Out of over 1.9 million students in the 2018 ACT-tested graduating class, 44% took the full ACT® test at least twice in hopes of improving their scores. Camara and Allen (2017) support this practice, confirming that factors such as time in the classroom between test administrations are associated with increases in ACT Composite scores from the…

Across demographic groups, incoming seniors (class of 2021) have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and some have altered their college plans accordingly. Most seniors are planning to attend the same type of institution they were planning on before the pandemic, but about half are planning on a different institution, one closer to home, or…

Presented at the AP Annual Conference (APAC) in Las Vegas, NV in July 2013. This analysis takes a close look at first-generation Advanced Placement® (AP®) test takers to better understand the needs and challenges they face on their path to college. The analysis focuses on college-bound AP test takers who also took the SAT and examines a variety of…

This discussion paper represents one of the National Association for College Admission Counseling's (NACAC's) first post-Testing Commission steps in advancing the knowledge base and dialogue about test preparation. It describes various types of test preparation programs and summarizes the existing academic research on the effects of test…

This guide is designed to help college-bound student-athletes and their families understand the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules for progressing from being a high school athlete to a student-athlete in college. Students are encouraged to work closely with high school counselors, recruiters and college admissions officers to…

Students should start career planning as early as middle school by learning about their interests and their academic strengths and weaknesses as they begin to consider postsecondary and career options. This issue brief presents the results of a study that provides a financial rationale in finding that those students who engage in such long-term…

The purpose of this study is to examine the academic achievement, academic self-concepts, and aspirations of gifted college students who are enrolled in an honors program and of gifted college students who are not enrolled in an honors program. Participants include 294 gifted college students, 248 of whom were enrolled in an honors program and 46…

This handbook is intended to help high school and college counselors effectively use and interpret ACT results. It contains four main sections: Section 1, "Components of the ACT," which contains general information about the ACT tests, probably will be of interest both to high school counselors and to college advisors and other staff. …

This quiz and its explanations are designed to help teachers and counselors assist students in deciding the meaning of their scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test and the American College Test. (BW)

In this study an entering cohort of freshmen majors in mathematics and science at a land grant, research one institution was examined to first determine if a group of students who persisted in science and mathematics disciplines were different in terms of pre-college characteristics from a group of students who dropped with grade point averages…

Access to higher education remains a challenge for many students who face academic and informational barriers to college entry. This guide targets high schools and school districts, and focuses on effective practices that prepare students academically for college, assist them in completing the steps to college entry, and improve their likelihood…

Surveys show that the overwhelming majority of youngsters in this country--regardless of race, income, or ethnic background--want to go to college. As rewarding 21st century jobs increasingly require postsecondary education, these ambitions have never been more important. Everyone must align the nation's divergent educational systems so that…

This 145-item bibliography of examination study guides is a major revision of an earlier edition published in 1989. There are 45 new entries and 23 deletions of older books. This bibliography is intended for undergraduate students preparing for examinations required for admission to graduate or professional schools and for college graduates…

Information is presented to help applicants to Canadian medical colleges realistically assess their chances for gaining admission. The guide is also intended for career counselors in high schools and higher education. One section provides statistics on the following characteristics that are associated with being selected: sex, age, Medical College…

This set of 82 summaries is based on papers written between 1963 and 1982 concerning the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). TOEFL is currently required by more than 2,500 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada to determine the English proficiency of applicants whose native language is not English. It is also required…