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College Planning Simplified
Test Smarter, Not Harder: How to Choose and Maximize SAT or ACT Scores
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In this episode, Stephanie sits down with test prep expert Jenny Cochran from ArborBridge to break down what the SAT and ACT really measure and why “easy” depends on the student. We debunk four testing myths and share practical ways to choose a test, plan retakes, and use scores strategically for admissions and merit scholarships. The topics include:
• How SAT and ACT differ in timing, structure, and skills
• Why Algebra 2 is a key readiness marker for both tests
• How Desmos can help boost math scores
• What the ACT Science section actually tests
• Why taking both diagnostics can reveal best fit
• Why there is no magic number of retakes
• How to spot a score plateau and use self-reflection to improve
• How to balance test prep with AP classes and activities
• What score choice and superscoring mean for reporting
• Why test optional still makes strong scores valuable
• How SAT or ACT scores can impact merit scholarship money
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Welcome And Guest Introduction
SPEAKER_01Feeling overwhelmed by college admissions? You're not alone. Welcome to College Planning Simplified. I'm your host, Stephanie D'Souza with Advantage College Planning. Each month, I'll sit down with industry professionals and consultants to bring you expert insights from across the admissions landscape. Clear strategies, honest guidance, no unnecessary stress. Let's simplify this together. Hello, College Planning Simplified Community. This is your host, Stephanie D'Souza, and today I am sitting down with Jenny Cochran, test prep expert with ArborBridge. ArborBridge is a premier online tutoring company with tutors all over the world who work with student schedules because they're in different time zones. They specialize in moving the needle in the quickest, most convenient way. They target where to earn the most points strategically. College Advantage Planning, we rely on this company for the most up-to-date information. And I am so excited to have Jenny here today to debunk four common myths in testing. Jenny, how are you doing? I'm good, Stephanie. Thank you so much for having me on. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge. I know that you are just so excited and you're passionate about test prep and the importance in test prep in college admissions. You ready to jump into it? I am, yes. Let's go. Okay. Jenny, myth number one, we hear all the time. The SAT is easier than the ACT, or vice versa. Is one test easier than the other?
SPEAKER_00Well, I have an easy answer for you and a better answer. So the easy answer is it depends. It depends on the student which one they prefer. The best answer is if you prefer to work on paper still, if you prefer math and science, if you've taken precalculus or trigonometry and you're very detail oriented, the ACT might be your test of choice. If you prefer to test on a computer, you prefer reading and writing, and you're kind of a big picture kind of person, you might prefer the SAT.
SPEAKER_01Great. I tell families all the time, I mean, sometimes parents are not familiar with one of the tests. And we say that they're both standardized tests. They're both used by universities to assess a student's readiness. One is not valued more than the other. So we set that out. But the tests differ. They differ in structure and timing and focus. So you're right. It just depends on the student. Yep. What are the key differences students should understand before choosing a test?
SPEAKER_00Well, at Emmer Bridge, we would recommend that they take both to see to get that really anecdotal experience of which one they liked better. But if we're really going to break down and get into the nitty-gritties of how the tests are different, the ACT rewards and demands much more rote memorization for students. There's far more miscellaneous grammar rules in the English section. And at least in order of magnitude, there's more math formulas and rules that they might be tested on. The reading and science sections, they reward speed more than critical thinking and introspection. So it goes a little bit quicker. The SAT test has far fewer rules, but it requires critical thinking and problem solving. The hard questions in both sections are trying to get at the big ideas, like in reading and writing, like what's the author's purpose? What is the author trying to reinforce? What is the author arguing about? Or in math, it might ask why a certain property of an equation works the way it does. The test is shorter, it has fewer questions and more time for each question because again, they're they're testing far more about how you're thinking than instant recall.
Math Timing And Algebra Two
SPEAKER_01Great. I often get questions surrounding math. When is a student best equipped, you know, in their math um sequencing and their curriculum to take either test? So can you talk to me a little bit about calcular usage for them and like the basic contents? Is one focusing on one area field of math more than another? Can you just talk about that?
