SAT vs. ACT: How to Choose

When choosing whether to take the SAT or the ACT, proper evaluation is worth the effort.  Students should take a full-length, timed practice test for SAT and ACT. Here are some questions to ask yourself that highlight the differences between the SAT and ACT:

• How do you handle time pressure? 
  • The SAT and ACT tests are similar lengths, but the ACT includes more questions and is therefore faster-paced. The ACT can be well suited for students who process information and work quickly  
• Do you like science? 
  • Basic knowledge of biology, chemistry, and earth science is required for the ACT 
• What kinds of questions do you find challenging? 
  • There is more time allotted per question on the SAT, but areas such as the critical reading passages on the SAT are generally viewed as more sophisticated
• Do you like to use your calculator on the math sections? 
  • If yes, the ACT allows calculators throughout. The SAT has a no-calculator section

For students interested in comparing scores on the SAT and ACT, the College Board and the ACT organization provide conversion charts to show how composite scores stack up.

ACT FAQs!

The ACT is another standardized test used by colleges to make admissions decisions. The ACT is administered by ACT, a non-profit organization of the same name. The ACT tests students on material associated with the standard high school curriculum.

Key differences between the SAT and ACT include less time per question on the ACT, plus a science section on the ACT. Superscoring is now available for the ACT. All colleges and universities in the US accept both the SAT and the ACT. 

The ACT exam is offered nationally in September, October, December, February, April, June, and July. 

FAQs

• Test Length: 2 hours and 55 minutes
• ACT:
  • English: 45 minute/75 questions
  • (2) Math: 60 minutes/60 questions
  • (3) Reading: 35 minutes/40 questions
  • (4) Science: 35 minutes/40 questions
  • Writing (optional): 1 essay/60 minutes
• The optional ACT writing test is available to students for an extra cost.  It is scored separately and does not affect a student’s composite score.
• Total score is between 1 and 36

Click Here for ACT Dates and Deadlines

Click Here to Register for the ACT

The NEW Digital SAT

The College Board has begun the transition to a digital SAT and PSAT for U.S. and International students. 

Dates To Know:

• Spring 2023: U.S. students take a paper-and-pencil SAT, International students take a digital SAT
• Fall 2023: All students take a digital PSAT, U.S. students take a paper-and-pencil SAT, International students take a digital SAT
• Spring 2024: All U.S. and International students take a digital PSAT and SAT

Important Changes and Digital SAT FAQs:

• Shortened test: The digital SAT will take 2 hours instead of 3 hours.
• Adaptive testing format: Allows the digital SAT to measure the same skills as the current SAT more efficiently (in less time). Each section is split into two modules. How you perform on module 1 determines the difficulty of module 2 and is a critical determinant of your final score. The digital test allows students to toggle back-and-forth within a module but not between modules. 
• Calculators allowed: The digital SAT will allow students to use a calculator throughout the entire math section. 
• Shorter reading passages: The digital SAT will feature shorter reading passages which will be faster to read and analyze with just one question tied to each passage.

Faster score delivery: Students will receive score reports within days (not weeks).

SAT FAQs!

The SAT is a standardized test used by colleges to make admissions decisions and provide one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants. The SAT is created and administered by the College Board. 

High school students opting to take a standardized test, take the SAT during the spring of junior year or fall of senior year. Public schools in Connecticut require all juniors to sit for the SATs. When planning your test prep and testing dates, it’s important to leave time for retakes. Statistics show that students often improve scores with a second attempt. 

The SAT can be superscored. Superscoring combines your best performances from multiple test days into one score that reflects your highest achievements. It’s important to find out the score submission policy for each college you apply to. [Click here to read more about Superscoring]

The SAT is offered nationally every year in August, October, November, December, March, May, and June. 

FAQs

• Test Length: 3 hours 
• SAT:
  • Reading: 65 minutes/52 questions 
  • Writing and Language: 35 minutes/44 questions
  • Math No-Calculator: 25 minutes/20 questions
  • Math Calculator: 55 minutes/38 questions
• In 2021 the College Board discontinued the SAT with Essay 
• The total score is between 400 – 1600

Click here for SAT dates and deadlines

Click here to register for the SAT

All About Teacher Conferences

Tips for Parents for Successful Teacher Conferences

• Be on time and end on time. 
• Plan ahead.  Make a list of questions.  Review them, prioritize them, and ask the most important questions first.
• If your child receives special services, ask about your child’s progress with these services.  Do they need further accommodations? 
• Ask for explanations of scores, data, and anything else you don’t understand
• Seek at-home strategies and what you can do to support classroom instruction at home. 
• Plan and set a schedule for regular updates from the teacher.
• Thank the teacher

The Value of Student-Led Teacher Conferences

Many schools are switching to student-led conferences as a way to bolster active participation by students in their own learning.  Are your teacher conferences student-led?

Here’s a list of benefits to students from this type of conference:

• Provides the opportunity for students to reflect on the school year to date
• Helps students identify their strengths and weaknesses
• Encourages students to ask for help in specific areas
• Enables a discussion about classroom behaviors and social-emotional learning
• Students are actively involved in setting academic goals
• Students participate in creating an action plan that students + parents + teachers can use

What Is a Superscore?

