ACT vs SAT: which test is a better fit for you / your child?

Well, to begin with, no test is easy or hard but they are different. Students must identify the differences and understand their own liking or comfort zone to decide which test is right for them. The pattern of both the tests is the same, with some exceptions that have been highlighted in this article.

Students may take whichever test they prefer (assuming there are available testing locations for both tests). If you're not sure which test your child would prefer, consider the key differences between the ACT and SAT. Some students find that the ACT caters to their strengths more so than the SAT, and vice versa.

Need a quick side-by-side comparison of the tests? Check out our SAT vs ACT Comparison Chart below.

SAT	VS	ACT
Questions are evidence and context-based in an effort to focus on real-world situations and multi-step problem-solving	Questions are like?	Straightforward, questions may be long but are usually less difficult to decipher
Reading, relevant words in context, math, grammar & usage, analytical writing (optional)	What are we talking about?	Grammar & usage, math, reading, science reasoning, and writing (optional)
Reading: 1, 65-min section; Math: 1, 25-min section (no calculator) & 1, 55-min section (w/ calculator); Writing & Language: 1, 35-min section; Essay: 1, 50-min section (optional)	The laps I need to cross?	English: 1, 45-min section; Math: 1, 60-min section; Reading: 1, 35-min section; Science: 1, 35-min section; Writing: 1, 40-min essay (optional)
Math and Evidence-Based Reading & Writing is each scored on a scale of 200-800. Composite SAT score is the sum of the two section scores and ranges from 400-1600	How will I be scored?	English, Math, Reading, and Science scores range from 1-36. The composite ACT score is the average of your scores on the four sections; ranges from 1-36
No – you do not lose points for incorrect answers	Are wrong answers penalized?	No – you do not lose points for incorrect answers
Yes – you can choose which set(s) of SAT scores to submit to colleges. However, some colleges require or recommend that students submit all scores. Students should review the score-reporting the policy of each college to which they plan to apply.	Can I cherry pick the score I wish to send?	Yes – you can choose which set(s) of ACT scores to submit to colleges. However, some colleges require or recommend that students submit all scores. Students should review the score-reporting policy of each college to which they plan to apply.
Math questions generally increase in difficulty level as you move through that question type in a section. Reading passage questions generally progress chronologically through the passage, not by difficulty level. Writing & Language passage questions do not progress by difficulty level.	How grilling are the questions?	For the English and Reading sections, the difficulty level of the questions is random. For the Math section, questions generally increase in difficulty as you progress through the section. For the Science section, passages generally increase in difficulty as you progress through the test, and questions generally become more difficult as you progress through a passage.
Arithmetic, problem-solving & data analysis, the heart of algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, and trigonometry; formulas provided	Let’s talk about Maths, maybe?	Arithmetic, algebra I and II, functions, geometry, trigonometry; no formulas are provided
Seven times per year: March or   April, May, June, August, October, November, December (note that some states offer the SAT as part of their state testing requirements; these tests are not administered on the national test dates)	Offered when?	Seven times per year: February, April, June, July, September, October, December (note that some states offer the ACT as part of their state testing requirements; these tests are not administered on the national test dates)
Typically about four weeks before the test date	Registration deadline?	Typically about five to six weeks before the test date

Now that the major differences are clear, it should be easier for you to pick the right test. We at Pythagurus suggest that you carefully go through each section and try taking a diagnostic test of both the exams before making the final decision or choice of test. Compare the results and check which exam is more doable for you. There may be different scenarios. For someone who loves Science but not comfortable with Mathematics without a calculator, the ACT may be the right choice. For a student who is not comfortable with rigorous or fast-paced exams and needs time to complete the paper, the SAT may be the perfect option.

Remember that colleges do not prefer one test over the other. They will pick the best scores irrespective of the test. So, prepare early for the best results!

Wish to understand what works best for you? Give us a call and get a consultation absolutely free of charge. 

For more information, Visit: https://pythagurus.in/sat-classes/

How to get a good GMAT score?

