I am often asked by parents and students for guidance in navigating the test prep waters. As a nationally sought after test prep expert specializing in the ACT test, I have seen a little of everything in my twelve plus years in test prep—and 22 years in the high school English classroom.  One thing I am often asked about is the calculator policy for each test. For the ACT test, click here: https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/ACT-calculator-policy.pdf For the SAT test, click here: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/what-to-bring-do/calculator-policy Once yo ..read more

I am often asked by parents and students for guidance in navigating the test prep waters. As a nationally sought after test prep expert specializing in the ACT test, I have seen a little of everything in my twelve plus years in test prep—and 22 years in the high school English classroom.  Although there is no “one size fits all” answer, there are some pieces of advice that pertain to 90% of students. One of the things that is helpful to students is being familiar with the ACT before sitting for the test, whether it is the first time or fifth time to take the ACT. Click here for a full-len ..read more

As a certified high school English teacher and test prep expert, a question I hear often from parents and students is, “How do I register for the ACT and SAT tests?” For ACT tests, go here: www.act.org For SAT tests, go here: http://www.collegeboard.org I would allow about an hour the first time you register for either test, as there are a slew of questions you must answer. What months are the best to test? Read here: https://jenhensonactprep.com/2022/02/03/5-reasons-to-register-for-the-april-and-june-act-tests-or-march-and-may-sat-tests/ Need further info about content on the ACT te ..read more

Through our contacts at College Board, the NTPA received the following notes about the New Digital, Computer Adaptive SAT being released next year. We hope that you will find the following information useful: You stated that the cost of the test is currently unconfirmed (might go up or down), please verify that  I noted that correctly?  That is correct. The price of the digital exam has not yet been confirmed; we will provide more information on pricing and fees later this year when we get closer to opening up student registration for the first digital SAT administration internation ..read more

I am often asked by parents and students for guidance in navigating the test prep waters. As a nationally sought after test prep expert specializing in the ACT test, I have seen a little of everything in my twelve plus years in test prep—and 22 years in the high school English classroom. Although there is no “one size fits all” answer, there are some pieces of advice that pertain to 90% of students. Here are my top 5 reasons to take the April & June ACT / March and May SAT tests.   1. The TIR. The TIR is a full test report of what questions each student misses/answers correctly ..read more

  I am often asked by parents and students for guidance in navigating the test prep waters. As a nationally sought after test prep expert specializing in the ACT test, I have seen a little of everything in my twelve plus years in test prep—and 22 years in the high school English classroom.  Although there is no “one size fits all” answer, there are some pieces of advice that pertain to 90% of students. The quick answer is that very few students need the writing portion. In fact, the SAT no longer offers the writing portion on their test. As a general rules of thumb, students interes ..read more

The quick answer is “NO” to the PSAT and Pre-ACT tests. I am often asked by parents and students for guidance in navigating the test prep waters. “Should my student take the PSAT test?” is a question that I receive often.  As a nationally sought after test prep expert specializing in the ACT test, I have seen a little of everything in my twelve plus years in test prep—and 22 years in the high school English classroom.  Although there is no “one size fits all” answer, there are some pieces of advice that pertain to 99% of students.   Here are my top 3 reasons to NOT have your st ..read more

Does your student need an extra chance to score his/her highest on the ACT test? One option to consider is on-campus testing available through the ACT on many campuses in the US. These tests can be scheduled to fit the schedule of the student. They do have one catch: the score obtained on that on-campus test is only valid at THAT campus. In other words, a student can’t test on-campus at Auburn on a non-national test date & use that score at the University of Alabama. For more information, check out this web link OnCampus-Resource.pdf (act.org ..read more

It is true that test scores still matter in many cases, especially for student-athletes graduating from high school in 2022 and beyond. (If you have been blinded by the “test optional” hype, I would encourage you to research admissions percentages with and without test scores.) Here are three different ways to make sure your scores are where they need to be. Self-prep: For the self-motivated student, this just might be the way to go. Students now have access to online test prep videos and resources that make studying easier than ever before. However, the amount of material can be overwhelming ..read more

5 Reasons that TEST OPTIONAL is NOT the safe way to apply When colleges/universities started announcing that some schools would be TEST OPTIONAL due to the COVID pandemic, the internet was buzzing with parents hopeful about their child’s chances for college acceptance. Students were quick to think that they did not need to take ACT/SAT tests.  I was not so quick to celebrate. The facts paint a picture that should cause much pause instead. Many students WILL be applying with scores. In addition to competing against those with scores, there are 5 other reasons that scores matter. Here are m ..read more