Top Tier Admissions

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

What is a “good” PSAT score? What is the point of the PSAT? And are there other merit scholarships out there? The College Board PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test), taken October of sophomore or junior year, is more than just a warm up for the SAT or the ACT. Who selects winners?

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HelloCollege

JUNE 21, 2024

Illinois high school students are rethinking their standardized testing plans. Following an announcement by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) , the ACT will replace the SAT as the state’s high school accountability assessment. All of the testing administered through the new contract will be done online.

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DC College Counseling

DECEMBER 5, 2023

FAIRFAX COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES COURSE CHANGES All new courses and changes to GPA weighting or classification of a course (from optional to standard or vice versa) must be approved by the Fairfax County School Board each fall. percent over last year’s early application totals and a record number of first-year applications.

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Great College Advice

AUGUST 23, 2023

These tests loom large in the college admissions process. And yet, every student seems to be asking these days, “do my test scores matter?” ” No other aspect of the college preparation process generates as many questions—and anxieties—as the standardized tests. Do my test scores matter?

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Marks Education

APRIL 18, 2023

Starting in March 2024, the SAT is switching to a shorter, denser, computer-adaptive online test, replacing the current paper version of the SAT. For more information on the new version of the test, check out our blog on the new digital SAT ( LINK ). What does this mean for test takers in the United States?

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DC College Counseling

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE LAST FEW WEEKS PSAT SCORES (AND NATIONAL MERIT CUTOFF ESTIMATES) RELEASED PSAT scores were released on November 6 or 16, depending on the date students took the test (if your student hasn’t received their score reports, have them go see their school counselor!).

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The Thoughtful College Search

JANUARY 30, 2023

(Originally published in Inside Higher Ed ’s “Admissions Insider” January 30, 2023) In case you missed it, there was a bizarre news story coming out of the D.C. Students who score in the top one-half of one percent on the PSAT taken in the junior year, the qualifying test for National Merit. area a couple of weeks ago. “So

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College Essay Guy

FEBRUARY 3, 2023

Maybe if you have an outstanding academic record, near-perfect test scores, and a resume that's beaming with extracurricular achievements. So if you're applying to highly selective schools as a junior, it might be harder for you to beat out a senior with more depth in their application. Still, it may not be the best idea. Here's why.

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Marks Education

APRIL 19, 2023

The digital SAT will be offered for the first time in the United States in March 2024, but international SAT students took the digital SAT for the first time in March 2023. so we have been thinking about this test, preparing materials for it, and taking practice versions of it for over a year. What is an Adaptive Test?

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College Essay Guy

MARCH 13, 2023

When you’re planning to go to college, one big hurdle is that, for many schools, you must first complete a standardized test (if not a few). Keep reading to discover all of the important differences as well as which test you should take! What is on the ACT test? is a resounding “no.” Don’t worry—this is where we come in!

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College Essay Guy

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

You’re applying to college and you want to make sure that your college applications stand out among all of the rest. Time to channel your inner Vogelkop Superb Bird of Paradise and pull out all of your finest courtship moves as you attempt to woo your perfect college match. But maybe how exactly you do that feels a little … nebulous.

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