sentence is too wordy. Similarly, sometimes specific words in a sentence can be eliminated because they are superfluous. Wordiness and redundancy are common errors on the SAT Writing section, and I will be explaining how to identify and correct these errors.