FAQ

These tests weren’t created to torture high schoolers, but unfortunately, that’s what they’ve become. The college application process has always been stressful, but in recent years, stress has been heightened by increased competition for highly selective colleges, and the myth that only certain colleges and universities lead to financial success and happiness. On top of that, high school students are met with endless questions from friends, family, and teachers about scores, test prep, and retakes. Don’t panic! With a little preparation and a good amount of practice, scores are almost always improvable. That’s where The Answer Class’s affordable test prep comes in.

Once you’ve completed Algebra II, you’re ready to take the SAT or ACT. Most students are eligible after 10th grade and typically take their first test either that summer or during 11th grade. It’s smart to start when you feel prepared, and be sure to allow time to take the test a second or even third time as needed. If you want one last shot at improving your score, you can retake it in the early months of 12th grade; it’s a quick way to spend a Saturday morning that could pay off. Many school systems offer the SAT or ACT for free during the school day in the spring, and it’s a great idea to take advantage of that opportunity. But remember, you can always schedule additional tests at other times that work best for you.

The College Board, which administers the SAT, and the ACT, make money when students take their tests. They also make money by selling students’ names and addresses to colleges who in turn send you promotional materials. That’s how the postcards landed in your mailbox. Keep in mind, mailings from a particular college or university don’t mean a school will accept you; they’d just love for you to apply. And by all means, explore as many colleges as you can rather than limit yourself to the ones you’ve heard of or the popular ones in your circles. You might be surprised by what excites you!

Absolutely. If you are one of those students who loves taking standardized tests, then take both.  At many highly selective schools, over 30% of students submit an SAT and an ACT score. You want to do everything you can to improve your chances, and two good test scores are twice as good as one good test score. You can also take both tests  and only submit one.  

Both tests have their pros and cons, and which one is better for you depends on your strengths as a student. The ACT moves faster, with more questions per minute, while the SAT tends to have trickier, more complex problems. The ACT is longer (if you take the optional Science section) and includes more Geometry and Trigonometry, but math only counts for 33% of your total score, compared to 50% on the SAT. The ACT also has an optional Science section, but it’s more about reading and interpreting data than having specific science knowledge. Ultimately, both tests require strong reading skills, but if you’re a confident reader, you might find the ACT more manageable. Stronger math students often choose the SAT.

Colleges do not have a preference. If you ask someone in Michigan this question, they may say ACT, and if you ask someone in Maryland, they may say SAT. They’re both right. All colleges and universities that look at test scores accept either test. And they have no bias toward one or the other. So pick whichever test is better for you (or your child) and run with that.  

No problem.  And most students don’t.  First, many schools will only ask for your best score, meaning that you can take the test again and submit only the higher score. Most colleges and universities “super-score” which means they take the best score from each of the different sections of the test taken on different test dates to form a new, and maximized, score. So, taking the test a few times can actually help your application. Just make sure that you prepare in between sittings.  

Not only does “super-scoring” help the applicant, it also helps the school. Guess what happens to the average test score of a college that “super-scores?” It goes up. And a higher average SAT/ACT test score helps the college’s ranking which brings them more applicants which decreases their acceptance rate which makes them more selective so more people apply and the cycle continues. 

These tests aren’t like making a first impression or disarming a bomb. You get multiple chances to take the SAT and ACT, and you should! While seven chances will just waste your time and money, two or three times will not cause an admissions office to look askance.  Furthermore, given the options of “score-choice” and “super-scoring,” taking the tests more than once actually provides a benefit as long as you take the time to prepare between taking the tests.  

Here’s a quick survey to help you figure out if you need to take the SAT or ACT. Are you planning to only  apply to two-year community colleges? Did you get all As in all AP classes, cure cancer, compete in 15 triathlons, and play cello at Carnegie Hall? Do you have enough money in the bank where you have no interest in any scholarship money? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, then taking the tests will benefit you. As with all things in life, you want options, and if you don’t prepare and take the test, you limit your options. So you should prepare, take the test, and do your best. It is much easier and doable than curing cancer or winning the IronMan triathlon.

It may sound obvious, but you should take a prep course before you take the test. Some people think they’ll take the test once without studying just to see how they do, but we don’t recommend that. You wouldn’t take a spelling test, a biology exam, or a driving test without preparing, so don’t approach this one any differently. Ideally, you’d take a prep course three to four months before your first official test date to give yourself time to practice what you’ve learned. Of course, life isn’t always ideal, so even a shorter prep period can still make a big difference!

