One of the most frequently asked questions at Top Test Prep is whether a student should take the SAT or ACT.

To answer this question, here are the differences between the SAT and ACT, and reasons why you should take one versus the other.

About the SAT:

The SAT is administered 7 times per year.

The SAT includes three critical reading sections, three math sections, three writing sections and one experimental section.

The SAT math section goes up to basic geometry and algebra II.

There is no science section on the SAT.

The SAT reading section includes sentence completions, short and long critical reading passages, and reading comprehension sections.

There is a penalty for wrong answers!

The highest combined score on the SAT is 2400, and the highest per section for the SAT is 800, including math, reading and writing.

Unless you’re enrolled in the SAT’s “Score Choice,” all of your scores will be reported to colleges.

About the ACT:

The ACT is administered 6 times per year.

The ACT includes four sections, including English, Math, Reading, Science Reasoning, and an optional writing test.

The ACT math goes no higher than trigonometry.

The ACT science section includes charts and experiments (theoretically, you don’t need a strong science core base before taking the test)

The ACT reading section includes four passages total.

The ACT English focuses on grammar and the ACT writing essay is similar to most standardized tests including the SAT’s essay prompt.

There is no penalty for wrong answers!

The highest combined score on the ACT is 36, and they’re averaged together for a composite score.

You can decide which schools receive your ACT scores.
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In general, we recommend taking the ACT exam over the SAT exam if your approach to problems is more straightforward. The ACT math and other sections are drier compared to the SAT, which requires a bit more reasoning and analysis. However, our SAT tutors know exactly how to give you in-depth strategies for the SAT test, as it does require more analytical thinking. Also, if you do better in school generally without having to work as hard, we always recommend taking the ACT.

We recommend taking the SAT versus the ACT exam if you have fewer issues with time management. The ACT exam requires more endurance, as students are required to do up to 60 questions in a short amount of time. Our ACT tutors can help you better understand the exam, and ways you can prepare.

If you’re unsure whether you should take either or both, you should take both tests. Your scores will likely be similar according to concordance table.

If you need help with SAT prep or ACT prep, give Top Test Prep a call at (800) 501-Prep and we’ll help you improve your scores.

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By Ross Blankenship
Founder of Top Test Prep
& Education Expert

So you’ve been put on the waitlist for your top school? Well, it might not be the most ideal situation, but I’ll try to help you get off the admissions waitlist with a few easy admissions tips.

Whether you’re on the admissions waitlist for a top college, medical school, graduate school, business school, these steps will help you get accepted.

Tips for Getting Accepted off the Waitlist:

(1) Reply immediately.

When you get your letter (or email) from the admissions office indicating you’ve been placed on the waitlist, don’t wait until the last minute to send in your reply letter. The sooner you indicate your interest in being accepted off of the waitlist, the more likely you’ll get into this school. I would recommend waiting no more than 48 hours. Also consider writing a certified letter, instead of an email, directly to the admissions office. Consider doing something extraordinary like writing a handwritten letter. There’s no harm in trying a different approach.

(2) Notice who wrote your waitlist letter.

With today’s technology, you can do basic research on any University’s admissions officers. If you received a letter from the Dean of Admissions or their assistant, do a little background check to find things out such as their age, how long they’ve been at the school, and what sorts of things they’re interested in at their current school. You’d be surprised about how much information you can find by doing a Google Search or researching social networks such as LinkedIn. Now, take this information and use it to your advantage.
Write a rapid response letter whose tone is as formal as you know that person to be. For example, if you’ve found that the admissions officer is younger, be less formal in your response. Note: this does not mean writing a casual response! Instead, try to be a little less wordy and more to the point. Your salutations and greetings also can be less formal, depending on your audience.

(3) Be specific.

Instead of writing a general letter or calling to say how interested you are in their school because it’s [simply] such a great school –  write instead about how you’ve followed Professor X academic research and how you want to be part of the school so you can contribute to their academic work. The more specific, the better! Don’t be so general in terms of how or why you think the school is a good fit for you. Do simple research to display how much you know about their school and every department in which you are interested.

(4) It’s not always about you!

This applies to pretty much every setting, whether in your letters or correspondences to an admissions office, or in your admissions interviews. Too often students think these two situations are opportunities for you to go on about how smart or great you are personally. Think about turning the table and making it less about you and more about what you can do for their school, college or university.

(5) Re-take that test.

