Strategy, tips, and exam guides for the SAT, ACT, and APĀ® exams ā from a Barron's author with 20+ years of experience.
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 Desmos onā¦
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer Updated August 26, 2026 for the current 2026–27 AP® English Language and Composition framework and 2027 exam. AP® English Language and Composition is one of the mostā¦
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer The AP® Biology exam tests how well you understand the way living systems actually work. Memorization alone will not get you there. The course is organized aroundā¦
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 periodsā¦
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 theā¦
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer Updated August 2026 for the May 2027 AP® World History: Modern Exam AP® World History: Modern covers more than 750 years of global change, from the Songā¦
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT Scorer Updated August 2026 for the May 2027 AP® Psychology Exam The current AP® Psychology course is organized into five units, covering everything from neurons and cognition toā¦
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT ScorerUpdated August 27, 2026 for the 2027 AP® Psychology Exam AP® Psychology has one of the more favorable score distributions among AP exams. In 2025, nearly half ofā¦
By Brian Stewart, Barron’s SAT, ACT & PSAT Author & Perfect SAT/ACT ScorerUpdated August 27, 2026 for the 2027 AP® African American Studies Exam Most students preparing for the AP® African American Studies exam focus almost entirely on content, memorizingā¦
The ACT gives you no formula sheet. Every formula you need, from the quadratic formula to the Law of Cosines, has to be in your head before you sit down. After 20+ years of tutoring, I see this gap constantly.ā¦