To Retake or Not to Retake?

Published Saturday, December 4, 2021 by Katie

It’s 6am on a Thursday morning. Your alarm sounds, jerking you awake from your bedside table. You roll over to slam the snooze button—but wait. You just remembered. SAT scores came out this morning! Bolting out of bed, you furiously open your laptop and go to the College Board’s website. In your sleep-addled state, it takes multiple tries to type the password into your computer, only adding to your anxiety. Finally, you reach the right site, log on, and navigate to the score report page. You close your eyes, take a deep breath, and then… Continue Reading

A Foolproof Way To Increase Your Critical Reading Score

Published Saturday, December 4, 2021 by Adam

If you’re having a hard time with the SAT, I’ll bet that you have trouble solving the critical reading section. Critical reading is what we at Excel see people struggling with the most, and it’s easy to see why. Grammar and math consist of complicated but concrete rules that you can break down into recognizable patterns and strategies. Critical Reading is a different game. It requires abstract thinking, knowledge of archaic vocab, and a high tolerance for reading passages. So if you’ve practiced and practiced and you’re still not seeing your score rise, what should… Continue Reading