If you’re applying to college and you’re on the admissions office’s waitlist specifically because of your low SAT or ACT scores, re-take the test! If you’re applying to graduate school – perhaps to medical school or some graduate program- and your MCAT score is low or your GRE score is too low, re-take the test. Admissions officers are people too (yes, hard to believe) and they know how stressful tests can be for students. If your scores are outside of their median whether for the SAT, ACT, MCAT, GRE, and so on, taking the test again will show the school how dedicated you are to getting into their program. This doesn’t mean that you have to continue re-taking an exam over and over again, but instead you should give the test one more try. When you get your improved scores, send these scores directly to the admissions office. Also, write a letter to the admissions office indicating you’ve re-taken the exam and that you are still committed to attending their program if accepted.

I hope these tips for getting accepted off the waitlist help you. There’s no need to panic if you’re placed on the waitlist. In fact, you can use it as an opportunity to showcase other talents that didn’t necessarily come out in the first round of admissions.

Ross Blankenship is an education and admissions expert who helps students get into colleges and graduate schools. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Top Test Prep.

Top Test Prep provides admissions counseling, test prep, and private tutoring for students applying to prep schools, colleges and graduate schools.

To find out more about Top Test Prep, go to http://TopTestPrep.com or call (800) 501-Prep.

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Here’s Top Test Prep’s SAT Vocabulary, Word of the Day -

Hackneyed – adj. repeated too often; over familiar through overuse

Find out more about Top Test Prep’s SAT Prep or ACT Prep, by calling (800) 501-Prep.

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When you’re applying to colleges, it’s important to know the most common application mistakes, and how you can prevent these simple errors. In fact, these common admissions application mistakes can make your test scores and hard work in school, less relevant. So, know these mistakes so that you can make your application perfect and so that you won’t get rejected from your top college.

Most Common College Application Mistakes:

(1) Forgetting Spell-check. This is by far the most common mistake students make. You should have someone you know read your essays and applications, and at the very least (which takes two seconds) select “spell check” on Microsoft Word when completing your application. This could literally save your application as admissions officers don’t like to see typos and simple errors. Remember, the application is a reflection on your entire high school career.

(2) Entering the wrong college “CEEB” information. When you’re applying to colleges, you should know the correct “College Entrance Examination Board” or “CEEB” code number. This number is assigned by the College Board to any college you’re applying to. Don’t mess this number up! If you assume that a college’s CEEB code is correct, double-check. Many SAT scores are not received each year because student’s incorrectly put the wrong CEEB code.

(3) GPA (weighted v. unweighted). The difference between your weighted and unweighted GPA can be significant. The weighted GPA is what carries more significance, particularly because it means you have taken harder courses in high school. Know the difference between a weighted and unweighted GPA. The weighted GPA means that AP and honors courses are assigned higher values compared with the unweighted GPA, which means a GPA that is based on “normal” course work. If you mess up this calculation, the college admissions offices could reject your application. So be careful not to confuse the two concepts. Your high school should clearly note these on your transcript they provide.

(4) Extracurricular activities. On the new common application, you are given an option to enter 12 extracurricular activities. Be careful not to put too many here! Fewer extracurricular activities is sometimes better. Also, if you enter too many extracurricular activities on the common application, there’s a good chance a “red flag” might be raised by the admissions officers. What this means is that an admissions committee could either doubt that you actually completed that many extracurriculars or believe you’re exaggerating. Remember, there’s a fixed number of hours in any week – whether academic or not – and if you suggest in your common application that you’re doing close to 25 to 40 hours in extracurriculars, that work will come into question. Less is sometimes better. Think quality over quantity.

(5) SAT and ACT score self-reporting. On the common application, you’re asked to self-report your SAT/ACT scores. Be careful you get the dates, scores and subjects correct. Any mishap here can cause a serious red-flag, and your application will be tagged by the admissions committees. Now that the SAT is based on score-choice, you can select which scores you want to report. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include the proper scores. Your SAT and ACT scores need to be accurate, along with your entire college application.

I hope this information helps you as you begin to apply to colleges and universities. If you need help with college admissions counseling or with admissions experts, give us a call today at (800) 501-Prep or fill out our contact form.

Best regards,

Ross Blankenship
Founder, Top Test Prep
Admissions Expert

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Here’s Top Test Prep’s SAT Vocabulary, Word of the Day -

Facilitate – (verb) make easier;

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Here’s Top Test Prep’s SAT Vocabulary, Word of the Day -

Effervescent – adj. marked by high spirits or excitement; bubbly and engaging

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Here’s Top Test Prep’s SAT Vocabulary, Word of the Day -

Edict- noun a proclamation having the force of law

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Here’s our new updated tutoring and test prep guide. We hope you enjoy it, and look forward to helping you improve your test scores.

For more information on Top Test Prep’s private tutoring or admissions counseling, call (800) 501-Prep.

