3 Common Myths About
The College Prep Process Revealed

Myth #1:
ACT/SAT tests are a reflection of what you've learned in high school

In school, you excavate and explore, you read closely, you think creatively  On the ACT/SAT, the second you start excavating beneath the surface, you descend into a rabbit hole. The ACT/SAT is much more about attention to detail than it is about actual knowledge or critical reasoning.  The ACT/SAT are also speed tests, and you simply don’t have time to leisurely work through the questions.  The ACT reading is a 70- minute test that they give you 35 minutes to complete.  The ACT Science is an 80-minute that test they give you 35 minutes to complete.  When you walk into the ACT you have to turn yourself into a machine–and let your training do your thinking for you,   

In school, you have teachers who like you, are invested in you, want you to do well, and be successful.  This is what makes them good teachers.  The test writers of the ACT and SAT–and we know these people and have worked with them—are like evil geniuses sitting around at a round table trying to think of ways to trap you, psyche you out, coax you into the wrong answers, and make you feel bad about yourself.  Don’t take it personally; that’s their job.  We have a student who’s at Northwestern and whose father is a physics professor at Northwestern.  He decided to take the ACT Science–and he got a 22.  Here’s a guy who knows more science than all of the ACT writers put together, and he got psyched out by the traps and unusual pacing demands of the test.  Your job is to stay in the pocket, separate the wheat from the chaff, and use your training to turn these traps to your advantage.  If all else fails, remember Michael Jordan and prepare for “winning time.” Always save something for the finish.  Yes, even on the ACT/SAT, Be Like Mike.

Myth #2:
The ACT & SAT are tests of intelligence

Since ACT/SAT test scores can change dramatically based on a student’s level of preparation, the results do not provide an accurate measure of innate intelligence.

ACT/SAT testing also runs into problems with social inequalities. Disadvantaged youth tend to score lower on these tests (regardless of “intelligence”) simply because they have less access to high-quality educational resources.

Because of these factors, ACT/SAT should never be compared to, or used as, an IQ test.

Myth #3:
The tests are complicated

The people who make these tests do intentionally try to make the questions seem difficult in order to trick you. Once you are aware of the tricks and traps that they’re trying to lay for you, the questions actually become very simple.

But you need a roadmap to recognize the traps and how to navigate them. And that’s where the Krupnick Approach comes in. We give you that roadmap.

When all is said and done, ACT/SAT scores are not the be-all-end-all of a student’s academic or career success.

They actually have a fairly narrow goal, so the scores may or may not be beneficial to a given student. In certain scenarios they may be a helpful guide for choosing and preparing for college. In other scenarios, making judgments based on these scores is not at all productive.

See what our students have to say about their experiences

Latest Updates