Desmos Calculator Score Boost
SPEAKER_00Yes, I would say the key to understanding when to take this test, especially when thinking about math, is when the student has completed algebra two. Okay. Both tests are going to test the majority of the test will be on algebraic concepts. So that, like you said, that's the majority of the test. Now, if the student has also taken, like I said, pre-calculus trigonometry, that will be, you'll see more of that on the ACT. But generally, when students come to us, we say, have you finished algebra two? And if so, how'd you do? How'd you feel about it? Then that might be the time to start taking practice tests. One thing that we've been seeing, a trend we've been seeing, is a lot of these students are taking algebra one in middle school, in eighth grade. And so when they come to us at the end of their software year, they may have forgotten some of those earlier concepts because now they're in pre-calculus and they're in very advanced math classes. So usually when students come to us and they've taken algebra one in those earlier, in those later middle school years, we can just have a quick run through. It's really easy to just bring those concepts back to front of mind for these students. In terms of calculator, on both tests, there is a calculator embedded in the software, and it's called Desmos. And I love this calculator, I have to tell you. I took the both tests myself, did not know how to use their calculator. I was using my own graphing calculator. And then one of our tutors was like, You want to bring your score up? Like immediately take a 30-minute tutoring session with me and learn Desmos. I did, and my score went up exponentially in math on both tests. It is available online. Desmos is available, and students can pull it up and start to play around with it and learn on it. They can call our company or test prep company and get some like a 30-minute lesson on it. I think that's how long mine was. And they don't have to bring their own calculator, and it really works well with both tests.
What ACT Science Really Measures
SPEAKER_01I know students are already using Desmos in the classroom, so I feel like they're really well versed. And so they too find it as a really helpful tool. So thank you for explaining that. How about the science section? It's in the ACT, it's not in the SAT. I have students who are STEM and they're like, I am going to knock it out of the park because science kid. And I'm thinking, it's different than what you think it might be. Can you just dig into what the science section is, what it tests, what it doesn't?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm so glad you asked because it is a little bit of a misnomer out there. The science section is an advantage for some students and it's a disadvantage for others. Students that are, like you said, that are STEM students that are wanting to go to a university to be in the STEM fields. It's an important part of the ACT to add on. And I will say add on. It's no longer part of the composite score. So when people sign up for the ACT, they need to ask for the science section if they choose to take it. The science section is largely about reading and comprehension. And that is where the confusion sets in. It is scientific in nature, and that what you're reading about is a lab that was performed. And then you have to understand how the like the steps through a lab, being able to synthesize that data that came from the lab and be able to analyze it. So it is scientific in nature in that way that everything that you are reading and comprehending is a STEM methodology. So it's either it could be science, it could be technology, it could be engineering, but it is largely about being able to read the information, read the graph, read the data, and then answer the questions.
SPEAKER_01Great. Thank you. Can you think like a scientist? Can you reason? Can you think critically? I think that's what I'm hearing is you're saying it's testing, not do you remember the content from AP biology? It's not that, right?
SPEAKER_00So that's so well said. They're not asking about mitochondria and asking you to label the cell.
SPEAKER_01Yes. Oh, can you think like a scientist or an engineer in approaching a real life experiment or situation? Thanks. And and thank you for saying that it is not, it is no longer counted in the composite. I know that students are confused about that. And when did that take? That was last year, April, maybe.
SPEAKER_00Well, it was kind of all over the place, actually. ACT did not do a fantastic job of rolling it out, although they are working out most of their bugs. But I think around July is when it became official, official. And we at Arbor Bridge, when people come to us and they're like, should I take the science or not? We're like, why not? Right. Why not take it and have it in your back pocket in case a school that you are applying to asks for it? I mean, admissions policies are are are changing as much as much as the tests are changing these days. So we we just ask students to take it and see how they do.
