FAQs & Resources for Test Prep
Test Registration & Logistics
—> Are you registered for your next test date?
SAT - Find SAT test dates and registration deadlines.
ACT - Find ACT test dates and registration deadlines.
My Answer Key (MAK) – If available, pay the additional fee to receive a copy of the test and your student’s answers. This is invaluable information for assessing their performance.
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Students can usually decide which test score reports they would like to submit to a college. (There are notable exceptions like Georgetown and Syracuse, which require students to submit all test sittings.)
We do not recommend that students automatically report their scores to their target colleges when they register for the SAT or ACT unless they are facing a college application deadline.
We have seen a lot of crazy things happen on Test Days, and we don’t want your student to feel unnecessary pressure. Since your student is not guaranteed a great testing experience, you are safer waiting to report great test scores to colleges after you have them in hand.
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If your student has the option, they should always take the ACT on PAPER!
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*Only three U.S. colleges now require the ACT Science test.
Georgetown University
Boston University
Pomona College
Duke University is also happy to see a Science score but doesn’t require it.
Unless you are planning to major in a STEM field and have the time to dedicate to making your Science section score exceptional, you should skip the Science section.
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Only two U.S. colleges require the ACT Writing test.
Martin Luther College (MN)
Soka University of America (CA)
Most colleges will review an included ACT Writing score, and an excellent ACT Writing score (9+ out of a possible 12) can add depth to your application.
Unlike your Common Application Essay, which a college assumes has been revised and reviewed by multiple readers, the ACT Writing test shows how well you write spontaneously under pressure.
In the age of AI, demonstrating your genuine writing skills could add a banner of qualification to your application.
Nevertheless, unless you are a capable writer, have prepared for the Writing test, and are sure that you can score well, you should not register for Writing.
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When you register for the SAT or ACT, you will be able to indicate your need for test accommodations.
Your test registration will trigger the accommodations application process, which is coordinated through your high school guidance office.
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Not if you’re working with us. Please save your money.
Common Registration Questions
Understanding the SAT & ACT
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There are two college admissions tests that are accepted by all U.S. colleges and universities: the SAT and the ACT. Both test college readiness skills in different ways.
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Here’s a Score Concordance Table for the SAT and ACT, so you can see how scores compare. If you have more questions, please ask us.
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The SAT is a digital adaptive test with two sections: Reading & Writing (verbal) and Math, each with two modules. It adjusts difficulty based on performance, includes shorter passages, and provides a built-in Desmos calculator for Math.
With fewer questions but more thinking time per question, the SAT requires nuanced problem-solving. In addition, the SAT weights the verbal and math sections equally toward a student’s Composite score.
The ACT is usually a paper-and-pencil test. The ACT has three sections: English, Math, and Reading. It is faster-paced, entirely multiple-choice, and includes optional Science and Writing sections.
The ACT emphasizes direct problem-solving with tighter time constraints. In addition, the ACT averages its three sections equally toward a student’s Composite score, which means verbal skills weigh more heavily than math.
Want a side-by-side comparison? View a detailed infographic here
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How does the SAT work?
As this infographic demonstrates, the SAT is broken into two sections: Reading & Writing (verbal) and Math. The maximum score on the SAT is 1600: a perfect 800 in each section.
Each section starts with a fixed base module. The test is section adaptive, so the student will then receive a fixed second module that is more or less difficult based on their performance on the first module. In total, the test contains four modules: two in verbal and two in math.
Every digital SAT question presents a screen with a (maximum) 200-300-word individual passage and one accompanying question, so each module is, in itself, modular. Students interact with a primary screen that allows them to select and complete each question as they choose. Test-takers who prefer the SAT like this “bite-sized” test structure.
SAT Reading & Writing
Of course, students’ experiences with this test structure vary, and Reading & Writing is where they tend to feel it most keenly. Students who are accustomed to a series of linear questions ordered on a page can find the modular reading tasks of Passage/Question, Passage/Question, to feel staccato and repetitive, which challenges them to establish a comfortable rhythm and momentum. In contrast, students who like to move quickly can feel confident that they did well on the SAT when they missed the deeper thinking tasks entirely.
