SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

One of the biggest—and most difficult—decisions college applicants must make is what they want to major in. As a result, many students struggle to pick a major when they’re filling out their college applications. That’s why many schools give you the option to select “undecided” or “undeclared” on your app. 

But will being undecided affect your ability to get into your dream school? If you’re wondering, “Is it bad to put undecided on a college application,” then this article is for you. We’ll explain the following:

• What an undeclared major is
• What putting “undeclared” on a college application means
• The implications of applying undeclared at different schools
• How selecting “undeclared” can affect your college application
• Whether you should put undeclared on your application

So let’s get started!

In order to study effectively for the SAT, it's important to use practice tests that test the same strategy and content as the SAT does. With the major 2016 SAT overhaul, this means turning to updated, more recent materials.

Official College Board practice tests are the gold standard when it comes to prep materials. Here, you'll find free links to all official SAT practice tests, essays, answer keys, and scoring guides, along with tips and strategies for how to use them.

You might notice, though, that there's a limit to how many free official SAT resources are available. For those who want to prep with other high-quality SAT practice problems and tests,we offer you some useful alternatives to official practice tests.

Hoping to major in engineering? Before you can do that, you need to get accepted into an engineering program. Many of the best programs are highly competitive, and it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd. In this guide though, we break down what every part of your college application must include for you to become a standout engineering applicant. Follow these tips, and you'll give yourself the best shot at getting into the engineering program of your dreams.

Hoping to get into a college art program? Many of the best art programs are highly competitive, and, even if your portfolio is strong, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd. In this guide, we break down what every part of your college application must include for you to become a standout art applicant. This article applies to all types of arts programs, including drawing, painting, photography, and fashion. Follow these tips to produce an exceptional application for art programs.

At PrepScholar, we know how important it is the pick the right ACT test date. Choose a date too early and you won't have enough time to study, but choose a date too late and you may not be able to retake the exam if needed or get your scores sent to schools on time.

In order to make choosing an ACT test date easier, we constantly review the best data to inform you about future test dates. When you know future ACT registration and exam dates, you can create your study plan and stay organized, allowing you to lessen your stress and reach your target score.

In this article, we give you the anticipated ACT test dates for 2020-2021 and explain the key factors to think about when choosing your test date.

Barron's ACT is one of many books available in Barron's lineup of test prep resources. Since there are so many to choose from, you want to make sure you choose the specific Barron's test prep guide that will mesh with your test prep needs.

In this article, we'll give you a full review of Barron's ACT to help you understand what unique features this Barron's ACT book offers. Our review will cover the following: 

• What Barron's ACT is
• What content is provided in this Barron's ACT book, chapter by chapter
• Six pros and cons of the book
• How to decide if using this Barron's ACT book would be a good fit for you.

Now, let's dive in!

Mastering ACT vocabulary words is an essential part of studying for the Reading section of the ACT. But settling on the best ACT vocabulary study method can be tricky. Do you study thousands of vocab words, or do you tackle the toughest ones? And what’s the best way to study: an app, flashcards, or something else? 

We’re here to teach you the most effective ways to learn ACT vocabulary! We’ll cover:  

• The importance of vocabulary words and how they affect your overall ACT score
• A bad, better, and best method for studying ACT vocabulary
• How to interpret and answer a “Vocab in Context” ACT question
• Eight solid resources for studying ACT vocab 

Now, let’s get started!

Recently, several colleges have made headlines because they’ve revoked incoming students’ admission due to their racist social media posts. That’s left lots of high school students wondering about how their Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter posts will affect their college admissions chances. 

In this article, we’ll help you understand how social media can impact your admissions c chances. We’ll explain: 

• Why some students have had their admission revoked recently 
• What universities have said about their decisions 
• What you can do to make sure your social media helps, rather than hurts, your admissions chances
  
  

Let’s take a look. 

When applying to college, it's important to stay on schedule and make sure all your test scores are submitted on time. We've put together what we believe is the most accurate list of SAT dates, registration deadlines, and score release date estimates. Knowing this information will help you plan and make sure your applications are submitted on time.

