Think you’re either a good test-taker or you’re not? Wrong! While some students show a natural aptitude for standardized tests, it’s been documented time and time again that studying for the SAT or ACT does, in fact, improve scores. It follows that, if you intend to take the SAT or ACT this spring or summer, you should be preparing for that test now, or very shortly. But with the volumes of books, online tutorials, classes, and private tutoring available, it can be difficult to figure what kind of test prep is best. Enter former Tufts University and Regis College admissions officer, Kerrin Lyons.

Your high school counselor is encouraging you to take the SAT. But your neighbor (whose son got into Harvard, by the way…) says the ACT is the way to go. So, what’s the real deal? Which test do colleges really prefer? Find out in the latest installment of our video series, We Can Explain.

In the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Beth Heaton talks with her guests about considerations when selecting a major in the college application process, how to complete the CSS Profile®, and how to send standardized test scores to colleges and universities. In other words, this episode is chock full of highly relevant information for high school seniors and their parents, as well as 11^th grade parents and students who are planning ahead!

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, guest host Sally Ganga covers a range of topics that will appeal to high school students and parents at different stages of the college search. She begins with a discussion about exactly when to prepare for and take standardized testing and the what, when, where, and why of college supplemental essays. She wraps up the show with a continuation of last week’s conversation about how financial aid awards differ among colleges, this time focusing on merit aid policies and practices.

I worked at the University of Chicago admission office back in the dark ages, around the turn of the century, when we still read our applications on paper. Around the time you, if you’re a senior in high school, were born. Back then, under a previous Dean of Admission, we were already careful not to weigh test scores too heavily. Sure, they mattered, but the student with the perfect 1600 whose activities were middling and essays were uninteresting did not have an advantage over the student with the 1450 who wrote an excellent essay and whose love of learning and intellectual spirit shined through the app. So while UChicago has momentarily rocked the admission world by being the first major research university in the top tier of selectivity to go test optional, in some ways I expect that the admission process will not change too much. The importance of a student’s love of learning and their intellectual spirit will continue to be a priority in the application over their test scores.

On this week’s episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, guest host Ian Fisher talks all things summer. From test prep for rising seniors to self-reflection exercises for future ninth graders, he’s got you covered for ways to keep students occupied during the off-season. He also delves into the world of loan forbearance with a guest college finance educator.

As the school year winds down, you may want to consider taking an SAT Subject Test while the information is still fresh in your mind. Not even sure what a Subject Test is or why you might want to take one? Check out the latest installment of the College Coach video series, Ask the College Admissions Expert, in which former University of Pennsylvania admissions officer Elizabeth Heaton answers the question, “What are SAT Subject Tests?”

In this week’s episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, Elizabeth Heaton and her guests debunk myths about attending college in the UK, advise high school seniors and their parents about tuition payment plans, and answer common questions surrounding standardized testing.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Elizabeth Heaton welcomes guests to talk about standardized testing conversion charts, using tax refunds for student loan repayments, and strategies for visiting colleges. Listen to the complete show on the VoiceAmerica network or by searching for Getting In: A College Coach Conversation wherever you get your podcasts.

The college application process is fraught with stressful decisions to make: what colleges to apply to, whether to apply early, what essay topic to choose, and, of course, which standardized test to take. While any college that requires standardized testing will accept either SAT or ACT scores, the two tests have a number of differences that students and parents should consider when deciding which test to pursue.