Skip to main content
College Entrance ExamsGetting Ready for CollegeNews

NEWS: College Board announces Digital SAT

Last month, College Board, creators of the SAT and AP exams, announced the release plan for a new digital SAT. This online version of the test launches internationally starting next year. In this blog, we’ve summarized the most important features and changes to the SAT in this update. When will this happen? Firstly, this update will not affect current juniors. The digital SAT will not launch in the US until Spring 2024, so this will affect current sophomores. What’s new in the digital SAT? The format and scoring of the…
Mundo Academy
August 2, 2022
College Entrance ExamsGetting Ready for College

Are APs Important?

With all the heightened expectations and more rigorous classwork that high school brings, you might be wondering, “What are Advanced Placement (AP) courses?” and “Are APs important?” First, let’s overview the AP and the benefits that come with it. Then, we’ll unpack what the SAT and ACT tell colleges and how that might affect your choice to take AP courses. What is an AP Course? Advanced Placement denotes that a course is a college-level standard of curriculum. Consequently, some colleges allow students to bypass introductory courses if they have taken…
Mundo Academy
February 25, 2022
college admissions testing
College Entrance ExamsGetting Ready for College

Demystifying SAT and ACT College Admissions Myths

During the global pandemic, navigating college admissions has been particularly challenging. Should students take college admissions tests if they are listed as optional? Are they penalized if they don’t test? What is a good score? In this blog, we hope to demystify some of these nagging questions and provide you and your student with more clarity and information. Do I have to take a college admissions exam? Many schools will say that they are “test optional,” meaning that it is up to the student’s discretion as to whether or not…
Mundo Academy
September 30, 2021
College Entrance ExamsStudy Skills

How to Stay Focused: Tips for Testing

Continuing our series about tips for Test Taking and Test Anxiety, we will be discussing how to Refocus and Stay Focused! In our last blog, we discussed 3 ways to help combat test anxiety:  CALM our bodies, be CONFIDENT in our minds, and FOCUS.  Before we outline 3 Steps to Help you Stay Focused, we need to examine disconnection. Disconnection is a way we cope with stress, as we disconnect or move away from our work or our goals. It can manifest in our mind, body, and spirit. Disconnection... Of…
Mundo Academy
June 18, 2020
College Entrance Exams

Spring Testing Updates and Suggestions

College Entrance Test Changes *Updated April 21, 2020 Given all the changes occurring in the College Admissions process in regards to testing and test prep, we’ve compiled some suggestions as to how to proceed. We are here to support you during this difficult time!  We are all adjusting to remote learning. This is true for parents, students, teachers, and tutors alike. However, this is also an adjustment period for the College Board, ACT, and colleges and universities across the country and around the globe. Colleges and universities are aware of…
Mundo Academy
April 12, 2020
College Entrance Exams

Tips For Test Anxiety

Test anxiety is a common obstacle for students and we have some strategies to help! During this challenging time of plenty of adjustment and stress, we want to share some tools to help reduce test anxiety. Read on for Tips for Test Anxiety. First, we need to understand a little more about stress.  In 1908, psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson found a relationship between stress levels and performance. Too much stress can cause us to feel overwhelmed. Too little stress often leaves us feeling unmotivated. However, we can…
Mundo Academy
April 7, 2020
College Entrance Exams

Understanding Your SAT Score Report

Many students received their SAT scores this week. While many focus on the total score, the score report offers a lot more information that can help them prepare for their next test attempt. When Mundo Academy reviews a score report to develop a plan, we analyze several pieces of information. We will share our process with you on how to understand your SAT score report. TEST SCORES SECTION First, we look at the Test Scores section, especially for the Reading and Writing score. Since the Section Score is a combination…
Mundo Academy
May 29, 2019
College Entrance Exams

Test Optional Policies Backfiring on Underrepresented Groups

Students of color may consider applying to test-optional schools in order to improve their chances of admissions, but new findings show that this isn't always the case. Several years ago, colleges and universities adopted a test optional policy. The stated intent was to create more equity in entrance opportunities for students of underrepresented groups. Unfortunately, we are seeing unintended negative consequences instead of the positive growth in college diversity. It turns out that SAT Optional is not bringing in more students of underrepresented groups to elite colleges and universities. Unintended…
Mundo Academy
March 13, 2019
College Entrance Exams

Should You Opt Out of Testing?

Some colleges and universities are offering applicants the option to skip college entrance exams. You may be tempted to opt out of the SAT and ACT, but considering what the current data suggests, you might want to think twice. Even though test-optional policies can result in some positive points for schools such as an increase in number of applicants and potential increase in reported average test scores, test scores still seem to play a pivotal role in college admissions. When looking at data for students who were accepted to highly…
Mundo Academy
February 21, 2019
College Entrance Exams

Does Taking a Practice SAT/ACT Test Make a Difference?

Mundo Academy Answer Sheet As a highschooler, you have so much going on that it’s difficult to give up a precious Saturday to take a practice test; consequently, you may wonder if it is worth the sacrifice. You should know that taking an initial test is actually the best way to start your test prepping process. We recommend taking a practice test in order to get a baseline score. This baseline score will tell you where you are in your preparation for the actual test. You may take practice tests…
Mundo Academy
February 13, 2019