SAT and ACT Prep in Arlington
by James Pipkin
by James Pipkin
Many parents come to a crossroads regarding which admissions test would be best for their child. Many stick with the test that is more prevalent among colleges in their area. For example, the ACT is more prevalent in Oklahoma and Arkansas, whereas the SAT is more popular in Texas. Surprisingly, this is not because colleges in these places exclusively require one test or the other. In fact, I do not know of a single school in any of these three states that exclusively requires either test. Therefore, students should choose according to what is best for them.
The best approach for nearly every student is to take both tests. A student may elect not to send the scores to schools from any test until he or she is ready. For example, say a student plans to take both tests during the spring of their junior year but is not sure how they will do. They can decide not to send the scores to any colleges until they find out how they did. There is an additional fee but it might be worth it just to relieve some of the pressure. If they like their, scores they can go ahead and have them sent to the colleges to which they are applying or they can decide to take either test again and then send the scores.
Another reason to take both is that some students may do better on one test than the other. This may depend on a student having skills that are better suited to one test more than the other. For example, students who know all the key math formulas have an edge on the ACT because these useful formulas are not included in the test instructions; students must know them. In contrast, these formulas are present as part of the SAT instructions so students do not have to know or memorize them.
Sometimes a student may feel more comfortable with the nature and design of one test over the other. I had a student last year who did well on the ACT math section but poorly on the SAT math section. This difference appeared consistently on both real and practice tests. She was above the 60th percentile on the ACT math section and around the 40th percentile on the SAT math section. The only explanation I could come up with was that the layout of the ACT fit her better. Taking both tests will give the student feedback that he or she can use to decide if another test is a good idea and which test on which to focus their preparation. If the student does considerably better on one test, they should probably study for and take that test again.
Excerpt from The Parent’s Guide to the SAT and ACT by James Pipkin, 2007
"James, I wanted to express my sincere appreciation for all the hard work you provided to my son. There are so many people and companies that, when hired to do a job, do provide quality work but aren't really personally or emotionally invested. I felt that you went above and beyond. You really did care about my son's academic dreams.”
Knowledge Guides
3901 W Green Oaks Blvd, Ste. A
Arlington, TX 76016-2795
817-451-6200
EXCELLENTTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My daughter raised her ACT by 5 points! Thank you James for your care, compassion and assistance!Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. James, from Knowledge Guides, provided invaluable assistance to my son. After attending his class, my son's SAT score significantly improved, from 990 to 1210. James not only helped my son achieve a higher score, but he also helped my son‘s test-taking skills, which will undoubtedly benefit him.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. James has an infinite knowledge of high schools in the area as well as requirements and expectations for students to qualify for their college of choice. His program helped my son raise his SAT score over 150 points! 5 stars!!Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. About four and a half years ago, my son had one-to-one SAT tutoring with Mr. Pipkin at Knowledge Guides. My son made his dream university UT Austin and graduate this summer. As well, Mr. Pipkin assisted with my son’s application for college. We really appreciate what Knowledge Guides had done with my son, and strongly recommend it!Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. excellent test prep. the instructor did a fantastic job not only teaching but mentoring.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. James worked with my son, and his score went up 150 points to a 1430. My son loved working with James, and I was impressed by the extra care he took with details like advice for the week before and before test checklists. We are beyond pleased with Knowledge Guides!Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I can’t say enough good things about this company. They gave my child the one on one attention he needed. We also got great counseling on colleges. My child’s SAT score improved so much, he will now be able to get into the college of his choice! Thank you!Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. James is absolutely phenomenal!! The rapport he developed with our son helped create an awesome learning environment. Our son was able to raise his SAT score by 110 points and moved into a higher merit category. Our family can not recommend James at Knowledge Guides enough!!! He is the BEST! We will be using him again for sure!! This was truly an investment into our son’s future and we could not be more pleased!!!Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Daughter received a 1390 SAT score on her first try. Thanks JamesTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I highly recommend Knowledge Guides, for any students preparing for SAT's! My daughter is a senior at Martin, she really enjoyed this program, it worked well with her schedule. Mr. Pipkin was a great communicator as well as instructor. She liked that the instruction was individualized for her needs. We very pleased with her final results. Knowledge guides was worth the money if you are the market for a SAT tutor.
*SAT, PSAT, and NMSQT are registered trademarks of the College Board. All are unaffiliated with Knowledge Guides. ACT is the registered trademark of ACT, Inc. It is not affiliated with Knowledge Guides.