Top College Application Tips for 2024

I recently had a great discussion about the current state of college admission with test prep expert Laura Heslin Whitmore of Strategic Test Prep. We spoke about all things related to the college application and have some great advice for students and their families. Check out the video for top college application tips for 2024 related to:

• Score choice vs sending all scores

• Should you go test-optional?

• Early Action vs Early Decision and Regular Decision

• Personal statement/college essay topics

• Extracurricular activities and how to shape your resume

• Who, how and when to ask for recommendation letters

• What to do if your application is deferred or you are waitlisted

• FAFSA

• The importance of campus visits

• Is demonstrated interest important?

  and so much more!

Stay tuned for our next post all about the digital SAT and how to prep!

Preparing for the New Digital SAT: Top Tips for Success

Are you ready for the new digital SAT? Ensure you're fully prepared with these essential tips and free digital SAT practice resources.

1. Familiarize Yourself with the Digital Format: Ace the digital interface by practicing with official College Board tests online. Navigate through the various formats of questions, test out built in tools including the Desmos calculator and answer eliminator, and get comfortable with the digital environment.

2. Employ Test-Taking Strategies: Develop tactics for tackling different question types, such as process of elimination and strategic marking. Practice these strategies during your study sessions and make use of the new built-in tools.

3. Practice Time Management: As with the paper format, time is of the essence in the digital SAT. Hone your time management skills by practicing pacing during mock tests, ensuring you complete each section within the allocated time. The digital SAT has a great tool which allows you to mark questions to return to later. If you get stuck, you may benefit from returning to the questions in the module later if you have extra time.

4. Take full Practice Tests: Take at least one to get used to the format and timing. I recommend taking several over the course of a few months as you prepare. You can use your results to focus on your areas of weakness and get additional test prep help if needed.

5. Simulate Test Conditions: Replicate the actual testing environment during practice tests. Find a quiet space, time yourself strictly, and eliminate distractions.

6. Make use of FREE Online Digital SAT Prep Resources: The College Board has a new app called Bluebook, which the student will also use to take the official test. Within the app are several free full practice tests and an untimed version to explore. Khan Academy, College Board’s official test prep partner has a lot of free practice material online. Now that the first Digital SATs have been completed, it is recommended that student’s use practice tests 4-6 in the Bluebook app to prepare as they represent the difficulty of the new test more accurately than the previous practice tests. Also, several test prep companies offer free practice tests and strategy sessions (see below).

7. Prioritize Self-Care: Don't overlook self-care during SAT prep. Ensure you are getting adequate sleep and nourishment to be in your best condition for testing day. If you are feeling overly stressed about the test, talk to someone about possible solutions. And last but not least, don’t hyperfocus on the SAT. You are more than a test score and the right colleges will see that! Many colleges will remain test-optional for the 2024-25 application year so you can still choose not to use your scores at all.

By following these tips and dedicating consistent time and effort to your SAT preparation, you can improve your chances of success on the digital SAT. Good luck!

Free Digital SAT Prep Resources:

Applerouth – Full length tests and strategy sessions - sign up now!

Khan Academy – Self-paced lessons and practice questions

https://www.khanacademy.org/digital-sat

College Board – Download the Bluebook app for practice tests
 https://bluebook.app.collegeboard.org/

Strategic Test Prep – Great strategy and informational videos

https://www.youtube.com/@StrategicTestPrep/videos

Digital SAT Tips

The digital SAT has debuted internationally and will most likely remain the only form available for international students from now on. Many are a bit apprehensive after witnessing CollegeBoard’s struggles with digital AP exams in recent years, but so far the feedback has been mostly positive.

Here is a quick breakdown of the primary differences between the two test formats:

WHERE and WHEN:

The test is still required to be taken at a school or official test center. However, the possibility of more test dates and flexibility in test centers scheduling them may make it easier for students to find a test date that fits their schedule and location. For international students, this could make a big difference as their previous test dates and locations were more limited. Students will register for the test on the CollegeBoard site as they did previously, however the new schedule for Fall/Winter 2023-24 has not been released yet. Students who have signed up for the Spring/Summer dates at international sites will already have the digital format. The digital format will be implemented in the US starting Fall 2023 for PSAT and Spring 2024 for SAT.

COMPUTERS and CALCULATORS:

Students can bring their own tablets or laptops or they can use those provided at the test site. It is beneficial for the student to bring their own device as they will be more familiar with it and provided laptops are limited. Graphing calculators will also be built in to the test, so students who feel comfortable using those can leave their own at home. The Desmos calculator which is built in is a great tool for students who are familiar with it, but if they are not, it is recommended to bring their own. Students will still be provided scratch paper and can use a pen/pencil to work on solutions as needed.

Before test day, students need to download the Bluebook App to their testing device. They should make sure it is sucessfully installed and familiarize themselves with it.

VERBAL SECTION:

The verbal section of the SAT will now have much shorter passages, mostly just a few sentences, as they are limited to how much text will fit on a computer screen. Students will only answer a single question about a short passage and then move on to another entirely different one. It would be beneficial to do some practice questions to get used to the format.

ADAPTIVE TESTING:

A major change with the digital SAT is the new adaptive testing model. Now, students will face different sets of questions based on the accuracy of how they answered the first module of each section. There are two possible levels of questions the students will receive and the highest score possible on the SAT will be different based on which level of questions they get. You can read more about this model here. Don’t be alarmed, it is not a sudden switch to much more difficult questions if you get the higher level for your second module. There is still a balance in the difficulty of the questions. The test prep experts at Applerouth who have seen more of the new test have assured me that students actually have to get a lot of incorrect answers to get the ‘lower’ level of questions. It also shouldn’t be looked at as a disadvantage. Instead of having these students struggle and lose time with harder questions, they are able to focus their energy on questions more appropriate for their level. Everyone gets to take a shorter test and spend more time on each question with this new model.

NEW TOOLS:

There are a few tools available within the digital format that can definitely help students. Students could practice making use of these tools to test more efficiently. My favorite two are:

Answer Eliminator – a tool to eliminate answers students deem as incorrect from view so they can focus on the remaining answers

Question Flag – students can now flag questions within a section for further review later.

TEST PREP:

As the new format has not been out long, most test prep companies have not done a lot of updating to their materials. When searching for a test prep company, I definitely recommend asking them how they have adapted their materials. Many of the tutors and companies do not have experience with the new test or access to materials to prepare students for the digital SAT. However, the official CollegeBoard site now has digital SAT prep materials available for free. Also, Applerouth has done a great job of getting materials ready for digital SAT prep.

The international ACT has been digital for years and as with the paper format, it is much different than the SAT. Students should consider taking a practice test for both the ACT and SAT to decide which test is the best for them.