Find Your Best Test Fit
SPEAKER_01I think that's really great advice. And and that lends into my next question. What types of students do you feel tend to do better on each exam? Let's start with the SAT.
SPEAKER_00You know, I'll go back to, well, let's say this. You think you know, like there's so many little short quizzes online. Um, you can even ask ChatGPT, and it will tell you, oh, you're more suited for the ACT because you like math, or you're more suited for the SAT because you like reading and writing. But that's not accurate data. The tests are much more complex than that. So, like I said, the ACT goes, it's more of a, let's let's call it more of a tortoise and a hair mentality. If the ACT is more of a hair mentality, it moves quicker. And like I said, it relies more on rote memorization and being able to come up with the answer quickly. Whereas the SAT is more of a tortoise mentality, goes a little bit slower, you're asked to think a little bit deeper, potentially problem solve. So that may help a student if they have that self-awareness of themselves that may help them decide. But really, I tell you time and time again, we have a student come in that say, I dislike math. I don't want to take it, I want to take the SAT. And we say, you know, take a diagnostic test, take both. And the scores come out maybe almost equal. And we say, which one did you like better? Oh, well, I actually liked the ACT better. I'm so surprised. So I really encourage students to take both in a practice setting, um, in a really accurate testing practice setting, like sit down at eight o'clock, right when the test would, official test would start. Already have your breakfast, have your tools that you would use on the official day right in front of you. Don't have a phone, don't have dogs around, ask your family to leave you alone for three hours, and then decide how you felt afterwards.
SPEAKER_01Okay, that's so great. I tend to ask students, which one did you dislike less?
SPEAKER_00I love that. That's a good spin on it. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01How can a student figure out which test is a better fit early in the process?
SPEAKER_00You know, that's we have students coming to us from ninth grade all the way through 12th grade. And I will say that the best time to come to us or to go to your counselor and start to develop a plan and start to think about these tests would be the end of sophomore year. Usually students are done with algebra two by then. There is a certain kind of maturity that happens at the end of that year. And at that point, we say, okay, this is a good time to take both tests and see how you do. But realize that that that score at that point, at that early in the process, that's simply a starting point. That's not going to solidify the college list that you and your counselor come up with. It's simply a starting point.
Myth Two Retake Rules Debunked
SPEAKER_01Great. Thank you so much, Jenny. I think we're kind of going into our second myth. And so I want to set that out there and continue this conversation. Myth number two: a student says, Well, I know I have to take the test like five to six times to get a good score. What would you say?
SPEAKER_00There is no special number out there. Every student is unique. I think I've heard five to six times. I've also, I mean, statistics do tell us if we're looking at the data, statistically, scores will tend to level off, and there's less meaningful improvement after three attempts. But that really is just an average. There's no golden rule that students should stop after three attempts. It really depends on the student.
SPEAKER_01And that's what I advise my students as well. At a certain point, test fatigue does set in. At that point, you say, okay, we're going to put this to bed. We're going to accept these scores. And now we need to focus on other things. Because remember, testing is one data point in the holistic and this review process, an important one, but one. And so I don't want students to jeopardize, say, studying for you know their junior year grades because they've tested, they've just maxed it out. So I think that's you know when you know. That's what I'm hearing from you. How should students know if it's worth taking the test again?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's a really good question because we really need to help these students, right? They have so much going on. Like you said, they have their academics, and now we're throwing test prep in, and they have their after-school extracurricular activities. So helping these students know when they know is really critical. And that's something that we do at Arbor Bridge. Scores will plateau for a student when they've stopped doing the reflection, when they continue to do the work. Like if the student is continuing to take practice test after practice test after practice test, and the score keeps staying the same, it's plateaued. The student should stop. They shouldn't necessarily stop test prep, Stephanie, but they should stop the process that they're in right there. The best tutors and the best and anybody, the teachers, really have to help a student get into the self-reflection. Like, what is going on during this test? Where are you getting stuck? And when you get stuck, why are you getting stuck? Then we're able to help the student take away actionable items. So it's more like, I just need to focus better. It's more like, no, when I see this question, I should do X and then I should do Y and Z, and that will help sustain my focus.
