251. Success In Computer-Based Testing
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Release Date: 10/12/2021
THROWBACK: ACT SCORE REVIEW AND VALIDATION
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Security at testing centers is almost as tight as screening at American airports. Yet some test takers still find ways to cheat on the ACT or at least raise suspicions. Amy and Mike invited school counselor Desiree Rodriguez-Gould to explore the process of ACT score review and validation. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How does ACT, Inc. handle score review and validation? What roles can counselors and test prep professionals play in the review process? How badly can ACT score cancellation impact some students? In what ways does the SAT score review...
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756. GUIDANCE FOR WRITING A STRESS-FREE COLLEGE ESSAY
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Students often approach their college applications as if each essay is the most important piece of prose they’ve ever written, which leads to overthinking and anxiety. There is a better way! Amy and Mike invited essay specialist Jill Margaret Shulman to share guidance for writing a stress-free college essay. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What are myths that exist in essay writing? 2. What stops students from getting started with their essay in the first place? 3. What techniques help empower students to write? 4. What are some positive steps if a student gets stuck?...
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755. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: MentoMind (Fall 2026 Updates)
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Expanding your tutoring business with MentoMind with educator Amit Jain What are five things you will learn in this episode? How are tutors using MentoMind? How is the MentoMind platform evolving? What are the users of MentoMind like? What kind of courses are tutors creating on MentoMind? What is the new video solution platform Think10x all about? ABOUT MENTOMIND is a white-label platform that helps tutoring companies, test prep businesses, and college advisors scale their SAT, ACT, and AP prep services. Your curriculum, ours, or both: use MentoMind’s expert-created...
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THROWBACK: ANXIETY AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
While all teenagers are alike in certain ways, those at the very top and very bottom of the socioeconomic spectrum share some disconcerting similarities. How are these peer groups connected, and what can be done to help them? Amy and Mike invited psychiatrist Anthony Villani to bring clarity to the topic of anxiety and socioeconomic status. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What fascinating aspects of teen life has Dr.Suniya Luthar uncovered in her research? What behaviors do teens at the highest and lowest socioeconomic levels exhibit? Does gender enter...
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754. WHAT STUDENT RESEARCH MATTERS THE MOST TO COLLEGES?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The apprenticeship model of academia requires more than just passive learning from students. How can applicants seeking entry to selective programs demonstrate that they have the ability and ambition to contribute to their desired fields? Amy and Mike invited professor Robert Malkin to consider what student research matters the most to colleges. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the different forms of research high school students have access to? Why are in-person lab experiences becoming increasingly valuable for high school students? What are the biggest...
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THROWBACK: BRINGING CRITICAL BALANCE TO HIGH SCHOOLERS' LIVES
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Many of today’s high school students somehow appear to cram 30 hours of academic, extracurricular, work, and social commitments into each of their 24-hour days. Is that frenzy of activity sustainable or even healthy? Amy and Mike invited school counselor Eric Domroes to analyze the need for bringing critical balance to high schoolers’ lives. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does balance mean for a high school student? Where does the pressure to do too much come from? What should students consider when planning for life after high school? Is...
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753. MAKING THE FIRST COACHING SESSION MATTER
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Real improvement takes time, which is to say that a single class or lesson can only take us so far. However, getting off to a good start can go a long way towards an ideal ending. Amy and Mike invited educational entrepreneur Lisa Tran to explore the importance of making the first coaching session matter. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does rapport mean in an educational or coaching context? What does an ideal first session structure actually look like? How can educators and coaches cultivate effective rapport? What is the role of students and parents in...
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752. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: August 2026
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The Tests and the Rest podcast consistently focuses on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What have Amy and Mike been up to this month? Why is Mike headed to NYC during a busy month? What big project did Amy complete? ...
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751. ARE SUPPLEMENTAL ESSAYS DEAD?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Even in the Common App era, completing college applications can feel like an interminably long and complex process with far too many permutations from one school to another. But some schools are announcing what appear to be efforts to eliminate application bloat. Are they really, though? Amy and Mike invited independent education consultant Beth Kraemer to answer the question, “Are supplemental essays dead?” What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why are some colleges eliminating supplemental essays, and do their stated reasons tell the whole story? Are supplemental...
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750. TEST PREP PROFILE: Eric Rath
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Eric Rath is the founder and president of , where he's spent the last decade building a remote test-prep and academic tutoring practice. His career in test prep goes back nearly twenty years, with senior business and instruction roles at some of the field's best-known names — Applerouth, ArborBridge, and Revolution Prep — before he struck out on his own in 2016. A UC Berkeley graduate, Eric is a frequent speaker on testing, assessment, and education, presenting...
info_outlineLike it or not, most major assessment and admissions tests will eventually migrate to a digital platform, some sooner than you’d think. This need not be a cause for despair. Amy and Mike invited educator Sonya Muthalia to describe the path to success in computer-based testing.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How do computerized tests differ from the paper-pencil version?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of taking computer-based tests?
- How is the prep for computerized tests different from the paper-pencil version?
- What digital tools are often provided to improve the computer-based testing experience?
- Why should educators feel excited about an inevitable expansion of computer-based testing?
MEET OUR GUEST
Sonya Muthalia is the Founder and CEO of Informed Decisions, a leading Mumbai based test prep company that trains students for the SAT, ACT, GMAT and GRE. Over the last two decades Sonya, along with her faculty located in India and North America, has trained over 10,000 students across 33 countries. Sonya also contributes to articles in newspapers and is a speaker at various online and offline forums. Sonya is always looking for newer and better ways to help her students and enhance their experience.
Informed Decisions is one of the strongest proponents of the Mindprint Learning Assessment and holds marketing exclusivity for India. Sonya uses MindPrint to design bespoke tutoring plans for her students which has helped significantly improve teaching outcomes and ultimately translated to optimal scores.
Sonya is also a passionate cook and particularly loves baking. Her newfound love for sourdough bread making is what helps her destress the eve of test day or results day!
Find Sonya at sonya@informeddecisions.in.
LINKS
What Does A Computer-Based ACT Look Like?
Looming Questions About a Digital SAT or ACT
Is Online a Better Baseline? Comparing the Predictive Validity of Computer- and Paper-Based Tests
RELATED EPISODES
COMPARING PAPER- AND COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
HOW DOES REMOTE PROCTORING ACTUALLY WORK?
HOW COLLEGE BOARD AND ACT ARE CHANGING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.