SAT & ACT prep that turns practice into points.
Personalized instruction, daily accountability, and official practice tests that produce consistent, measurable results, so students perform at their best when it matters most.
- Diagnostic-driven, custom study plan
- Full-length official practice tests
- Test-day strategy, pacing, and calm
Sound familiar?
Chasing a specific number
A target school, a scholarship threshold, or a score that unlocks the next thing. Knowing the number is not the same as knowing what it takes to reach it by the test date.
Starting from zero
First time facing the test, no idea what's on it or which one to take. The two tests reward different things, and nothing on a report card predicts performance on either.
Stuck after self-study
Hours logged, score unmoved. A score report doesn't capture what went wrong, so the same errors keep coming back.
Which test, and how many times.
Both are equally accepted. Every US college that considers test scores treats the SAT and the ACT on the same footing, so the only real question is which one a particular student performs better on.
This region has leaned toward the SAT for decades, and many families have never seriously considered the ACT. It is not a fallback or a lesser option. For plenty of students it is simply the better fit, and we have had students make dramatic gains after moving from SAT prep to ACT prep.
We advise planning for at least two or three sittings, with prep running continuously between them rather than pausing while waiting on scores. Fluency fades over a break, and every additional sitting is another chance to lift a section score that counts towards a superscore.
Superscoring · A college combines your best section scores from different test dates into a new total. ACT calculates an official superscore once you have scores from two or more dates. For the SAT, many colleges do the same with your best Reading and Writing and your best Math. Policies vary by college, so confirm with the schools on your list.
One of these tests fits you better.
You do not have to decide between the tests based on what everyone else is doing. Let real data make the decision for you.
Take both diagnostics
Both are free and timed, and the results come back instantly, to you and to us.
SAT submission
If you've already taken Practice Test 7 in College Board's Bluebook app, upload your results below.
Then book a free consultation, where we can help interpret the results and craft a test prep plan.
Converting between the two.
Colleges treat ACT and SAT scores as interchangeable using the official concordance published jointly by ACT and the College Board.
The 2018 tables are still the current ones, and nothing newer has been published for the digital SAT or enhanced ACT. Both makers say their scales carry over, though ACT states that as a belief pending its regular review. Treat conversions as close guidance, not exact equivalence.
| ACT composite | SAT total | SAT range |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | 1590 | 1570–1600 |
| 35 | 1540 | 1530–1560 |
| 34 | 1500 | 1490–1520 |
| 33 | 1460 | 1450–1480 |
| 32 | 1430 | 1420–1440 |
| 31 | 1400 | 1390–1410 |
| 30 | 1370 | 1360–1380 |
| 29 | 1340 | 1330–1350 |
| 28 | 1310 | 1300–1320 |
| 27 | 1280 | 1260–1290 |
| 26 | 1240 | 1230–1250 |
| 25 | 1210 | 1200–1220 |
| 24 | 1180 | 1160–1190 |
| 23 | 1140 | 1130–1150 |
| 22 | 1110 | 1100–1120 |
| 21 | 1080 | 1060–1090 |
| 20 | 1040 | 1030–1050 |
| 19 | 1010 | 990–1020 |
| 18 | 970 | 960–980 |
| 17 | 930 | 920–950 |
| 16 | 890 | 880–910 |
| 15 | 850 | 830–870 |
| 14 | 800 | 780–820 |
| 13 | 760 | 730–770 |
| 12 | 710 | 690–720 |
| 11 | 670 | 650–680 |
| 10 | 630 | 620–640 |
| 9 | 590 | 590–610 |
What the two tests actually ask of a student.
Which one to take is determined by diagnostic results, but structural differences are worth knowing.
SAT
98 questions, 2 hours 14 minutes, scored 400–1600
| Section | Questions | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | 54 | 64 |
| Math | 44 | 70 |
Each section splits into two modules of the same length. The second module's difficulty adapts to how the student performed on the first, so pacing on module 1 carries more weight than most students realize.
ACT
131 core questions, 2 hours 5 minutes, scored 1–36
| Section | Questions | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| English | 50 | 35 |
| Math | 45 | 50 |
| Reading | 36 | 40 |
| Science(optional) | 40 | 40 |
| Writing(optional) | 1 | 40 |
The Composite is English, Math, and Reading only. Science is optional and reported separately, and it still feeds the STEM score alongside Math.