SPEAKER_01I love that. I'm hearing you just say self-reflection over and over. And we really challenge our students during this college planning process to own this. And they are driving the bus, and they are the ones who are reflecting on their best choices and their best decisions because next step is college, and they're going to be a college alone and making these big decisions. So this is a growth, this is a maturity in how they approach their studying and how they understand their strengths and their areas to grow. So I love that you so true. What should a student do differently between test attempts to actually improve?
SPEAKER_00It's a really good question. Well, like I said, they shouldn't just keep going along the process as they did before. Like something needs to change. For students, we say immediately following the test, before they even receive their scores. Once again, I'll bring it up. They should reflect on the experience while it's still fresh in their mind. What worked well for them? Were they prepared? Did they get a good night's sleep? Did they eat? Were they rushing to the test? Like those kinds of things, right? But also where did they feel uncertain in the test? And when they were uncertain, what was their behavior? Did they double down and waste time on an area that they just weren't getting past? Or did they flag it and come back to it later? So there's a lot of like qualitative data to take in there before they even get the quantitative, the number, the result back. And then they can really kind of like settle in when they get the results. Like, okay, this is that one area that I doubled down on and I wasted all this time and actually got all the questions wrong. So it's about improving strategy and mindset in between test dates, more so than hammering down on like content.
Balancing Prep With School Life
SPEAKER_01That's really helpful to know. And we'll hopefully, if students and parents are, you know, when they hear this, we'll set them at ease too, because it is about strategy. And you mentioned before, these students are balancing so much and are expected so much during this, you know, sophomore, especially junior year. How can we advise students in in balancing this test prep and testing with everything else they have going on?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and we we all have to realize that, right? They have so much going on, and now we're asking them to take a high stakes test, right? So it's a very stressful environment. Um, there's a lot of fear, there's a lot of self-confidence issues that come into this. So when we know this, we tell students, like, let's sit down, let's put your parents in the room, let's talk about what's feasible here. Tell us what you have going on. How many AP classes are you in? What are your extracurriculars? Okay, we can narrow this down, and we should narrow this down to how many hours you might have to study, you have available to study week by week. And then we say, what's the test date? So if your test date is October, for example, like how can we take your schedule and how can we take the number of hours that are needed for you to get to your goal score and fit that in in a way that makes sense? And so really planning ahead and honoring the student's schedule is everything. Because if we rush this, it's going to come out in the score. It's also definitely going to come out in their muscle memory. So if we rush this process, like you need to take that test next month, and you have to prep every day for two weeks. And like you said, other things will fail. When the student goes in to take that test, it's not going to be the best experience that they could have had. And that sits in their muscle memory. So when they do go for the second attempt, they're going to be like, oh, I remember the last time I was here, and I felt anxious and I felt rushed and I didn't feel prepared. So we really advise that we start early and we just take everything of that student's life, everything they have going on to an account, and then make a solid plan.
SPEAKER_01And that's where the self-reflection and then really being honest with themselves of what is possible. So many times I know we think the impossible is possible. I can do everything. But really being honest, taking an inventory, and then holding holding ourselves accountable that this is the plan that we have set forward. I'm going to use my weekends in this way when I don't have a soccer match or I don't have choir practice and dedicate that time. But it is about dedication. I mean, very few can just sit down and knock it out of the bar. Some care. Right. But the um the vast majority of us need to have a plan in place and to to prepare methodically, consistently, and chunking it out.
SPEAKER_00And let's be realistic. As soon as we make a plan, life comes in. With a Louisville slugger and just breaks it all up, right? So we also have to be able to be flexible and to pivot as well. Oh, okay, this happened. You got sick, and then your dog got lost, and then uh your teacher was ill, and so you didn't learn what you were supposed to learn in AP history, and so now you're behind. Like life happens, so we need to be able to step in with these students and advise them okay, that was the plan, but let's alter it with our new goals now.
