SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

Does applying to college feel like you're trying to walk through a door, but don't yet have the keys? To gain access, first you need to understand exactly what your colleges require. This can be tricky with the SAT Subject Tests, as colleges have several different policies.

We've compiled a comprehensive list of colleges that require SAT Subject Tests, along with others that recommend or consider them as part of your application. As policies are continually changing, always double check with the school about their standardized testing requirements. Let us know in the comments if we need to make any updates! 

Did you know that early decision isn't necessarily early? Binding decision might be a better name for it, since some schools now offer "early" decision deadlines in January, as well as in November.

Either way, applying early decision is a big commitment. If you apply this way, you should be totally sure you want to attend that school. Let's review the pros and cons of early decision, as well as look at all the schools with early decision admission.

If you’ve started researching the college application process or looking at particular schools, you might have noticed that some schools want you to know your major before you apply. Or at some schools, even if you don’t have to know your major, you have to apply to a specific undergraduate college like Engineering, Nursing, or Arts and Sciences.

So how do you know which major or school to apply to? What if you have no clue what you want to study in college? We'll give you advice and show you how to navigate admissions sites to get the information you need.

If you're in the midst of college application season, then you know it's time to take action. For some of you, that might be early action, which pushes your deadlines up a couple months.

This guide has the complete list of colleges that offer early action, along with advice on the best way to prepare for an early deadline. Before getting to the list, let's go over the ins and outs of the early action admission plan.

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?

Deadlines are stressful. Why not get rid of them? Some colleges do just that. Rather than having a fixed application deadline, they open up a period of time for you to submit your application.

Rolling admission doesn't mean you won't have any timeline, though. This guide will go over what rolling admission means as you apply to schools, plus a complete list of colleges with rolling admissions.

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.

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!

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.

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.