Strategy, tips, and exam guides for the SAT, ACT, and AP® exams — from a Barron's author with 20+ years of experience.
A useful reading list for the ACT® and SAT® shouldn't be just a stack of classic novels. Both tests pull passages from a wide range: fiction, science, history, social issues, essays, and opinion writing. Students who can move comfortably across…
I got a handful of emails and texts from worried students and parents this week, all with the same problem: the ACT score that was supposed to be in MyACT had just vanished. If that's you, here's the situation. This…
ACT’s My Answer Key materials give students access to a post-test packet for eligible administrations, which means tutors can finally look at recent forms with some specificity. I had a chance to review the April 2026 ACT form, and a…
Test anxiety is more common than students realize, and it can be managed with the right tools. Here are practical techniques you can use during prep and on test day for the SAT, ACT, AP exams, and other high-stakes tests — from breathing strategies to free-response tactics.
Desmos is built into the Digital SAT, but defaulting to it on every problem is one of the biggest time-sinks I see in students prepping for the test. Here are 9 specific problem types where doing the work by hand is faster, plus the rule I drill into every student about when to put the calculator down.
Once you've worked through the foundational Desmos techniques (linear regression, sliders, graphing systems, the percent and fraction shortcuts), you've got the core toolkit most students rely on. (If you haven't yet, start with the free Ten Tips for Desmos on…
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer AP® English Language and Composition is one of the most widely taken AP exams, and also one of the most misunderstood. Students often walk into the course…
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer The AP® Biology exam tests how well you understand the way living systems actually work. Memorization alone will not get you there. The course is organized around…
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer The AP® US History exam is less about memorizing isolated facts and more about understanding major developments across time. The course is organized into nine historical periods…
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer AP® African American Studies is an interdisciplinary course that moves from the societies of early Africa through the transatlantic slave trade, Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, and the…