Our recommendation
Take the ACT on paper, with one exception
For most students we still recommend paper. The ACT leans on long passages, and long passages are harder to work on a screen than the SAT's short ones, which pair a single question with a few lines of text. Skimming, annotating, and locating supporting evidence take less effort on paper.
The exception is a fluent Desmos user retaking the ACT specifically to lift a Math superscore. If Math is the section you are there to move and Desmos is genuinely faster in your hands, having it on screen can outweigh the reading cost.
Online has a second advantage: scores come back sooner. ACT publishes separate initial release dates for paper and online. This year the online date lands five days earlier on four of the seven dates, six days earlier in June, and on the same day in September and February. ACT's explanation is that it receives an online test as soon as testing finishes and can begin scoring much sooner. Those days matter when an application deadline is close, or when the registration deadline for your next sitting falls before paper scores are released.
Online means a computer at a test center, not a test you take from home. There are two registration options for it: bring your own device, or use one the center provides. A center is not required to keep spare machines for students who registered to bring their own, so arriving without a working laptop means not testing that day. Your own device has to be a Windows machine or a MacBook. Chromebooks, iPads, and tablets are not supported.
The SAT is taken on a device you bring
There is no paper SAT and no center-supplied laptop to register for. Students bring a device to the test center and are responsible for it working, unless College Board approves a loan, which takes a month to arrange and is linked below. Bluebook runs on a Windows laptop or tablet, a Mac laptop, an iPad, or a school-managed Chromebook. A personal Chromebook or phone isn't supported. Install Bluebook and finish exam setup well before test day, and arrive fully charged: your admission ticket is issued from the app, five days ahead of the test date.
School-managed devices taken to a test site other than your own school could pose problems. You will not have the permissions to fix anything that goes wrong, and test day staff will not either.
Every ACT now uses the enhanced format, on paper and online. On national test dates the student chooses whether to add Science. In state and district school-day testing that choice is made at the contract level by the state or district, not by the student. Telos is a member of the ACT® Affiliate Tutor Program, and we work from official College Board and ACT materials alongside our own curriculum.
Every date and deadline, in one place.
Each test date comes with its deadlines and fees attached, so you can map out a full testing year in one pass.
Plan ahead if requesting accommodations for the SAT. College Board needs your request approximately seven weeks before SAT test dates. For the ACT, the regular registration deadline now doubles as the deadline for requesting accommodations. Accommodations deadlines, and how to request them.
SAT 2026–2027
Digital, 2 hours 14 minutes
Registration: $68
- Late registration: $38
- Change test center: $34
- Cancel (by the change deadline): $34
- Additional score reports: $15 each, first 4 free
Fee waivers cover the registration fee and make late registration and cancellation free. Sunday administrations follow each Saturday date for students who cannot test on a Saturday.
ACT 2026–2027
2 hours 5 minutes core
Registration: $68 Covers English, Math, and Reading.
- Science section: $4
- Writing section: $25
Both sections can be added or dropped up to the late deadline. Deadlines close at 11:59pm Central. The photo upload deadline has no SAT equivalent, and missing it is a common reason students are turned away on test day.
Both score dates are the initial release. Online arrives five days ahead of paper on four dates, six days ahead in June, and on the same day in September and February.
Four ACT dates give your questions back
On four national dates a year, the ACT lets you order My Answer Key, formerly Test Information Release. You get a copy of the questions from your actual test alongside the answers you gave. No other college entrance exam offers this.
If you are planning two or three sittings, that changes which dates to pick. Nothing prepares a student for the next attempt like reviewing the questions they actually got wrong on the last one with a one-on-one instructor. Missed questions can come from a content gap, a misread, a pacing decision, or nerves, and those need four different fixes.
The SAT does not offer a similar service. Once the test is over, the questions are gone, so the exam remains a black box with no way to learn from mistakes.
Marked MAK above: October 2026, December 2026, April 2027, and June 2027 in this cycle. $36 ordered before the test, $44 after. Fee waivers are available. Order at registration or within six months of the test date once scores are out. It arrives in MyACT a few weeks after scores release.
Calculators
SAT
Bluebook has the Desmos calculator built in, with graphing and scientific modes, available at any point during Math. Students may still bring an approved handheld calculator for familiarity and speed. Physical buttons and muscle memory are potentially faster than making calculations on screen.