Always dreamt of studying in a top business school? Though tough, the dream can be a reality with a bit of planning, hard work and determination. A high GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) score can be the first step to get admission in a reputed B school. But the question is: How to secure high score in GMAT? This blog provides you with the right guidance. Apart from following the tips offered in this blog, you can consider seeking coaching for GMAT. 

Here are a few tips on how to secure good score in GMAT:

• Plan Ahead:

Proper planning can help improve your chances of success in GMAT. Without planning and significant preparation over a couple of months, no one can expect to pocket a score in the 99th percentile. No matter how good you are at mathematics and critical reasoning, you will not be able to score high without solid preparation. Do not forget to take practice tests on a regular basis. If you see your score going up every day, know that you are on the right track. Joining the best GMAT coaching centre can help improve your efficiency and offer excellent guidance.

• Learn Concepts, Use Them Quickly:

Since it is a timed exam and you need to answer 78 questions in just 150 minutes, you need to be prompt and answer as quickly as possible. You should understand the concepts thoroughly and be extremely quick in calculation. Regular practice for months can help enhance your efficiency in quick calculation. 

• Creating a Learning Diary May be Useful:

While you prepare for the exam, you need to jot down each unknown question and attempt to find its appropriate answers. If you practice this for long, you will soon find that your list of weaknesses has reduced. 

• Educated Guessing Can be of Great Help:

When you are not confident about an answer, you can resort to educated guessing method. Rank the 5 possible answers fast based on their suitability and strike out the wrong ones. Elimination or 2 to 3 wrong answers will make guessing easier. Appropriate evaluation is, no doubt, better but shortage of time often turns it difficult. 

• Work on Your Weaknesses:

You should identify the areas you are the weakest and start working on them immediately. Strengthening the weaknesses through practice does not mean that you should lose focus on your strengths. Make sure to fortify more your strong areas through regular practice. 

• Overshooting the Target Score Would be a Good Practice:

Even if 500 or 600 is good enough to get you into your dream B school, you should try to overshoot your target score while taking practice tests at home. You should try to score at least 50 more than you required for getting admission in a top business school. It is very common for the students to acquire 30 points more or less than they target, depending on the psychological and physical condition on the exam day.

Apart from following the aforementioned tips, you can consider getting coaching for GMAT. Search the internet thoroughly to shortlist a few top coaching centres offering GMAT guidance and out of them try to track the best GMAT coaching centre based on the number of successful students it has. These institutions will prepare a concrete plan and offer excellent guidance needed for bagging a high GMAT score.

How to find the best B-School essay consultants?

The market overflows with numerous B-school consultants worldwide that offer excellent support to the aspiring students for taking admission in a reputed business college of their choice. Starting from the application procedure, to essay submission and then final admission, these professional consultants provide appropriate guidance to you in achieving sure success. The major reason behind the widespread popularity of such consultants is the reduced selection rates of top business schools.

Looking at the ever increasing competition amongst numerous applicants, most of the hopeful candidates make a preference for B-school essay consulting services to create a competitive edge over others in submitting the most precise and unique essay to the colleges. Writing essay is the very first instance in which the candidates get an opportunity to prove their candidates and credibility for the course.

Role of B-school consultant

Are you among those aspiring candidates who are unsure about their chances of selection and the process of getting admission into the best B-school? Well, consulting B-school essay consultants can turn out helpful for you. Some of the most important role that consultant plays while helping the students may include –

• They help candidates in boosting the level of confidence as well as convictions.

• Offer well-tailored services matching perfectly with your specific requirements

• Provide sustainable help in efficiently dealing with the technical aspects of essay writing and     your CV.

• Prepare you to face the final interviews by conducting several mock interview sessions.

• Offer suitable instructions to you for presenting yourself in the best possible way.

Tips to find the best 

Are you still unable to decide the best alternative of B-school essay consulting services for your purpose? If yes, then the following important tips can certainly help you in making the right decision without paying significant stress on your pocket.

• Consider the popularity: One of the most prominent criteria that can help you in taking a wise decision is the popularity of the consulting company. The more popular consultant you choose, the more chances of reliability occurs. Moreover, it is also important to lay significant emphasis on the experience as well.

