Service
SAT & ACT
Test Planning
Testing strategy matters more now than it did two years ago. Several top schools have reinstated requirements, and at test-optional schools, the majority of admitted students still submit scores.
What this includes
- A testing timeline: when to take the SAT or ACT, how many times, and what score to aim for based on the student's target schools
- SAT vs. ACT comparison: which test fits the student's strengths based on a diagnostic
- Test-optional strategy: at which schools submitting a score helps vs. hurts, based on actual admitted student data
- Score goal setting by school: what score gets a student into the "submitting" range at each school on their list
- Study plan framing: not tutoring, but how to structure prep so it builds on the student's existing strengths
- AP and IB course load advice: how coursework rigor signals to admissions even at test-optional schools
Where testing stands in 2025
The test-optional era is partially reversing. MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Georgetown, and Georgia Tech have reinstated score requirements. At test-optional selective schools, 70–80% of admitted students submitted scores — which means going test-optional at a reach school is a disadvantage for most students unless their score would genuinely hurt them.
A good testing strategy starts junior year (or earlier), gives the student two or three attempts without rushing, and ties the score target to the actual schools on the list — not to a generic "good score" benchmark.