OK, fine, there's no such thing as a score boost guarantee.  

If you see or hear one, you should run -- not walk -- away as quickly as if you were offered a ticket to the new Superman movie (SO BAD).

But there is a "secret sauce" to crushing the SAT and ACT.  Spoiler alert, it involves doing the W-O-R-K.

The way we tutor kids, it also involves:

*Content - the bare-bones, FOCUSED amount necessary to conquer the tests.  We don't teach the whole semester of content like your math teacher who tutors on the side, and wants to go over the entire year of Algebra II in order for you to get six questions right. That's a big waste of time.

Our motto:  "Highest scores, least amount of time."

*Strategy - including which questions to answer when, now much time to spend on them, when to make an educated guess, process of elimination

*"Tricks" - meaning the tricks and traps that lay waiting for hapless victims on the exams, created by sneaky, diabolical exam writers

*Time management - a sub...

 SAT v New ACT Webinar

The SAT and ACT are becoming more important to college admissions officers with each passing day, thanks mostly to RAMPANT grade inflation throughout the US of A.

One local, rigorous high school had 9 valedictorians this year.   

The good news is that this is down from 15 in 2023.  (Wish I was joking.) 

Although the pendulum is swinging back to the SAT and ACT as the preferred predictors of collegiate academic performance, several questions remain for college-bound teens. Among them:

Which Test is Best?

Colleges accept both.  Higher scores mean greater odds of acceptance, and winning fat, juicy scholarships.

Some kids do much better on one versus the other.  But it's time consuming and stressful to prep for each. 

Plus, the ACT recently changed formats, which complicates matters.  But we can help...

Tonight, we're hosting an up-to-date rundown on the pros and cons, similarities and differences of the SAT and ACT, so that you can help your child determ...

The ACT just changed formats, but the big question is, Should your child take it or the SAT?

Other questions you may have or should have:

*Which test is best for strong math students?

*What's the deal with the mislabled Science Section?

*Which test is best for slow test takers?

Our head tutor Marissa U is doing a short presentation to help you figure out Which Test is Best for your child, by running a brand new SAT vs New ACT preview class.

You'll get a chance to hear her thoughts, plus ask your own SAT v ACT questions in the live Q&A.

It's tomorrow,  Wednesday June 25th and you flat out can't miss it if your kiddo is about to grapple with the SAT or ACT!

Here's where to get all class details:

SAT v ACT Class

See you in class!

- Andy "Feeling Testy" Lockwood

So we're still digesting the "soft rollout" of the newly refurbished ACT, and have some updated thoughts to share about the changed timing, whether the science section is really optional, the experimental questions, more.

It's not clear whether this version of the ACT is better than the old one.

Breaking News

I interrupt this email to share the following excitiing announcement...

Our head tutor Marissa U is doing a short presentation to help you figure out Which Test is Best for your child, by running a brand spanking new SAT vs New ACT preview class.

It's this coming Wednesday June 25th and you won't want to miss it if you have a happy young standardized test taker about to grapple with the SAT or ACT!

Run don't walk!

Here's where to get all details:

Preview Class Details

See you in class!

- Andy "Test Not Optional" Lockwood

How's this?

“The sun rose over the soccer field as I laced up my cleats, not knowing this game would change my life forever…”

I don't know if you're smirking or gagging, but if you were an admissions officer at an elite college, you'd probably be thinking one thought:

"Next!"

The essays and extracurricular activities are two major factors in every kid's control.

Yet, so many with impressive credentials, who "deserved" to get into the top colleges in the country, fail in these critical areas.

So they get dinged.

Rejected.

Thanks for playing. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Like that Roslyn (NY) kid with the $30M business, who was denied by every Ivy and the vast majority of colleges on his list.

In a few hours, tonight, I'll be dissecting exactly what a winning personal statement, supplemental essay and extracurricular activities section should look like, if you're young 'un has hopes and dreams of getting into a competitive college, today.

If you have a clas...

OK if I get real for a moment?

If the highlights of your kid’s activity list include “babysitting,” “band camp,” or “random club they joined in 11th grade,” they’re toast.
If their essay opens with a quote or a metaphor about climbing mountains, ditto
If you have a 2026 kiddo who's been "thinking" about working on their essays over the summer, when "get around to it"... wake up. It’s June.

