The SAT is the only common measuring stick that college admissions officers have with which to measure their applicants. At most schools, it accounts for between 20-40 percent of admissions decisions and is the single most important factor in admissions next to high school grades.

Ivy Insiders is the world's only test prep program taught exclusively by graduates and undergraduates from Ivy League universities. With a curriculum designed by America's top young minds and instructors who scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT, our sole goal is to give you what we wish we had when we were preparing for the SAT and ACT—a program that delivers real results. Since our inception four years ago, that's exactly what we've done (see Comparisons).

Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale from 200-800 so that your total score could range from 600-2400. The essay is scored from 0-12 and counts for 25 percent of you Writing score. The average score on the SAT for the class of 2006 was 1518 (497 Writing, 503 Critical Reading, 518 Math, 7.2 Essay).

The SAT is administered 7 times per year beginning in October. The best time to start getting ready for the exam is in the summer before the fall test dates.

The PSAT is administered in October of your Junior year and is used as the sole criterion in the National Merit Scholarship Competition. Students scoring well on the PSAT who are awarded National Merit Scholar status can receive sizable to full scholarships at most colleges in the United States. At the most competitive colleges in the country, National Merit Scholarship status is a significant criterion for entry. Whether you are aiming for a National Merit Scholarship or just want to achieve your full potential on the PSAT, it is definitely worth doing prep the summer before the exam—especially because that preparation will directly translate into improved performance on the SAT. Remember, the PSAT is just a shorter version of the real SAT.