Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast

The last thing anybody wants to do is sit for a meaningless test. Entrance exams like the SAT & ACT should be able to inform both test takers and target institutions about the likelihood of success at the next level. So do they? Amy and Mike invited educator David Blobaum to explore the predictive validity of test scores in college admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. Research says that SAT/ACT scores are better predictors of success at Ivy-plus colleges than are high school grades–why? 2. Have any other colleges beyond the Ivy-plus colleges made similar statements? 3. Why have colleges not gone back to requiring test scores then if they're so predictive? 4. Do test-optional colleges value SAT/ACT scores? 5. Are test-blind colleges blind to all tests? MEET OUR GUEST David Blobaum [https://davidblobaum.com/] graduated from the University of Chicago with honors both from the college and in his major. In college, he took seriously the University of Chicago’s aim of a “Renaissance” or well-rounded education and took courses in 17 different disciplines, ranging from Statistics and Economics to Philosophy and Art History. Since then, he has devoted himself to helping students reach their potential on the SAT and ACT and, more broadly, to help them succeed through education.  To that end, in 2013, he founded Summit Prep with a former UChicago classmate. They now have two tutoring centers in New Jersey, and their team of SAT/ACT experts privately tutors over 500 students per year. David is a consultant to schools on SAT/ACT best practices, personally trains each Summit Prep tutor one-on-one, and tutors a select few students himself. David not only teaches students the necessary subject matter but also motivates them to continually strive towards their potential. David first appeared on the podcast in episode 79 to discuss Why The SAT And ACT Are Awesome [https://gettestbright.com/why-the-sat-and-act-are-awesome/], in episode 582 to discuss The Need For Testing Sites In California [https://gettestbright.com/the-need-for-testing-sites-in-california/], and in episode 421 for a Sponsor Spotlight [https://gettestbright.com/sponsor-spotlight-summit-prep/]. Find David at https://summitprep.com/ [https://summitprep.com/]. LINKS Common Data Set [https://commondataset.org/] AP Exam Scores Are Important For College Admissions  [https://summitprep.com/blog/ap-exams-do-they-matter/] The Rumors Are... True. Testing is Coming Back. [https://summitprep.com/blog/the-rumors-are-true-testing-is-coming-back/] SAT And ACT Scores Are More Predictive Than Grades? [https://summitprep.com/blog/how-are-sat-and-act-scores-more-predictive-than-high-school-grades/] RELATED EPISODES HOW GRADING POLICIES INFLUENCE GRADE INFLATION [https://gettestbright.com/how-grading-policies-influence-grade-inflation/] WHO LOSES WHEN WE ABOLISH ENTRANCE EXAMS? [https://gettestbright.com/who-loses-when-we-abolish-entrance-exams/] WHY TESTS MATTER: STUDENT PERSPECTIVES [https://gettestbright.com/why-tests-matter-student-perspectives/] WHY UC WAS WRONG TO STOP USING THE SAT [https://gettestbright.com/why-uc-was-wrong-to-stop-using-the-sat/] ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page [http://testsandtherest.com]. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning [https://chariotlearning.com/] and founder of TestBright [https://gettestbright.com/]. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros [https://seeleytestpros.com/] and LEAP [https://www.leaprogram.com/]. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page [https://gettestbright.com/contact/].

Not everyone assumes that life after high school automatically entails immediate enrollment in college. Many teens graduate ready to pursue a more practical education. Amy and Mike invited education market researcher Brady Colby to explain the implications of enrolling in a trade school. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What exactly is a trade school?  2. What are recent trends for trade schools? 3. Why might trade schools be getting more popular?  4. How should parents or guidance advisors incorporate trades into post-high school planning?  5. Are the rise of trade schools a threat to so-called traditional higher ed schools and opportunities? MEET OUR GUEST Brady Colby is the head of market research at Validated Insights [https://www.validatedinsights.com/], which is a higher education marketing firm. Brady was the founder of Thirty Two EDU, which was acquired by Validated Insights in 2023. Brady and his team of higher education experts publish monthly reports on different sectors affecting higher education including quarterly OPM market reports, and quarterly trade school market reports. They have also recently published reports on the MBA Market. Brady can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradycolby/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradycolby/]. LINKS Trade School Market Insights [https://www.validatedinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Trade-Schools-Report-Oct-2024.pdf] Trade School Enrollment Surges Post-Pandemic, Outpacing Traditional Universities [https://press.pandopublicrelations.com/trade-school-enrollment-surges-post-pandemic-outpacing-traditional-universities] Gallup-Lumina State of Higher Education [https://www.gallup.com/analytics/644939/state-of-higher-education.aspx] Why These Gen Zers Are Ditching College Degrees For Blue-Collar Careers [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vspYdePRl6E] RELATED EPISODES PATHWAY PLANNING FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS [https://gettestbright.com/pathway-planning-for-high-schoolers/] HOW TO GUARANTEE CAREER SUCCESS AFTER COLLEGE [https://gettestbright.com/how-to-guarantee-career-success-after-college/] TRACKING COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS [https://gettestbright.com/tracking-college-and-career-readiness/] ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page [http://testsandtherest.com]. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning [https://chariotlearning.com/] and founder of TestBright [https://gettestbright.com/]. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros [https://seeleytestpros.com/] and LEAP [https://www.leaprogram.com/]. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page [https://gettestbright.com/contact/].

