Updated: March 11, 2020 7:52 pm As some public health officials are recommending restricting large public gatherings greater than 10 people to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus and some schools, which are testing centers are closing, the potential exists for cancellation of the March 14, 2020 SAT and the April 4, 2020 ACT,…
Tag: ACT/SAT
SAT Adversity Scores
The Wall Street Journal recently unveiled of what’s being called, “SAT Adversity Score”, which is an attempt to address the question of fairness in college admissions, as well as the “nature vs. nurture” debate about what most influences a human to develop their full human potential. In their own executive summary, The College Board reasons…
Advanced Placement Exam Registration Changes for 2019-20
The College Board, which administers Advanced Placement (AP) exams, will require students to register for May 2020 AP exams in November 2019. Alternatively, if students decide to register for the May 2020 exams after the November registration period closes, they’ll pay an additional $40.00 late fee. Conversely, if students decide not to take the May…
Tricks of the Academic Trade
Online tools are useful homework management techniques for students. Yet, with the plethora of online tools available, knowing which tools are actually worthy can be tricky. So, here’s a couple tools that are student-tested and recommended: Wolfram|Alpha: a searchable database for all academic subjects, including solutions to exact math problems. For an additional fee, students can…
Will My August 2018 SAT Scores Be Cancelled?
Rumors are circling and the internet is again buzzing with controversy about the August 25, 2018 SAT Reasoning Test. The College Board is accused of “recycling” the August 2018 SAT from a test or practice test given in China and South Korea in October 2017. A recently deactivated Reddit thread posted an answer…
NO SAT!?! NO ACT!?! UChicago’s Curve Ball
Testing is not the be-all and the end-all, said James G. Nondorf, U-Chicago’s dean of admissions and financial aid. He said he didn’t want “one little test score” to end up “scaring students off” who are otherwise qualified. From The Washington Post, June 14, 2018 On June 14, 2018, the University of Chicago’s John W.…
Harvard’s Going to Admit Less Kids to “Play”
Everyone knows someone’s daughter’s boyfriend’s cousin’s auntie’s neighbor’s niece who was a 4.0+ GPA, perfect 1600 SAT scoring, president of her class who didn’t get admitted into the university of her choice. Being admitted to college only on one’s merits is a persistent expectation, despite the evidence of “worthy” students being denied admissions every year.…
“I Got 99 Problems and Being a Kid Ain’t One…”
Imagine being 16 years old, awake at the crack-of-dawn on a Saturday, sitting in a classroom “listening” to a test proctor who might as well be a sloth, awaiting the start of a three hour and fifty minute test in which the results seemly determine their lifelong success…or abject failure. If only the SAT were…
Grammar Shmammer
The rules of grammar can be annoying, especially when an English paper is “bleeding” with red ink marks, noting every single punctuation and grammar error. However, the purpose for grammar, which is to articulate the author’s ideas clearly to the reader, can get lost in trying to follow the rules of grammar. To help all the college…
“I Forgot My Calculator for the ACT!”
About the author: I’m Karli Ching and I graduated with C.K. McClatchy High School’s Class of 2015. I attend University of California, Davis as a biological sciences major pre-med student. ____________________________________________________ When I was taking the ACT for the second time during my senior year in October, I was taking it to improve my math score…
Know the Instructions
Did you know you’re going to be allotted a specific time period for reading during the following Advanced Placement (AP) exams? See below for the specific instructions from the College Board website. AP Exam Reading Periods Eight AP Exams – Biology, English Language and Composition, European History, Latin, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, United States History, and World…
Guest Post: SAT: Stressful Anxiety Time
About the Author: After being accepted to four year college, but choosing to postpone going to college in favor of pursing a career as a cyclist, David in his spare time works at Hubbubbaloo Creative. In the following, he offers insights to the challenges in taking the SAT or ACT. __________________________________________________ It’s a cold Saturday morning. You pull…
Changes to the ACT Writing Section
The ACT will be changing the Writing portion of the test, starting in September 2015. The following outlines the changes: Extended Writing Time: Students will have 40 minutes to craft an essay response, rather than the previous 30 minutes. Changed Prompt Style: Test takers will be presented a contemporary issue and three perspectives regarding the…
New Information about the June 6, 2015 SAT Error
Scores from the June 6, 2015 SAT will still be valid; however, any student believing their June 6, 2015 SAT scores were unduly affected by the printing error, which we discussed in our previous post, can petition for a retake for free. The College Board will waive the fees for the October 3, 2015 SAT…
About the June 6, 2015 SAT Error
First, take a deep breath. Hearing “error” and “SAT” in the same sentence can create stress. The College Board will NOT ask anyone to retake the SAT, despite a printing error on the June 6, 2015 test. Here’s what happened, straight from the College Board public announcement: The time allotted for a specific math…