Sometimes, SAT Reading presents multiple questions about the same passage; the questions are individual, with the same passage text each time. While the digital test’s tools allow test takers to mark up text on the screen, they cannot save and carry their highlights or notes to the next question; instead, blank identical text appears. For students who like to interact with text, this can prove frustrating.
The design of SAT questions is complex and nuanced. The SAT can feel both tedious and frustrating to sixteen- and seventeen-year-old brains, which are usually still early in developing their abstract reasoning skills. Especially in Reading, some students report repeatedly getting stuck between two answers that seem the same. While this can happen on any multiple-choice test, we hear this more often when students engage with SAT Reading than ACT Reading. What’s more, insightful or perfectionistic test takers tend to struggle more.
Once prep begins, students may experience a certain level of frustration with the SAT verbal’s complex design, which can feel like a pedantic labyrinth. Tutors sometimes joke that the Reading questions can feel like the most tediously literal person you've ever met.
SAT Math
Students sometimes say that SAT Math questions feel like a “riddle.” Though the SAT assesses students for their overall math learning, test takers need particular comfort with algebra to succeed. In addition, one key design element of SAT Math is “Student Produced Response”.
In 25% of the Math questions, students have no multiple-choice answers to resource; instead, they have to generate their own numerical answers. This question type is unique to the SAT, and commonly, students find it unnerving to have no reference point to guide their math work.
Additionally, the SAT Math modules have an embedded Desmos calculator, an extremely useful tool that students must master for their peak SAT performance, especially due to its quick solving and time-saving potential.
Key Elements of SAT Design
Importantly, the SAT gives students more time to think through its tricky tasks. Thus, time pressure is not as acute for most students, and time management is less critical in test strategy. Often, this means that a student’s overall perception of time pressure on the SAT is less than that on the ACT.
Finally, and notably, the SAT is designed and scores adaptively. The first module in each section contains questions of varied difficulty. Depending on each student’s performance on the first module, they receive a second module that is either more or less difficult to pinpoint their score.
The College Board (which makes the SAT) is opaque about its scoring model, but we know that scores are a product of several factors, including “characteristics of the questions they answered right or wrong (e.g., the questions' difficulty levels), and the probability that the pattern of answers suggests they were guessing.” (The College Board)
There’s a notable psychological factor here, because a test-taker can get caught in unhelpful thinking patterns on the SAT if they feel they are losing time on a question. Once a test-taker realizes they’re stuck, they may lose time worrying about how the test will interpret their decisions and score them.
Ironically, this wasted time, interrupted process, and lost focus and confidence actually can affect the test-taker’s score, simply because the SAT sets them up to worry with its opaque scoring system.
How does the ACT work?
The paper-and-pencil ACT has an old-fashioned bubble sheet, and every question counts for the same number of points, no matter how easy or difficult. As this infographic shows, the ACT has three distinct, linear sections that alternate between verbal and STEM: English, Math, and Reading.
A perfect score on an ACT section is 36, and a student’s three section scores are averaged to generate their Composite score, which also maxes at 36.
Students may bring a graphing calculator, such as a TI-84, to use on the Math section only. Students who like to interact with a paper-and-pencil test often strongly prefer the ACT.
ACT is a more holistically contextual test: apart from the single-question format of the Math test, where questions appear sequentially on a page, most questions are presented in passage format: usually 10-15 questions in English and 9 questions in Reading. This longer passage-based format has a certain organic flow that many students like, but a 600-word reading passage with 9 accompanying questions can overwhelm others.
Key Elements of ACT Design
The design of ACT questions is mostly straightforward and usually feels fair and “gettable” to students: evidence feels concrete and clear to them. Since the questions are more direct, students have to work a little faster per task than on the SAT. In this sense, the ACT is more metacognitive and strategic in its design, since many students (quite normally) do not finish all the questions in the time allowed, especially before learning both the test’s content and time management strategies.
