550. STATE OF TEST OPTIONAL ADMISSIONS IN 2024
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Release Date: 02/20/2024
567. GETTING READY FOR THE AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Computer Science is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Edward Lee to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Computer Science A exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Computer Science A exam? How do AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles differ? What are the highest...
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566. GETTING READY FOR THE AP LITERATURE EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Christy Shriver to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Literature exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Literature exam? What are the different approaches required by each essay? What strategies lead to higher scores on the AP Literature exam? How should students...
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565. GETTING READY FOR THE AP CALCULUS AB OR BC EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Shayda Moshirvaziri to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Calculus AB or BC exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Calculus exam? How important is a calculator on the AP Calculus exam? What are the highest priority topics for this exam? What are the best prep...
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564. GETTING READY FOR THE AP GOVERNMENT EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Dan Corrigan to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP United States Government and Politics exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Government and Politics exam? What are the highest priority topics for this exam? How should students prepare for the AP Government? What...
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563. GETTING READY FOR THE AP PHYSICS 1 EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Physics 1 is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educators Jennifer Boughton and John D’Alessandro to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Physics 1 exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Physics 1 exam and how does it differ from the other physics APs? How important is a calculator on the AP...
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562. TESTING POLICIES AND EDUCATIONAL EQUITY REVISITED
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Theories that standardized testing impeded equity in admissions decisions drove the pandemic-era test optional movement. With a few years of real-world data, we can now examine the accuracy of those theories. Amy and Mike invited student advocate Dr. Yoon Choi to revisit the review of testing policies and educational equity. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What does the research say about testing and equity? 2. How do standardized tests help predict college readiness? 3. Why do many states and school districts in the U.S. use the SAT and ACT tests as part of their...
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561. POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Students and their families anxiously awaiting acceptance letters often feel helpless throughout the college admissions process. Little do they realize how quickly the advantage can shift in their favor. Amy and Mike invited educator Debra Landesberg to explore the concept of power dynamics in college admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. Why are power dynamics worth considering in the admissions process? 2. Who holds the most power before applications are submitted? 3. Who holds the most power once applications are submitted? 4. Who holds the most power once...
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560. BUSTING MYTHS ABOUT HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Some rumors about the costs of college are true. For example, some colleges this year will establish record highs in tuition and fees. But does that mean you can trust everything you’ve heard? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Ann Garcia to bust some pervasive myths about how to pay for college. What are five myths that are busted in this episode? Myth #1: We're not poor and our student isn't an athlete, so we're stuck paying full price for college. Myth #2: I have a 4.6 GPA so I will get merit scholarships wherever I apply. Myth #3: My Student Aid Index/EFC is what it will...
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559. IEC PROFILE: Jennifer Stephan
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Dr. Jennifer Stephan. Jennifer has held a variety of roles across top colleges and universities, including professor, academic dean, and board of admissions member, in addition to serving as a private college counselor, alumni interviewer for Johns Hopkins University, and parent of three. She holds a BS degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, as well as an MS and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University....
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558. IEC PROFILE: Hanna Stotland
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Hanna Stotland, who flunked out of high school, got a G.E.D., and went on to graduate from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Since 1999, she has been an independent admissions consultant specializing in educational crisis management, including Title IX, substance abuse and mental illness. Her recent professional presentations include conferences of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, the Higher Education Consultants Association, nine regional...
info_outlineIn the wake of the 2020 global pandemic, every U.S college and university announced test-optional or test-blind admissions, leading some pundits to predict that the influence of standardized test scores in admissions decisions was over. Based on recent announcements from a suite of public and private schools, nothing could be further from the truth. Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to share the state of test-optional admissions in 2024.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
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As of early 2024, what is the state of test-optional admissions?
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What is the interplay between grade inflation and post-pandemic admissions policies?
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How do students know whether to submit scores or not?
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What does the term 'miswithholding' mean?
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Will more schools follow Dartmouth and MIT to test mandatory admissions?
MEET OUR HOST
Brian Eufinger graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2004. While an undergrad, he enjoyed working as a teaching assistant for Political Science 101, a resident advisor (RA) and as a volunteer paramedic with WashU’s Emergency Support Team.
Brian is frequently invited to speak about test prep, college admissions, and scholarships at PTSA meetings at Atlanta-area high schools as well as Edison Prep’s free parent meetings. Brian serves on the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. He is an active member of Washington University’s Young Alumni chapter in Atlanta, as well as the WashU Alumni Admissions Interviewer Program.
Brian was our guest to discuss THE REALITY OF GRADE INFLATION (#28), SELF-PREP FOR THE SAT & ACT (#131), SHOULD I TAKE THE ACT WRITING TEST? (#271), TESTING GAMEPLAN FOR THE CLASS OF 2025 (#432), and CELEBRATING OUR 500TH EPISODE
(#500). He also facilitated our 2019-20 ACADEMIC YEAR IN REVIEW (#100).
Find Brian at https://www.edisonprep.com.
LINKS
RELATED EPISODES
DO TEST OPTIONAL POLICIES DRIVE EQUITY?
WHAT DO TRULY TEST-OPTIONAL COLLEGES FOCUS ON?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.