Superscores are generated from multiple attempts and retakes of standardized tests (SAT or ACT).  

SAT superscore = Your Highest Math Score + (Your Highest Evidence-Based Reading Score + Your Highest Writing Score).

ACT superscore = The Average of Your Highest Math, Science, English, and Reading Scores.

Colleges do not look poorly upon SAT or ACT retakes.  In fact, 2 out of 3 students raise their scores when they retake the SAT or ACT and therefore strengthen their applications.  Retakes also demonstrate perseverance and show a student’s growth. 

Most colleges, but not all, consider your SAT and/or ACT superscores. Many schools (and the common application) will ask you to list the score and test date of your best individual test scores—for example, your best ACT English, best Math, best Reading, and best Science scores—and then calculate a “super composite” or Superscore based on these scores. Some colleges superscore across all your test dates, and some superscore across the test dates you choose to submit.  

The benefit of superscoring is that your Superscore combines your best performances into one score.  This reflects your highest achievements and allows you to put your best foot forward. Find out the policy for each school you apply to so that you can come up with the best application strategy. 

Other scoring policies include:

• Single highest test date – this is a student’s single highest test score, regardless of whether it is a student’s most recent score. 
• All scores required for review – This policy requires students to submit scores from every SAT test date they participated in.

ADHD Unlocked: Panel Discussion and Film Preview

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What Is Orton-Gillingham?

Orton-Gillingham & Reading Remediation

The Orton-Gillingham approach is most frequently prescribed by psychologists for the remediation of reading and written expression disorders.  

Dyslexic students and students with reading and written expression disorders benefit from consistent and repetitive remediation of critical literacy skills using the Orton-Gillingham approach.  The Orton-Gillingham approach is a direct, multisensory, structured, sequential, and diagnostic method emphasizing reading, writing, and spelling.

Prep Academy’s Orton-Gillingham program includes highly-specialized pre-program and post-program testing to establish specific literacy competencies and testing using over a dozen standardized and criterion-referenced tests. Our testing presents a dashboard of a student’s present skill levels across the six domains identified by Congress’ National Reading Panel as being essential to master to achieve advanced literacy. These domains include: phonological awareness, phonics, oral fluency, vocabulary reading comprehension and written expression. Testing results are used to design an individually customized (not generic) curriculum that is psychologically and emotionally sensitive to achieve student accuracy and success.

Prep Academy’s Orton-Gillingham literacy program is highly beneficial for:

• Students diagnosed with reading differences, including dyslexia. 
• Students in elementary school who struggle with standardized tests including STAR and state tests
• PSAT, SAT, ISEE vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension
• Literacy skills transition from Middle to High School
• Vocabulary, grammar, and reading skills remediation/acceleration.

Students who can benefit from Orton-Gillingham literacy remediation often show the following signs:

• Difficulty with sounding out words
• Slow and labored reading
• Difficulty understanding the meaning of words and sentences
• Difficulty with spelling and composing
• Difficulty with grammar and punctuation
• Difficulty with memorizing sight words

Meet our Orton-Gillingham specialist Jan Campbell

Differences Between the SAT and ACT and Choosing the Right Test for You

Recent changes to the SAT launched a critical difference between the SAT and ACT.  In January 2022 College Board announced that the SAT test will transition to a digital format while the ACT remains a pencil-and-paper exam. 

The new SAT will:

• be entirely digital.
• be shorter (approximately two hours instead of three) with more time per question.
• be adaptive, with performance on early questions determining the level of difficulty in later questions.
• have shorter reading passages with one question per passage.
• allow calculators for the entirety of the math section.

College Board cites the following expected positive outcomes with the digital SAT:

• The new test is easier to administer. Educators will no longer have to pack, sort and ship test materials.
• Shorter and easier-to-administer tests will result in greater flexibility for when, where, and how often schools and test sites administer the exam.
• More tests can be administered for free.
• Scores will be returned within days, instead of weeks.
• Greater test security. Every student receives a unique digital test.

When do changes take place?

• Fall 2023 for all PSAT and international students.
• Spring 2024 for U.S. students.

Other Differences: SAT vs. ACT:

“The ACT is a very fast-paced test,” says neuroeducation specialist and experienced tutor Daniel Riseman. “The ACT takes more time to prepare a student because of the restricted timed conditions.  A lot of practice is required to prep for the pace of the test. Students who process information quickly and like science may enjoy the challenge of the ACT.” 

What’s the best way to determine the right test for you? Take a timed, full-length practice SAT and ACT test. Contact Vanessa and Sarah at Prep Academy Tutors to learn more.

Tips for Managing Exam/Midterm Stress

A little stress can be a good thing; it’s a motivational push to get things done.

• Set realistic goals and study deadlines. Working within the time you have, your skill set and your knowledge maximizes productivity and helps avoid burnout. 
• Reducing phone usage, including turning off notifications and checking social media less helps to avoid getting caught up in distractions or drama. 
• Don’t go it alone! 
  • Ask teachers, friends, siblings, and parents for help.
  • Add in some studying and support time with peers.
• Do practice tests.  This will build confidence about what to expect on exam day, and hone your exam time-management skills.
•  Before your exam, take 5 minutes to write down what you’re worried about. This is proven to reduce test-taking anxiety.