On ACT and SAT score release days, there’s a phone call that never fails. A distraught student or student’s parent is on the other line, distraught and confused. Why did they, with a 4.5 GPA, receive an 18 on the ACT? Teachers and administrators may be quick to jump on the test anxiety bandwagon. They […]
Are You Ready to Take the ACT or SAT?
So, you’ve been preparing to take the SAT and/or the ACT. You’ve answered the SAT Question of the day for months. There’s nothing left in The Official SAT Study Guide that you didn’t memorize. But, are you ready to take the test? How do you know? Practice Tests The ACT and SAT are standardized tests, so […]
How to Relieve the Pressure Surrounding the SAT and ACT
The pressure surrounding your performance on the SAT and ACT can feel colossal. It may seem like everything—admissions, scholarships, pride—is riding on a few hours spent huddled over a scantron form. For some students, pressure is motivation. They can harness the energy of the situation to focus and produce their best possible performance. For others, the […]
March Madness and College Admissions: Who Will Win the Bracket(s)?
It’s that time of year again: March Madness, when the sports world loses its collective head over the wins, losses, and upsets of college basketball teams. While I’m a huge fan of March Madness myself, and will probably be looking for my said-head come Friday night (particularly if Michigan State decides to bow out early […]
ACT and SAT Reading: Holiday Practice
Ready for winter break? We are too. Everyone at PowerScore wishes your and yours a very merry holiday and stellar ACT and SAT scores in the new year! To celebrate the season, I created some ACT and SAT Reading questions based on a passage from a holiday classic. A little something to keep you busy […]
ACT and SAT Math Tips: Thanksgiving Day Drills
Just because the holidays are rolling around does not mean you can skip your ACT and SAT prep! You can use your time off this week to focus on the test while you’re not worrying about other school work. Here are a few Turkey Day math questions to kick start your day of family, football, […]
ACT and SAT Math Tips: Translating Percent Questions
You know the old math class argument we all attempted to use to get out of learning the quadratic equation, sine and cosine, and symbolic functions: “When am I ever going to use this in the real world?” I’ve been existing in that real world for a good chunk of time now, and aside from […]
ACT and SAT Reading Tips: Pivot!
It’s no secret that the reading passages on the ACT and SAT are viewed by many students as the most difficult portion of the test. But understanding them is easier than moving a couch up a flight of stairs on Friends (not familiar with the show? It’s worth an internet search of “Friends Pivot” for […]
ACT English and SAT Writing Tips: Correlating Conjunctions
Some ACT and SAT questions may test your knowledge of correlating conjunctions, which are pairs of coordinating conjunctions: either…or neither…nor both…and not only…but also not…but whether…or as…as When these words are acting as conjunctions, they must be with their proper partner, which is why both the ACT and SAT will try to trip you up […]
ACT and SAT Math Tips: Reflections on Reflections
Reflections. These Coordinate Geometry questions are a great way for the ACT and SAT to assess not just your knowledge of transformations, but your understanding of slope and the equation of a line. Let’s look at what you need to know and then see how your skill set will be tested on the ACT and […]