Myth Three What Colleges See
SPEAKER_01Great. This was gonna lead to the next myth. Oh, good, because sometimes we just bomb students bomb an exam. Myth number three colleges see every score and judge you for low ones.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank goodness this one is not true. Thank goodness, because even the word judge is so scary, isn't it? Um, so there's a couple different things out there. Some colleges will use score choice, and some colleges will use super scoring. So score choice means you get to decide which test states you want to send to the college. They will not see any other test date that you sat for, meaning you are in control of what the college will see. Okay. Super scoring, which happens at some universities, but not all. Super scoring means the student gets to send in multiple test date scores, and the college they will take the highest section score from all of those dates to create a new composite score. So in this situation, yes, the college will see all of your test date scores, but they're just going to pick out those highest section scores and really they'll use that composite score as part of your admission story.
SPEAKER_01Okay, great. Thank you for explaining that. Are there situations where a student should send all scores?
SPEAKER_00You know, there's a couple of universities, I think it's low, it's like under 10 that are going to ask for all scores. Georgetown's the one that comes front of mind. Yeah. So we might not have a choice. Yeah, we all know about Georgetown in that way. So obviously, if super scoring is something that the college allows, and you you sat down with the test prep expert, and they're like, send them all in because they will pick out these scores and look at this fabulous composite score. So, super scoring is something to talk about with your counselor or your test prep company. I would say that it depends on the story that you were trying to tell. So, another interesting, yeah, another interesting situation would be that a student scored really low. And then they scored, you know, after three attempts, their score went up exponentially. This is a neat story if it matches the admission story as well. Like I am a go-getter. I may have started here, but this is what I mean, it could even be turned into the college essay. But these are all the things that I did to improve my score. And that's how I attack life and the world and how I'm going to attack college.
SPEAKER_01I think that's great. And along with telling a story, let's talk about how, you know, if you are particularly high in one and not in the other section, talking about, let's say, that um SAT, your math is super high, reading not so much. What kind of story can that tell if you are applying as a statistics major, right? Like how does it play into their academic field of interest story? Because as college admissions professionals, we do look, you know, at testing in a granular way. Can you talk a little bit more about that?
SPEAKER_00I will say that the test score is important. Right. And like you said, it is just part of the story. But for this example, we're talking about, if your math score is low and you are applying to a competitive school where you want to be in the math department, your score should be high. It should reflect your aptitude. If it doesn't, that's not a score that you want to report. So colleges, they use that the standardized test as a way to really kind of even out what's going on. If we're just talking in the United States right now, to really try and even out what's going on nationwide. So every state has different, a different way to look at the 4.0 grade point average, right? And so it's called grade inflation. So a 4.0 in one state might be different from a 4.0 in another state. So the admissions professional uses this standardized score to really try to evaluate students more equally. So if you get that low score in math and you want to be a math major, that's one of those areas that you've got to look at strategy. You have the aptitude, you obviously have the passion. So there's just something going on strategically that you need to look at.
SPEAKER_01What do families tend to misunderstand the most about how colleges evaluate these scores?
SPEAKER_00You know, I think that families that come to us, they'll think that the test score is the most important item. They think that if they don't have a near perfect score, that they won't be admitted. And we, you know, all the IBs just came out with their admissions decisions in the last week. And a lot of a lot of counselors were surprised. Um, a student maybe who scored perfect on the SAT was not admitted because it is just part of the story. So a student can be extremely academic and very strategic and score really well on this test, but the rest of the story didn't match that. Right. So I think the biggest misnomer is, like we were saying earlier, it's a part of the story, and really it should fit in to the rest of the story.
