https://vimeo.com/1118160261 Every year, millions of students and families rely on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to access grants, scholarships, work-study programs, and federal loans. For the 2026–27 school year, FAFSA is undergoing several key changes, some positive, some negative, that could impact how much aid families receive and how smoothly the process works. As someone who has spent years guiding students through admissions and financial aid, I…

Challenge Blake Kosmal knew his PSAT score was nowhere near where he wanted it to be. The disappointing result left him “really bummed out” and uncertain about his future SAT prospects. “My score from the PSATs was extremely low, and honestly it really bummed me out.” After hearing about SAT prep courses from his parents, Blake was hesitant questioning if a course could truly make a difference. Solution Despite doubts,…

Challenge Before joining Prep Expert®, Arpan Shah felt stuck with his SAT prep. His practice test scores hovered around 1300, and he knew he needed a serious boost to reach his college goals. But like many students, Arpan worried that test prep would be stressful, boring, and confusing. “I wanted to do better on the SAT, but it was tough to know where to start. I didn’t want to dread…

We’ve grown used to grim headlines about education in America: record-low SAT and ACT scores, widening achievement gaps, and a generation supposedly unprepared for college or careers. But in August 2025, a different story emerged. New York City — home to the nation’s largest and often most maligned public school system — reported its biggest reading gains in more than a decade. 56.3% of students in grades 3–8 are now…

Challenge When Alex began preparing for the SAT, he faced a challenge familiar to many students: a persistent weakness in the Reading section and the pressure to achieve a higher overall score. “I found my tutor Ronak Shah on the Prep Expert® website. Just from the first lesson with Ron, I already felt as if I was going to have a massive score improvement.” After discovering Prep Expert® on Instagram…

https://vimeo.com/1113315924 Kentucky’s Move from ACT to SAT: What Students Need to Know By Dr. Shaan Patel, CEO & Founder of Prep Expert® For nearly two decades, Kentucky high school juniors have taken the ACT as their state-mandated college admissions exam. But starting this year, the Kentucky Department of Education has announced a major shift: students will now take the SAT instead. While the transition has created uncertainty among teachers, parents,…

Challenge Before joining Prep Expert®, Haleema Zafar wasn’t convinced an SAT prep course could really make a difference. “I didn’t think I would actually see score improvements.” Her biggest struggle was with the Reading and Writing section, which always felt frustrating and overwhelming. She wanted more than generic strategies, she needed structured methods, targeted support, and a reason to believe in her ability to improve. Solution Haleema enrolled in Prep…

https://vimeo.com/1112359202 How High Schoolers Can Master the Digital SAT in 2025 By Dr. Shaan Patel, CEO & Founder of Prep Expert® The SAT has entered a new era. With its transition to a fully digital format, students now face a testing experience that’s shorter, smarter, and more adaptive than ever before. But as colleges reinstate SAT requirements and competition intensifies, success on this exam requires more than just showing up…

For years, critics predicted the death of the SAT and ACT. But the opposite is happening: America’s most elite universities are bringing back standardized testing. Harvard. Yale. Dartmouth. MIT. Caltech. Stanford. The list grows by the month. And their message is clear: merit still matters. 📉 The Test-Optional Experiment Failed During COVID, more than 1,800 colleges went test-optional, promising greater access and equity. Instead, the results showed the opposite: Applications…

Challenge When Keira Ching joined Prep Expert®’s 8-week SAT prep course, she was scoring around a 1300 on her initial practice test and struggling to maintain focus for more than an hour at a time. She wanted more than just a content boost, she was aiming to improve her concentration, confidence, and approach to learning. “I went from struggling to comprehend much for an hour to studying and focusing for…