SAT preparation is very important to reach better college opportunities. We help high school students tackle the standardized tests required for admission to higher education institutions.

What is the PSAT/NMSQT and why is it so important?

The PSAT/NMSQT® stands for Preliminary SAT /National Merit® Scholarship Qualifying Test and it is a standardized test taken by high-school students in the fall (October) of their junior year.

It is often understood as a “practice” SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) but it is more than that:

• The PSAT/NMSQT® can place you as a semi-finalist and eventually as a finalist for the National Merit® Scholarship. This recognition is coveted by many colleges for admission*.
• Subject to the university, a student with the recognition of National Merit® Scholar or National Hispanic Recognition may receive grants, full-paid tuition or attractive financial aid packages*.

When should you begin to prepare for the PSAT/NMSQT®?

The spring semester of the sophomore year is the best time to start preparing for the PSAT/NMSQT®.

Students start reviewing concepts from previous years through our program at the same time that they continue to learn new topics in school.

Students continue to work during the summer so they can feel confident for the PSAT/NMSQT® in October of their junior year.

Since it is highly recommended to take an official SAT® test sometime during the fall semester, the test will feel familiar to the student because our program prepares a student for the SAT while preparing for the PSAT/NMSQT®.

Why is the SAT/ACT preparation so important?

Every year, universities in the U.S. receive 10,000 – 35,000 applications from prospects nation and worldwide requesting to join their programs.

How do they decide who will receive an acceptance letter? Standardized tests like the SAT® and ACT® have been designed to evaluate a student’s academic proficiency in basic concepts and correlate the score to a GPA.

SAT Preparation is very important. A high score* on these standardized tests is attractive to universities because:

• It not only increases the chance to be admitted but may be a weigh-in factor to grant merit scholarships and financial aid.
• It compensates for a low/average high school GPA and reinforces a strong high-school GPA.
• If the student is a National Merit® Semi-finalist or finalist, it reinforces his/her academic outstanding academic performance.

* Each university has its own criteria for SAT/ACT® scores to determine admission and financial aid and it may vary from year to year.

When should you begin to prepare for the SAT or ACT®?

We encourage students to research the requirements regarding the SAT/ACT scores for the universities of their interest as early as their sophomore year.

College Board® and ACT, Inc. ® offer different test dates throughout the school year (College Board® and ACT Inc®. test dates)

However, the fall semester of a student’s junior year  is the preferred time to take these tests for the first time.

If a student doesn’t take a prep course for the PSAT/NMSQT®, it is ideal to start SAT preparation and ACT preparation for tests during the summer between their sophomore and junior year.

Completing admission applications are time-consuming and we highly recommend that student achieve their target test scores by the summer of their senior year.

In this case, students can use the summer time to write strong essays, attend relevant summer camps, and obtain the necessary letters of recommendation.