SAT Prep

SAT vs. ACT – Which test is right for you?

Now that it’s prime time to start studying for the SAT and ACT, we’ve had a lot of students ask us which test they should take.

Nowadays, most colleges accept the SAT and ACT and weigh scores from both tests equally, so that’s no longer a reason to take one test over the other.

The College Board recently redesigned the SAT and it is now quite similar to the ACT. Both tests now have optional essays and no guessing penalty. The SAT also no longer has a “random vocabulary” section, which used to be a deal breaker for a lot of our students. Instead, the SAT has a vocabulary in-context section. The SAT also has less geometry than the ACT. We’ve covered the all differences in a handy graphic below. (more…)

Kate Dalby2021-05-11T14:54:39-04:00

New! Virtual Fireside Chat with Dr. Sybil Gohari, Founder of Admissions Company

Join Dr. Sybil Gohari, founder of Admissions Company, for a virtual Fireside Chat on College Admissions on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020 at 7 pm. This event is sponsored by Kate Dalby, owner of Inspiring Test Preparation. Contact Dr. Gohari directly to sign up at info@admissions.company. Seating is limited.

Dr. Gohari brings over a decade of experience as an educator and entrepreneur; she spends her time at the intersection of academia and technology. She has taught at the University of Maryland, College Park; American University; George Washington University; and Georgetown University.

She founded Admissions Company to harness the proprietary method rooted in data and analytics, to not only help students significantly increase their chances of gaining admission to competitive schools but to determine the optimal schools for their individual needs and interests. Admissions Company complements its use of big data with a deep reservoir of expertise to guide students from an early point in the admissions process.

Dr. Gohari graduated from the American University Magna Cum Laude, with a degree in Art History, where she was also a division I lacrosse player. She went on to earn her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Kate Dalby2020-12-08T18:58:58-05:00

“Five Secrets to Boost Your SAT & ACT Test Scores Instantly”

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Kate Dalby2020-05-21T22:12:54-04:00

ACT/SAT Reveal Concordance Table

SAT vs. ACT – The classic battle between the two giants of standardized testing has long since been a concern for any student making their foray into preparation for college. After years of conflict, the SAT redesigned its test in 2015 to make it more similar to the ACT’s model. Despite this, ACT did not allow convergence from the new SAT due to the lack of data.

College Board developed and posted a concordance when it first released its latest SAT, but ACT objected to the unilateral effort because ACT believed there was insufficient data to draw conclusions. After two plus years of data on the new SAT, the ACT organization has decided that it has been long enough, and an ACT/SAT concordance table has been published on the ACT website. You can find the link here. This means that there is now an official ACT/SAT way to compare the two standardized tests. The table below shows a sample of the data in the convergence tables.

Note: For the sake of brevity, only ACT Scores from 26-36 will be shown. For information such as other scores and subject-specific convergence tables, please view the full document here.

SAT Total Range	ACT Composite
1600-1570	36
1570-1530	35
1520-1490	34
1480-1450	33
1440-1420	32
1410-1390	31
1380-1360	30
1350-1330	29
1320-1300	28
1290-1260	27
1250-1230	26

In effect, this joint effort by the ACT and the SAT reduces the stress placed on the student by making them choose between the two tests. To all the folks at the ACT and the SAT, well done.

Kate Dalby2020-05-21T22:11:26-04:00

What to Eat the Day of the SAT (or Other Long Test)

by Bess Dalby*

Whether you are too tired or too nervous, you may not feel like eating at all the morning of the SAT or ACT. However, I cannot stress enough how disastrous it can be if hunger strikes during a slew of difficult math problems.

The human brain uses a variety of nutritional components to function during strenuous activities, and requires even more nutrition if it is deprived of sleep. Here I will outline five major rules that will guide your test day food strategy so that you can avoid feeling hungry or sleepy during the test.

(more…)

Kate Dalby2018-02-06T20:46:08-05:00