If you’ve decided to sign up for individual tutoring or a test prep course, congratulations on taking the first step! Having an experienced instructor who can help you better understand the test material can go a long way toward boosting your score on the SAT or ACT. However, showing up for lessons once or twice a week is not enough to guarantee success. What you do outside of class is just as important as working with a tutor. At 5 Points Prep, we like to emphasize the value of regular practice. 

Here are a few tried and true ways to make sure you’re getting the most out of your test preparation:

1. Do a little every day – We know that you have a busy schedule! Between homework and extracurricular activities, you might feel too overwhelmed to study for the test. Nevertheless, just a little bit of review every day can be extremely beneficial. We recommend spending 20-30 minutes each day working through some reading passages or math problems to keep your skills sharp. Your tutor is giving you useful strategies, but you won’t remember them if you don’t apply them on a regular basis. The only way to make the lessons stick is to keep practicing. 
2. Use your resources – If you’re a student at 5 Points Prep, your tutor has given you several resources that can help you prepare for the test. The workbooks contain practical tips for answering different kinds of questions, so be sure to review these strategies and work on any additional problems that haven’t been assigned for homework. Also, you may have been given access to online resources, such as MentoMind, a platform that has a large question bank as well as full-length tests. Don’t wait for your tutor to assign questions! You can–and should–practice on your own whenever you have time. In addition to resources provided by 5 Points Prep, there are many websites and apps available for test preparation. Do a little research and find what works best for you. 
3. Take as many practice tests as you can – We generally recommend that students take around three practice tests before the official test date. First, we suggest a diagnostic test to determine which areas to focus on when studying. Second, we advise taking a test about halfway through the prep course to measure progress. Third, we recommend taking a practice test the week before the official test date as a confidence booster. Taking lots of practice tests helps you build familiarity with the format and get used to the timing. The more you know what to expect, the less anxiety you’ll experience on the day of the test.

These tips all boil down to “practice, practice, practice.” There are no shortcuts to success on the SAT or ACT, but with a supportive tutor and a good self-study routine, you will see significant gains in your overall score. If you haven’t already registered for tutoring but are interested in starting, fill out a signup form on our website! 

From all of us here at 5 Points Prep, we’d like to wish you a Happy New Year! A new year is like a blank page–the promise of a fresh start, which can be both exciting and scary. We have a few suggestions for New Year’s resolutions that are great for students who want to get the most out of 2025, but we also know that keeping those resolutions can be tough. Fortunately, we have some advice for staying on track, too.

Consider making one of the following resolutions:

1. Get organized. The beginning of the year is the perfect time to do this. Before the winter break is over, take a little time to reflect on your goals for the next twelve months and start putting together a roadmap. This might involve getting some necessary tools, like a wall calendar or a daily planner that will help you make long term plans.
2. Stop procrastinating. Procrastination is a common problem for students, and it’s often caused by anxiety about working on difficult tasks. Think of ways you can take action to avoid procrastination. This might involve setting yourself shorter deadlines, asking a friend or family member to hold you accountable, or developing strategies for managing anxiety.
3. Make an effective study routine. Test preparation should be started well in advance, but many students postpone studying until a couple of days before the test. Whether you’re studying for the SAT/ACT or a school test, get into a daily routine of reviewing notes, working through practice problems, and reading study guides.
4. Read more. This is generally good advice that can have a wide range of benefits. Reading on a regular basis builds critical thinking skills, improves vocabulary, reduces anxiety, and enhances concentration. It also makes us better writers. Reading more will help you with writing essays for class as well as getting a higher score on the SAT and ACT verbal sections.
5. Maintain your school-life balance. Maybe you got overwhelmed last year with too much studying or too much time spent on extracurricular activities. Don’t forget to leave some time for yourself and the things you enjoy doing. Create time in your schedule to hang out with friends or work on your hobbies.
6. Prioritize your physical health. It’s hard to accomplish any of your goals if you feel terrible all the time. Looking after your physical health should be your main priority. This might mean getting more sleep, developing better eating habits, or incorporating more physical activity into your daily routine. Don’t try to do too much at once, though. Look for places in your life where you can introduce small changes that will be beneficial.
7. Learn something new. Maybe there’s a new hobby you’ve been wanting to try, or maybe there are some life skills you’ve been meaning to develop. There’s no time like the present to get started! Learning new things can also mean learning about yourself. It’s possible that you won’t enjoy your new hobby and will end up abandoning it, but that’s also a valuable lesson. Who knows–you might end up deciding on a new college major or career path that you wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

