Strategy, tips, and exam guides for the SAT, ACT, and AP® exams — from a Barron's author with 20+ years of experience.
ACT’s My Answer Key materials give students access to a post-test packet for eligible administrations, which means tutors can finally look at recent forms with some specificity. I had a chance to review the April 2026 ACT form, and a…
Test anxiety is more common than students realize, and it can be managed with the right tools. Here are practical techniques you can use during prep and on test day for the SAT, ACT, AP exams, and other high-stakes tests — from breathing strategies to free-response tactics.
Desmos is built into the Digital SAT, but defaulting to it on every problem is one of the biggest time-sinks I see in students prepping for the test. Here are 9 specific problem types where doing the work by hand is faster, plus the rule I drill into every student about when to put the calculator down.
Once you've worked through the foundational Desmos techniques — linear regression, sliders, graphing systems, the percent and fraction shortcuts — you've got the core toolkit most students rely on. (If you haven't yet, start with the free Ten Tips for…
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer AP® English Language and Composition is one of the most widely taken AP exams — and one of the most misunderstood. Students often arrive thinking it is…
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer The AP® Biology exam is less about memorizing isolated facts and more about understanding how living systems actually work. The course is organized around four Big Ideas…
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer The AP® US History exam is less about memorizing isolated facts and more about understanding major developments across time. The course is organized into nine historical periods…
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer AP® African American Studies is an interdisciplinary course that moves from the societies of early Africa through the transatlantic slave trade, Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, and the…
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer AP® World History: Modern covers more than 750 years of global change — from the Song Dynasty and the Silk Roads to globalization and climate change. You…
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer The redesigned AP® Psychology course is built around five units, covering everything from neurons to psychological disorders. Below are 120 essential terms organized by unit (roughly 24…