Myth Four Test Optional Reality
SPEAKER_01Exactly. It can be a strong tool in our profile, and we want to have as many tools as possible when we're putting forth our applications. Just families, if you're listening, I will say over and over again that the bread and butter of an application will remain grades and rigor of curriculum. So um, but which leads to myth number four for saying that you know it's just one data point, but might not be the most important. Myth number four, test optional means tests don't matter. What do you think about it, honey?
SPEAKER_00You know, I think test optional is one of those things that it sounds really good, but it's not actually what it appears to be. So I think that test optional schools are here to stay. I really do. It's working for a lot of schools, and test prep is not largely available for some areas. So it's I I believe it's an admissions policy that is absolutely going to stay. With that in mind, schools are changing their admissions policies. And sometimes they do it quite quickly. So if on your college list all of your schools are test optional, we are still advising students to take the test. Have a test score in your back pocket so that in this year that you're working with your college counselor, all of a sudden at the last minute, the school decides to go, test required, you have a score to give to admissions.
SPEAKER_01We can't underestimate the value of a strong score despite being in a test optional posture. And I agree with you, I don't think it's going to go away for some, but we are seeing that especially the large um research universities, the publics, they are moving. Um they're moving away from the test optional. So it will become part of the story. That was that was my next question is do you predict test optional policies are going away?
SPEAKER_00So you know, it's exactly what you said. I don't see it disappearing completely, but I agree with you. We are seeing a larger return to the test year after year. And when we think about this again, we have to think about here's an admissions professional who's getting applications from students all over the United States and internationally. So GPA, the rigor of courses, all of that is really a complex puzzle for them to put together. But the standardized score, it's the same test given to all the students. And that is one way that they can really start to evaluate students again on a more level playing field.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I agree. I had an interesting situation years ago with a student who came to me and said, I am, I am not, I am not a test taker. It will consume my admissions planning journey. I am validic, she was valedictorian, she was doing all the things, but test prep was not going to, even test taking, you know, aside from the mandated test that they take in school, it was not going to be part of her narrative. And so, you know, we had the discussion, she decided that that was that was fine. But in the schools that she and she was admitted to since great schools, however, because we didn't have tests, it affected her merit scholarship consideration.
Merit Aid And Money Left Behind
SPEAKER_00Can you talk a little bit about that? Great point. Great point. I'm so glad you brought that up. Yes. So here's another reason to have a test score, and I should say a test score that reflects your aptitude. Merit scholarships are awarded at um a lot of private universities, and it's quite a bit of money, actually, that they award, but it is based on test score and GPA. Black and white, both of them. So by not taking the test, by not taking just some test prep and taking a three and you know, one Saturday where you take three and a half hours to take this test, a student can be turning down over$100,000 in merit money that really is owed to them, right? Because they're that kind of student. So it is leaving money on the table. Tutoring costs money, right? And it's it's an investment. But when sometimes I show students the there's a lot of students in a like that are going for a state scholarship, even like if you could just get this one score and it may cost you, may cost you$4,000 in tutoring. You might need a lot of hours, but you're going to be gifted$40,000 every year for the next four years of your college career. The investment is largely worth it.
SPEAKER_01And some of these schools, I really appreciate they're trying their hardest to be transparent. And on their financial aid and admission pages, they will have the rubric up of their scholarships. This GPA plus this test score gets you this much. So are seeing that. So I advise families in the schools that they're interested in, you know, at a young age, just take a look and see that this is this is your benchmark. If you're shooting, this is your GPA. Now this is your this is what you should be aiming for is your goal.
SPEAKER_00Well, and I'll tell you, on our website is this tool. It's probably my most favorite tool, and it's largely overlooked. So on the front page of the Arbor Wood Arbor Bridge website, if you scroll down to the bottom, there's a tool that will show you. You can kind of move it around. It's very interactive. So you'll say, I have a SAT score of a 1290. To get this merit scholarship, I need to have a 1350. And so you move it around and it will give you the amount of hours that it would take percentage-wise, with the data that we've collected since 2004. It will break it down to how many hours you need to study to potentially get to that score. Like we'd say, okay, if you're 1290 and you want to get to a 1350, 75% of students that studied for 15 hours got that score. 90% of students who studied for 30 hours got that score. And 100% of students who studied for 45 hours got that score. So it's a really fabulous tool for families to start planning.