I'm running a brand spanking new webinar tomorrow night, The Stone Cold Truth About Essays and Extracurriculars.

It's free and we will not be selling anything. But the information is pretty darn valuable, if I may offer my unsolicited, yet subtle, opinion.

I'm doing this presentation because you won't get this information from your guidance counselor...

...But you absolutely MUST hear it if you've got a 2026 or younger child gunning for a top college.

(Again with the subtlety.)

Here's a smidgeon of what's on tap tomorrow night:

What actually separates killer extracurriculars from résumé...

It's inevitable, every year, just as day follows night:

• High 90’s average
• National Honor Society member
• Varsity sports participant
• REJECTED from half their schools.

Why?

Because these poor kids never learned how to STAND OUT -- how to MARKET themselves.

Admissions officers have a different perspective than a sweet grandma knitting a blankie.

They’re skimming.

Judging. Comparing.

Tossing.

Your kiddo has mere minutes to grab their attention and sell them on their VALUE.

To answer the Invisible Question that's technically not on the Common Application, but in the hearts and minds of every admissions officer as they grind through 1,000 applications per year:

“Why are YOU different from the other 50,000 identical applicants you're competing with?”

That’s what I'm going to show you, Wednesday night: 

College Admissions Cheat Code
Wednesday, May 21
Register now → https://collegeplanningedge.com/

You will discover:

 The “Admissions Edge” strategy for turning a boring ...

What’s the difference between a kid who gets into an Ivy or other top 25 college…

 …and an equally strong student, who gets ghosted by their “dream school”?

It’s NOT grades.
It’s NOT SAT scores.
It’s NOT 400 hours of “community service” bagging groceries for retirees.

It’s STRATEGY.

Here’s the inconvenient, brutal truth: college admissions is a game, and it’s not fair.

But here’s the thing…

It’s not DESIGNED to be fair.

The winners aren’t necessarily the smartest and best students.

The ones who get the brass ring are those who know how to play the game.

Which is exactly what I'll be breaking down—step by step—at our upcoming free workshop:

College Admissions Cheat Code
Wednesday, May 21
Register now → https://collegeplanningedge.com/

Here’s a mere spattering of what's on tap Wednesday night:

The 60-40 method of how to get into Ivy/elite/competitive colleges (without lying, bribing or photoshopping)
How to write a college essay that sells (not bores)
How to slash college c...

If you know any class of 2025 high school seniors who just went through the college application process, their experience could be summed up in three letters:

WTF?

Shockingly low acceptances.  Thousands of students waitlisted at colleges they "deserved" to get into.

College admissions barely resembles what you and I went through, 30 ish years ago.

Yesterday's "Safety Schools" are today's impossible dreams.

Example: The idea of the well-rounded student hasn't been a "thing" in college admissions since people communicated by fax and drove horse and buggies.

Question:  How did Northeastern go from a 90% acceptance rate in 1986 to an elite, top 50-ish college in 2025?

The rules of the game have changed.

If you're confused, scared or you-know-whatting-a-brick about your son's or daughter's chances of getting into a decent -- let alone an Ivy or comparable college -- I have two things to tell you that should help.

1.  It's not your fault!  

You're not taught this. And your high sch...

Let me be blunt.

If your son or daughter is applying to college anytime soon… they’re up against a tsunami of near-identical applicants who all look the same on paper:

Good grades
Decent test scores
Solid extracurriculars
Pretty little essay about “growth”

Guess what?

That’s exactly why most of them will get tossed into the reject pile without a second glance.

But not your kid.
Not if you join us TONIGHT at our no-fluff, no-BS college admissions workshop.

Here’s what we’re laying out:

Tested and proven strategies (not the usual counselor "advice") to help your teen rise above 30,000+ other “well-rounded” applicants.
The Edge that makes admissions officers perk up, lean in and say “this one’s different.”
How families—yes, even families who “make too much”—are legally and ethically stacking $20,000… $40,000… even $80,000+ in fat, juicy scholarships.
What to do right now to avoid financial aid mistakes that cost families tens of thousands every year.

I'm not giving vague inspi...