Below you can find the 2020-2021 test dates, as well as some tips and things to consider when choosing a test date. You can also check out previous dates and this year's full guide to choosing.

If you grow up to be a professional writer, everything you write will first go through an editor before being published. This is because the process of writing is really a process of re-writing—of rethinking and reexamining your work, usually with the help of someone else. So what does this mean for your student writing? And in particular, what does it mean for very important, but nonprofessional writing like your college essay? Should you ask your parents to look at your essay? Pay for an essay service?

If you are wondering what kind of help you can, and should, get with your personal statement, you've come to the right place! In this article, I'll talk about what kind of writing help is useful, ethical, and even expected for your college admission essay. I'll also point out who would make a good editor, what the differences between editing and proofreading are, what to expect from a good editor, and how to spot and stay away from a bad one.

Calling all student athletes! Are you aiming to go to college as an NCAA athlete? Two important NCAA Clearinghouse requirements have to do with your high school grade point average (GPA) and SAT scores, which are compared on a sliding scale. Let's talk about the eligibility criteria for NCAA athletics, and how you can achieve the scores you need.

First, let's review GPA requirements and how your GPA is calculated.

Writing the college application essay is a tough gig. You've got to be charming, personal, memorable, and insightful--all in under two pages! But I'm going to tell you a secret: half of a great personal essay is a great topic idea. If you're passionate about what you're writing, and if you're truly documenting something meaningful and serious about yourself and your life, then that passion and meaning will come alive on the page and in the mind of your reader.

So how do you come up with an essay idea? The best way is to brainstorm your way to an event from your life that reveals a core truth about you. In this article, I will help you do just that. Keep reading to find 35 jumping off points that touch on every possible memory you could harness, as well as advice on how to use your brainstorming session to fully realize your idea for an essay topic.

The College of William and Mary in Virginia is the second oldest university in the country, and it's consistently ranked in the top colleges in the nation. Their acceptance rate reflects that: every year, only 36% of students who apply are admitted.

That means that if you're interested in applying to William and Mary, you'll want your application to shine. Simply having good grades and test scores isn't enough on its own—in fact, 75% of accepted William and Mary students were in the top 10% of their high school class.

This is where the optional William and Mary essay comes in. This is your chance to make your application stand out! So what is this optional essay, and how optional is it? This article will tell you everything you need to know about the William and Mary supplement essay, including:

• Explaining the William and Mary supplemental essay prompt
• Walking you through how to answer the prompt
• Going over what admissions counselors are looking for in an excellent supplemental essay

We have a lot to cover, so let's get started!

Many high schoolers have heard of the Princeton Review ACT prep books, including Cracking the ACT. But is Cracking the ACT the right ACT prep book for you? To help you figure that out, we’ve put together a comprehensive review of Cracking the ACT. 

To help you get a sense of what’s covered in Cracking the ACT and how it can improve your ACT score, we will: 

• Explain what Cracking the ACT covers, and where to find copies of the book
• Summarize each section of the book, focusing on the ACT topics and test taking strategies they discuss 
• Assess the book’s strengths and weaknesses 
• Explain how to decide if Cracking the ACT is right for you.

Now, let’s take a closer look!

Barron’s is a well-known provider of test preparation resources, and their ACT prep book, Barron’s ACT 36 4th Edition, is a go-to resource for students taking the ACT.

But just because a study guide is popular doesn’t mean it’s the best one for you! If you want to get the most out of your ACT study time, then you need to make sure you’re selecting the right ACT guidebook for the job. 

That’s why we’ve put together this comprehensive review of Barron’s ACT 36. This article will provide a full rundown of the book, including explaining:

• What Barron’s ACT 36 is
• What content is covered in the book, chapter by chapter 
• The Seven pros and cons of the book
• How to decide if you would benefit from using Barron’s ACT 36 for test prep

Let’s get started!