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Getting Started with the SAT and ACT in 2026
Here are some common questions about SAT/ACT preparation in 2026. If you have other questions or want more information about these topics, please reach out. What’s new in 2026? What’s the same? In many ways, the SAT/ACT world in 2026 is fairly similar to the way it was in 2025: admissions are very competitive, tests are more important because of high school grade inflation, and “test optional” policies make it difficult to decide whether scores are worth submitting. But there
benparis21
Mar 10
Thinking about Law School?
Are you thinking about law school? Here’s some advice to get you started: · Ask yourself how law school fits into your career plans. If you’re planning on practicing law, talk to current and former lawyers and find out what you’re signing up for. Talk to a variety of people if possible. Big firms, small firms, solo practice, government, they’re all different. · A law degree is versatile. Even if you don’t practice law or only practice for a little while, a law deg
benparis21
Mar 9
Assessing the ACT Changes (From 2024)
[This essay appeared in Inside Higher Ed in 2024.] Starting next spring, the ACT will see some major changes . It will be shorter, and...
benparis21
Apr 1, 2025
Getting Started with the SAT and ACT in 2025
Here are some common questions about what’s changed with SAT/ACT preparation in 2025. If you have other questions or want more information about these topics, please reach out. Are “test optional” policies likely to change? What does “test optional” really mean, anyway? Some colleges have always been test optional, but test optional became the norm during the pandemic, when students often couldn’t take the tests. Since then, some very selective colleges have reinstituted test
benparis21
Jan 1, 2025
Choosing Between the SAT and ACT
If you’re thinking about taking a standardized test to help your admissions chances, the first step is to decide whether you want to...
benparis21
Apr 29, 2024
Beating Test Stress
For years, more and more colleges went test optional. But the tide has turned. More and more selective colleges, including MIT,...
benparis21
Apr 29, 2024
Standardized Tests and College Admissions 2024
Standardized tests are in the news again, and both students and parents have questions about the importance of the tests and what “test...
benparis21
Apr 29, 2024
The SAT's Proposed "Adversity Score" (From 2019)
[This essay of mine appeared on Inside Higher Ed in 2019, just as the College Board announced that it would assign an "adversity score"...
benparis21
Apr 29, 2024
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