You have thousands of schools to choose from. Some take 5% of those who apply and some take 95% of those who apply. As long as you apply to a range of schools rather than just setting your sights on schools near the top of an arbitrary rankings list, then you’ll be just fine. While we know you love your child and think they are the next Katherine Johnson (the NASA mathematician featured in the hit movie Hidden Figures) or Marie Curie, highly selective schools receive applications from around the world from students with top GPAs, scores, and extracurricular activities. It’s important to encourage your child to cast a wide net. Remember there is success and joy to be had at every school.

While some colleges have absolutely become more selective over the years, many others would love to have your child as a student.  The news often reports on schools that reject over 90% of applicants so people think every school does that.  But with some searching and an open and flexible mind, you can find many schools that meet your and your child’s requirements.  

As more and more students apply to schools in the United States along with the overall shifting landscape including Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action, the expansion of the Common Application, the price of college rising exponentially while at the same time making more and more discounts available, have all contributed to the confusion and scariness of this process to typical families.  

Because this process is so overwhelming and confusing, and because parents want the best for their children, they are often are willing to spend exorbitant amounts of money to make the process smoother and their kids happier.  We offer an alternative to that, offering just what you need without you having to empty your wallet.  And just like some people hire a plumber or electrician to do more difficult tasks around the house or an accountant or financial advisor to help them manage their taxes and money, a college advisor provides a similar role.  It helps make the time with your child more enjoyable for everyone.

As this is a seasonal offering, students should plan to take the College Essay Writing Workshop in the summer before their senior year. This workshop offers is a comprehensive deep dive into all things college essay, and well as dedicated time to go through the complete writing process (brainstorming, reading the prompts, pre-writing, writing, editing, and getting feedback) all within the space of the workshop. As the fall of senior year is filled with application work in addition to high school classes and extracurricular activities, getting a jump start on the process is ideal. 

Students learn everything they need to know about the college admissions process during this course.  So taking the Crash Course in the summer before or during Junior year makes a lot of sense; that way students will know what they will have to deal with over the next year.  And taking it before Senior year, or even at the start of Senior year would also be beneficial – as the information they will learn, they will apply to the applications they complete over the next few months.  That being said taking the course in sophomore year would also provide many benefits and help the students feel more comfortable with the whole process before it really ramps up.

Rising seniors should begin 1:1 mentoring in the summer before or fall of their senior year as students will be in the thick of applying to schools at that time. Think of the guided 1:1 mentoring program as project management for college applications – helping to keep students on track with the many varied components of their applications. Parents love the 1:1 application mentoring too – as it relieves much family stress and helps to maintain better parent-child communication during a stressful time.

First, check out our courses and 1:1 services here! Once you’ve decided what’s most helpful to you, there are three easy ways to register for our offerings:

1. You can place an order through our secure shopping cart using a major credit card. A registration confirmation will be automatically emailed to you.
2. You can place a credit card order by phone (410.997.3006).
3. You can place an order through our secure shopping cart and indicate that you will pay by check. You should then mail a check (made payable to The Answer) to The Answer Class P.O. Box 1398 Columbia, MD 21044.

You can register for classes through our secure shopping cart using Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or a debit card.

Once your online order is complete and you receive an email confirmation, you are registered.

Please call (410.997.3006) or email us (info@theanswerclass.com) to make any changes to a previously paid-for class.  If you are unable to attend a class for which you have already paid, you may apply funds from said class to any future class as long as you inform us prior to the beginning of the first session of the course. If we cancel a class, your money will be refunded in full.

You can always adjust your course date and time up until 30 minutes prior to the start of the first session of the class for no fee or extra charge.  

If you cannot find another time or date to change your group class, you can apply the tuition from that course to any of our other offerings.  

We request that you notify your tutor in writing (text or email) of a session cancellation or need to reschedule 48 hours in advance of said 1:1 session. Out of respect for our tutors’ time, we do not offer refunds less than 48 hours before the scheduled session.

Our three signature group courses (SAT/ACT Prep, College Admissions Crash Courses, College Essay Writing Workshops) are guaranteed, which means a student can take any of them again for any reason, no questions asked.  To sign up again for the same course, please contact us at info@theanswerclass.com or 410-997-3006. Individual tutoring and college application support are not covered by this guarantee.

Effective Date: 2/27/2025

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