So now that you’ve chosen a New Year’s resolution, how do you get started, and how do you make sure that your resolution actually sticks? No doubt, you’ve made resolutions in the past and abandoned them by the end of January. You wouldn’t be alone, either: around 8% of people who make resolutions actually keep them. So how can you avoid being in the other 92%? We have some advice that we hope will be useful.

Focus on the present instead of the future. Here’s a weird thing about human psychology: Sometimes, visualizing ourselves being successful in the future can make us feel as if we’ve already accomplished something. Rather than motivating us, it can have quite the opposite effect. The act of making a resolution can give us a sense of satisfaction, and that satisfaction can actually keep people from following through on their resolutions. Instead of fantasizing about how good you’ll feel once you’ve met your resolutions, stay focused on the here and now.

Break large goals into small ones. It’s not enough to say “I’m going to read more.” What is “more”? What does that look like in practice? The reason we often struggle to get started on our goals is that we make vague resolutions that don’t translate into specific actions. Instead, set a goal to read for 30 minutes before bedtime every night.

Be realistic about what you can actually accomplish. You won’t be able to change your entire personality overnight. If you’ve never enjoyed working out, you’re not going to suddenly turn into a full-time fitness guru, and that’s okay. If you’ve decided to increase your physical activity, start with something small, like a 15-minute walk each morning.

Be good to yourself. There are times when you will fail to follow through on your resolutions, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up about it. None of us is perfect, so give yourself some grace, and pick up where you left off. Even if it’s been days, weeks, or months since you fell off your routine, it’s never too late to start working toward your annual goals again.

Don’t give up. Starting a new routine takes lots of practice. It might feel unnatural or uncomfortable at first, but just keep going. You’ve heard the expression “fake it till you make it,” and there’s a lot of truth in that! Eventually, your new routine will start to feel like second nature.

We hope you’ve found a New Year’s resolution that you feel good about and feel positive that you can keep. Don’t forget that 5 Points Prep is here to help you with your goals, too. If you’re struggling in your classes or having a hard time sticking to a study routine, getting help from a tutor can be a great way to stay on track. Sometimes, we all need a little encouragement from someone to keep us motivated and help us keep our eyes on the prize. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to submit a sign up form and get some support from one of our amazing tutors.

Starting in April 2025, students who take the online version of the ACT will notice a few changes. This shouldn’t be cause for alarm, though, as the content of the English, math, and reading sections will remain mostly unchanged. The most noticeable difference will be the absence of the science section, which will become optional. In addition to making for a shorter test overall, the changes mean fewer questions on each part and more time per question.

Timeline of the Changes

The transition to the new test will happen at the national level somewhat gradually over the course of 2025. Starting in April, the enhanced version of the test will be offered as an online-only option. In the meantime, the paper version of the test will remain unchanged. In September, however, the new test will be available in both formats. It is important to note that for 2025 the enhanced ACT (digital and paper) will only be given through national test sites and will not be offered at school day testing. Schools and districts will offer the new ACT starting in Spring 2026. Let’s take a more in-depth look at what will change and what will stay the same.

What’s Different

• The science section will be optional.
• The composite score will only include English, math, and reading.
• The science score will be reported separately for students who choose to take it.
• The overall length of the test will be shorter – 125 vs. 195 minutes.
• The overall number of questions will be reduced (44 fewer).
• The time for each question will be increased (by 6 to 14 seconds, depending on section).
• The number of options will be reduced for the math questions – 4 vs. 5 options.
• The field test items will be integrated, rather than appearing in a separate section.

