ACT vs. SAT Test Selection & Testing Fundamentals

What to bring: TI-83 series graphing calculator, notebook, writing utensils, water bottle, snack, and lunch with a drink, laptop

Our partners at Top Score Education are thrilled to be running their always-popular ACT vs. SAT Testing Fundamentals camp at Landon for a fourth straight year. 

At the core of all standardized tests are certain principles and strategies that put students in the best position to succeed—mainly with the interpretive ability they’ve honed and the content knowledge they’ve built. Avoiding careless mistakes is not merely a question of focus but also a dedicated approach. Guessing is not guessing when it’s done analytically. Pacing and prioritization must be planned and practiced.  

With two test options for college admissions, the ACT and SAT, identifying where a student’s skill set is best rewarded should be the first step. A student can waste months of preparation if they pursue the wrong test. The ACT is a faster-paced test with more advanced math and a data analysis section masquerading as science. The SAT, meanwhile, is an adaptive exam featuring paragraph-long reading passages, complex grammar rules, and math fill-in answers. 

The Top Score ACT vs. SAT Test Selection & Testing Fundamentals camp offers students a comprehensive introduction to the SAT/ACT through diagnostic testing, targeted strategies, high-yield content review, and personalized guidance.  

Skills Taught:

• Pacing & prioritization 
• Categorization of question types: See the test from the test maker’s perspective 
• Reading critically for evidence and tone 
• Grammar rules: recognition and application 
• Breaking down challenging, multi-step math problems into easy, individual tasks 
• Understanding ACT Science: interpreting data tables, charts and graphs 
• Diagnostic Testing in ACT vs. SAT: Expose students to both test styles and determine the better test fit, as well as skill level across different subjects (Reading/Writing/Mathematics/Science)
• Testing foundations: understanding pacing, how to use process of elimination, importance of showing work, using alternative methods to answer hard questions 
• Changes and Updates to testing and how to prepare for the SAT’s digital format
• Evidence-Based Reading: reading with purpose, differentiating explicit vs. implicit evidence, recognizing tone and characterization, and what do I do when I’m down to two?! 
• English Grammar: core content (subjects, verbs, pronouns: oh, my!), making language objective through sentence breakdown
• Math: what’s on the test, knowledge gaps, how to avoid careless errors, how to break down multi-step questions, alternative methods when the formula fails, core content tested on both exams
• Science: avoiding basic errors in data interpretation, making deeper data connections
• Final Diagnostic Testing and Reporting

*Top Score offers continued support, ongoing communication, and resources. They assure families that their student will not be left on their own and the team is there to support them even after the program ends.

To complete the digital SAT practice test, students must create an account with College Board and download the Bluebook app. If your student has taken either an SAT or PSAT prior to our camp, they should already have an account created; we will just need their username and password so that we can record their results. Instructions for downloading Bluebook to laptops and a how-to for creating a Collegeboard account will be provided to you prior to the start of the program.

Meet the Staff:

This summer, Phillip Smith will lead the ACT vs. SAT Test Selection & Testing Fundamentals camp. A hit with Landon staff and students during the summer of 2024, we are excited to welcome Phillip back to the Landon community to reprise his role leading this camp. 

Phillip is a full-time SAT/ACT tutor with Top Score Education and serves as their organization's Director of Training and Development. A veteran educator and National Board Certified Teacher with a decade of teaching experience, Phillip is a caring and engaging instructor who believes deeply in the potential of all students to achieve tremendous growth with the proper support and guidance.   

About Top Score Education  

Top Score Education is a boutique test prep and tutoring company founded in 2004 by Landon alum Alex Chip. Over the past 20 years, Alex and his team at Top Score have prepared thousands of students (including over 100 Landon Bears) for success on the SAT and ACT. Top Score Education is widely recognized as a leader in the DC metro region in SAT and ACT planning, preparation, and support.