High-achieving students may perceive not being able to complete each question on a standardized test thoughtfully as a failure, and they may then internalize that performance as a judgment on their academic value – so their narrative around pace and accuracy matters.
Generally, a student’s overall perception of time pressure on the ACT is greater in comparison to the SAT. Of course, this means that students who worry about time can feel more hurried or anxious taking the ACT, especially before instruction normalizes test design and strategies.
In September 2025, ACT introduced the “Enhanced ACT,” which is significantly shorter than the “Legacy” test offered consistently for more than 20 years: the Legacy ACT had 215 questions, whereas the Enhanced ACT has only 131; furthermore, students now have more time per question on every section of the test.
Again, this infographic shows the structure of the new, Enhanced ACT and how it compares in length to the digital SAT. A score concordance is included for comparison.
The Scoring Difference: SAT vs. ACT
Importantly, the SAT counts Math and Reading/Writing equally towards the Composite of 1600. It’s a great test for students who are strong in both areas and want to demonstrate that balance.
Conversely, a student who is strong in math but more challenged in grammar and writing style often prefers the SAT: Reading & Writing questions combine into one section score, minimizing the student’s weakest area.
In contrast, on the Enhanced ACT, the English, Math, and Reading sections are averaged toward the Composite score. In other words, two-thirds of a test-taker’s Composite score averages from the verbal sections. Thus, if a student is considerably stronger in the verbal sections, the ACT is a great choice.
The ACT Science section is now optional, and most students elect not to test in Science. If a student is applying to one of the three universities that still require the Science section or really wants to highlight their STEM strengths, an exceptional Science score can be the icing on the ACT cake. However, this would not be a deciding factor between choosing ACT and SAT. In addition, ACT prep would make Science the lowest priority; the Composite score is the target.
Your student does NOT need to take both the SAT and the ACT – they only need one, and most test-takers are better at one test than the other. Great assessment can help determine if the SAT or the ACT is best for your test taker, and we’re happy to help!
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That’s a key question, and the answer is, we can find that out together! RTC offers a thoughtful and thorough assessment process in which we help your student discover and decide which test is best suited for them. Ask us about it!
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Many college admissions departments accept a student’s “Single Best” score — their best overall Composite on SAT or ACT from one test day.
Many colleges “Superscore,” which means that a student can submit two tests (SAT) or three tests (ACT) on which they have earned top individual section scores. (The SAT has 2 sections; the ACT has 3 sections.) The school cherry-picks those top section scores to make a Superscore Composite.
Timing, Assessment, Test Preparation & Your Family’s Investment in College Readiness
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Any normal, healthy teen can grow significantly on the SAT or ACT with dedicated practice over time! However, these tests aren’t about TikTok tricks. Of course, test-taking strategies can help any test-taker improve, but the SAT & ACT really measure college readiness. When students improve their scores, they demonstrate their growing ability to contend with the challenges of college academics.
We always recommend that families come to RTC in the spring of their student’s sophomore year so that we can cement a concrete test prep plan early with a long “runway for success.”
Your student’s plan would be unique and decided based upon multiple factors, including these:
Score Goal:
If a student has an ambitious score goal and their history with testing suggests they may need to make long-term growth toward that goal, completing assessment in the spring of sophomore year is wise. Even if the student would not start test prep until months later, it counts to have a concrete plan early with a long “runway for success.”
Students who want to grow their scores 240+ points on SAT or 7+ points on ACT (after assessment) would likely benefit from 10-16 weeks in Strategic Reading & Writing (& Math, as needed) to lay the foundational groundwork for their success in SAT or ACT, before they begin to contend with the test itself. Students who complete this program cruise with confidence into test prep success!
