Here is a recent article by the above-mentioned dean in which he affirms that students who apply early have a better chance of being accepted.

Recently, we were pleased to add two experienced test prep teachers.  Bo Gallup is located in the Midcoast, and Rich Taylor is located in the Bethel area. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re over 40 years old, think “Achievements,” since that’s what we called the SAT Subject Tests when they mattered to us.  If you’re of more recent vintage, you might think of them as “SAT II’s.”  They’re one-hour tests that assess how well a prospective college student can answer relevant multiple-choice questions, and most competitive colleges require two or three of them in addition to the SAT.  Here is a matrix list we made that includes subject test requirements of some of the competitive colleges in which our students have shown interest.

It’s important that you know that a test-taker can sit for up to three subject tests on any SAT test date and that one cannot sit for any subject tests on the same day that one sits for the regular SAT.  The last available test date before the November 1 “early” applications deadline is October 10.  Read the rest of this entry »

This spring, The College Board (“TCB”) unveiled its new Score Choice program, which TCB claims will help students to be less stressed when taking the SAT.  I was reading some of the predictable outrage about standardized tests when I came across a page on the College Board web site (which has since been removed) that mollified college admissions people by assuring them that even if a student opts for Score Choice the college still can request a copy of all of the student’s scores, which suggests that any Score Choice may remain the college’s.  Read the rest of this entry »

I often field questions about Maine Prep’s average SAT score increases and whether we offer any guarantees. In this entry, I’d like to share a little insight into such statistics and guarantees. Certainly, since no company that I know of follows up with every single former student, any company’s claimed “average score increase” should impress only those who are convinced that most sugar-based breakfast cereals (“part of a nutritious breakfast!!”) are chock full of vitamins and iron.  Read the rest of this entry »

In a recent post about Score Increases and Guarantees, I wrote about how you might want to look carefully at any score increase guarantee numbers from the national chains.  However, just because no prep company can provide a name-by-name score increase spreadsheet is no reason to conclude that test prep doesn’t work.  That’s The College Board’s (“TCB”) position, by the way, even though the company sells voluminous test preparation books, CDs, and other materials.  Here’s a short history:  Read the rest of this entry »

Aside from fear of math, the hardest shortcoming to overcome when preparing for a standardized test is a weak vocabulary.  If you’re an adult, it’s good to examine your present vocabulary and consider how much of it you knew when you were 17.  In my case, most of the polysyllabic words with which I’m now familiar I hadn’t used even once at that age.  Let’s face it, learning vocabulary is a sedimentary process.  Words wash in, and if we use them regularly they bond with the words we already know.  When they’re not used, they wash away again. Read the rest of this entry »