SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

As a high school student, I took both the SAT and the ACT. I’d been taking the SAT every couple of years since I was in middle school, so I planned to focus primarily on it. However, as a public school student in Colorado, I was required to take the ACT by my school. My scores on the two tests were relatively similar and I ended up submitting both.

Taking both tests, whether because of school requirements or personal preference, has become an increasingly common choice for students, especially those applying to top colleges. Though it isn’t necessary to take both the ACT and SAT, doing so might be the right plan for you. This guide will walk you through the pro and cons of taking both tests.

Have you taken the SAT more than once? Are you wondering how colleges will look at multiple test scores? Will they review all your scores? Only your highest score? Will they average your scores and use that number? Standardized test scores are an important part of applying to college, but it’s not always clear how schools will review your SAT scores if you send them more than one set of scores.

Will colleges average your SAT scores if you take the test multiple times? In short, no. Colleges don’t take the average of your scores. Instead, they will look at your “best” score, however; there are multiple ways a school can calculate that. In this article, I’ll go over the various methods schools use to look at multiple SAT scores, if they require you to send all your SAT scores, and how you can use this information to your advantage and help strengthen your college applications.

The SAT is a pretty high-stakes test - it’s an important part of your college applications, which could mean trouble if you get a low score. But can you fail the SAT altogether?

The good news is that officially, it’s impossible to fail the SAT - but that doesn’t mean that a low score doesn't mean bad news. Here, I’ll review everything you need to know about why you can’t really fail the SAT, but why poor marks may as well count as failing.

Worried about your score? At the end, I’ll go over the steps you should take to pull them up.  

The SAT was first introduced in 1926, and since then it has continued to be a major test for college admissions standardized testing.

But what does SAT actually stand for?. To answer that question, we have to look more closely at the history of the SAT. The truth is that the name of the test has changed four times over the past 90 years!

Knowing how the name of the SAT has changed can help you better understand the significance of this major test for college admissions. The reasons for changing the name of the SAT point to controversies and scandals about the test that have affected how the test is perceived by colleges. Continue reading to find more about the history of the SAT and the reasoning behind the name.

Taking the SAT is usually an important part of the college application process. As application deadlines near, forming a plan of action for taking the SAT is important to hitting your target score and getting your college applications in on time. 

In this article, we’ve put together a complete list of all of the anticipated 2021-2022 SAT test dates, including the deadlines for normal and late registration and SAT score releases, so you can pick the right test dates for you. We’ll also go over four important tips for choosing your SAT dates 2021-2022. 

Let’s begin!

At PrepScholar, we've written the largest set of high-quality SAT guides available, covering pretty much everything you need to know to improve your score on the SAT. They're all free and online, right here on our blog, and we think they beat any book you can purchase.

This guide, our Ultimate SAT Prep Study Guide, combines our most important SAT guides on one page. If you master all of the concepts linked to on this page, use them in your own practice and studying, and stay motivated to work hard, you'll have an amazing shot at improving your SAT score. Essentially, you'll have a huge advantage over students who don't know this information and lack the motivation to employ it in their own studying.

Preparing to take the SAT is often a crucial part of the college admissions process. To ensure your college application plans go off without a hitch, it’s important to have a clear strategy for taking the SAT on time. In order to do that, it’s helpful to have the most up-to-date info about future SAT test dates 2022-2023. 

This article is here to help you plan out your SAT test dates. We’ll walk you through the following: 

• A full list of 2022-2023 SAT test dates (table included)
• Information about SAT registration deadlines and score release dates 
• Four top tips for how to choose your SAT testing dates 

Let’s get started!

A test that has so much influence over where you go to college is bound to be a bit scary—but how hard is the SAT, really? Despite its fearsome reputation, the SAT isn't as difficult as it seems.

Overcoming the difficulties of the SAT is a matter of spending enough time studying areas that are tough for you and practicing questions that you might find confusing at first glance. Whether or not you find the SAT hard initially, this guide will give you the tools you need to surmount the test's challenges and come out on top.

