Jessica Wynn

But they are convenient for institutions and they're very profitable for companies that make them.

So whether they're good for students is a much bigger question.

COVID gave us a real world experiment.

Colleges went test optional.

Admissions still worked.

And surprise, the sky did not fall.

Maybe not, or maybe we just need to rethink what we're testing and how.

But as long as these tests exist, the prep industry will exist too.

Because fear plus confusion equals marketplace.

In the meantime, if you are prepping, just be smart about it.

Look for materials that break things down by skill, not just by test section.

You want to see things like reading comprehension, main idea, not just section one, right?

Do lots of practice questions that have clear explanations.

Make sure the difficulty in format actually feel like the real test, not, you know, confidence inflating stuff.

And just read reviews from real people on Reddit and College Confidential.

There's all kinds of test prep forums, not just the marketing copy to look at.

So you just start with those official practice tests.

They're often cheap.

Khan Academy is a great place to begin.

YouTube also has genuinely excellent free content from experienced educators, especially for the high stakes exams.