
North Avenue Education
News, Insights, & Study Tips
Unlocking the Benefits of ACT's My Answer Key
This blog post serves as a one-stop guide to help students, families, and counselors understand what ACT’s My Answer Key includes, who can access it, why it’s such a powerful study tool, and how to order it – step by step.
ACT Checklist: What to Bring for Test Day (Paper and Online)
Ensure a stress-free ACT test day with this comprehensive checklist. Learn what to bring, what to avoid, and essential test-day tips to help you perform at your best.
Navigating the 2025 ACT Enhancements: In-Depth Analysis and Strategic Guidance
Explore the 2025 ACT test changes, including superscoring policy updates, university admissions implications, and content rebalancing. Get expert advice tailored for students and educators to navigate these enhancements effectively.
Tutor Spotlight: Riley H.
Meet Riley. Riley is a seasoned educator with a master’s degree in English and over a decade of experience teaching and tutoring writing, critical reading, and standardized test preparation. Boasting extensive experience coaching SAT, ACT, and SSAT, Riley excels at helping students hone their analytical and time-management skills for success on test day. His patient, tailored approach ensures each student gains confidence and mastery in tackling complex material.
Tutor Spotlight: Aster E.
Meet Aster. A recent Physics graduate from Reed College, Aster boasts over 3,000 hours of professional tutoring experience, specializing in SAT/ACT test prep as well as AP Calculus and IB Physics. They bring a deep understanding of test formats and advanced subject material to yield an individualized approach to tutoring sessions. Aster’s teaching philosophy emphasizes clarity, compassion, and mutual collaboration to help students succeed in school and beyond.
Decoding Your 2024 PSAT and PSAT 10 Scores
Understanding PSAT and PSAT 10 scores helps juniors and sophomores gauge SAT readiness, consider ACT options, and plan effective prep.
Big Changes Are Coming to ACT in 2025 – Here’s What You Need to Know
The ACT is evolving, and the updates rolling out in 2025 will bring some exciting and impactful changes. If you’re planning to take the test soon, here’s everything you need to know about what’s new, how it will affect your prep, and what you can do to stay ahead.
Top Ten Tips for Time Management During Standardized Tests
Learn how to tackle the unique challenge of time pressure on standardized tests. Discover strategies to improve your pacing and maximize your performance under the clock.
Tutor Spotlight: Lee Ngo
Lee Ngo is a native Oregonian with a dynamic background spanning academia, technology, and media. As a lifelong learner, Lee is dedicated to projects that uplift historically excluded communities. His relatable approach integrates practical skills with pop culture.
To Compete with SAT, ACT Trials Shorter, Digitized Test in June
In the competitive world of standardized testing, staying ahead means adapting to change. This year, both SAT and ACT embrace shorter as better.
Tutor Spotlight: Aidan Sigman
Meet Aidan. A seasoned SAT and ACT strategist with a perfect GRE score, Aidan's approach is both systematic and flexible, adapting to the individual needs of his students, whether crafting comprehensive curricula or providing targeted tutoring that transcends traditional methods.
Strategies to Tackle Exam Anxiety to Stay Calm and Focused
Conquer exam anxiety and gain insights for a stress-free approach to exams and academic success with these proven tips.
Tutor Spotlight: Jameson Boslough
Meet Jameson. Jameson is a versatile and experienced educator, having coached both kindergarteners on skis and environmental science majors on the Missouri River. His work with diverse learners enables him to tailor his approach to each student’s needs and aspirations. Jameson’s goal is to kindle the sparks of motivation that drive success, improve thinking, and cultivate a passion for learning.
Test Scores are Helpful for More than Just Merit Aid
In an era when many colleges have shifted to test-blind or test-optional admissions policies, you may associate test scores merely with securing merit aid or scholarships. However, their significance extends far beyond financial assistance. In fact, because test scores remain powerful indicators of a student's academic potential, raising your SAT or ACT scores makes you a more viable applicant for admission, thus opening doors to a world of educational opportunities.
ACT Plans to Expand Online Testing in US
After an initial pilot in December, ACT hopes to offer its exam in a computer-based format alongside paper-and-pencil in more testing centers across the US into 2024.
Tutor Spotlight: Chris Pratt
With over a decade of experience tutoring and a wide range of mathematics coursework under his belt, Chris prides himself in helping students bridge the gap between rote memorization and authentic mastery. He offers personalized support for his students, whether they’re preparing for the SAT or ACT, or strengthening their math skills.
Tutor Spotlight: Holton Huntington
Holton offers personalized support for middle school and high school students, whether they’re preparing for the SAT or ACT, strengthening executive functioning and study skills, or drafting a college essay.
ACT Updates from the 2022 NTPA Conference
At the National Test Prep Association conference in Georgia on the weekend of July 11th, ACT’s CEO Janet Goodwin articulated what changes ACT would make in response to the SAT’s tectonic shift to digital testing. What’s changing? Well, not much.
ACT Strategies: How to Succeed in College Admissions, on the Test, and Beyond
While the ACT measures the skills and knowledge you have learned in high school, it is also an excellent way to gain more choice in your first-year class schedule, receive merit aid, and stand out from other applicants in the admissions process.
Why the Digital SAT Matters Now
The College Board announced a plan to transform the paper-based SAT into a condensed, adaptive digital assessment. Here’s why today’s students should care.
Demystifying the National Merit Scholarship Process
After a year of distance learning and cancelled tests, even the words “National Merit” might intimidate. We’re here to simplify the process.
How to Navigate ACT Reading’s New VQI Questions
In a surreptitious change, ACT has updated their description of the Reading test to include a short blurb about “Visual and Quantitative Information” questions in that section of the exam. The “new” question types will appear on test booklets during National Testing dates beginning this year, and will contribute to students’ scores in the Information and Knowledge of Ideas reporting category.
Strategies for the Computer-Based SAT and ACT
The College Board and ACT are rolling out computer-based versions of their exams for all US students. Mastering the digital tools they provide will be the key to success on these online tests.
Test-Optional FAQs: Is it worth taking the SAT or ACT?
As a majority of universities implement test-optional policies for this year’s admissions cycle, students have been asking us whether it’s worth it to take the SAT or ACT. Our expert tutors weighed in on the most common questions we’ve received from parents and students this fall.