ACT
The online ACT has the Desmos calculator built in. Handheld calculators are allowed for both paper and online tests.
Every TI-84 model is permitted. The Texas Instruments ban covers only models beginning TI-89 or TI-92, plus the TI-Nspire CAS. A non-CAS TI-Nspire is fine.
Official free practice
Straight from the test makers, at no cost.
SAT
- Bluebook
The official testing app. Full-length adaptive practice tests, free.
- Official Digital SAT Prep on Khan Academy
Skills practice and walkthroughs keyed to your Bluebook results. Full-length tests now live in Bluebook, not here.
ACT
- QuizMe
Official practice questions in every subject.
- Free ACT test prep
Full-length practice test PDFs updated for the enhanced format, plus the official self-paced course.
Built in-house
What a Telos student works on between sessions.
Clutch Defender
SAT · Goal 1500
Next up
15 Reading questions
This week
Vision: study computer science, then build things people actually use.
TestTrackerProgress platform
Scores, sessions, and practice data in one place, with the next action always visible.
Quadratic formula
How well did you know it?
StudyGlassesFlashcards
Spaced repetition from confidence ratings. Rate a card 1 to 5 and that rating sets when it returns.
GrammarGlassesGrammar curriculum
Sentence structure made visible, built tile by tile from parts of speech up to clauses.
Tap the layer to peel first
MathGlassesMath curriculum
The same idea applied to equations. An equation is shown as nested layers, and the student peels them one at a time, in the order the math requires.
How SAT & ACT prep works
Free diagnostic
We start with a full-length diagnostic and a conversation. It reveals exactly where a student stands, and where the fastest gains are hiding.
A plan with purpose
Telos means purpose. Every student gets a clear, personalized roadmap tied to a concrete score goal, tracked in TestTracker so progress is never a mystery.
Weekly accountability
Focused sessions plus daily practice and check-ins. We target the weak points from the week, then work toward true mastery of each skill.
Confidence on test day
Preparation builds calm. Students walk in knowing the material and the strategy, and walk out with scores that reflect the work.
What it costs.
1:1 hourly and pay-as-you-go, with no minimum commitment. Your rate is locked when you enroll and stays unchanged for as long as you keep the service.
| Service | Associate Instructor | Lead Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| ACT & SAT Prep† | $160 | $220 |
† Plus a $40/month digital materials fee.
Common questions.
Should my student take the SAT or the ACT?
Start with the free diagnostic. Guessing from grades or subject preferences is unreliable, and the two tests reward different things. We review the results with you at the consultation and make the call together, before anyone commits to a plan.
How many hours of prep does it take?
It depends on the starting score, the goal, and the test date. As a reference point, students who complete 16 hours with us average a 200-point SAT increase. Your student's plan is built around their actual test date at the consultation.
Should we take the ACT on paper or online?
For most students, paper. The ACT leans on long passages, and long passages are harder to work on a screen than the SAT's short ones. Skimming, annotating, and locating supporting evidence take less effort on paper. Two things pull the other way: the online ACT has Desmos built in, which matters for a fluent Desmos user retaking to lift a Math superscore, and ACT releases online scores sooner than paper. Test dates themselves are the same either way.
Do you use real practice tests?
Yes. Full-length official practice tests, in the official format, are the backbone of the program. In between practice tests, students get targeted practice using official question banks from the College Board and ACT. We also draw on premium third-party materials for building foundational skills.
What does prep cost?
ACT & SAT prep is $160/hour with an Associate Instructor and $220/hour with a Lead Instructor, plus a $40/month digital materials fee. Sessions are pay-as-you-go with no minimum commitment, and your rate is locked for as long as you keep the service.
What are your affiliations and credentials?
AffiliateTutor Program
ACT's own program and directory for tutoring providers, which ACT runs in partnership with the National Test Prep Association, licensing us to use official ACT test questions in our test prep materials.
The professional association for test prep. Every member subscribes to its code of ethics, and Telos belongs as an organizational member.
Performance Specialist certification in leading performance psychologist Dr. Ben Bernstein's model for overcoming self-doubt, overwhelm, and distraction.
Start with a free consultation.
No obligation, no pressure. You leave understanding where the student stands and what a plan would look like.