• Get to know user reviews: Another crucial factor the eases out the process of selecting the best consultant is to consider the user reviews of different such firms. It is also important to consider the authentic reviews available on their respective sites or take reference from any of your friends and relatives.  

• Do not overlook the budget: Financial constraints also play a crucial role in examining the best consulting service for B-school essays. The quality of the work also depends on this factor. Thus, choosing the cheapest consultant or choosing the costliest consultant may turn out wrong for you. However, it is advisable to make a preference for such consultants that quote reasonable prices for you.

5 Secrets to an Impactful B School Application Essay

Writing an impactful application essay is probably the toughest part of applying to a B school. The admission rate at the top business schools is very low. Even candidates with high merit and impeccable credentials get rejected at times because their writing and way of expression does not impress the admission panel. Thus, if you want to get into a celebrated business school, you need to make sure that you prepare yourself enough to craft precise and compelling essays revealing your strength and convincing the readers that you are worthy of being considered for their B school. You can seek professional guidance from B school essay consultants regarding how to write appealing essays. 

Here are a few tips that may help you produce an application essay that will create a positive impact on the admission committee:

1.         Plan your Strategy:

It would not be fair to start writing by just going through the given topic without much thinking and planning.  Prior to writing the essay, you should take your time to think on the topic on which you have been asked to elaborate. You should plan a strategy on how to approach the topic and explain your points. Based on your strategy, you should start writing.

2. Keep the Introduction Short, Simple and Straightforward:

In order to make the start more engaging, candidates often turn the introduction dramatic. However, according to the experts, it is always better to keep the introduction of the essay short, to-the-point and simple. In order to create a sensational introduction, students often tend to ramble rather than answering the question.

The members of the admission committee need to scan through hundreds of answer sheets and a long, dramatic essay may test their patience Trying to present clear, crisp messages in simple language would fulfill a student’s purpose better in this respect.

3. Use Headings:

In B school admission test, the essay question is usually a combination of 3 to 4 questions. It is better if you use headings and answer each of the questions respectively. Headings not only help you avoid clumsiness and assist you to focus on the question asked but also add a concrete structure to your content. Though you use different headings, you need to ensure that your content under each heading is linked well to form a single coherent write-up.

4. Bring Out Your Real Self:

The admission panels at the famous business schools want to discover the real you, the person who attended GMAT classes, secured good scores. They are eager to know what inspires you and what sets you apart from the competition, your aspiration and career goals and how you want to reach your mission. Make sure that the real you and your personal opinions get clearly reflected in the B school admission essay you write. According to many expert B school essay consultants, it is even better if the students refer to their personal experiences to support the facts they mentioned in their essays.

5. Don’t be Generic, Offer Specific Details:

As already pointed out, the prime aim of the admission committee is to extract from candidates specific details about their work and their inspirations. The committee gets a deep insight into the character of the student just by looking at the question they choose to answer and also the specific details they provide in their essays. Let’s explain this with an example. If you are going to pursue an Executive MBA, you need work experience. Let us assume that you have the experience of working as a consultant at a premier management firm. In this instance, do not fill up your answer talking about generic stuff as an employee. Try to elaborate on the specific projects you have worked on and what role you played in that assignment. If you have the experience of handling overseas clients, talk about it.

Simply attending the GMAT classes and acquiring good GMAT scores is not enough. You need to prepare yourself for writing business school admission essays to reveal your worthiness a candidate. Keeping the above tips in mind will help you craft an impactful application essay that the B school admission board will love.

MBA Admission Counseling Services

MBA admissions counseling and consulting is of much important as it provides the full in depth detailed analysis of the marketing program, how to crack the entrance exams, what all colleges provide the best education, evaluation of a student’s profile, analyze its potentials, and helping them prepare better. It is said the toughest part of an MBA program is getting in and so people are ready to shell out a heavy sum of money to help them deal with the nerve jangling admission procedure.

MBA admissions counseling services not only polish essays, prepare resumes and give mock interviews, they also act like a guidance counselors, helping the students nurture their academic goals and helping them get into institutions best suited for them. Referring to a consultant means a very stable and a more expertise and trust-able procedure to get into the B schools. Now a day’s these admission counseling have become an integral part of a student’s preparation program providing them various services like preparation of the essays, taking mock interviews, reviewing performance and guiding them on the weaker sections, updating them about the exam pattern, upgrading with the insights of various B schools and telling them what all schools are good to apply for.