Math:
If the student has completed Algebra II and Geometry by the end of their sophomore year, they have the math prerequisites to complete test prep anytime during junior year, including the summer before junior year. (Test prep the summer before junior year can be ideal for mature, high achieving students, especially those with a heavy academic load or multiple extracurricular activities.)
If the student needs to take Algebra II or Geometry during their junior year, they should wait to do test prep until the winter or early spring of their junior year, so that testing does not happen until that math curriculum is complete.
If the student is targeting a top Math score on ACT (30 or above) or SAT (675 or above) and has not taken Precalculus before their junior year, they should wait to do test prep until the winter or early spring of junior year, so that testing does not happen until that math curriculum is complete.
Overall commitments: If the student has a heavy academic load or is involved in lots of extracurricular activities, the family should consider when would be an appropriate time to do test prep so that the student has time for test prep without being overwhelmed. We can design test prep to fit any student’s schedule; usually it is a 4-10-hour weekly commitment for 10-16 weeks if a student seeks a significant score gain.
Maturity: Finally, the family should consider the overall maturity of the student. Sometimes, waiting 6-9 months to do test prep can mean a significant difference in terms of a student’s maturity and seriousness regarding test prep. In order to see score gains in test prep, a student has to want to work, and work hard! We know that test prep is the best investment a family can make in terms of college readiness, college admissions, and merit aid qualification.
At RTC, we only work with students who are hungry to see gains on ACT and SAT, because we know that students who are “serving time” in test prep will not see significant score gains. We don’t want parents to invest their hard-earned money on test prep that’s not going to yield results.
In fact, if your student begins test prep and we find they are not invested in the process, we will communicate our concerns to you. Your investment matters to us!
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After our initial free consultation, we will assess your student to design a customized test prep program for them. We are very thorough because knowing your student well gives our team a huge head start and sets your student up for success from the start.
First, you will complete our Family Profile online and pay the assessment fee of $395, which reflects RTC’s considerable time investment in assessing your student.
Second, you will proctor a full-length digital SAT and paper-and-pencil ACT for your student at home. As your student takes each test, they will complete our proprietary survey to help us understand their test-taking. You will submit the ACT bubble sheet and SAT and ACT surveys to us via email.
Third, RTC will schedule a 60-90-minute Student Interview with your student via Zoom. Our company Founder Claire Russell will personally learn your student’s test-taking tendencies, responses, habits, and narratives, because she understands that effective test-taking requires a clean, efficient thinking process. Each learner has a mosaic of strengths, challenges, talents, and needs; most test-takers naturally develop counterproductive habits in test-taking.
Together, Claire and your student will decide upon their most promising test prep path with either SAT or ACT. Based on your student’s unique needs and goals, Claire will design their customized test prep program with personalized team recommendations.
Finally, RTC will schedule a 30-60-minute Family Meeting with you and your student via Zoom. Claire will share her insights and analysis of your student’s test-taking strengths and challenges, and then deliver her tutoring recommendation.
We are happy to begin tutoring when you’re ready. We’ll follow up to serve your test-taker’s needs, but we don’t sell anything. We understand that tutoring is organic; we’re here when you need us.
But when it comes to test prep, the wisest advice we can give you is to give your student the longest “runway for success” possible: time to prepare and test, which can lower pressure and stress significantly.
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We design our test prep programs so that most students take the test once during their tutoring program, and once at the end. The first “dress rehearsal” test, when the student is in the process of learning the curriculum and strategies, is designed to help the student learn to get comfortable taking an SAT or ACT in the real testing environment. We stress to the student that scores don’t matter — a great first experience is what counts!
A great first testing experience is a crucial foundation for ensuring a student can eventually be successful at taking a calm, confident, and focused test. Some students take a great first test, and may possibly bank a good section score or two. But what matters is that at the end of the student’s prep program, when they take their cumulative SAT or ACT, they feel confident targeting their score goal.
Importantly, here’s a key ingredient in test success: unless a student is a senior taking their last possible test before fall college applications are due, we approach every test day as a “dress rehearsal” — no pressure, because you can always try again! For students who arrived to RTC nervous about tests, we may recommend registering for the next test day in addition, simply to create a feeling of safety.
