According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education, about 1.7 million students are homeschooled. If you're part of this 3.4% of the population and are planning to apply to a 4-year college, then you'll probably be taking the SAT (or ACT).

This guide will go over the best preparation strategies for succeeding on the SAT, while keeping in mind the unique strengths you bring to the table as a homeschooled student. Before delving into specifics of the SAT, let's consider the advantages that your homeschooled education has afforded you.

If you took the SAT on June 6th, 2015, you may have noticed something different about the test. And now the College Board is dealing with a controversy that is affecting test-takers across the country.

It's the week or the day before your big SAT test date, and you want to have the best chance possible at raising your score. At PrepScholar we've written hundreds of free guides to help you succeed on the test, but some guides are especially helpful right before your test.

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.

What can you do if you took the SAT already but you decide you want to cancel your test scores?

First, stop and take a step back. Ask yourself if you’re sure. Once you cancel your test scores, there's no going back.

Second, figure out - can you still cancel your scores? CollegeBoard has a very strict deadline about this and if you miss that deadline, then they won't budge.

So what can you do? Well, I'm here to help you 1) assess whether you should cancel; 2) know what steps you need to take to cancel; and 3) know what to do if you miss the deadline to cancel, but still need to deal with a poor score.

If you’re a sophomore or junior in high school, it's about time to start exercising your standardized testing muscles. This is especially true if you're hoping to get into very selective colleges or improve significantly from your PSAT scores.

Read on for advice on how to create an effective study plan for the SAT or ACT starting in sophomore and junior year.

While you're doing a lot to prepare for the SAT, you probably haven't given that much thought to the physical location of your test. However, that location could definitely affect your performance.

Think about it – have you ever had to take a test in a cramped classroom or in room without air conditioning? It probably didn’t exactly help your performance. So why would you take the SAT in sub-optimal conditions?

Read our guide to choosing the best possible test location so you can do as well as possible.

Image via College Board.

The SAT was revamped in March 2016 in an effort to make it more modern and accessible. If you’re a current high school student, you’ve probably heard about this change.

If you’re a current senior (Class of 2017) or junior (Class of 2018) this raises some questions. What if you took the SAT before it changed last spring? Will colleges still accept scores from the "old" SAT? Or will they require you to take the new SAT? This has big implications for how you prep, when you take the tests, and possibly even whether you should switch to the ACT.

In this exclusive, first of its kind breakdown, we personally spoke to admissions counselors from dozens of colleges to get some real answers on how they will handle the transition. 

Can’t make the test date you signed up for on the SAT? You're in luck! It’s possible to arrange an alternate test date for the following week, although it’s often easier to just switch to the next official test date.

In this article you'll learn what constitutes an alternate test date, the criteria for requesting one, and how to submit your request. 

Being successful on the SAT and ACT is all about the preparation you put into it. While you probably know it's a myth to think you can't study for these tests, you might not realize that the reverse is true - studying is exceptionally important for doing well on the SAT or ACT.

That's why it's a really smart idea to prep for the SAT/ACT as a sophomore. Let's talk about why prep is so important for these tests, what you can do in 10th grade, and what your most helpful study schedule should look like over the school year and beyond.

First, when will you be taking the SAT or ACT?

Not again! Allegations of cheating swirl around the latest administration of the SAT on May 2. While recent scandals have sprung from Asian countries like China and South Korea, this one is centered on the U.S.-based test, which hundreds of thousands of students took at the beginning of May.

It seems that communication technology and time zone differences around the world have punched holes in the SAT's security. Let's take a look at what's unfolded in this investigation so far.

Did you make a weird error in filling out your multiple choice answer sheet that led to a dramatically reduced score? Was your essay scanned incorrectly? Hand Score Verification is a way for you to address and correct these mistakes without having to retake the test.

In this guide, I'll describe what SAT Hand Score Verification is, how it can help you, and how it might hurt.

"Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers."

If Isaac Asimov were talking about the SAT Writing and Language section, he would probably add that he would have to think through his fingers fast. With 35 minutes for 44 multiple choice questions, you have to work quickly and efficiently to achieve a high score.

UPDATE: The Digital SAT no longer has a separate writing section. Get details on what to expect from the combined Reading and Writing in our complete guide.

Let's go over the Writing and Language section in detail so you know exactly what to expect.

Historical test dates for the SAT are important for many accurate records. However, the College Board at this point doesn't maintain an easy database of SAT dates for 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and so forth. We at PrepScholar have done the hard work to dig up the old records. See below!

All these tips apply equally to the SAT and the ACT, though for simplicity I'll mostly use the SAT for specific examples in this guide.