What’s Staying the Same

• Students will have the option to take a paper test (with changes reflected in September 2025).
• The basic skills and knowledge being tested will remain unchanged.
• The test is linear and not adaptive, meaning that all students get the same questions in the same order, regardless of their performance on individual questions.
• Superscoring can still be provided.

Preparing for the New Test

A full-length practice test and other preparation materials are expected to appear in early 2025. However, because the content of the test won’t be changing much, the current test prep materials will still be useful study aids. For instance, while the reading passages will be shorter and be followed by fewer questions, the reading skills required and the types of questions asked will be the same. There has been talk of adding an argumentative essay to the reading section and reducing the number of advanced math problems, but we will have to wait for the full-length test for more details.

Our Recommendations

For the time being, we recommend that students who are signed up for the ACT in early 2025 continue to prepare for the test as usual. We expect that most colleges will still be interested in seeing a science score, especially for students who are planning to major in STEM subjects.

Further Information

We will continue to update 5 Points Prep families with any new information about the changes. The ACT website is also a useful resource that includes a helpful FAQ. If you have any other questions or concerns about preparing for the ACT, whether it’s the old version or the new, please get in touch with us by emailing info@5pointsprep.com. To learn more about the variety of ACT prep courses that we offer at 5 Points Prep, the schedule is available here. If you’re ready to sign up for ACT prep with us, you can find the sign up form here.

SAT Goes Digital

The College Board announced today that plans are underway to release a digital SAT in the spring of 2024 for domestic students. International students will have access in 2023. What implications does this have for our high school students who have been dealing with so much change? The first class to be affected is the Class of 2025, our current ninth graders.

Going digital doesn’t come as a total surprise because College Board and the ACT organization have been talking about this for years. Many graduate exams went digital years ago. In light of the shifting landscape in testing and in college admissions itself, let’s look at how it will remain the same as our current paper and pencil test and how it proposes to be different.

What’s the same?

• Scaled at 1600, 800 total math score and 800 English & reading
• Measures knowledge and skills learned in school
• Test must be taken at school or testing site
• Practice resources are free
• Accommodations are available for those who need them

How is it different?

• Shorter test experience, from 3 to 2 hours
• Faster score delivery – a matter of days not weeks
• Adaptive testing which means questions are calibrated to the appropriate level of diffculty for each student based on responses and scoring is weighted differently similar to the GRE which has been using adaptive section testing for years
• More time per question, shorter passages which can benefit students’ working memory, pacing challenges and stamina
• Students with learning challenges can have access to tools that will support their testing such as enlarging text
• Calculator is allowed on total math section and is embedded in test
• Students can use personal device, school issued or College Board loaner
• Improved testing security and flexibility

Want to learn more?

The 5 Points Prep senior staff will host a webinar on February 22 at 7pm. Sign up for the complimentary info session.

The approach of finals week is stressful for high school and college students alike. Notes must be looked over, projects finished, and books read and re-read. Finishing the semester strong can sometimes feel like a daunting task, especially if you’re behind in a class or taking a final in a particularly difficult subject. But no matter where your grade stands right before finals week, there are steps you can take now to make yourself as prepared as possible.

You first need to figure out where you currently stand in the class, as well as what grade you need on the final to get the grade you want. To calculate your grade, use the formula below:

If you find out you only need a C on the final exam to get an A in the class, you can rest easy knowing that the right amount of preparation can get you there. On the other hand, if you find out you need a high A on the final to make an A for the semester, you will need to devote more time and effort to studying for that final.

Now that you know where your grade stands, you can develop your study plan. Figuring out your study style is an important part of being a student. Once you’ve figured out what works best for you, you’ll find that you can work with larger amounts of information more efficiently.