About half of our students reach their score goals with their second, end of program test. Some decide to take the test a third time, either aiming for a top Single Best score or a top Superscore. (This is especially true for the ACT - see the FAQ on Superscoring.) It is very common nationally for students to test multiple times; colleges are accustomed to this, and many account for it in their admissions requirements.
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High quality test prep is still the most effective way to both increase a student’s college admissions options and also increase their chances for merit aid, which is largely based upon a combination of GPA and test scores; many colleges have aid “calculators” based on these two factors alone.
An RTC class is an investment of $1,500-$3,000. A complete 1-to-1 tutoring program is usually an investment of $3,200-$8,400, for which our RTC students average score gains two to four times higher than the national average on both SAT and ACT, often higher. (Our statistical average is often impacted when a student starting at a 32 on ACT can only earn 4 points to earn a perfect 36!)
Our students average a score gain of 6 points on ACT and 220 points on SAT, which is literally the difference of admissions at a college like East Stroudsburg University or Syracuse University — results that can change a student’s dreams.
In addition, when we at RTC hear from families who have received $40,000-$380,000 in merit aid, who tell us that their student’s SAT or ACT score was a big reason they were offered so much merit aid, we know that high quality test prep is the best investment a family can make on the way to college, as long as their student wants test prep.
Why shouldn’t your family invest $5,000 to build your student’s college readiness and test-taking skills for a return of at least $40,000?We are proud of the value our test prep tutoring offers. Why buy a lottery ticket when you can invest in a sure thing?
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In most states, yes!
H.R. 1, which was signed into law on July 4, 2025, contains provisions that impact 529 plans. Previously, 529 funds could only be applied to tuition expenses up to $10,000 annually per student.
H.R. 1 expands the definitions of qualified education expenses for K-12 to include books, materials, testing fees, dual enrollment fees, educational therapies and tutoring costs. This includes test prep. In addition, the new expense cap has doubled to $20,000 annually per student.
Importantly, state laws vary for 529 taxation. Find your state below!
NO TAX: Some states, like Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming, do not have a state income tax, so the question is moot.
NO TAX: Most states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as The District of Columbia, generally conform to the expanded federal K–12 definitions or have publicly indicated they treat the new 529 categories as qualified for state tax purposes, and thus exempt.
GET READY TO PAY: Some states do not conform with the expanded federal definitions, which means that a 529 plan would likely be taxed if its funds were used for tutoring in the following states. These include California, Colorado, Illinois, and New York.
ASK QUESTIONS: In Rhode Island, residents can contact the Rhode Island Division of Taxation or their 529 plan administrator to request explicit guidance.
Always consult with your local tax professional for specific guidance.
This website is a great resource: my529.org
Performance Coaching & Test Stress
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There is so much we can do about that!
At RTC, we understand that it doesn’t matter what you know if you can’t perform under pressure on Test Day. Most test-takers feel the pressure-cooker of high-stakes testing.
RTC has become one of few resources nationally for evidence-based mindfulness performance coaching. As a result, we attract families from across the United States whose students are already suffering from the symptoms of test stress in school. We understand that test stress steals points from students, and that a calamity in the testing room can cause test hiccups for even highly confident students.
Your student does not have to suffer in test-taking!
We resource all our test-takers with evidence-based mind-body-spirit skills. By the end of test prep, students who have invested in the process become calm, confident, focused test-takers who can take their best test on Test Day. What’s more, the strategies that have helped them conquer the test help them manage other “performance” moments in life with grace and self-belief.
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Every day, students tell us that timed, pressured tests like the SAT and ACT feel different to them than tests at school. They know that a lot counts on Test Day, and students manage this feeling of pressure in various ways, some of which hinder their test-taking success.
