The College Solutions Blog

Valuable insights from Lynn O’Shaughnessy
a nationally recognized college expert.

SAT/ACT
November 5, 2010

Grockit: Can Studying for the SAT or ACT Be Fun?

Studying for the SAT or ACT isn’t fun. But Grockit is trying hard to make it entertaining. Grockit, whose motto on its homepage is “Get addicted to studying,” bills itself as a social networking site for learning. With Grockit, teenagers can improve their test skills, in part, by learning from and competing against thousands of other students. They can earn...
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October 6, 2010

8 Things High School Seniors Need To Be Doing Now

For high school seniors, it’s crunch time. Deadlines for college applications are looming, so it’s time to get focused. Here are 8 things seniors  need to be doing now. 1. Meet college reps. This is the time of year when admission officers are racking up frequent flyer miles as they meet with prospective students throughout the country. Contact colleges on...
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September 21, 2010

ACT or SAT: Take a Practice Test

Should your child take the SAT or the ACT? I tried to tackle this question with my last post: SAT or ACT: Which Test Should You Take? Here’s another way to determine whether a child will get high ACT test scores or SAT scores: Take a practice SAT and ACT test. A student can take a sample SAT test anytime...
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September 19, 2010

SAT or ACT: Which Test Should You Take?

When deciding whether to take the SAT or ACT test keep this in mind: the ACT AND SAT require different kinds of skills. Some teens can significantly increase their scores just by picking the right standardized test to take.  Here are reasons why the ACT or SAT might be better than the other: Teens who do well on the ACT...
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February 8, 2010

4 SAT and ACT Testing Strategies

During the past few days, I’ve sharing ACT and SAT test prep strategies to boost your teenager’s SAT or ACT scores.  You’ll find my final ACT and SAT tips below, along with links to the previous ACT and SAT test prep posts. SAT Testing Strategy: Use SAT Score Choice Until last year, students who took the SAT had to turn...
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February 4, 2010

How to Survive Bad SAT or ACT Scores

This week I’m sharing SAT and ACT test prep strategies. You’ll find the links to all of them at the bottom of this post. Here goes my latest test prep tips: Strategy No. 6: Apply to SAT-Optional Schools If your teenager bombs on the SAT or the ACT test, don’t despair.  Plenty of schools don’t care if your child gets...
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February 1, 2010

Can Guessing Boost Your SAT or ACT Test Scores?

This week I’m sharing ACT and SAT prep strategies to boost your teenager’s SAT and ACT scores. In case you missed them, I’m linking to my first two SAT tips and then you’ll find my newest one which answers the question of whether you should guess on the SAT. SAT Test Strategy No. 1: Improve Your SAT or ACT Scores:...
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January 20, 2010

Should You Take the SAT or ACT Test?

When deciding whether to take the SAT or ACT test, keep this in mind: the ACT AND SAT require different kinds of skills. Some teens can significantly increase their scores just by picking the right standardized test to take.  Here are reasons why the ACT or SAT might be better than the other: Teens who do well on the ACT...
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January 1, 2010

10 Great College Tips for 2010

Happy New Year. I want to usher in 2010 by sharing 10 of my college blog posts from last year that I think will help you: Cut the cost of college. Find scholarships. Snag better financial aid packages. Locate great schools. Cutting the cost of college with better grades How to Negotiate for a Better Financial Aid Package Will Saving...
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December 17, 2009

A Peak Inside College Admission Offices

Want to know what college admission officers are really thinking? The Wall Street Journal and Unigo managed to get admission deans from eight prestigious schools, including Bryn Mawr College, Grinnell College,  Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania and Weslyan University to parpticipate in a panel discussion that touched on many issues that are relevant to collegebound teenagers. You can watch the...
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