Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

ACT vs SAT: Testing Wars Heat Up, Part II

Just when you thought the dust settled between the College Board, makers of the SAT, and ACT, Inc., makers of the ACT, the rivalry started a new chapter.

This time, the battle lines are drawn around access to free test preparation materials. But the good news is that the winners of this battle are the students. Truly. 

For a long time, free ACT resources were available at www.actstudent.org while SAT resources were rarely free. That changed when the SAT partnered with the Khan Academy. With the unveiling of the new SAT format in March 2016, the College Board also launched a partnership with Khan Academy to make SAT prep resources available to all, free of charge. 

In an apparent reaction to the SAT/Khan alliance, ACT, Inc. has countered with its own alliance with Kaplan Test Prep. This partnership will provide live on-line instruction, real-time interaction with teachers and access to recorded sessions. 

Low-income students that register with ACT, Inc. with a fee waiver will not be charged to use the new Kaplan resources. Other students will find the cost of this platform very reasonable. 

Kudos for the makers of the ACT for providing more availability to instructional materials. Further reason why you don’t necessarily need to hire a tutor to help you navigate the process.

Nevertheless, if you could benefit from some experienced guidance through SAT and ACT preparation with a CROSSWALK tutor, don’t hesitate to contact us here. CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for test prep, boot camps and academic instruction. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

FREE and FAST Prep for the ACT

With the ACT just around the corner, some students are in stress mode. How can you prepare for the test with only a week to go? What can you do on the cheap? 

The bad news is that test prep takes some time. If you really want to move your score, you need to put in several weeks if not months. Test-taking is like any skill: the more time you have to practice, the better you can get. 

However, not everyone has the benefit of time. Especially those that will take the test in about a week. Further, not everyone can afford to hire a private tutor. 


So what can you do? 

First, don’t stress. Stress out and watch your score plummet. Stress is your number one enemy. So take a deep breath and get into the mindset that test day is a fun challenge. Tests are just puzzles to solve, riddles to figure out or games to play. 

Now that you have the right mindset, download the free “Preparing for the ACT” right here. This is a free study guide that includes a full length practice test. 

Use this guide and do the following: 

  • Read everything cover to cover
  • Read the directions for each section so that you don’t have to waste time on test day doing the same
  • Try some of the practice questions
  • Make note of how much time you have per section and how much time you have per question
All told, this should take about two or three hours. Doing more than that with a week left before the test will only stress you out. (Bad idea because remember, stress is the enemy.)

Reviewing the free study guide with only a week before a test is not the ideal plan, but it can help a lot. Again, the ideal scenario is when you have lots of time to prepare. Nevertheless, you can gain a good understanding of test strategy and content by reviewing the “Preparing for the ACT” study guide. It’s fast, and more importantly, FREE! 

Learn more ACT and SAT study tips by contacting CROSSWALK, the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for private tutoring, test prep and SAT/ACT Boot Camps.