Questions abound about the future of the SAT and ACT in the process of college admissions: Will testing sites be open in the fall for seniors to take the tests? Since so many schools, like the entire University of California system and all Ivy League schools, “temporarily” adjusted requirements to make the SAT and ACT “optional” for the next admission cycle, will this change be permanent? If test scores are tied to financial aid and scholarship, how will aid and scholarships

CROSSWALK is proud to announce a new Summer Test Prep Program starting June 8. This program is perfectly timed for students gearing up for the SAT or ACT in the fall of 2020. Students will meet Monday nights online for twelve weeks and dive into all aspects of the SAT and the ACT. From strategy to score analysis, this course will provide direct instruction on how to maximize test scores in order to achieve greater college admission opportunities.  By signing up for this prog

Because of COVID-19, the College Board recently announced the cancellation of the June test.  Many colleges are responding to this pandemic by adjusting their admission requirements. Submitting a test score, for many schools, is not a requirement for current juniors. So what does that mean for your test preparation plan? Should you just abandon ship altogether?  Here are five adjustments you can make with these new changes: 1) Stay the Course Let’s face it: with fewer tes

Big news: in response to COVID-19, the University of California system just announced adjusted admission requirements for 2021 applicants. Most notably, the SAT and ACT are not required.  This presents a major opportunity for many families. This decision will reduce the stress around college admissions for many. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean the SAT and ACT are going away. First, this is a temporary decision just for 2021 applicants.  Second, students who still choose to

Good and not surprising news: the Spring ACT & SAT Prep Series, starting Monday, March 16th at 7pm, will be conducted online.  Instead of meeting at the Stevenson School, you can log in from the comfort of your home. It is not too late to sign up. Sign up here. This six-session program runs on Monday nights from 7-8:30pm starting March 16th and wrapping up April 27th (note: due to the long weekend at the Stevenson School, there is no class April 20th).  Conducted by CROSSW

Spring is here and that means CROSSWALK’s spring test prep series is about to bloom. Reserve your spot today for the Spring SAT® and ACT® Prep Workshop Series at the Stevenson School. Conducted by CROSSWALK founder and lead test prep instructor Brooke Higgins, this program is a highly efficient and effective way to get ready for test day. High school juniors and sophomores learn the ins and outs of both tests and how to achieve their goal score. Students walk away with an in

The writing may be on the wall for the ACT® and SAT®. It seems the University of California system is considering dropping ACT® and SAT® scores in its process of admission. This is big news. Or is it just the same old story? Forgive my cynicism but I’ve heard the talk now for some time. For years, The National Center for Fair and Open Testing has led the charge to remove standardized tests from the college admission process. It has cited various studies that show how the AC

With Halloween around the corner, I figured it was a good time to remind students of the horrors that can come with SAT® and ACT® test day. The following stories are true. Only the names have been changed.  They are not meant to scare students or create more test anxiety. On the contrary, these stories provide real life examples of what can happen on test day so students are prepared to face the tricks and treats that may come their way.  Miniature Desks: Grace is a dance

And just like that, it is summer. Good vibrations are here! And so is a summer full of test prep options at CROSSWALK. After all, summer is the best time to work on your testing game. With no academic commitments, summer is the time to commit to test prep.  Here is a partial list of the summer test prep options at CROSSWALK: SAT® & ACT® Summer Test Prep Series at the Stevenson School starts 6/25. Sign up and get more information right here. SAT® Workshop Series with Upward B

Perfection on the ACT® is rare. So rare that only 0.2% of all test takers achieve a perfect score.  Over the past year, roughly 1,900,000 students took the ACT®. Of those students, only 3,741 students achieved a perfect score.  And one of the students was a CROSSWALK student!  We at CROSSWALK are humbled to be a part of a perfect score. And truth be told, the student did not set out to achieve a perfect score. This student had already experienced success on the PSAT so a g

Four spots remain for CROSSWALK’s Winter Test Prep Series. Hosted by Brooke Higgins, this six-week course is a great way to kick off 2019 with focused and individualized SAT and ACT test prep. Sign up today! Only four spots remain! You can attend in person at the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach or via Skype. All sessions meet on Tuesday evenings from 6-8pm. Here is the schedule: 1/8: SAT and ACT Test Overview and General Strategies 1/15: Reading Strategies for Success 1/23:

Most tests in school are content-based: vocabulary memorization, chapter reviews, math problem sets, comprehensive exams, etc. After years of content-based tests, students learn how to memorize facts and regurgitate them on an exam. Students develop keen ways of cramming content the night before in order to succeed on a test. Content learning is a useful skill in school, for now. Education is undergoing a massive shift as content is simply a search engine or finger swipe away

Kick off 2019 with a focused and individualized SAT and ACT test prep program by Brooke Higgins of CROSSWALK. Starting Tuesday, January 8th, CROSSWALK is hosting a six-week winter ACT and SAT test prep series. Attend in person at the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach or via Skype. All sessions meet on Tuesday evenings from 6-8pm. Here is the schedule: 1/8: SAT and ACT Test Overview and General Strategies 1/15: Reading Strategies for Success 1/23: Math Strategies for Success

On standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, time is money. Not money in the sense of cash but money as a currency to be saved or spent.  Make no mistake: the SAT and ACT are strictly timed tests. For a student to maximize a score, a key approach is to know when to spend time and when to save time. Let’s take the ACT math section as an example:  The ACT math section is 60 questions in 60 minutes. In other words, each question should take one minute. ACT math questions are al

“Stress is the enemy of test performance” is the mantra my students hear repeatedly. Much of my test prep work is about reducing the stress that surrounds SAT and ACT test day.  By familiarizing students with the content and strategy of the tests through practice sessions, the goal is to make test day routine and comfortable. Along with test practice, students are routinely reminded that there are over 1,000 schools that do not place substantial weight on SAT and ACT scores

Is school out for summer? Maybe not yet but we are getting close. With summer around the corner, now is a good time to map out a test prep plan, particularly for current juniors in high school. Hopefully you already have a program, like CROSSWALK’s Summer SAT/ACT Test Prep Series. If not, here is plan you can do on your own over eight weeks: Week 1: Start with the End in Mind Take the first week of summer to do some research into potential universities. Most importantly, as

Getting into one of the University of California schools is a competitive process; one that requires strong grades and a good test score. And even if you have good grades and a good test score, admission is not guaranteed.  Or is it? Good news because if your dream is to attend a UC, there is a way to guarantee admission.  As of August 2017, six of the nine UCs (Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz) offer a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) for Ca

Back in the day, only the ACT provided a FREE downloadable guidebook with a full-length practice test and test prep tips. The SAT did not provide much in the way of free resources. The tides changed when the College Board redesigned the SAT in 2016. Upon launching a new test format, the College Board also launched a partnership with Khan Academy to create an entirely new and FREE test prep platform with FREE full-length practice tests and tons of study resources. Now the ACT

What a joy it has been to host the Test Prep Radio Hour on KSPB 91.9FM. For the past two months I have been on the radio from 4-5pm every Thursday with test prep advice and fun music.  Weekly themes have included the test prep mindset, test content vs test context, how to play the numbers game, the math toolbox and more. Even though we have covered some great stuff, we have barely scratched the surface of many major test prep topics.  I am excited to continue to host the Te

Almost two years ago I wrote a blog post about 850 reasons to NOT stress about the SAT and ACT. Now there are more than 1,000 reasons.  Check out this list produced by FairTest of over 1,000 colleges that “do not use SAT and ACT scores to admit substantial numbers of students into bachelor-degree programs.” Cue the sound of a valve turning and pressure releasing. #ACT #FairTest #SAT #stress