There is no one ‘right’ way to study. Some students enjoy collaborative study, which includes activities like getting together with people from your classes to go over vocabulary, study guides, or practice questions. Other students discover they study more effectively and concentrate better alone. You also want to be sure to give yourself enough time to process what you’re studying. Studying in short bursts with plenty of breaks can be good for some subjects, but, depending on your schedule, one or two long stretches may serve you better. Remember, all night cram sessions will only make you confused, sleepy, and frantic; it is better instead to pace yourself. Sometimes the best thing to do is put the book down, walk away, then go back to it the next day. Your brain needs time to synthesize what you’re studying: feeding it too much at once will not help.

Finally, remember that your health and well-being will affect your academic success. During periods of intense stress – like finals week – it is even more important than usual to make sure you get enough food, rest, and exercise. You cannot do your best if you’re hungry, sleep deprived, and tense, all of which an effective study strategy will help you avoid.

By Cailin Riley, 5 Points Prep Tutor

When it comes to the SAT essay, the thesis statement is the most important component. Without a strong thesis, you can get bogged down, confused, and lost in your ideas. Before we get any further, you might still be asking yourself, what is a thesis statement? Merriam Webster defines it as “a statement that someone wants to discuss or prove.”

So without going any further, you know that your thesis statement is the beginning of your argument for your SAT Essay. Essentially, you want to tell the grader what you are going to prove in your body paragraphs.

To not stress yourself out during the allotted essay time, there are things you can do to make your thesis clear. The first is to keep it simple. Don’t try to fit in everything that you are going to write in your thesis statement. Your body paragraphs will accomplish that! Just focus on your argument, and the prompt given.

Also, don’t assume the grader knows the prompt. Write as though your argument is your own, because at the end of the day, it is! Focus on the prompt, create your argument, and write your body paragraphs to support that. A strong thesis sends you to a great score on your SAT Essay.

By Coran Hendry, English Tutor

It’s the day before you are scheduled to take the SAT or ACT. Understandably, you might feel nervous. You might feel unprepared. You might feel like the SAT or ACT just isn’t for you, and you just want to get it over with. These are all perfectly normal and common feelings among high school students who are preparing to take a standardized test, especially those who are getting ready to take the test for the first time.

What is the proper approach to have going in to these tests? First of all, taking a prep course or going in for individual tutoring a few months before the test (such as our many offerings at 5PP!) is a great option for many students. I remember taking a prep course at a local high school when I was a high school student. The main thing that I took away from that class was just an increased comfort level that comes from working these problems and going through different strategies. The problems on both the SAT and ACT, while they change ever year, follow certain patterns, and familiarizing yourself with what you are likely to see on these tests will go a long way toward easing your mind and increasing your confidence going in to test day.

For whatever reason, students are sometimes unable to take a prep class before taking the test. You can find SAT or ACT prep books at most bookstores. There are several different publishers that offer good test prep books; the ACT and SAT themselves both publish books with practice problems and solutions, as well as companies such as Barron’s and The Princeton Review. Look for a book with detailed answers and explanations sections. Work practice problems in both timed and untimed environments, and then go through and evaluate how you did. What types of problems did you do well on? Which do you still need work on or not understand? The more practice problems you are able to work through, the more familiar you will be with what to expect, and your confidence will likely increase as you see your scores improve with practice.

Finally, some students—myself included—tend to procrastinate and put things off until the last minute. Let’s say that it’s a few days before the test, and you haven’t prepared at all. What should you do? People have different ideas about how to use your time most efficiently. My view is this: what you know now is more or less what you are going to know on test day. This late in the game it is impractical for you to teach yourself vast amounts of new material that you are unfamiliar with. Sure, you might review the concepts that will be covered on the test and formulas or skills that you will need. I would still strongly suggest that you work a few practice tests and go over the answers, as this will increase your familiarity and confidence level going in to the test.

