As the children of Gen X-ers enter college, there are plenty of changes to entrance exams that their parents need to understand. In fact, plenty has changed since they filled in bubbles with their pencils back in the 80s or 90s. 

1. ACT vs. SAT: While the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) may have been the 'gold standard' for college admission exams that most colleges preferred way back when Gen X was taking exams, things have changed. In fact, by 2007, it is reported that the ACT (American College Testing) was finally considered a "valid admissions test at every four-year college or university in the U.S." and colleges today accept both exams without having a preference of one over the other. 

2. Tutoring: While Gen Xers may have spent their Saturdays cramming at the library, students today prepare with much more efficient methods. In fact, using an ACT Test Prep tutor is considered a necessity when preparing for college entrance exams. Not only can an ACT Prep tutor help a student study important facts that are likely to be on the exam they can also help the student understand the correct way to take the exam.  They do this by using little tricks, like showing how to deduce the 'most correct' answer and using the strategy of setting the same letter for all unknown answers.  This can pick up extra points.

3. Scoring: The ACT has consistently been scored on a range of 1-36, with 36 being a perfect score. The SAT, however, has changed over the years.  Your exam may have been based on a 400 to 1600 range, with 1600 being a perfect score on both the verbal and math sections.  It could have been scored from  600-2400. This all depends on when you took the exam. The change was due to the addition of an essay portion of the exam circa in  2005.  Then, in early 2021, the essay was eliminated.

4. Less memorization: Gen Xers may remember studying vocabulary flashcards until their eyes blurred over but the many questions on antonyms, word analogies, and vocabulary are no longer the focus of the exam. While having an impressive vocabulary is always nice, the ACT and SAT now focus on rating a student's ability to problem-solve and reason. 

An SAT or ACT Test Prep tutor can help your child with all the above changes so that they get the best score possible for them. No matter what college entrance exam your child is prepping for, understanding the ins and outs of both exams and their scoring can help Gen X parents comprehend how different the exam is now. 

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