SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

Timing is everything. Nowhere is this saying more true than in the college application process. From taking the SAT to writing your personal essay to submitting your Common App, the process takes months, if not years, to complete.

So when do you need to finish gathering all your application materials and submit them to your colleges? That all depends on your deadlines. This guide will go over the different options for college application deadlines, plus step-by-step instructions on how to keep track of them all.

First off, what are the different options for applying?

Anyone who’s applied to college remembers the fear of getting that dreaded rejection letter. (For the record, I got two — and they both stung. A lot.) But what if you could calculate your chances of college acceptance before you applied? 

The good news is, you can! Our college acceptance calculator uses your GPA and SAT/ACT score to estimate your likelihood of getting accepted to a particular school. But aside from GPA and test scores, what other critical factors affect your chance of admission? Read on to learn what schools look for during the admission process as well as how you can raise your chance of acceptance by submitting a strong application.

Are you applying to college soon? If so, you’ve probably heard about the Common Application—an online application you can use for over 600 colleges. Since you only have to fill out one application, it saves you time when applying to college.

But which colleges use the Common Application, and which Common Application schools are in your state? We have a complete list here, broken down by state, and updated for the 2016-17 academic year.

It's tempting to judge the quality of a school based on its admissions rate. While this is a reasonable way to assess schools in most cases, there are also some special circumstances that may result in extremely low acceptance rates at less academically demanding colleges.

In this article, I'll list the most selective colleges in the United States, tell you why they accept so few of their applicants, and provide some advice on how to apply successfully. 

Looking at college admissions websites and requirements can be overwhelming. Many colleges have slightly different standardized test and letter of recommendation requirements. Furthermore, some colleges require just one personal statement, while others require multiple essays and short answer responses. It can be a lot to keep track of!

So how do you go about preparing your college applications, when colleges seem like they all want slightly different application materials? And how do you make sure you are competitive everywhere you apply? We will explain how to make the most versatile college application.

By versatile we mean an application that will allow you to apply competitively to the broadest range of colleges.

If you’re looking at applying to elite liberal arts colleges, you’ve probably come across the Seven Sisters schools. But what schools are Seven Sisters colleges, and what makes them so special?

In this article, we explain what the Seven Sisters schools are, which of them still exist, and which of them are still all-women's colleges. I’ll also use my expertise as an alum of a Seven Sisters school to break down what the benefits are of applying to a Seven Sisters school and five tips for getting admitted.

Many students assume colleges will see every score they’ve earned on the SAT and ACT when they apply.

However, while some top-tier schools do require your full testing histories, many don’t. Some even allow score choice for the SAT, which allows you to send only the scores you want them to see, or they allow you to pick your best ACT test date.

If you’re aiming for a top-tier school like an Ivy League, Stanford, or MIT, read this guide to learn how they evaluate standardized tests to help you best prepare.

Acceptance rates are an important factor to consider when deciding where you should apply to college. A school’s acceptance rate is often considered a measurement of its quality. While this is accurate in many cases, some schools have low acceptance rates for reasons unrelated to the academic excellence of admitted students.

In this article, I’ll tell you what the lowest college acceptance rate is, explain why some colleges have such low acceptance rates, and list the colleges with the lowest acceptance rates.

When is the very latest you can take the SAT or ACT for your college applications? If you're putting off the ACT/SAT, or hoping to retake either test, you need to know about these deadlines.

Read on to find out when you can still take the SAT or ACT—and when you would be too late. You may be surprised by how little time you have!

For years, the Common Application (CA) was the only widely available application for use at multiple colleges. It was created in 1975, with 15 colleges in its first year. It still dominates the college application world, and today is used by over 500 colleges and universities.

However, back in 2007, the Universal Common Application (UCA) was created, and now serves 34 colleges and universities.

So what exactly are the differences between the CA and the UCA? Why do colleges use one, both, or neither? And which one should you use? We will explore these questions in this post and help you decide how to apply.

When October rolls around, over 1.5 million students across the country take the PSAT. Juniors who score in the top 1% achieve the distinction of being named National Merit Semifinalists. Most of these students move on to become National Merit Finalists and win scholarship money for college.

Being named a National Merit Semifinalist is a huge achievement along the path to college. Let’s take a look at what you need to do to become a National Merit Semifinalist.

Since you put so much effort into studying and taking AP tests, you’re probably wondering: do colleges look at AP scores? How is all of your AP-related effort going to affect the admissions process?

In this guide, we’ll illuminate the relationship between AP scores and college admissions. We’ll discuss how important AP scores are for your application and how AP classes matter for college admission. We’ll also discuss what being an AP Scholar means for your admissions chances!

Many of the top colleges either recommend or require interviews. To give yourself the best opportunity to make a good impression in your interviews, and to improve your chances of getting accepted to these schools, you should absolutely prepare for your interviews.

In this article, I'll explain exactly how prepare for a college interview, and I'll give you detailed college interview tips that should make you more comfortable and confident during the interview process.

For many high school students, junior year causes tremendous anxiety because of its importance in the college planning process. Students are generally aware that what they do in the 11th grade matters to colleges, but they don't know exactly how to plan for college.

In this article, I'll thoroughly explain everything you should be doing in the 11th grade to plan for college. If you're organized and equipped with this knowledge, you'll be able to successfully complete your junior year and increase the likelihood that you'll reach your college goals. Furthermore, I'll discuss aspects of college planning that you don't have to worry about in your junior year.

If you're preparing for the ACT or you've taken the ACT, you probably want to know what score you need to get into college. What's an average ACT score for colleges? Do you need to do better than average to go to college?

In this article, I'll explain average ACT scores and what they mean for you. Find out how to calculate the score you need to give yourself the best chance to get into your dream school.