You might have heard of something called the SAT II (or SAT 2) and wondered what it could be. A secret, harder version of the SAT, perhaps? The reality is less dramatic: the SAT II is just an old name for the SAT Subject Tests.

This guide will explain what the SAT II was and outline the differences between the SAT 1 vs SAT 2.

Are you taking the SAT soon or beginning your preparations but aren't sure what's on the test? You may know that there's math calculations and some passages to read, but what subjects are on the SAT, exactly?

In this guide, we'll break down the subjects you need to know to do well on each section of the SAT. We'll end with tips you should follow when studying for the SAT.

Whether you're actively preparing for the SAT or simply want to learn more about the ubiquitous college entrance exam, it’s important you start with the basics: how many sections are on the SAT? What are the names of the SAT sections? And what kinds of skills does each section measure?

In this article, we answer all of your burning questions about the SAT sections. We'll begin by discussing how many sections are on the SAT as well as how these sections differ from one another. Then, we’ll go over the different skills on which you'll be tested, giving you our expert tips for combating each of the SAT test sections with confidence. Finally, we'll take a look at whether certain sections of the SAT are more important than others and what this means for you and your college applications.

Taking the SAT can be both stressful and boring, and sitting in a testing center is no one's idea of a fun Saturday morning. Why take the SAT, then? You may have heard that more and more colleges are becoming test optional, so is it still worth it to take the SAT? In this article, we'll talk about all the reasons to take the SAT, including why it might be a better test for you than the ACT.

Standardized test scores are an important part of college admissions, but they also have value beyond that: taking the SAT can earn you tens of thousands of dollars in financial aid or help you get a job! Below are the five key reasons why to take the SAT.

Taking the SAT can be a super intimidating process. The test is known for being tough and tricky, so it’s not surprising that many students ask themselves, “Is the SAT required for college admission?” And you’re not alone: up to 40 percent of all students experience some form of test anxiety! 

If you’re worried about the SAT and wondering, “Are SAT scores required for admission to every college,” then this article is here to help. We’ll go over: 

• Are SATs required for college
• General information about whether the SAT is required for college admission 
• The history of the SAT...and why some universities are dropping it
• Four different types of SAT testing policies 
• Four reasons to take the SAT no matter what 

Keep reading to see whether you need to take the SAT!

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many institutions have gone to a test-optional admissions model, where students won’t be penalized for not submitting test scores as part of their application. And over recent years, some universities have adopted a permanent test optional policy. 

So if many colleges aren’t requiring test scores…do SAT scores matter? Do ACT scores matter? And should you take a standardized test at all? 

The good news is that this article will help you understand the general importance of SAT/ACT scores and whether you should take the SAT or ACT. We’ll go over:  

• What test-flexible, test-optional, and test blind admissions policies are
• Why schools care about standardized tests...and why they can be controversial
• Four tips to decide whether you should take the SAT and ACT

There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started!

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many universities to adopt test optional policies for students. “Test optional” means that a university won’t require you to submit your SAT scores as part of your application. COVID-19 has made taking the SAT difficult for many applicants, so universities are trying to alleviate some of the stress by going test optional!

It might seem like this is a pandemic trend in higher education, but actually, many schools across the country went test optional long before COVID was a thing. And since test optional schools make the SAT...well, optional, you might be wondering, “Do I have to take the SAT at all?” 

The answer is a little more complicated than just a “yes” or “no.” We’ll help you answer the question, “Do you need to take the SAT?” in this article, along with: 

• Explaining whether you have to take the SAT to graduate from high school
• Going over how the SAT fits into the college application process (and if you should take it) 
• Discussing how the SAT impacts your ability to get scholarship money 
• Giving you four reasons you may not have to take the SAT
• Outlining the reasons you might want to take the SAT no matter what

Let’s get started!