While the ACT measures the skills and knowledge you have learned in high school, it is also an excellent way to gain more choice in your first-year class schedule, receive merit aid, and stand out from other applicants in the admissions process.

Being able to closely read a text is a skill that will serve you in high school, college, and beyond. It’s also one of the hardest abilities to master. In this post, we will explore what close reading is and how to improve your expertise.

There is no doubt that COVID-19 has disrupted your high school experience and college plans in some way. For the 2022-23 admissions cycle, The Common App will continue to include this question on their application portal as an opportunity for you to elaborate on how the pandemic has affected your life.

We’ve posted a lot lately about the College Board’s announcement of a fully digital SAT test format. In this post, we will break down the most recent round of updates on digital testing from a test preparation industry meeting with the College Board. 

The IB English Exam requires complex analysis and an incisive understanding of rhetorical skills. In this blog, we will provide you with a general overview of the IB English exam and helpful tips for preparation. After all, May is right around the corner. Let’s start, then, with an introduction to the structure of the exam itself.

The IB Extended Essay, rather than a single-day exam, is a mandatory, year-long research project that IB students write with a faculty advisor’s guidance. The essay, which is typically at or around 4,000 words in length, falls within one of the following thematic groups: Studies in Language and Literature, Language Acquisition, Individuals and Societies, Sciences, Mathematics, or the Arts. The IB resource center contains sample essays highlighting the “diverse range of topics” students may cover.

Students with dyscalculia have a significantly more difficult time learning math than most, in this post we will explore how to identify dyscalculia and what we as educators and parents can do to help.

Concerns within and about our contemporary educational systems have been voiced for years. The United States has consistently ranked last amongst OECD countries tested on math gains and second-to-last on literacy gains. 

With winter break behind us, the spring term is finally in sight—the cherry blossoms will soon be blooming, sparrows and chickadees singing, and endless showers bringing about new growth. Oh, and AP exams. With exams being administered in-person again this year (barring any unforeseen circumstances), ‘tis the season to begin preparing!

In 2015, a satirical Tumblr account formerly known as CollegeBoardOfficial posted “Thank your mom this Mother’s Day by isolating yourself in your room and cramming for AP tests.” (Both Mother’s Day and AP exams occur in May.) Well, we at North Avenue believe in respecting mothers – do so by starting to study for those AP exams now!

Today, a group of test prep professionals met with the College Board to learn more details about the digital SAT. Here’s what we learned.

Although the GRE is not yet accepted by all law schools, applicants whose strengths align better with the GRE should think seriously about choosing it over the LSAT.

Many students believe they are simply “bad at math” – and that this will always be true for them. However, such convictions may stem from math anxiety, which causes feelings of extreme nervousness or fear when confronted with math questions or new math topics. Math-related anxiety makes it harder to focus on topics as they are being taught, or while completing assessments. While common, there are also many ways to alleviate math anxiety.

The College Board announced a plan to transform the paper-based SAT into a condensed, adaptive digital assessment. Here’s why today’s students should care.

When students are empowered to utilize their intrinsic motivators, rather than passively responding to extrinsic motivators, they become better life-long learners.

The 2022 AP Physics exams will take place May 10th-13th, depending on your physics course. Whether you’re taking AP Physics 1, 2, or a AP Physics C course, you’re about halfway through the year and still have a lot of new material left to cover. But that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start thinking about how to prepare! The following tips outline steps you can take now and in the weeks leading up to the AP exam to get ready for test day.

The IB Chemistry exam is a daunting test to prepare for! With two years of material covered, it’s definitely important to start studying well in advance of your exam. There are 21 units covered – ideally, you want to be studying about 2 units per week if starting now.

For many high school juniors, the October PSAT/NMSQT was their first foray into standardized testing. Reading the recently released score reports can be close to as challenging as taking the test itself. If you’re wondering what your PSAT score report indicates or why the test is important in the first place, look no further. We’ve compiled a short list of insights to help you maximize your results. 

The exams for AP Calculus AB and BC will take place this year on May 9th. While this date may feel like eons away for those still in their first semester, AP exams will test you on everything that you’ve learned throughout the year and potentially earn you college credit – so it’s never too early to start preparing!

When considering a private high school for your student, plan ahead for admissions requirements.

COVID-19 has forced many to recognize that online tutoring can be a highly effective educational format. As a hybrid team on the forefront of this educational shift, we also recognize that some students still have compelling reasons to choose an in-person tutor.

Study Skills and Executive Function Coaching utilizes educational psychology and practical skill development to help students become better learners.

After two years of digital testing, the College Board announced that AP Exams in 2022 will be administered in their original hard-copy format.

Unlike back in the day when your application was a simple envelope sealed with spit and sent by snail mail, in today’s world, you can apply to multiple colleges at once and have your application information organized and stored at your fingertips. There are two primary platforms that facilitate this expedited process: the Common App and the Coalition for College. If you are pushing to meet an ED deadline or are just getting prepared and you don’t yet know which platform to use and why, read on!