We also hear from highly motivated students that feeling like they are “incorrect” or “don’t know” is synonymous with “failure.” Students accustomed to achieving perfection at school can struggle with a test that feels unpredictable. It’s not uncommon for us to hear
“I’m an idiot.”
from a student scoring in the 1300’s on SAT or 30’s on ACT.
Our thoughtful assessment determines the performance needs of each student, and we customize instruction accordingly. Our trained tutors and expert coaches work with students on their test-taking process and help them develop a customized, evidence-based toolkit for their specific needs on Test Day.
Claire likes to say,
"Mindfulness is the lifeblood of test prep.”
“It flows through and nourishes every aspect of a student’s process and performance."
RTC has become one of the few resources nationally for evidence-based mindfulness performance coaching, so we attract students across the spectrum of test confidence, calm, and focus:
High-achieving, high-functioning test-takers aiming for their peak performance.
Students whose test stress frustrates, impedes, or paralyzes test-taking at school.
Students who have found challenges in test-taking that have caused them (or any of their community) to consider them a “bad” or “anxious” test-taker.
By the end of test prep, students who have invested in the process become highly successful, often elite test-takers. Even better? They have developed a positive and healthier relationship with test-taking that they can carry with them to college and beyond.
What’s more, the strategies that have helped them conquer the SAT or ACT help them conquer many other “performance” challenges in life with ease and grace. We’ve seen RTC’s test prep be transformative for students, even life-changing.
You can read more about Performance Coaching and the science behind it here.
We invite you to learn how mindful test prep has impacted these RTC students’ lives!
Tutoring Logistics
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Absolutely! We transitioned to virtual tutoring in 2020, which enabled us to expand nationally and match the best tutor with the best student regardless of location.
We have always known that 1-to-1 tutoring is customized, connected, and personal. We had data to show that our virtual test prep programs were just as successful as our in-person test prep programs long before 2020, and we have seen some of our highest score gains in virtual test prep since then. We feel entirely confident and comfortable that virtual tutoring can provide our students with everything they need in their learning, because we have seen our amazing team teach everything from early Reading to AP Calculus to Performance skills virtually! Please ask us if you have questions.
We also offer limited in-person tutoring with our Founder in our West Philadelphia offices. Please ask if you require this option for your student’s specific needs.
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All of RTC’s tutors and coaches are carefully selected for their intuitive, innate teaching talent, their empathy and ability to connect with students, and their exceptional content knowledge. Many of our tutors are in Pennsylvania, where our company is physically located; as a national company that serves our students virtually, we also have exceptional tutors and coaches across the country.
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Our student onboarding process for test prep is very thorough and involves a video interview with your student to get to know them, their strengths, and their learning needs. Our success in team matching is 93%, but we are happy to hear from a family if they would like a different tutor or coach match.
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At RTC, we work with students with all kinds of learning needs every day. Our test prep curricula are customized for each student with whom we work, and we understand that a particular student’s needs might include autism, ADHD, a learning difference, processing or retrieval challenges, a fine motor delay, or anxiety. Since we work 1-to-1 with students, we don’t think of any of these as “special” needs – every child has unique needs, and our tutors are equipped to meet them.
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In test prep, most lessons are 1.5-2 hours. Like everything else in test prep, we customize this based upon each student’s needs.
College & Test Prep Resources
College Preparation
Get ready for College! College Board Recommended Reading List for College Bound Students
Getting into the Most Popular U.S. Colleges and Universities
Unique Student Opportunities
Lumiere Research Scholar Program – Independent research project with a top university researcher
Young Founders Lab (YFL) – Entrepreneurship boot camp for ambitious high school students
Scholarships & Financial Aid
Great Scholarships:
Financial Aid Resources:
Scholarship Search Engines:
Minority Resources:
RTC Webinars & Test Prep Resources
Your Path to Success Starts Here. Now.
Choose Your Focus – Test prep, academic support, strategic reading & writing, college essays, or performance coaching.
Let’s discuss your needs and create a plan together.
Success is closer than you think—let’s take the first step together!