With the growing competition there is a constant pressure revolving around a student’s mind to perform and give their best. They have to live up to their and their parents expectations. MBA admission consulting services will help him prepare in a smart and a very sophisticated manner which would enable him to prepare right and then sit tight. The main advantages of such practices are that it boosts up the confidence of a person which automatically perform well. The routine review of his performances help him in a self assessment wherein he knows the places where he is lagging behind and so he can take measures to improve in that particular area. Undergoing a program like this imbibes certain values in the person such as a changed attitude, confidence, and change in personality, thinking, strategies, and capability of multitasking, handling complex tasks.

Services Offered by MBA Admission Consultants

With the advent of the most sought out course in the finance and management stream, MBA, its counseling has also gained importance as it is a complete guidebook for the applicants, improving their chances of getting admission to their desired Business schools. The services catered by the counseling companies consists of a range of activities namely, evaluating a candidates profile, suggesting them the schools in which they should apply, helping them write and edit essays, conducting mock interviews to boost up their confidence and give them basic corporate etiquettes. Now a day MBA admission consulting services have become an integral part of a student’s preparation, giving them a perspective of the functions of the B schools. It helps a candidate overcome the dilemma of choosing between various career options and narrows their choices by discussing, pushing them to do a lot of brainstorming and chalking out the best options to choose from. Undergoing a program like this brings in a huge attitude change in sense of confidence, verbatim, personality and outlook of a person.

The GMAT exam, Graduate Management Admission Test is a computer adaptive test. It is divided into certain sections like Quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, integrated reasoning, and analytical writing skills. It does not however, presuppose any specific knowledge of business or other specific content areas, nor does it measure achievement in any particular subject area of a student. There are many best GMAT coaching institutes which provides preparation classes to crack MBA exams first brush up the basics of the students and then provides them with in depth assistance and classes that enable them perform at their optimum. The vast guidance provided by such coaching centers help the students in all aspects, making them more qualitative among the others. Such centers plan out the whole syllabus in terms of a program and make it more interesting and valuable for students by incorporating slides, flowcharts, presentations, interactive discussions, panel discussions, mock interviews, etc. The scores that a candidate obtains are acknowledged by different B schools and are not only the primary criteria that fetch a seat in a particular college. This also depends on the academic performance and many other factors that are taken care by these coaching centers.

A Guide to Taking the GMAT Tests

As prepared as you feel for the GMAT examination after solving numerous problems and practice papers, you need to have a goal and plan set for the big game day.

Half the Battle 

Here are some of the basic things you must follow during GMAT preparation and the days leading up to the examination-

•  Get a good night’s rest and avoid fatigue.
• Show up early for your paper.
• Avoid eating or drinking any new thing that may not suit you.
• Take breaks and prepare with a fresh mind.

However, besides these simple things, you also need to have a clear idea set for the duration of the paper. Here are some simple techniques to guide you smoothly through the paper.

Flip the Page

Do not listen to the inner voices and doubt yourself after confirming an answer. Once you solve a particular problem, learn how to mentally turn the page and move on as well. if you get stuck solving one problem, you may end up losing out somewhere else.

Know When to Give Up

A different problem in the dog eat dog world. You are now faced with a question whose answer is at the tip of your tongue. You know all your calculations are right and feel as if it is staring you in the face. But yet, you cannot figure out the right option. Do not get frustrated but instead choose an answer in the same ballpark and move on. If you try and be a perfectionist in everything, you may regret it later. Invest your precious time is things you know will get you results.

Always Show Your Work 

As simple as an answer may seem, use the spare sheets of paper provided to you. it may seem as if using the pen and paper for every single sum is a waste of time, but minor errors that result in larger mistakes can be easily avoided. Even the best GMAT coaching in Gurgaon will give you the same advice. Instead of testing your memory and skills, it is much better to go the written out way.

Lastly, do not keep checking your watch. Time yourself as much as desired before you begin the actual paper but avoid such stresses during the final day.