Four Myth Recap And Takeaways
SPEAKER_01That is so helpful. Thank you for sharing that. Okay, Jenny, you shared so much valuable information. Let me just recap for our audience. We'll just go over the four myths from what I heard. In saying the SAT is easier than the ACT, we debunk that, but neither's easier. They're just different. And so it just depends on your aptitude, your style. They're just different, but neither's easier. And in questioning that you have to take the test, you know, five, six, seven times to get a good score. There's really no amount, there's no set number you share that you see, you know, probably doesn't move much after three attempts, but there are cases where it does. And it's just knowing and being knowledgeable on how much you've moved the needle and reflecting on your test strategy in knowing when to stop and or when to test again. I asked you about colleges, do they see every score and do they judge you for low ones? And thank you for sharing that. No, in some cases they don't. Most colleges are now using super scoring or allow score choice. So you advise students to take the tests because there is, um, we are seeing that we have students have agency in the scores that you know for select few, named Georgetown, but they have agency in the scores that they want to share.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Yeah, well put.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And then the last one, you know, test optional means that tests don't matter. And that is clearly not true. At many schools, strong scores still help sometimes significantly. And we we mentioned uh merit scholarship consideration. So, with anything, it is a point in this holistic process. It's a data point, and we're we're calling it a tool, and we want another um strong tool in a student's tool belt. So we urge students to to still prep and to still take the tests. Jenny, any other words of advice or any other myths that you see that you'd like to debunk before we before we end?
Turning Fear Into Strategy
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I do. I think there's so much negativity surrounding these tests, right? Like as soon as we bring up the test, the two emotions that we see the most are fear and anxiety. And I really just kind of want to debunk this. Students can actually enjoy this process. And that's part of what we, I think what we do really well when we work with students. This isn't a do or die test. This test is interesting. It's not like your history test, it's not like your chemistry test. You can't prepare for them the same way. So we like to tell students like, this is a game of strategy. This is actually something that we can figure out together. The test is actually, it is out to trick you. So let's figure out how it's tricking us and how to do how to like decipher how to do well in this test. Students go into this thinking, it's gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna look dumb. I do so well in class. And then, like you said, I'm not a good test taker. Everyone can be a good test taker if they understand how to strategically take this test. And that turns it into a little bit more of a game, and it's actually more fun to study for than the regular academic tests.
SPEAKER_01Thank you so much for sharing that. And as you're saying that it can actually be fun. I also students said the essay writing process can be fun and you should see their faces. But at the end of the day, you know, as I was saying before, this is a time in students' lives that they're preparing for something and they are reflecting on how they're going to approach something that for some could be very difficult. But they are in the process learning about themselves and hopefully adopting a growth mindset, which is what we want all of our students to have as they move forward. Because in college and beyond in the professional career, having a goal and working towards that, we can really learn about ourselves and like you said, and pivot when something doesn't work. Because um I don't I don't want this to be so concrete, so black and white, because it it is a journey. So yes, yes.
SPEAKER_00And asking for help along the way. Oh, yes. You know, let's let our students know that asking for help on this is a strength and there's plenty of help available.
SPEAKER_01Thank you so much, Jenny. I learned so much. You have so much knowledge, and I really appreciate you taking the time to share that with me and to share that with our families. I hope that everybody listening can at least feel more settled and are able to take this knowledge and share that with your students. And as Jenny said, make it fun. We can make it fun. We can. We can.
SPEAKER_00We can. Thank you. It was an honor to be on here. Thank you so much. We really want to help all these families and students to not be so afraid of this or negative and enjoy the process and do really well.
SPEAKER_01Thanks for listening to the College Planning Simplified Podcast. If today's episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this podcast with someone who needs study guidance right now. I'll see you next time.