Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast

When a test as influential and controversial as the SAT faces a new iteration, people take notice. But when that same test will be administered in an entirely new format that leaves the classic #2 pencil behind, people start to lose their minds. Amy and Mike invited educator Brooke Hanson to help unpack First Thoughts About The New Digital SAT. What are five things you will learn in this episode?...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Alan Sheptin , owner of Sheptin Tutoring Group (STG) . Alan has been a professional member of IECA since 2017 and became a Certified Educational Planner in 2020. He earned a BA in Computer Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA in Finance from Fordham Univ...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Kristina L. Dooley , a Certified Educational Planner (CEP) and founder of Estrela Consulting , an Ohio-based independent educational consulting firm. Kristina has more than 20 years of experience working with students from around the world navigating the complex college an...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Zach Galin , who has spent over a decade working independently with students and families in the college admissions process . From test preparation to college matching, applications, and financial aid, Zach has helped students gain acceptance to their top-choice schools. Z...

The attainment of a law degree in the United States is bookended by two essential standardized tests. While work in the legal field depends on passing at least one bar exam, the whole journey starts with an important admissions test. Amy and Mike invited educator David Lynch to explain all about the LSAT . What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the LSAT? What kinds of schools...

The odds that any individual college applicant will accept, enroll, and persist to graduation may not mean much to a given institution, but those same numbers for the entire applicant pool mean everything. No wonder schools track every applicant interaction so carefully! Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Matthew Herr to clarify how much colleges really know about applicants. What are fiv...

Curriculum, structure, and delivery of educational services like academic tutoring and test prep tend to vary widely. So why is there so little diversity in the way clients pay for these services?  Amy and Mike invited educator Dave Crystal to discuss educational services pricing models . What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the traditional pricing models for educational s...

Anyone who has ever sat in a classroom knows that some students need a higher level of academic enrichment and challenge than others. When did such a fundamental facet of education become controversial? Amy and Mike invited author and editor Brandon Wright to explain why gifted programs are under attack . What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why exactly are gifted and talented prog...

We often talk about how expensive a college education can be, but we don't explore often enough how to make earning a degree less expensive. Amy and Mike invited educator David Vise to discuss different ways to earn advance college credit. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are different ways high schoolers can earn advance college credits? What are the advantages and disadv...

The Tests and the Rest podcast has always focused in part on celebrating and supporting amazing test prep professionals. Why, then, are we ending our successful run of professional development summits? We invited educator Dan Ascher to join us for a discussion of the history and future of the Tests and the Rest Summits. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What initiated the first...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Pranoy Mohapatra began tutoring as a high school sophomore for a local company after finding joy in helping classmates at the Academy of Allied Health and Sciences study for tests. Pranoy found he learned by teaching and explaining concepts to reinforce them, and often view...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Nikki Highfield , owner of Helping Hands Educational Services . Nikki is a native of Cincinnati, OH. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education and an MBA from Xavier University as well as a M.Ed in Special Education from St. Joseph's University. Nikki spent 15 years wor...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Steve Feldman . As Founder and Managing Partner of Private Prep , Steve initiates and manages strategic partnerships. Steve also leads Private Prep's growth into new geographic markets and additional services. Since founding Private Prep in 2006, the company has become...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Alice Humbracht . Alice is a premier tutor with over 16 years of full-time experience tutoring standardized tests.  She spent six years at The Princeton Review honing her skills, and then she started her own tutoring office in 2011. Alice specializes in ACT and SAT, bu...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Ian Siegel . Ian started Streamline Tutors in Baltimore, MD, in 2013 and has been tutoring full-time for a decade, primarily as an SAT/ACT tutor and college essay coach.  Ian consistently gets some of the highest score improvements in the country on the SAT and ACT.  H...

The cost of college has defied economic logic for decades but cannot rise exponentially forever. How can schools align tuition costs with what students want and need? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rick Staisloff to explore alternative pricing strategies in higher education. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What drives current higher education pricing models? Who d...

Math has been cornerstone content of the SAT since its inception nearly a century ago. What math is tested and how to prepare for it, however, evolves endlessly. Amy and Mike invited educators Jackie Pollina and Josh Kariyev to explore current best practices in how to prepare for SAT math . What are five things you will learn in this episode? Is the SAT math more of a content-oriented section or a...

Not so long ago, distance learning was mostly seen as a futuristic experiment in education. Then all instruction moved online. Where are we now, and where are we going? Amy and Mike invited ed-tech consultant Phil Hill to assess the state of distance learning in higher education. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How can the transition from all in-person to at least partially di...

While American culture celebrates individual differences and promotes diversity, many of our societal systems struggle with anyone who deviates too far from an accepted norm. This can certainly be the case in school. Amy and Mike invited counselor Emily Kircher-Morris to share academic success strategies for neurodivergent students . What are five things you will learn in this episode? What do neu...

Nearly 20 years ago, colleges asked for standardized essay sections on admissions tests because applicants arrived on campus with deficient writing skills. Yet today, when very few schools want to see essay scores, do those test sections still have value? Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to explore potential advantages and opportunities in the ACT Writing Test. What are five things you...

U.S students often imagine the opportunity to study abroad as a path to experiencing cultures radically different than their own. Is there a benefit, though, to considering a country with more similarities than distinctions? Amy and Mike invited Brandon Miller to extol the virtues of attending a college in Canada. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are some notable colleges...

Schooling and cheating share a long and sordid history. But what can educators do when the technology to undermine academic integrity advances faster than conventional efforts to protect it. Amy and Mike invited ed-tech executive Eric Gibbs to share updates on cheating and plagiarism software. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What threats to academic integrity have occurred as...

The opportunity to compete athletically on the college level--while winning scholarships for doing so--has always been connected to SAT and ACT scores. What's changed post-pandemic and what hasn't? Amy and Mike invited educator Jen Henson to correct myths about testing and college sports. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is NCAA eligibility? What kind of scores are needed?...

Most students and their families enter the college admissions process fully expecting to take out tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans. Does earning a degree really have to cost that much? Amy and Mike invited college cost advocate Mark Salisbury to elaborate on when borrowing for school is a bad idea.  What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why are student...

The various versions of high school admissions tests may be even more confusing than those for college or graduate school. As part of our series on HS admissions tests, Amy and Mike invited educator Brenna O'Neill to explain the role and structure of the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) .  What are five things you will learn in this episode? Who takes the Independent School Entrance Exam (I...