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College Essays

Jul 24
2 min

Why the college essay is more important than ever

Pandemic-related upheaval has disrupted many of the factors that colleges typically use to evaluate prospective applicants.

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Michael Ionescu

Jul 21
1 min

Why many students will still need to take the SATs...

With the constant closures caused by the corona virus pandemic, countless students across the country were probably breathing a sigh of r...

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Michael Ionescu

Jun 13
2 min

Key Concepts to cover for the Fall 2020 SAT/ACT

It has been a pretty crazy season for students and parents as they try to cope with all of the changes due to the pandemic as well as pla...

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Michael Ionescu

Mar 26
1 min

Why you can get a good score on the June SAT/ACT

As many of you already know, both the next SAT/ACT are scheduled for June of this year unless there are any other delays. Most of the stu...

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Michael Ionescu

Oct 28, 2019
1 min

Why the ACT is about to overtake the SAT…

The ACT just announced some exciting news that is going to make it the test of choice for many prospective college students. Starting in...

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Michael Ionescu

Jul 11, 2019
2 min

If you got a low score on your SAT, here are 3 tips for next time

If you just got your June 2019 score back and it’s lower than expected, you might be wondering what your next steps are. For rising seni...

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Michael Ionescu

May 17, 2019
2 min

Should students still take the SAT?

There are over 1,000 colleges that do not require SATs or ACTs as part of their admission requirements. As some colleges start to focus ...

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Michael Ionescu

Jan 22, 2019
1 min

3 Building Blocks to a Great SAT Score

Happy New Year everyone! For those of you who made a new year’s resolutions to do better on your SAT or ACT, I’m going to cover a few eff...

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Michael Ionescu

Jan 8, 2019
1 min

Should I take the ACT and SAT at the same time?

One question that many students are faced with when it comes college planning time is: Should I take both the SAT and ACT? Unfortunately ...

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Michael Ionescu

Oct 15, 2018
2 min

Key methods to improving your Math score: Part Two

In the first part of my series on quick things students can do to help them improve their math score I focused on how silly mistakes are ...

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Michael Ionescu

Sep 13, 2018
2 min

One key method to improving your Math score quickly

Many students come out of taking the SAT or ACT thinking it was easy, only to see a not so great score 6 weeks later. Students will often...

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Michael Ionescu

Jul 20, 2018
2 min

How an Easy Math SAT can Backfire

For those who pay attention to SAT news or have had students who took the June SAT, you may have noticed a big backlash that the Collegeb...

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Michael Ionescu

Apr 13, 2018
2 min

Perfect Scores not a recipe for College Admission - Is this a good thing?

In today's world of applying to colleges, a much more progressive approach to accepting applicants has been occurring as colleges look fo...

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Michael Ionescu

Nov 20, 2017
2 min

When should you take the SAT/ACT?

About a decade ago, there used to be a pretty universal time to take the SAT/ACT, and that was the spring of a student's junior high scho...

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Michael Ionescu

Oct 27, 2017
2 min

One passive thing students can do to help them prepare for SAT/ACT Math

Sadly, I have not been writing here recently, because my busy schedule has been holding me back from putting any new ideas to paper. Hav...

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Michael Ionescu

Jun 8, 2017
2 min

Is the ACT really easier than the SAT?

One of the most frequent things parents bring up to me is the idea that the ACT is easier than the SAT. From my personal experience teach...

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Michael Ionescu

Feb 21, 2017
2 min

3 Reasons why private SAT instructors work better than SAT classes

Whenever I talk to parents about any recommendations for SAT/ACT prep I typically advocate for them to look for a quality private tutors....

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Michael Ionescu

Jan 12, 2017
2 min

Why the SAT's "Question of the Day" can hurt more than help

Since it's January, I'm sure a lot of parents and students are starting to give some serious thought to SAT/ACT prep. Whenever I do my in...

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Michael Ionescu

Dec 15, 2016
2 min

3 Qualities of an Effective Tutor

For my very first blog on this new site I was back and forth over what I wanted my first message to be. Then, over the past few weeks, I...

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