Most importantly, you need to have a strategy for attacking the test and commit yourself to executing this strategy on test day. For example, maybe you are generally strong at math, but very weak in a particular area, such as solving logarithms. Working these problems on the test will probably not be an efficient use of your time, and it is likely in your best interest to skip these problems to achieve the best possible score that you can. Take stock of your strengths and weaknesses in different areas, and develop a feel for the pace that works for your personally, in other words, the pace that allows you to work as many problems as you can as accurately as you can. Try to come up with a strategy for working different types of problems, so that when you see one on the test you will know what to do. On that math section in particular, remember that you can also try to work backwards from your answer choices. You may get a question that involves concepts that you have never heard of, but you can eliminate three of your answer choices immediately just based on the information that you are given.

The more prepared you are with what you will see on test day, the more likely you are to maximize your score. Even if you do happen to be unprepared, however, don’t just go through the motions. Give the test your best effort and your full attention, and go in to the test with a mindset of working strategically to get the best score that you can given your current knowledge of the material covered on the test. You may just surprise yourself with how well you end up doing.

By Harrison Pask, 5 Points Prep Math and LSAT Tutor

The application deadlines for many colleges are right ahead, which means that it’s time to stop procrastinating and start writing those dreaded college essays. Oftentimes, the toughest part of the writing process is getting started. Who knew that a blank piece of paper could be so intimidating?

If you find yourself getting stuck, try talking to a friend or family member about experiences in your life that are important to you—without a prompt in mind! Pretend you’re not about to write a college essay, but rather that you’re just having a casual conversation about yourself. Have whomever you’re working with jot down notes on your discussion for your reference.

Once you look over those notes, it will be easier to see what you truly value. You also might find some unlikely connections between your experiences, passions, and the major you’ve chosen to pursue. With a little creativity, you can almost always find a way to make that idea fit into at least one essay prompt, so don’t discount seemingly insignificant ideas. They may end up tying your entire essay together!

By Erin Muehlhausen, English Tutor

Some students may feel intimidated with the amount of information they have to keep track of while studying history. History is full of names, dates, places, causes and effects. It’s easy for all of the information to get lost in the shuffle. Pretty much everything one studies in the subject of history will include one if not many of these details. However, by using the correct studying techniques, history can actually be quite manageable.

One tip when studying history is to make detailed notes that highlight these six important aspects of a given topic:

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why
• How

Another good tip on studying history is to make a timeline of events. That way, when studying, one can know exactly what period one is studying and when events took place relative to one another. The sequence of events is often as important as the events themselves.

Most of history is knowing the facts, so by taking comprehensive notes, one can be sure to know the information that will show up on test day. Make sure that the notes are complete, and combine information that is brought up in the text as well as information that is covered in class. At the end of each day, be sure to go over your notes for what was covered that day. By consistently reviewing the material, you can be sure that you’ll know the material come test day.

By Jake Ward, History and English Tutor

The essay portion of the SAT can seem overwhelming to some students. Having to read, analyze and respond to a 600-800 word prompt in 50 minutes can feel like a tough task. But if a student stays focused and remembers some basic steps, he or she can write the essay with ease.

First off, don’t be afraid to prewrite. Take notes in the margins as you read. Underline key parts of the prompt. As you go, consider what your thesis statement might be. Students need to remember that they are not just reading the prompt but analyzing it. The prompt isn’t asking simply for their opinion, so it is essential to avoid using “I” and “You” in the essay. What the prompt is asking you to do is to make an argument of some kind, usually whether you agree or disagree with the prompt. As you analyze the text, you should use key points from the prompt to enhance your argument.

Students shouldn’t get bogged down by the details, but they should try and incorporate outside knowledge and facts that are relevant to the prompt. The more clear and concise the argument, the more likely a grader will give you a higher score.

Ultimately, it comes down to writing a clear thesis statement and making a clear argument around that. By prewriting and forming your argument from the onset, students can focus on writing the essay without feeling stressed out.

By Coran Hendry, English Tutor