SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

There’s nothing quite like the white-knuckle feeling you get when you realize your ACT scores might be missing. You studied, you stressed, you planned, so it makes perfect sense to be feeling a little crazed with frustration.

But before you lose yourself in missing-score panic, let me reassure you that in the vast majority of cases the problem is small and easily solved. In this article, I'll explain what to do whether you are having trouble finding your scores yourself, or whether it's your target college that seems to have lost the score report from your application.

I'll go through some probable – and improbable – reasons for your missing score, and describe how to fix each one.

Have you taken the ACT or will you be taking it in the future? If so, you may have heard of ACT college and school codes.

These codes are used to ensure that your ACT scores get sent to the proper school. Read on to learn everything you need to know about them.

When you register for your ACT, you have to submit codes for your high school and test center, the location where you're going to take your ACT. The codes make it easier for ACT to keep track of the high school and test center of everyone who takes the exam. If you enter the wrong high school code, your school may not get your score report. If you select the wrong test center, you may not be able to take the ACT at your preferred test center location.

In this article, I'll let you know how to look up ACT high school and test center codes and advise you how to use them properly.

Your SAT/ACT score isn't a one-trick pony.

Wondering why your SAT/ACT scores are important? They're used for more than just college admissions.

Get a list here of who uses SAT/ACT scores, and why. You may be surprised how late into life your SAT/ACT scores can follow you!

How do homeschooled students register for the ACT, and what is the ACT homeschool code? What important considerations should you keep in mind? Find out here.

On Saturday, June 6th, I sat alongside high school students to take the SAT at George Washington Prep High School in South Los Angeles. I knew what to expect. I’d taken the test back in 2009 in South Florida when I was beginning my own college application process.

I could never have imagined how different my experience would be this time. My SAT Testing center, located in a poor area of Los Angeles, had HUGE flaws that resulted in extremely unfair testing conditions for the students. When I shared these experiences with my co-workers, they were flabbergasted. But others shared experiences that were just as deplorable.

I wish I were joking. I wish this were satire.

But this isn't Saturday Night Live, and there were serious problems that ruined the experience for the other test-takers, many of whom were taking it for the first time and using vouchers. This is undoubtedly happening across the country and crippling the scores and futures of thousands of students. 

Unfortunately, as in my experience, these problems may be especially prevalent in lower income areas where students aren't as well prepared for how the test SHOULD go, and incompetent proctors may be overlooked.

Read this and make sure this doesn't happen to you.

No one likes to be a tattletale. Okay, most people don’t like to be a tattletale. However, when your future dream college is at stake, which it is when you take the SAT/ACT as it accounts for 30-50% of your college application, you NEED to be a tattletale when there are testing issues.

Did you know it’s possible to totally delete a set of ACT scores you don’t like? Poof - just like that. A bad set of ACT scores can vanish.

This isn't a well known fact, and in fact we were surprised to discover it ourselves. But it has big implications for how you test, especially if you're afraid of taking the test too many times because it'll look bad to colleges.

We will explain how to delete ACT scores and discuss in which circumstances it might make sense. Read on for an exclusive guide to getting rid of bad ACT scores.

Not sure whether it’s a good idea to register for the next SAT or ACT test date? You should consider how many times you've taken the test before, how busy your schedule is right now, and how much you've prepared for the test before making a decision. We'll explain why.

Here are a few questions you need to ask yourself before signing up for the next date.

You don't want to walk in the morning of the ACT only to find you have to take the test on a super-tiny desk.

If you're preparing for the ACT, you've probably spent a lot of time studying and getting ready for the test. But you probably haven't given that much thought to the physical location of your test (especially if you're taking it as a part of your state’s mandatory testing).

However, the place you take the ACT could definitely affect your performance. Read our guide to choosing the best possible ACT test location so you can knock it out of the park.

Both the ACT and the SAT let you rush your score for an extra fee.  When is it worth it and when is it a waste of money?

We all want to max out brainpower on the day of the ACT. But what can help, besides studying? One factor worth considering is where you take the test. You want a place that allows you to focus completely on the test without other anxieties, concerns or discomfort.

And guess where a lot of test-day anxieties, concerns and discomfort can come from? That's right, they can be direct results of choosing a distracting or inconvenient testing center. In this article, we give you all the information you need to make the right decision about which of all ACT test centers to choose

It's finally here! Your SAT / ACT is this Saturday!

We at PrepScholar want to make sure your test day goes well, so here are some tips. Feel free to forward this to your friends if you think it's helpful!