What are your chances of getting into an Ivy or Equivalent school? Find Out Now!

Here’s the Secret Test Prep Companies Don’t Want You to Know.

Your essays are more important for Ivy and equivalent colleges than increasing your SAT score an additional 50 points.

Strong essays 10x your admissions chances.

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So now that you’re in the know. Here’s what you do:

  • Utilize the recommended resources below to best prepare yourself for the SAT/ACT test.
  • Take the SAT/ACT once.
  • Submit the score if it’s competitive. If your score is not competitive but your grades and AP scores are strong, apply test optional.
  • Leverage the substantial savings on test prep to purchase Prompt's application and essay coaching.
  • Work with your Prompt Coach to make your application impossible to ignore.
  • Submit your applications with confidence and join 98% of Prompt students in getting into one or more of your top choice colleges.

Here’s why this strategy works:

1. Improving your SAT/ACT score requires studying.

The best way to improve your score is to study (i.e., receive instruction and practice). Students who study on their own using test prep books or online programs (e.g., Khan Academy) improve their scores similarly to those using paid tutoring or courses. However, most students don’t study on their own. Test prep tutoring gets results because it forces study time.

So if the primary benefit of test prep is forced study time, why pay $200 an hour for study time? Pay less and get the same result. After all, how much do you think companies charging $100-200 an hour pay their tutors? The answer is $20-50 an hour.

2. The SAT/ACT score is merely one component of a student’s Academic Score.

 The simplest way to think about how admissions officers evaluate applicants is to break an application into two components: The Academic Score and The Personal Score.

The Academic Score is made up of your grades, strength of curriculum (i.e., harder classes are weighted more heavily), SAT/ACT scores (if you submit them), and potentially other information based on the school (e.g., AP Scores). Schools combine this information into a single score and then admissions officers provide a final score by considering additional context (e.g., what classes were available to you, how competitive your high school is).

As a rule of thumb, colleges believe 4 in 5 applicants have the academic profile to be academically successful at their college. You can quickly get a sense of how academically competitive you are by clicking here for a guide.

Note that your SAT/ACT scores may be weighted more heavily in some situations. For example, if you’ve switched high schools or your high school doesn’t frequently send students to their college, test scores may be weighted more heavily for understanding whether the college thinks you’ll be academically successful.

3. Essays are the critical component of the Personal Score.

 It’s often difficult to differentiate between students – 10,000s of applicants have similar academics and extracurriculars. Colleges use the content of your essays – what you write about and how you write about it – to differentiate between applicants. The data shows that only 1 in 5 applicants to Ivy and equivalent colleges have strong Personal Scores (i.e., strong essays), resulting in a 10x increase in admissions chances

Working with a Prompt writing coach is the best way to ensure you write about your most compelling content (from the perspective of admissions officers) and write clearly and concisely.

We help your student tie their most compelling content into a cohesive narrative that relates to the 5 Traits Colleges Look For in Applicants: drive, intellectual curiosity, initiative, contribution, and diversity of experiences.
We help you brainstorm compelling content, match content to each part of each application (essays, activities lists, additional information, portfolios), and outline your writing for each part.
We help you identify how to shorten your writing (usually by 40-60%). Word count is at a premium. And being concise will help you fit in more content, providing a clearer picture of why you are extraordinary.
We help you structure your essays and write in ways that admissions officers will easily understand. Admissions officers only spend an average of 8 minutes per application. So being clear and easy to read is critical.
Procrastination is the #1 cause of not being accepted. Over 90% of students scramble to complete their essays, submitting their applications within 48 hours of the deadline. Prompt holds you accountable to the timeline you agreed upon.
Want to learn more about how Prompt’s essay coaching can 10x your admissions chances?
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