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Here’s Top Test Prep’s SAT Vocabulary, Word of the Day:

Dauntless – adj. invulnerable to fear or intimidation

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Here’s Top Test Prep’s SAT Vocabulary, Word of the Day:

Cajole- verb to deceive or persuade with false pretenses

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Congratulations to you for completing your college courses and moving one-step closer to the real world. Whether you’re starting a job and beginning your career, or applying to graduate programs, we congratulate you. It’s an incredibly momentous occasion and you should be proud.

At Top Test Prep, we’re proud to continue serving those applying to colleges, and those moving one step closer to a graduate degree. If you’re planning on taking the LSAT, GMAT, MCAT or GRE, contact us today to see how we can help you improve your scores and get into top schools.

Congratulations again!

Ross Blankenship
Founder
Top Test Prep

(800) 501-Prep

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Here’s Top Test Prep’s SAT Vocabulary, Word of the Day -

Bellicose – adj. having or showing a ready disposition to fight

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Here’s Top Test Prep’s SAT Vocabulary, Word of the Day -

Abdicate (verb)- cast off or relinquish

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As many high schools throughout the country prepare to develop new college readiness programs, it’s important to know how high schools can best prepare students for college.

The first, and most important thing for schools to know is that a college readiness program must be customized. We’ve noticed many schools adopting “template” models for their students. They see a large program and simply adopt an online course that barely touches the surface of what students need to prepare.

A college readiness program (based on ARRA initiatives) must be all-encompassing. Every student learns differently, and thus must be treated accordingly. Consider a college readiness program, like Top Test Prep’s, where every student receives a learning plan and model that is customized according to their greatest needs.

The second thing is that high schools adopting college readiness need a learning program that shares the same mission as their school. Top Test Prep’s college readiness programs share the same mission as the national standard – improving scores, while developing long-term practical learning skills in the process. When we say “improving scores,” we mean working to improve scores on the PSAT, SAT and ACT. But even further, Top Test Prep means developing practical skill-sets in students. For example, a student in college readiness SAT courses will learn SAT strategies, but they will also be able to apply these test taking skills to other 9-12 grade courses like Algebra, Writing, English and Science.

Contact Top Test Prep today to discuss your school’s college readiness (and state standards) initiatives. Call (800) 501-Prep today to learn about college readiness, so that your students shine on their tests and develop practical skill-sets in the process.

Here’s our college readiness contact form.

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Tip 1: Know the SSAT

Although the SSAT may not be designed like typical K-8 school tests, it does not mean you can’t prepare for the SSAT exam.

The SSAT is timed and divided into these parts: verbal, quantitative (math) and reading comprehension sections. It also includes a non-graded writing section, which is included in your admissions applications. Many young students have not taken standardized tests before.

Top Test Prep is here to help your student build fundamentals in test taking and gain acceptance into top private schools.

Tip 2: Increase Vocabulary for the SSAT

The verbal section consists of synonyms and analogy questions. These questions rely heavily on a strong vocabulary base. It will help you as a test taker to build up a solid foundation first!

Here are tips to increase your vocabulary:

Start small. Try to use few new words in daily conversation. Take words from our vocab list (check TopTestPrep.com), it may be from the SAT, but remember the SSAT does reflect generally how a student might do on the SAT exam before college.
When reading for school or fun, don’t skip over words you don’t understand. Look them up and keep a list.
Word puzzles: My advice for both the lower level SSAT and upper level SSAT vocabulary building is not to start with the New York Times Sunday version. Instead, find fun kids puzzles online or in magazines.
earning vocabulary for the SSAT comes in three parts: memorization, usage, and distinguishing. A student taking the SSAT needs to master all three, memorize new words, use them in your life, and distinguish them. The last part is the toughest – this means knowing a word to the point where you can nuance words like loquacious with garrulous, both meaning talkative.

Tip 3: Increase Reading Comprehension

Again, reading comprehension is a section that your son or daughter can work on daily.
Find books or magazine articles for them to read. After your son or daughter is finished reading it is important to discuss them and find out if they have understood what they’ve read. Conversation and topic discussion is crucial.

Tip 4: SSAT Math Tips

SSAT Math Sections:

Focus on the basics. Don’t spend time doing anything more than the following: arithmetic, elementary algebra and geometry. In your preparation for the exam, you should allocate approximately 20% to arithmetic review, 40% to elementary algebra and 40% to geometry. This is true for the SSAT upper level exam. For the SSAT lower level exam, you should concentrate more on arithmetic review and understanding basic structures and word problems.

Upcoming SSAT Test Days:

June 12, 2010
More to SSAT test days coming in the spring, as well as SSAT Flex Test Days.

Find out more about Top Test Prep’s SSAT Tutoring, and SSAT Test Prep.

You can call (800) 501-Prep as well to get a private SSAT tutor and coach with Top Test Prep.

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