While it is true that many colleges are test optional these days, strong ACT/SAT scores can strengthen a college admissions’ application and set applicants apart, helping students receive acceptances – and even scholarships – for the schools they most want to attend.
While some colleges and universities are test-blind like the UCs, many other popular colleges still require standardized testing, including many of the United States military academies, international universities, and domestic universities such as Brown University, Dartmouth College, Florida State, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, MIT, University of Florida, University of Georgia, and UT Knoxville. Many others are strongly test-preferred or test-flexible, including Auburn University, Yale and UT-Austin. In addition, some scholarships do not allow a superscore – they want to see the highest single-sitting score you have. And once you are enrolled in college and feel like you are past all the testing hurdles, your ACT/SAT sub-scores might even be considered in course enrollment. Unless you are heading to a test-blind university, it’s always great to have a solid score in your back pocket for many reasons.
The SAT has changed its format many times over the years, and they are changing yet again! SAT is rolling out a new digital, adaptive test format in the U.S. market starting this March 2024.
Varsity Vine is one of very few companies that has actual experience with the new adaptive test. Our in-house specialist, Brooke Wurst, has already been busy tutoring and working with international students who have been taking this new adaptive test format abroad, where it first rolled out last year. Brooke’s many years of experience plus familiarity with these new testing changes places her at the very forefront of understanding the new digital, adaptive SAT. She understands better than almost anyone in the tutoring industry what this new adaptive testing looks like and will guide your student towards personal success.
Even the ACT is on the move with possible changes. While the ACT has been offered digitally internationally for many years, the ACT recently began offering U.S. students the choice to take the ACT online, starting with a limited pilot of 5,000 testers in select U.S. test centers starting in December 2023. While the test itself has not changed yet, Varsity Vine keeps an eye on this shifting landscape, providing you the latest information, support, tutoring, and personalized care. Brooke has worked with scores of international students through the years who have taken the digital ACT and is well-versed in prepping students for the new digital U.S. format.
Let’s start climbing that SAT/ACT Varsity Vine together!
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Brooke Wurst has worked with thousands of students and their families in education and test prep since 1997, including working 14 years full-time as Program Director of the leading private academic & standardized test preparation company in Boston and 26+ years in private tutoring and counseling. Familiar with all learning styles (including IEP and profoundly gifted) and testing formats (including paper-based, computer-based, and adaptive testing), Brooke successfully tutors students in standardized testing (SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE, MCAT (verbal), GMAT, GRE, TOEFL, and writing) as well as AP and university-level coursework. Her clients hail from across the globe: US, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Caribbean, Canada, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa. Tutoring and test prep has been Brooke’s lifelong avocation, a passion she pursued in addition to the professional work she pursued in tandem: founding two technology companies, a strategic impact advisory consultancy, and an international HIV and Life Skills education non-profit.
An inventor and patent-holder, Brooke invented new mobile biometric technology that has increased access to health and social services to more than 25 million vulnerable individuals around the world and invented a geolocating SMS delivery platform to ensure accurate information about nearby health services is available to low-resource communities – now serving more than 60 million individuals across sub-Saharan Africa. She is a frequent keynote speaker and panelist on topics at the intersection of public health, technology, international development, sport for development, and social justice. Brooke received her B.A. with Honors in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at University of Pennsylvania; M.S. in Journalism, Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University; Advanced Graduate work in Literature at Harvard University (ALM, all but thesis); Specialization in Business Strategy, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia; Certification in Impact Management and Measurement for the SDGs, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University; and studied Literature and Fine Arts at Oxford University. Outside of work, Brooke is a musician (and former music critic) who enjoys playing guitar and bass, certified open water diver, certified skydiver, surfer, and recovering comedy writer.
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