One should not take on what is potentially the biggest expense of a lifetime lightly. Motivated students can absolutely make sure college pays off academically, socially, and emotionally; financially, though, can be a big question mark. Amy and Mike invited educator Gage Mersereau to define the concept of true college ROI. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What does ROI mean in the context of college? 2. What are the major factors to determine your true college investment? 3. Why should plans after graduation factor into college plans? 4. Why should ROI factors be understood before submitting college applications? 5. Why doesn’t net price apply to all applicants? MEET OUR GUEST Gage Mersereau is the CEO and Founder of GradBetter, a company focused on simplifying college planning and affordability for counselors and families. With over 15 years of experience in the field, Gage has dedicated his career to helping families find their college fit. Prior to founding GradBetter, he built ConnectSports, a youth sports recruiting platform that empowered 100,000 high school athletes to discover, connect with, and commit to their college of choice. Gage began his career on Wall Street, working as an M&A banker and in private equity. Find Gage at https://www.gradbetter.com/ [https://www.gradbetter.com/]. LINKS Free college ROI calculator [https://www.gradbetter.com/search]  How the flawed earnings information in the College Scorecard misleads students (opinion) [https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2018/04/12/how-flawed-earnings-information-college-scorecard-misleads-students-opinion] Tuition Discount Rates at Private Colleges and Universities Top 50 Percent [https://www.nacubo.org/Press-Releases/2023/Tuition-Discount-Rates-at-Private-Colleges-and-Universities-Top-50-Percent] RELATED EPISODES RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN COLLEGE [https://gettestbright.com/return-on-investment-in-college/] THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE [https://gettestbright.com/the-price-you-really-pay-for-college/] CONSIDERING COLLEGE FINANCIAL FIT FIRST [https://gettestbright.com/considering-college-financial-fit-first/] WHAT IS A NET PRICE CALCULATOR? [https://gettestbright.com/what-is-a-net-price-calculator/] ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page [http://testsandtherest.com]. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning [https://chariotlearning.com/] and founder of TestBright [https://gettestbright.com/]. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros [https://seeleytestpros.com/] and LEAP [https://www.leaprogram.com/]. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page [https://gettestbright.com/contact/].

The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What have Amy and Mike been up to in the last month? 2. How is Amy using ChatGPT? 3. What is College Eagle? 4. What updates will we be making for the ACT curriculum for the enhanced ACT? 5. What are Mike and Amy doing at IECA in May? We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page [https://gettestbright.com/contact/]. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling! LINKS College Eagle [https://college-eagle.com/] RELATED EPISODES EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: March 2025 [https://gettestbright.com/extemp-with-amy-mike-march-2025/] EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: February 2025 [https://gettestbright.com/extemp-with-amy-mike-february-2025/] EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2025 [https://gettestbright.com/extemp-with-amy-mike-january-2025/] ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page [http://testsandtherest.com]. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning [https://chariotlearning.com/] and founder of TestBright [https://gettestbright.com/]. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros [https://seeleytestpros.com/] and LEAP [https://www.leaprogram.com/]. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page [https://gettestbright.com/contact/].

The ACT has been a remarkably stable exam, administered in roughly the same way for decades. However, a new version is on the horizon, and some intrepid souls have braved the uncertainty of the field test to experience it. Amy and Mike invited someone who sat for the April 2025 Enhanced ACT to share the test taker’s perspective. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What were your general impressions about the enhanced ACT test experience in the digital format? 2. What did you find to be the same on the enhanced ACT? 3. What did you find to be different on the enhanced ACT? 4. What recommendations would you have for a student taking the new Enhanced ACT? 5. What should tutors know about tutoring for the new Enhanced ACT? MEET OUR GUEST Our guest today has her master's degree in higher education and has worked in multiple areas of college administration. She has been a professional SAT and ACT tutor for the last 10 years and works with students across the US for several test prep companies. She understands the preparation necessary to do well on standardized tests, especially the ACT. She prides herself on the scores she has earned on officially administered ACTs in recent years, earning consistent 36 composites. Most importantly, she recently took the first digital enhanced ACT on April 5, 2025. LINKS ACT Test Enhancements [https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-changes/enhancements.html] ACT Enhancement Content Rebalancing [https://www.chariotlearning.com/act-enhancement-content-rebalancing/] RELATED EPISODES ALL ABOUT THE ACT TEST ENHANCEMENTS [https://gettestbright.com/all-about-the-act-test-enhancements/] CHOOSING BETWEEN THE DIGITAL SAT AND THE ACT [https://gettestbright.com/choosing-between-the-digital-sat-and-the-act/] COMPARING PAPER- AND COMPUTER-BASED TESTING [https://gettestbright.com/comparing-paper-and-computer-based-testing/] ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page [http://testsandtherest.com]. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning [https://chariotlearning.com/] and founder of TestBright [https://gettestbright.com/]. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros [https://seeleytestpros.com/] and LEAP [https://www.leaprogram.com/]. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page [https://gettestbright.com/contact/].