When Should You Take The SAT or ACT?
Once you decide whether you’ll take the SAT or ACT for college admissions and scholarship purposes (you probably should), you’ll need to make critical decisions about timelines for prep and testing. My Tests and the Rest podcast partner Amy Seeley and I invited Chariot Learning’s own Jim Reinish to answer the age-old question: “When should you take the SAT or ACT?” I enjoyed this discussion of one of my favorite topics with two of my favorite educators and know that you will too. What are five things you will learn in this episode? When should high schoolers plan to prep for and take the SAT and/or ACT? How do current testing timelines differ from the old testing paradigm? What academic considerations influence testing timelines? What scheduling challenges should be considered during test planning? What personality traits in test takers need to be taken into account? For more links, resources, and…
What Students Should Consider When Taking the ACT and SAT
Whether you’re a high schooler or the parent of one, you probably have hundreds of good questions about the SAT and ACT. Here are some of the most common: What are the benefits of taking the ACT or SAT? Are the ACT and SAT accepted by colleges equally? How can you find out which test you are best suited for? When should you take the ACT or SAT? What are the best ways to practice and prepare for the tests? Are all prep methods equally viable for all students regardless of learning style or motivation? Everything about taking the SAT and ACT has become more complicated and nuanced, from the subject matter to the test format to the when, where, how, and why of getting a great score. That’s why we’ve been publishing articles every week for the last 13 years on the Chariot Learning blog and elsewhere, speaking at…
Earning a Degree in Four Years
While most applicants expect to earn a Bachelor’s degree in four years, more than half will fail to do so. In fact, fewer than two-thirds of students manage to finish even within six years. Considering how quickly the cost of college has been increasing, those extra years of college come at a tremendous cost. What kind of questions should high schoolers and their families be asking when considering why students don’t complete college in four years? Why does finishing a four-year degree on time matter? What academic issues keep students from finishing college on time? What credit and career planning issues keep students from finishing college on time? What role do or should colleges play in facilitating on-time completion? How can parents prepare high schoolers to finish their degrees on time? To understand both the massive scope and potential solutions to this common problem, I spoke with Rochester-based educational consultant…
Considerations When Choosing High School Math Classes
Of all the academic choices a student entering eight grade or high school must make, math course selection exerts the most influence on future choices. Some of the biggest considerations include the following questions: What should drive math course selection? How do grade level, accelerated, and gifted tracks differ? Can students change tracks in high school? What are the implications of math course selection for SAT and ACT scores? Should advanced math students choose calculus or statistics? What should a student, parent, or counselor consider when weighing the options? To clarify the process of choosing high school math courses strategically. I spoke to author and math expert Richard Corn. Richard Corn has helped hundreds of middle school and high school students with their studies in mathematics and with preparation for standardized tests. When students complained about the quality of the prep books sold by big box publishers, Richard decided to…
Podcast: Mathematical Maturity and Test Success
Far too often, we evaluate math ability in high schoolers solely on the basis of grades and level of math learned. A more accurate assessment of a student’s potential on challenging math tasks–including those posed on tests like the SAT and ACT–should consider mathematical maturity. For clarity on the link between mathematical maturity and test success, I turned to author and test prep professional Dr. Steve Warner. Dr. Steve Warner, Ph.D has two decades of experience in general math tutoring and tutoring for standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, and AP Calculus exams. He has tutored students both individually and in group settings. In February 2010, Dr. Warner released his first SAT prep book The 32 Most Effective SAT Math Strategies, and in 2012 founded Get 800 Test Prep. Since then Dr. Warner has written books for the SAT, ACT, SAT Math Subject Tests, AP Calculus exams,…
Podcast: Need Blind and Need Aware Admissions
Is any aspect of college admissions more mystifying than the determination of financial aid? The concept of “need” and how different schools consider need in both admissions and aid decisions goes deeper than most people realize. For clarity to the topic of need blind and need aware admissions, I turned to college consultant Jona Jacobson. Jona Jacobson is an independent educational consultant based out of Rochester, NY who coaches students on choosing colleges and completing their college applications and essays. A former attorney and substitute teacher, Jona is in her ninth year of advising students and families through the college application process, both locally and nationally. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What do the terms “need,” “need blind,” and “need aware” mean in college admissions? What is gapping? Do all colleges meet 100% of need? Does need or the lack thereof influence admissions decisions? What does it…