SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

This final recommendation letter example represents a character reference. A character reference might come from a friend, neighbor, or even relative. It tends to be more personal than professional and speaks to the subject's personality and character.

In this guide, we'll explain what character references letters are and when they are needed, as well as how to write one and what to include in your letter. We also include a sample character reference letter so you can see what a complete one looks like, and we end with tips to help you write your own letter of recommendation for a friend.

Asking someone to write you a letter of recommendation can feel almost as daunting as asking that special someone out to a movie. You're putting yourself out there, just hoping they like you back enough to say yes! Luckily, most of your teachers are well accustomed to writing letters of recommendation for students and are glad to support you in your academic goals.

Plus, who wouldn't want to recommend you for college? You're great.

To ensure your request goes as smoothly as possible, you should be thoughtful about who and how you ask. This guide will go over the steps on how to request a recommendation letter for your college applications successfully (though this guide works equally well for applications for graduate school and jobs). First, let's briefly go over what you need to know before making your request.

What does a good recommendation letter look like? Below you'll find a sample letter written by a direct manager for an employee who works in software sales. If you're responsible for managing or leading a team, chances are you'll be called upon to write similar letters.

Read on to see how this manager endorses one member of his sales team, and then check out the breakdown of what this letter does well.

Think about something strange and unexplainable in your life. Maybe you get a headache right before it rains, or maybe you think your favorite sports team wins when you wear a certain color. If you wanted to see whether these are just coincidences or scientific fact, you would form a hypothesis, then create an experiment to see whether that hypothesis is true or not.

But what is a hypothesis, anyway? If you’re not sure about what a hypothesis is--or how to test for one!--you’re in the right place. This article will teach you everything you need to know about hypotheses, including: 

• Defining the term “hypothesis” 
• Providing hypothesis examples 
• Giving you tips for how to write your own hypothesis

So let’s get started!

Most private schools in the United States require applicants to take an entrance examination as part of the admissions process. If you're preparing to go to private school, you're likely wondering what exam you'll need to take.

There are two standardized exams used by admissions committees at private elementary, middle, and high schools: the ISEE and the SSAT. What is the difference between ISEE and SSAT exams? In this ISEE vs SSAT guide, we will explain the difference between the two and offer tips to help you decide whether to take the ISEE or SSAT.

In 2005, I applied to college and got into every school I applied to, including Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT. I decided to attend Harvard.

In this guide, I'll show you the entire college application that got me into Harvard—page by page, word for word.

In my complete analysis, I'll take you through my Common Application, Harvard supplemental application, personal statements and essays, extracurricular activities, teachers' letters of recommendation, counselor recommendation, complete high school transcript, and more. I'll also give you in-depth commentary on every part of my application.

To my knowledge, a college application analysis like this has never been done before. This is the application guide I wished I had when I was in high school.

If you're applying to top schools like the Ivy Leagues, you'll see firsthand what a successful application to Harvard and Princeton looks like. You'll learn the strategies I used to build a compelling application. You'll see what items were critical in getting me admitted, and what didn't end up helping much at all.

Reading this guide from beginning to end will be well worth your time—you might completely change your college application strategy as a result.

Are you getting ready to apply to nursing school? Then you’ll probably want to take a TEAS practice test to make sure you’ll get the best score possible on your TEAS exam.

This article contains a comprehensive list of free TEAS practice tests. Let’s dig in!

Thinking of attending a private elementary, middle, or high school in the United States? Then you'll need to take an entrance exam called the ISEE. But what exactly does this test entail? In this article, we'll go over what the ISEE test is, how it's structured and scored, what a good score on the ISEE exam looks like, and how to study effectively for it.

It can be difficult to improve your GPA quickly, especially if you're in the latter half of high school already. With your previous grades working against you, you'll have to put in even more effort to overcome lower averages.

However, there are some measures you can take to have a better chance of raising your GPA quickly and effectively. In this article, I'll give you different strategies that may help you raise your GPA even if you don't have much time left in high school.

High schools may record students' GPAs as weighted or unweighted. But which type of GPA is taken more seriously in the college admissions process?

In this article, I'll provide an overview of the differences between weighted and unweighted GPAs and tell you which type is more important.

One of the words that comes up most commonly in various types of writing, from fiction to academic writing, is the word “said.” Any time a writer is referencing the words or thoughts expressed by another person, whether that be thoughts expressed verbally or in writing, an appropriate way to introduce--or attribute--that person’s thoughts is with the phrase “said.” 

But if you’re incorporating a lot of quotations in your writing, you might find yourself repeating  the word “said” a lot. Repeating the same phrase in a piece of writing can start to feel monotonous, which is why incorporating synonyms or an oft-used word or phrase can make your writing more interesting and accurate. But here’s some good news: there are tons of other words for “said” out there for you to use! 

To help you build a repertoire of words to replace “said,” we’re going to do the following in this article: 

• Explain the importance of using word variety and avoiding repetition of the same word in your writing
• Explain when to use “said” and when not to use “said” 
• Provide a comprehensive list of alternative words for “said,” organized into categories based on emotion and intention

Ready to check out some synonyms for “said”? Then let’s get going!

Whether you're brushing up on your trigonometry for the SAT or ACT or learning how to calculate angles for the first time, SOHCAHTOA is a useful mnemonic device to know. In this article, we'll explain what SOHCAHTOA is, how to use SOHCAHTOA, and give SOH CAH TOA examples.

It’s important for you to do well on the ACT, but doing well can involve additional ACT prep costs. But the truth is that additional ACT test prep—whether it’s in the form of study guidebooks, ACT prep courses, or one-on-one ACT tutoring—can raise your score quite a bit. If you’re trying to get into a competitive school, having a high ACT score is a critical part of your application.

Answering the question “how much does ACT prep cost” can be pretty tricky...but we’re here to help. In this article, we’re going to answer that question and give you an ACT prep cost comparison. Then we’ll walk you through the different types of prep and how much ACT prep classes cost, explain the positives and negatives of each, then give you some tips for choosing the right type of ACT prep for you.

So let’s jump in!

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.

Many students applying to private schools need to submit ISEE scores. The ISEE is known for being a tough exam, and preparing for it can help you reach the score you're aiming for. But where can you find the best ISEE practice tests? And how can you make the most of them? We've collected the absolutely best ISEE test prep resources, both free and paid, in this guide to help you with your ISEE studying.